Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 18

Strong Settings Mean Avoiding Clichés

Yesterday my husband and I were in Charleston, Missouri to attend a funeral. Although I was on my very best behavior, I snorted audibly when someone referred to the town of just over 5000 as “the middle of nowhere.” “What?!” “Seriously? Have you ever been to West Texas? Right this minute, at most you’re 25 … Continue reading Strong Settings Mean Avoiding Clichés →

March: National Reading Month

Is it not amazing that we have an entire month dedicated to reading?! I know I’m jazzed. What are you reading right now? I hope it is something amazing. I just finished The Secret of Moonrise Manor: A Raven Gallows Mystery. I’ll admit up front that the author is a friend but I have to … Continue reading March: National Reading Month →

Snipping Away Excess Words

I don’t think I’ve ever written a perfect first draft. But with each rewrite it gets better and better.  Often it also gets longer and longer. I have to admit it — I tend to write short.  Too short. When my critique buddies go over a manuscript they mark numerous places that require transitions, details … Continue reading Snipping Away Excess Words →

Shatter Writers Block with the Ten Most Important Things

“I don’t know what should happen next!” It doesn’t matter what you are writing. It might be an outline, a picture book, a novel chapter, or a piece of flash fiction. Not knowing what should happen next can bring you to a full stop. It can keep you from writing for hours, days or even … Continue reading Shatter Writers Block with the Ten Most Important Things →

Return Borrowed Books Week

Did you know this is Return Borrowed Books Week? Am I the only one with a dedicated library bag? This is actually my second library bag. I started using one particular denim bag when I was pregnant with my son. We would make the trek to the library and fill the bag with picture books. … Continue reading Return Borrowed Books Week →

Learning from Our Predecessors

My first thought when I saw this in my in-box was “Oh, no!” I was so sad to see this. But then I almost immediately thought of his book Writing with Pictures. If you haven’t read it, this was the introductory book that was recommended to everyone way back when I started writing for children. … Continue reading Learning from Our Predecessors →

Naming Your Characters

I’ve been noodling over the names that I gave the characters in my early middle grade novel. It isn’t hard to find a list of rules for picking out your character’s names. Here are some of the rules that I’ve found. Use Meanings One of the most fun ways to name characters is to name … Continue reading Naming Your Characters →

FOMO…Delete!

So much to do! So much to do! This week I have massive deadlines so when I saw the post in my email it did not have the desired effect. Yes, I’m just assuming but I doubt that the person was trying to irritate me. The email was from someone with an ongoing series of … Continue reading FOMO…Delete! →

Interview with Sleeping with Dogs author Barbara Barth

Hi, Everyone! I don’t normally publish a post on Saturday but I’m here on a beautiful sunny (cold!) weekend for an interview with author Barbara Barth. As you may remember from my posts here and here, Barbara is the author of the poetic memoir Sleeping with Dogs. Without further delay, let’s get on with the … Continue reading Interview with Sleeping with Dogs author Barbara Barth →

Rewriting, Revising, and Polishing

I have a book due today. It isn’t very long and yesterday I worked through the entire manuscript. Today I’ll be doing it twice more. Why do I do this so many times? Because each time I am doing something different. First things first, I do a rewrite. Rewrite During a rewrite, I’m still making … Continue reading Rewriting, Revising, and Polishing →