Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 190

5 Minutes a Day: Getting Back into a Project

When I work on a book or article daily, it is easy to get back into it.  The voice and style are accessible and handy.  But this week I’m trying to get back into two projects.  As you know, last week we were in the Smoky Mountains.  I came home to a request for more […]

Characters: Avoiding Group Think

Last week when my family visited the Smoky Mountains, we went to The Museum of the Cherokee Indian.  One area focused on the various perspectives on plans for the Cherokee of leave their ancestral lands on go to Oklahoma.  The part that may surprise some people is that there were Cherokee speaking for removal, against […]

4th of July: The Unpredictable Life of a Freelance Writer

I know that not all of my readers are from the US but I am.  That means that today is a holiday.  Everyone has the day off.  Yes, I just got back into town but I am spending time with my family again. We will be cooking.  We will be eating.  We might go see fireworks.  […]

Setting and Its Impact

This past week, I spent five days in the Smoky Mountains.  It took us an hour to drive from Gatlinburg, TN to Cherokee, NC in spite of the fact that it was only 20 miles away.  On one side of the mountain we drove through sun although we could see mist in the distance. Come around […]

Setting: Be Specific

This past week, my family and I were in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  I love mountains.  Love them.  My father was born in the Davis Mountains in West Texas.  That’s them below with historic Ft. Davis in the foreground.  The Davis Mountains are my default setting for mountains.  Big.  Rocky.  Not overly cluttered with […]

5 Tips on Regrouping and Recharging: When to Stop Writing

I’m prolific. At one level, it seems like bragging to say that.  But the reality is that I am. So far this year I’ve written 2 nonfiction books for teens, 2 for older elementary students and rewritten three of these with comments from my editors.  I’ve reworked two nonfiction picture books for the retreat and […]

Creating Depth: Adding a Bit More to Your Manuscript

Sometimes I manuscript will catch my eye because I am surprised that an author managed to sell it without the illustrations.  Let’s face reality, writers-who-cannot-draw.  Some manuscripts simply work better when pitched by an author/illustrator because it is easier to get the concept across with pictures. This past week I read Whose Poop Is That? by Darrin […]

Query Letters

You’ll have to excuse me while I swoon. I had to write a query letter.  Not even a query with accompanying pages.  Just the letter.  Ugh. I’m not sure why I think I stand-alone query is so swoon worthy but I do.  But I sat down and made myself write it, let it sit for […]

KS/MO Conference: Apply for the Scholarship

Society of Children’s Book Writer and Illustrator conferences aren’t cheep but they are well worth the price.  If you’d like to attend the fall SCBWI Kansas/Missouri conference but can’t swing the tuition, apply for the Vanderpool Work of Promise Scholarship. The scholarship honors the 2011 Newbery winner and SCBWI Kansas/Missouri member, Clare Vanderpool. The scholarship includes conference […]

Spin Offs: Re-imagining something that’s already out there

Sometimes I pick up a book and wonder, was this author inspired by Title X?  Did she love that book when she was growing up?  Or are the similarities just coincidental? I don’t believe that the similarities are always intentional.  But sometimes they are and the authors will tell you all about it.  That’s why […]