Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 205
November 28, 2017
Picture Book Mash-Ups: Putting Two Things Together to Create Something New
Yesterday, I was on the treadmill scanning the publishing blogs. That’s when I spotted Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale by Gloria Koster. Koster is an elementary school librarian. In the course of her job, she’s seen how popular folk tales are. She’s also seen the demands for fall and winter holiday books. So she combined the two. […]
November 27, 2017
Scary Picture Books
Scary picture books? Are those a thing? Not in the sense that you and I think of scary because for the picture book crowd they also have to be safe. For great examples of how this is done, check out Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds. In Creepy Carrots, carrot loving Jasper […]
November 26, 2017
Jólabókaflóð: Christmas Book Flood
I know, I know. For some of you it is just too early to talk about Christmas. But Thanksgiving weekend is when we draw names in my husband’s family. It is also the time I start planning my Christmas book buying. That’s why I love this Icelandic tradition. The rough translation for Jólabókaflóð is Christmas Book […]
November 23, 2017
Leaving Room for the Illustrations: Picture Book Writing
One of the hardest aspects of picture book writing to grasp is leaving room for the illustrations. In part, this means that you can leave visual details up to the illustrator. What color is Becca’s dress? Not your problem. What type of shoes does she wear? Not your problem. Back pack? Not your (can you […]
Happy Thanksgiving
For those of you who celebrate, I’d like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Take the time to recharge your creative battery. I don’t know if this is just a MidWest thing but our Thanksgiving day tends to stretch into Thanksgiving Weekend. Thursday, we have dessert with my Dad and dinner with my sister and […]
November 21, 2017
The Surprise Ending: On Way to End Your Picture Book
I’ve been thinking about Dragon’s Love Tacos today because the play is being performed at our local theater. It grabs your attention when 300 school children traipse past the gym where you are taking yoga. I remember that one of the things that grabbed my attention about this picture book was the surprise ending. In Adam […]
November 20, 2017
Mentor Texts: Guiding Yourself through Writing a Picture Book
If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I’m a fan of using mentor texts. A mentor text is a book that you use as a guide in one particular aspect of your own writing. You might use I am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde as a mentor for writing […]
November 19, 2017
Picture Books: Writing Biography
Recently I read a Writer’s Digest blog post by Michael Mahin, Three Keys to Selling a Children’s Picture Book Biography. Among the things he discussed was needing a great climax. There are two types of picture book biographies. Some of them detail a slice of the person’s life. These are the kinds of biographies that […]
November 16, 2017
Querying Agents: Wait!
When is the best time to send out your agent queries? In truth, I was just getting ready to send a few out. Getting ready can take a while and that’s a good thing. Wednesday I was reading the November 2017 Nelson Literary Agency Newsletter. Kristin Nelson recommends waiting until January 2, 2018. Why? Because […]
November 15, 2017
Picture Books: Writing Funny
Whether you plan to write humorous fiction or work humor into your nonfiction, it pays to know what your audience finds funny. Part of that is a matter of personal taste. My son never got Sponge Bob or Captain Underpants, but Veggie Tales cracked us both up. Still, humor is also a matter of developmental […]
