Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 188

Rewriting

At the moment, I’m slapping down two really rough first draft.  Seriously rough. One is so bad that tomorrow I’m going to start this chapter all over again.  But that’s okay because I don’t have a deadline.  This is a something I’m writing for fun. But the other one? Once I get a draft down, […]

Plastics: What Does Being a Writer Have to do with Single Use Plastics?

Admittedly, the link isn’t something I had given a ton of thought until my writing buddy Jeanie Franz Ransom tweeted about National Geographic’s Planet or Plastic.  She just happened to tweet this as SCBWI members from around the world are heading to LA for the summer conference.  I have no clue how many people attend […]

Writing Success: Getting Out of Your Own Way

Last weekend, I was talking to a friend about craft. This wasn’t about writing, although we both write, but crafting, specifically crochet.  Because of arthritis in her hands, she has had to give up embroidery and beading also proved impossible.  She can’t hold the needle long enough to get anything done. “Could you crochet?  Some […]

Danielle Smith: Agent Gone Bad

I wasn’t going to blog about this but if you aren’t on Twitter you may not have seen the news.  Agent Danielle Smith has shut down her agency, Lupine Grove, after telling her writers that they had been offered publishing contracts that never existed.  She would tell these clients that the contracts were unacceptable and […]

No More Library Fines for Young Readers

If you are a reader today, and most writers are, you were probably a reader when you were a kid.  I’m sure my mother took me to the library but what I actually remember is going on my own.  I would ride my bike up the busy four lane (sidewalk riding).  Then I would cruise […]

When What You Write Isn’t Great, Don’t Ignore That Nagging Feeling

Honestly, you could pour me into a bucket tonight. It isn’t that I’m that relaxed.  I’m that wiped out. As I write this on Thursday evening, I’ve just met a deadline for an outline and sample chapter.  Easy peasy mac-n-cheesy as my friend Renee says.  I write for Abdo.  I know what they want. Usually. […]

Plot and subplots

Now that I’ve started working on a novel, I’m finding myself paying close attention to plots and subplots in what I read.  My favorite form is when they all explore the same theme.  The main character has to find a way to accomplish a dishonorable task in an honorable way.  The main character has to […]

The One Word Story

If you haven’t seen ReFoReMo’s post today, check it out.  In it, they challenge writers to create a picture book written using only one word. Obviously the word will be used multiple times and will mean something different each time, but . . . Wow.  Just wow.  You have to pick something that can mean […]

Cutting Characters: Are Your Characters Doing All They Need to Do?

Every now and again, I look at a character and think, “Is he doing enough or should I cut him?”  For the most part this revolves around whether the character moves the plot forward in some way.  Is this character’s contribution meager?  Than I look at whether or not I can combine this character’s role […]

Goals and Progress: When What You Have Isn’t Working

“This week I’m going to finish outlining my mystery.” I’m part of an accountability group and each week we set goals. Truthfully, I lost track of have often this was my weekly goal.  But week after week I made no progress whatsoever.  What to do? Admittedly, my to-do list tends to be way too long.  […]