Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 139
June 23, 2020
Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults
On July 6, the first session of my course Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults will begin. Here is a detailed weekly plan. Week One: Starting with a Plan Whether you are interested in writing history, STEAM, or crafts, it is important to start with a plan. We will discuss the various projects everyone […]
June 22, 2020
4 Collections on Racism and Inequality from Hoopla
With public interest up, both libraries and bookstores are finding it difficult to keep books on racism, inequality, and racial injustice on their shelves. One solution for libraries and library patrons comes from hoopla. Hoopla is a digital platform that makes books available through libraries. In response to the demand for these titles, hoopla (and […]
June 21, 2020
Three Reasons Representation Matters
Representation. Often when writers use this word we are talking about being represented by an agent. But for our readers there is a meaning that is vastly more important. Representation also means that readers should be able to see themselves in the books they read. Thus it is vital that all kinds of characters be […]
June 18, 2020
5 Places to Find Inspiration
“Where do you get your ideas?” That’s a question I dread because, I suspect, that my answer is atypical. I find them wherever I happen to be, whatever I am reading, watching or paying attention to. And my own story idea is often fairly unrelated to what inspired me. For the past two days, I […]
June 17, 2020
Virtual Author Event: Books on Tap Live Series
I don’t entirely understand it but it seems like every other story idea I have is either for a picture book or a graphic novel. To a point, it makes sense because I am highly visual but I read a lot of novels – so many novels. Ah, well. Fortunately today I have an opportunity […]
June 16, 2020
10 Things to Include on Your Pitch Sheet
Last week, I took part in a Zoom talk with Emily Hall Schroen of Main Street Books in St. Charles. Emily told everyone that when they approach her, or any other indie bookstore, they should first send a pitch sheet for their book. Pitch sheet? What’s a pitch sheet? I had never heard this term […]
June 15, 2020
3 Reasons to Quit Dawdling
I don’t tend to spend much time on social media over the weekend. My husband and I are trying to preserve office hours with both of us working at home. So yesterday I was surprised to see an agency I am interested in has a new agent and that she is closing to submissions tomorrow. […]
June 14, 2020
Three Things You Need to Do with Your First Sentence
As part of my adventure in novel writing, I joined the forum Gutsy Great Novelist. In addition to posting articles, host Joan Dempsey launches conversations on various topics. One that has been ongoing for weeks was to post the opening sentence of your work-in-progress. Some people posted multiple sentences. I was tempted when I realized […]
June 11, 2020
3 Reasons to Support Your Indie Bookstore
Last night Kansas-Missouri Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators put on an awesome webinar with Emily Hall Schroen of Main Street Books St. Charles. Emily discussed how authors can build a relationship with booksellers. Not sure who your indie bookstore is? Think you should just pop over to Amazon to place an order. Here […]
June 10, 2020
3 Resources to Prep Yourself to Talk about Race
If you’ve been online this past week, you’ve probably seen the term anti-racist. An anti-racist is someone who is working against racism. To do this, and to be prepared to discuss race in an educated manner with young readers, you need to educate yourself. Here are three of the resources that I’ve found to help […]
