Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 151
February 12, 2020
2 Upcoming Twitter Pitch Opportunities
Submitting your work is a drag. You have to research publishers/editors/agents, polish your query, and send out just the right combination of things. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if they would come knocking on your door? I have to admit that I cringe when I see an author pitching their work on Twitter and […]
February 11, 2020
Three Reasons Why One Picture Book Manuscript Is Not Enough
I’m always surprised when I speak to a new picture book writer who has written and polished one manuscript and believes that they are ready to take the publishing world by storm. If this is what you think, I hate to break it to you but now is the time to get to work on […]
February 10, 2020
Bizarre Coincidence in My Reading
The ladies in book club tease me about coincidence and my choice in books. It seems like very often I’ll end up reading two books that are annoyingly similar. Our last book club book was The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes by Ruth Hogan. If you haven’t read the book, it is set in England […]
February 9, 2020
3 Tips to Help You Write a Picture Book Based on a Family Story
Last week, I read Eliza Wheeler’s Home in the Woods. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this story, Marvel and her family move to a shack in the woods after Marvel’s dad dies. Marvel is unimpressed with the humble shack. “‘You never know what treasures we’ll find,’ says Mum.” This picture book is based on […]
February 6, 2020
What You Need to Know about Work for Hire
On February 22, I will be presenting a workshop session on writing work-for-hire. The day long event is The Business of the Book which will be on the UM-SL campus and is put on by the KS-MO SCBWI. My session is an introduction to what you need to know to write work-for-hire. I will discuss: […]
February 5, 2020
Five Ways to Generate More Story Ideas
Once when someone asked me where I get my story ideas, I commented that I would have to walk around with a bucket over my head not to get story ideas. And that’s the truth. But it doesn’t do any good to get ideas if you don’t write them down. So that’s tip number 1. Write down […]
February 4, 2020
Understanding Voice in 3 Easy Steps
Develop your voice. Find an editor who loves your voice. We want writers with an approachable voice. Whether you are reading Writer’s Digest, blogs or tweets, you are going to find discussions and mentions of voice. It can be confusing if you don’t know what voice is. Voice is how you sound. Understanding that is Step […]
February 3, 2020
RIP Mary Higgins Clark
I’ve been more-or-less off several days celebrating my birthday with my family. I was sad to come back Monday and read about the death of Mary Higgins Clark. I may not have been an early writer, but I was an early reader. I transitioned from young adult novels to adult novels in seventh grade. Mom […]
February 2, 2020
Three Things I Learned about Writing
Recently, I watched this TED Talk with Tom Nash. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Nash, speaker and self-professed pirate (see the video and it will make sense), he lost both arms and legs and was heavily scarred by a life-threatening illness. His life since then has been all about overcoming adversity. So […]
January 30, 2020
Four Things Your Opening Scene Has to Do
Last week, I read an excellent post by Jane Friedman, 5 Common Story Openings to Avoid. As a new writer, I attempted two of them and I’ve seen at least two more when reading contest entries. Her list of bad beginnings includes opening with the character getting out of bed, with the character sitting and […]
