Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 191

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.  […]

5 Minutes a Day: Brainstorming Story Ideas

I’m at 198 and counting. I’m one of those writers who keeps a list of story ideas. Some of them are fairly fleshed out and would function as a premise.  Others are much less so.  I may have an idea for a character.  Other times it is a title.  And then there are the “what […]

Research and Outlining: Which Comes First?

This week I started my next project for Red Line.  Next Thursday I have to turn in Chapter 1, an outline, and a bibliography. One of my students wanted to know if I research or outline first.  This is one of those the chicken or the egg kinds of questions.  In most cases I work […]

Competing Titles

It is important to know which books on the market will compete with your own manuscript.  The topic should be a section in any nonfiction proposal you put together.  But it is also something you should know because it can tell you whether or not to pursue a topic. The first step is to do […]

Gendered Reading: What It Is and Why It Matters

I have to admit that I’m not a huge podcast fan.  IMO they tend to be a bit long and I’m not interested in a 30 minute blog that starts with a 10 minute ad. But I love Shannon Hale’s work and Grace Lin’s as well. So when I saw the podcast KidLit Women had […]