Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 136
August 4, 2020
Picture Book Writing: How to Leave Room for the Illustrator
Leave room for the illustrator. Those of us who write picture books hear that advice on a regular basis. Although I understood that this meant that I shouldn’t describe what the illustrator should draw, I didn’t understand what that meant. I understood it to mean that I shouldn’t say the character wore a blue dress […]
Published on August 04, 2020 19:11
August 3, 2020
4 Reasons to Read What’s Being Published Now
Recently, I saw a discussion on children’s classics. Basically should we or should we not be recommending classics to young readers. I have to admit that when someone said NO CLASSICS, I bristled. Yes, there are so many amazing new books but there are so many amazing older books as well. Then a friend gave […]
Published on August 03, 2020 19:33
August 2, 2020
3 Reasons to Celebrate Small Successes
Last month, I took part in Camp NaNoWriMo. In this month long challenge, you set your own goal. It might be to outline your novel, reach a certain word count or send out x number of queries. My goal was to add 25,000 words to my draft. I actually managed a little more than that, […]
Published on August 02, 2020 20:55
July 30, 2020
Three Tips to Help Increase Your Productivity
The past week or so, I’ve noticed that not only has my productivity flagged, midday is a monster. Not a ravenous beast but more of a big, sleepy, nap-taking monster. I probably spend more of the hour after lunch fantasizing about taking a nap than I do actually writing. Today was better but today I […]
Published on July 30, 2020 18:51
July 29, 2020
Three Reasons to Take Advantage of the Creating Books for Change Project
Yesterday I took part in a webinar about the Creating Books for Change Project. In the University of Pittsburgh Attentional Teaching Practices course, education undergraduates learn how to use picture books in the early elementary classroom. In her work with the students, Dr. Shannon Wanless noticed that they often spotted problems – text or an […]
Published on July 29, 2020 21:37
July 28, 2020
Writing Prompts
I don’t know about you, but focusing to write can be more challenging than usual lately. My new normal includes sharing my office with my husband while my son Zooms his classes in his room next door. Sometimes what I need to get started is a good idea. Check out this list of unused titles […]
Published on July 28, 2020 19:10
July 27, 2020
3 Things You Need in a Picture Book Biography
I’m one of those writers who is constanly jotting down story ideas. That means if I see a story online about someone who interests, their name may become an entry in my notebook. That doesn’t mean it is a detailed entry. Many of them say something like “Bio Dilhan Eryurt: Turkish female astronomer” or “Bio […]
Published on July 27, 2020 17:39
July 26, 2020
3 Trends in Horror
First things first, you don’t need to love blood and gore to be into horror. Sure, some authors paint their stories with buckets of blood. But others create a sense of dread – the creep and slither that convinces you something dreadful is coming. The latter are the ones I love. Yes, some young readers […]
Published on July 26, 2020 18:50
July 23, 2020
3 Reasons You Should Attend Comic Con
Before you start foaming at the mouth, I’m not suggesting that anyone forgo social distancing or wearing a mask. You can do both and still attend San Diego’s Comic Con because Comic Con is going on right now and this year … It Is Virtual My husband and son go to our local Comic Con […]
Published on July 23, 2020 20:24
July 22, 2020
3 Ways to Select a Character’s Job
Rather you are writing for young readers or adult readers, eventually you are going to have to give a character a job. It might be a teen’s first job or the job of a character’s parent. If you are writing a novel for adult readers, it might be your protagonist’s job. I’ve been thinking about […]
Published on July 22, 2020 18:25