Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 196
April 11, 2018
Writing: Getting the Words Down NOW
I know writers who wander around waiting to trip over their muse before they actually write. I have a book due the end of next week. When you have a deadline, you have to write. Period. You can’t wait for Ms. Muse to make an appearance. Here are three different ways to make the writing […]
April 10, 2018
Revision: Taking Advice and Reworking Your Manuscript
On Monday, I posted about Kansas Missouri SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators) Agents Day. As part of this event, you got a paid critique from an agent. Mine was with Adria Goetz from Martin Literary. She critiqued Drip by Drip, Cave Below, a nonfiction manuscript about a cave. While she had positive things […]
April 9, 2018
National Library Week
Did you know that National Library Week started Sunday? The theme this year is Libraries Lead. This is most definitely true. It is no longer the library I loved as a kid but that’s okay because it has so much to offer. Our branch has been remodeled. It is bright and so well lit. There […]
April 8, 2018
Literary Agents: Seeking Representation
On Saturday, I got to attend the Kansas Missouri SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s and Illustrators) Agents Day. Here are five interesting things that I learned. Always include in your letter that you are an SCBWI member. This is a biggie and I always did it before I had any sales. But lately? I’ll […]
April 5, 2018
5 Minutes a Day: Picture Book Writing
On Saturday I’ll be attending the KS-MO SCBWI Agent’s Day in Wentzville, Missouri. In addition to getting feedback on my own manuscript from an agent, I’ll be leading a picture book critique group. With that in mind, I’ve got picture books on the brain. Fortunately, this short form lends itself to a wide variety of […]
April 4, 2018
Crystal Kite Award: It is Time to Cast Your Vote
If you are an SCBWI member, it is time to cast your vote in the Crystal Kite Awards. For those of you who have not vote before, the Crystal Kites are voted on by your peers, fellow authors and illustrators. There is an award for each of the 15 SCBWI regional divisions worldwide. This is […]
April 3, 2018
Conflict: Do All 4 Kinds Belong in Children’s Books
Yesterday I read Karen Ann Lefkowitz Writer’s Digest blog piece on the four types of conflict. Of course, since I most often write for young readers, I immediately found myself wondering if all four types of conflict work in books for younger audiences. Protagonist vs Self At first, I wondered if this would work for young readers of […]
April 2, 2018
Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award
It’s an exciting day when you find out that a friend’s book is up for an award! I’m talking about Sue Lowell Gallion and her book Pug Meets Pig is up for the 2018 Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award. The award is sponsored by the Missouri Library Association and is voted on each year by preschoolers throughout […]
April 1, 2018
My Books: Which Is My Favorite?
Last week, Twitter pinged me to let me know that I had a notification and I clicked through to find the above tweet. Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen wanted to know which book was my favorite. No way I could answer this in a tweet so I promised to blog about it today. First things first, I think […]
March 29, 2018
5 Minutes a Day: Plot before the Outline
Before you try to outline it helps to have some idea where you are going. You won’t immediately know every step in your plot but it helps to figure out some of the key moments. These include the inciting incident, the climax and various turning points. Since I’m currently working on a mystery, these have to […]
