Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 124

Sign Up to Hone Your NF Craft

Writing nonfiction is tough. You have to research your topic, hook your reader and spin a story with a satisfying emotional arc all while sticking to the facts. Whew! It certainly isn’t easy. But if it is something you are interested in learning more about the Nonfiction Chicks’ blog is holding their second annual NF Fest … Continue reading Sign Up to Hone Your NF Craft →

3 Things to Remember about Your Inciting Incident

I’m posting about fiction so you’ve probably guessed I’m still working through the DIY MFA Writer Igniter challenge. Sometimes it takes time for a lesson to sink in as was the case with Inciting Incidents. An inciting incident is the point in the story where the main character is launched from their everyday life into … Continue reading 3 Things to Remember about Your Inciting Incident →

4 Musts for a Picture Book Biography and MLK Day

I’m not sure what kind of MLK Day celebrations are going on today, but we can have our own celebration here.  In light of that, I’ll share my all time favorite biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with you.  Why do I love this one?  Because this story is told in his own words, … Continue reading 4 Musts for a Picture Book Biography and MLK Day →

4 Ways Readers Get to Know Your Character

As writers, we spend an amazing amount of time getting to know our characters. Then we have to figure out how to introduce them to our readers. There are four ways we can do this. In the DIY MFA Writer Igniter challenge, Gabriela Pereira refers to them as TADA: Thought and Feeling What does your character think … Continue reading 4 Ways Readers Get to Know Your Character →

Help! I Found a Book on My Topic

Yesterday, one of my students contacted me. She was in a panic because, while doing research, she found a book on the same topic she is working on in class. All of her energy had ebbed away as soon as she saw the title that will be coming out in a few months. But I … Continue reading Help! I Found a Book on My Topic →

5 Promises in Your Opening Pages

Writers are generally readers so when I saw the opportunity to take a class on reading like a writer, I jumped on it and signed up for the DIY MFA Writer Igniter challenge. Step 1 was to pick out a book to use as a mentor text for your current project. I tried and tried … Continue reading 5 Promises in Your Opening Pages →

4 Ways Writing Is Like Assembling a Puzzle

Sometimes writing is a lot like putting together a puzzle. How? Read on to find out. Pieces Stories and puzzles come to you in bits and pieces. Puzzles come precut, loose in a box. The number of pieces is printed on the box so, at least in theory, you have some idea what you are … Continue reading 4 Ways Writing Is Like Assembling a Puzzle →

5 Places I Find Story Ideas

I am taking part in Storystorm, Tara Lazar’s challenge in which writers brainstorm story ideas.  I wrote about the challenge here.  This post isn’t about the challenge in general but where I go to find story ideas. I’m not someone who has a hard time finding story ideas.  Normally I finish out the year with … Continue reading 5 Places I Find Story Ideas →

Classic vs Contemporary Part 2

Last week I wrote a blog post on whether or not students need updated (vs. classic) reading lists. Then I spotted an article, To Teach or Not To Teach: Is Shakespeare Still Relevant to Today’s Students?, in School Library Journal. In this article, author Amanda MacGregor discusses teacher Brittany Greene who works with 9th graders … Continue reading Classic vs Contemporary Part 2 →

3 Reasons to Write for Young Readers

This isn’t the post that I originally had planned for today. But yesterday found me doing a lot of thinking about the world and my place in it. Among the things I was contemplating was why I write for young readers. To Inform This one is probably obvious since I write nonfiction, but I write … Continue reading 3 Reasons to Write for Young Readers →