Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 135
August 18, 2020
Describing Size so Your Reader Will Understand
Whether you are trying to describe the size of something to an adult writer or a young reader, you need to put it in terms that they understand. Loved this Facebook post by James Patterson. Sizes are always tricky, even if an object is photographed. This is why photos of artifacts and fossils often include […]
August 17, 2020
3 Ways to Invite Readers into Your Picture Book
Early in the year, I set a reading goal for myself. I planned to read 200 or more books in 2020. Pfft. No big deal. I’m not just reading novels. I’m also reading graphic novels and picture books. In fact, for the past month, I’ve had a stack of picture books sitting on my coffee […]
August 16, 2020
How to Use a Character Grid to Create Conflict in your Story
There are three C’s that you can never have too much of – chocolate, coffee and conflict between the characters in your story. I realized that I had missed some prime opportunities for character conflict in my cozy when I read “The 5 C’s of Writing A Great Thriller Novel” by James Scott Bell. Bell […]
August 13, 2020
Did You Know that There Are Two Types of Scenes?
Writing fiction is a matter of balance. You need to include action, dialogue, and narrative. You also need to include both action scenes and sequel scenes. Not long after I started working on my novel, I tried to find information on crafting sequels. Maybe it isn’t a term that everyone uses, but I failed miserably. […]
August 12, 2020
What You Need to Know About Writing Board Books
Board books fascinate me. I love their sturdy construction. I love the fact that they can tell a story in a minimal number of spreads. And I love how innovative they are, so I was thrilled when I saw my friend Sue Lowell Gallion’s new book online. Our World is a board book introduction to geography. […]
August 11, 2020
3 Things to Remember about Your Protagonist
My all-time favorite antagonist has always been the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz. Not the book. The TV version. And I have to admit that really, I loved the flying monkeys. The Witch who is evil for evil’s sake is probably not the best model for an antagonist. I realized this when I […]
August 10, 2020
3 Actions Libraries Are Taking in 2020
Let’s Taco Bout Our Libraries. Can I just say that I love all that the St. Louis County Library System is doing during 2020? I’ll admit it. I’m a huge library geek. When we found out that our county was asking all nonessential businesses to close and people to stay home in March, I had […]
August 9, 2020
RIP Kathleen Duey
In August of the year my mom died, I drug my 3 year-old, husband, and father to LA. We all needed a change of pace and I could do the SCBWI LA Conference while they did the tourist thing. I found my way to the coffee bar and into the vast main hall. I suspect […]
August 6, 2020
3 Reasons to Take a Chance
A Publisher’s Weekly article that I read has had me thinking. In March, Kitty O’Meara wrote a poem, “And the People Stayed Home.” You may have seen it. A friend asked to post it on Facebook and the poem went viral. It was praised by Deepak Chopra, sung by opera star Renée Fleming, and now […]
August 5, 2020
4 Things to Remember When Making a Trailer
Today I used Adobe Spark to make a trailer for my class Writing Nonfiction for Children and Teens. There were things about the program I loved: It is free. Given the fact that this was an experiment (is this something I want to do) free was vital. It is easy to add video segments, called […]
