Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 109

Banned Books Week, Part 2

One of the most surprising thing about banned books is just how many books have been challenged. My son’s English teacher wanted to make certain that her students and the parents realized this. She had each student pick a banned book to read and then asked the parents to sign a permission slip. Jared chose … Continue reading Banned Books Week, Part 2 →

3 Tips on How to Choose Writing Samples

I am currently part of a mentorship program for writers who are working to break into educational publishing. One of the topics that we discuss is selecting samples. Many educational jobs require you to submit a resume and writing samples. One of the people I’m working with asked how to select what pieces to include. … Continue reading 3 Tips on How to Choose Writing Samples →

Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us: Celebrating Banned Books 9/26 – 10/2/2021

Banned Book Week focuses our attention on attempts across the US to remove or restrict access to books. If this is your first time reading about Banned Book Week, you might want to head over to the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) where they compile and post lists of challenged books. The OIF gathers information … Continue reading Books Unite Us, Censorship Divides Us: Celebrating Banned Books 9/26 – 10/2/2021 →

Musical Accompaniment

“You love music. Listen to music while you write.” So many of my writing friends have play lists for their various projects. They listen to period specific music when writing historical pieces. They listen to culturally appropriate music while working on corresponding stories. I’m sure you get the point. Music is a great way to … Continue reading Musical Accompaniment →

Odyssey of Love by Linda Jämsén: A Review

Odyssey of Love: A Memoir of Seeking and Finding by Linda Jämsén has been compared to Eat, Pray, Love. I get it. There are parallels — both women went around the world to find themselves. But I’m hoping that in the not so distant future Odyssey of Love is the book that another memoir will be … Continue reading Odyssey of Love by Linda Jämsén: A Review →

Don’t Sweat It: We Each Need to Find our own Definition of Success

If I write about something here on my blog, such as writing work-for-hire, but it isn’t what you want to do? Don’t sweat it. The reality is that there is no one way to succeed as a writer. You can write popular fiction and be a success. You can publish one poem and be a … Continue reading Don’t Sweat It: We Each Need to Find our own Definition of Success →

How to Organize and Launch a Kick-ass Virtual Book Launch Event at Little Cost

Today’s post was written for us by Linda Jämsén as one of the stops in her blog tour for her new memoir, Odyssey of Love. Check out her bio below and then read on to see what she has to say about creating a virtual launch. Linda Jämsén is an American expat writer-musician living in … Continue reading How to Organize and Launch a Kick-ass Virtual Book Launch Event at Little Cost →

Book Tour: Odyssey of Love

This week I’m taking part in the blog tour for Odyssey of Love by Linda Jämsén. I hope you’ll stop by again later in the week. On Tuesday, Linda has a guest post for us all on how to launch your book online. And on Thursday, I’ll be reviewing the book. Below is the book … Continue reading Book Tour: Odyssey of Love →

How Much Research Is Needed to Write Fiction?

I’m not going to say that I never write fiction. Airstream is probably my third or fourth novel. I’m not sure about the count since one is a chapter book. But I’m much more comfortable with nonfiction. I know how much research I need to do and how long it will take me to draft. … Continue reading How Much Research Is Needed to Write Fiction? →

Opening with a Narrative Scene

Most of the nonfiction books that I write for school libraries open with a narrative scene. The Dakota Access Pipeline describes a series of young people introducting themselves and explaining what the river and local water access means to them. The Assassination of John F. Kennedy explains why he was in Dallas and then describes … Continue reading Opening with a Narrative Scene →