Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 198

Reading Levels

I have to admit, I have something of a love/hate relationship with reading levels.  In my educational writing, I have to write to a specific level.  It is a great feeling to hit it on the first try which I manage to do at least half the time. And reading levels are helpful when talking […]

First Draft: Slap It Down

This week, I’m writing on deadline.  I have to turn the book in next Wednesday.  That’s 15,000 words due in less than a week.  As I write this, I have something like 10,500 words more or less.  I need to have the first draft done in a day and a half. Is it perfect?  Nope. […]

Diversity: More than Harriet Tubman

Yesterday I read Danene Millner’s New York Times piece, “Black Kids Don’t Want to Read About Harriet Tubman All the Time.” In it, she discusses the fact that books about stand out individuals like Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr are great.  After all, everyone should know about these people.  But black children need to read […]

Writing Habits

Thank you to Jack Milgram who created this infographic about strange quirks and writing habits of famous authors.  Check them out and see if any of them overlap with your own.  I share desk habits with Virginia Woolf and Lewis Carol.  I drink coffee although not nearly as much as Honore de Balzac.  And, like […]

5 Minutes a Day: Setting

When we discuss writing strong fiction, we spend a lot of time discussing characters.  After all, we want them to feel real enough to walk off the page.  But the setting through which they roam has to feel real as well.  The more complete your setting, the more real your world will feel for the […]

KidLitWomen: Are You Part of the Movement?

KidLitWomen is the brainchild of author-illustrator Grace Lin and author Karen Blumenthal.  The pair first came up with the idea over a month ago when they were talking with a group of industry colleagues.  Lin noted that although children’s publishing preaches to child readers about fairness and being kind, the industry itself doesn’t always pull this […]

Win a Bookstore!

The owners of the My Shelf Bookstore are holding a contest.  It is fairly simple to enter. You need: $75 for the fee A 25o word (or less) essay on why bookstores are important to the community They need to receive 4,000 entries for the contest to take place.  That is because you are competing […]

Picture Books: The Ending with a Twist

Picture books may be short but that doesn’t mean they are easy to write.  In addition to leaving room for the illustrations, the author has to find a satisfying ending.  One way to do this is with a twist.  Some people call it the aha moment.  Just how you pull this off depends on the book. In […]

Writing a Book Review: How to do it and why

Someone asked me the other day if I ever review a book I don’t like.  Nope.  No way.  I know longer review for money but simply for the love of reading and helping people connect with good books.  You can find my reviews here at Bookshelf.  Since my goal is to help people connect with […]

5 Minutes a Day: Some Days It Just Doesn’t Happen

You plan, you organize and you should be able to get it all done. But sometimes things just don’t work out. Maybe you don’t feel well. Or it could be that you didn’t sleep.  The reality is that you aren’t working at peak efficiency. Or it could be that the world is out to keep […]