Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 197

Call for Manuscripts: Millbrook Looking for K-3 STEM

Sitting down to write this post, I realize that it has been quite a while since I posted a call for manuscripts.  Sorry!  I’ll try to keep my eyes open for more. Carol Hinz, the editorial director for Millbrook Press, recently posted a call for manuscripts on their blog.  They are looking for STEM or […]

Dialogue: Make it sing

Thanks to Joan Dempsey’s class on Writing Great Dialogue, I am super aware of the dialogue in what I’m reading.  One of the things that she emphasized was how fickle readers are about dialogue.  If it doesn’t ring true they won’t continue to read.  And, to a point, I agree. I am going to finish my […]

Dialogue: Using it to strengthen your theme

On Sunday I finished Joan Dempsey’s class on Writing Great Dialogue.  It is a free introduction to her Writing Great Dialogue Master Class and covers the five things that dialogue can do. The must surprising one for me, and the one that will be most useful in my own work, involved using dialogue to reflect theme.  […]

Trying Something New: Software, Hardware and Techniques

I have to admit that when it comes to updating computer hardware or trying out a new program, I am seldom in the vanguard.  Yet I am typing on a new ergonomic keyboard with a detached number pad and an ergonomic mouse.  Why?  After I meet a book deadline my sciatica and my hand sometimes […]

5 Minutes a Day: Premise

One of the things that you need to know before you write your novel is your premise.  Simpley put, your premise is what your novel is about.  Think of it as a mini-outline. This can be a huge help when either you outline your lovel or get to work because you don’t d outlines. Either […]

Tighten Your Text: Cutting Excess Words

Yesterday my post on Writing Nonfiction that Sings appeared on the Muffin, the blog for Women on Writing! One tip involved cutting excess words.  I working on a hard copy.  One reader asked if this really makes a difference. Yes, I really do. Monday and Tuesday I rewrote a nonfiction title, working on a hard […]

Picture Book Writing: Workshop a Mentor Text

Most of you probably already know that I tend gush about mentor texts.  In picture book writing, they are a great way to study pacing, giving the illustrator space to work and more. But getting the most out of a mentor text can be tough.  Sitting there, flipping through the pages, I have a tendency […]

Back It Up: Save Your Bacon

A back up can save your bacon…mmm, bacon. When was the last time you backed up your novel?  Your hard drive?  Your blog? I used to be really good about this but lately?  Not so much.  But as soon as I post this, I’m running my back ups.  My son had a mechanical car due […]

Facts: Get Them Right or Lose Your Reader

This past weekend, my family and I took a road trip.  Three and a half hours there.  Three and a half hours back.   Following the winding, hilly roads in the Missouri bootheel, it is impossible to maintain a radio signal so we listen to audio books.  If I loved this book, I’d tell you what […]

Reading: Why Authors Need to Do It

Lately I’ve been fiddling around with the prewriting I need to do for a cozy mystery.  Although I love cozies, most of the series that I enjoy have been established for a while so I’ve made a point to check out books from some newer series. Last week I picked these books up at the […]