Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 161

Facts Matter: Accuracy Is Essential Even in Fiction, or Is It?

Recently, my book club read a book by a New York Times top ten author.  I had never read anything by this person and wanted to see what all the fuss was about.  I’m not going to name names because I still don’t get why her work is so popular. When you write for children, […]

Essay Writing: The Hermit Crab

Most of the writing that I do at this point in my career is children’s nonfiction.  But I’ve also written book reviews, done test writing, and created how-tos for both children and adults.  I read all types of writing and like to learn new techniques.  After all, you never know when something will come in […]

Word Count: How Much Can You Write Per Day?

Recently, one of my students contacted me.  She was going to be late handing something in because she had thought she could research and write 1000 words/day.  Reality was closer to 500. She then asked my advice about how she could write faster. The number of words you can write per day is going to […]

Research On-Line: Help Make It Possible

One of the great things about writing in the digital age is the vast amount of research information we can find online.  One of the best sources of information is the Library of Congress through which you can access a variety of photographs, posters, post cards, letters, diaries and more.  The library is constantly adding […]

Building A Career: More Effort than Luck

The other day, one of my girlfriends commented on Facebook that someone had just been gushing about how lucky she is.  “It wasn’t luck.  I worked my butt off!”  If she hadn’t been in Arizona with me in Missouri, Jane would have gotten a big hug.  That’s how I feel when another writer comments about […]

David Harrison: Happy 50th Anniversary

“Don’t you just hate it when one of your friends makes a sale?  Don’t you get jealous?” I was a fairly new writer when someone asked me this.  I had some sales, no books, but I was still surprised.  Jealous?  No, why?  Although when my writing friend David Harrison announced he was celebrating the 50th […]

Lee Bennett Hopkins: RIP

Sadness.  Last week, poet and anthologist Lee Bennett Hopkins passed away. I can’t even tell you how many poems he published or how many anthologies he produced.  What I can tell you is that he is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most productive anthologist of poetry for children. Hopkins created his […]

Breaking the Fourth Wall

I’m always a little envious of authors who successfully break the fourth wall.  Not that I’ve ever tried to do it, but I obviously find it tempting. The fourth wall is the barrier between the movie or book and the audience. When a movie character, such as Deadpool or Ferris Bueller, speaks to the audience, […]

Illustration Notes and When Not to Make Notes

Last night my critique group met.  We have two newish writers who are crafting their first picture books.  We also have a former writer for Sesame Street who is working on a picture book.  Her manuscript always has an illustration note or two so it is really hard for the newer writers to understand when […]

Anthropomorphized Animals: Fiction or Nonfiction?

Recently I read a Sleeping Bear Press picture book called A Penguin Named Patience: A Hurricane Katrina Rescue Story by Suzanne Lewis.  In this book, Lewis tells the story of the Audubon facility in New Orleans and what the animals there went through after the hurricane. As the facility heats up, Patience’s temper grows noticeably […]