Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 22

How Theme Can Make a Topic Kid-Centric

I always love Gary Golio’s work and this is no exception. That said, I have to admit that I wasn’t sure where the kid appeal would come from. Sure, kids read poetry and they read about poets. Then it hit me – history. Civil War history. So I did some Googling and, yes, students do … Continue reading How Theme Can Make a Topic Kid-Centric →

Providing Tools not Stumbling Blocks

One of the Substack newsletters that I read is The Habit of Art by Kelcey Ervick. Yesterday, she posted a really compelling piece called “Because the Writing World Is Hard Enough.” You can find it here. In this post, she wrote about getting feedback from a professor on her poetry. His commentary consisted of nothing … Continue reading Providing Tools not Stumbling Blocks →

Writing Challenges

Yesterday, my critique group decided that we should do a writing challenge for 2025. What challenge? We haven’t gotten that far yet. There are so many things that we can do. Writing X Amount This is something like NaNoWriMo. In a set amount of time, you have to get a certain amount done In NaNoWriMo, … Continue reading Writing Challenges →

Does My Story Have a Narrator?

I have to admit that I hadn’t really thought about narrators in general or in my current work-in-progress until I saw this cartoon. I laughed really hard at this because when I hear talk of a narrator I always thing of the narrator in the Winnie-the-Pooh cartoons. I know that my story does NOT have … Continue reading Does My Story Have a Narrator? →

Book Design: One Reason I Hesitate to Self-Publish

I am currently reading Elements of Genius: Nikki Tesla and the Ferret-Proof Death Ray. It is about a young genius who ends up at a school for geniuses. Sound a little Potter-esque? Maybe. But there are a lot of differences too so I’m okay with it. She adores her mother and there are only seven … Continue reading Book Design: One Reason I Hesitate to Self-Publish →

Self-Publishing Niche Books

Are you someone who is thinking about self-publishing? Check out this Youtube video where Marella Sands interviews illustrator Cat Owens about her book NOT LOST: SUSIE THE DORCESTER CAT. While I’ve never self-published myself, I can see that there are times that it just makes sense. Sometimes a piece that you are working on is … Continue reading Self-Publishing Niche Books →

How Is Write Till Christmas Working?

At the beginning of October, I started participating in Write Till Christmas. My writing friend Kelly Sgroi started this program a year ago. The purpose of Write Till Christmas is t help you add to the word count of a project you’ve been meaning to get to all year. I chose an early middle grade … Continue reading How Is Write Till Christmas Working? →

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 I start planning my Christmas book buying. That’s why I love this Icelandic tradition.  The rough translation for Jólabókaflóð is Christmas Book Flood. On Christmas Eve, people in Iceland exchange books.  Then they spend … Continue reading Jólabókaflóð: Christmas Book Flood →

Happy Thanksgiving!

To everyone who celebrates, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have time to put up your feet and enjoy a good book. –SueBE #Thanksgiving2024

Should You Read Huckleberry Finn before James?

Recently someone on Facebook asked me if they should read THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN before they read JAMES. How would you respond to this question? For me, the books function quite well independently, but I do think that everyone who has read HUCK FINN should read JAMES. For some people who have read THE … Continue reading Should You Read Huckleberry Finn before James? →