Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 139

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Why Picture Books Must Appeal to Two Very Different Readers

If you are going to write picture books, your work has to appeal to two very different readers – the adult and the child. Most of us think of the child as the picture books intended audience.  We are, after all, writing for a group of people who are 3 to 5 years old.  Young […]

4 Rules for the Historical Fiction Road

The other day I read a guest post by Andrew Noakes on Jane Friedman’s blog.  He wrote about writing historical fiction and has some really good tips.  I’m going to expand on one of them and then add three  of my own. No Hive Mind I don’t remember how Noakes phrased this but remember when […]

3 Ways to Stop Getting in Your Own Way

We creative types tend to be complex.  We love to create.  Sometimes.  We want to publish.  But we don’t send out our work.  Our excuses are legion.  Fortunately, there are three things that we can do to get out of our own way. Identify the Problem. Some people research, falling down that rabbit hole and […]