Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 225
February 23, 2017
Writing Challenges: These are both new to me
As all of you know, I love a good writing challenge. Hint: NaNoWriMo? Not a good challenge. Storystorm? An excellent challenge. What’s the difference between good and bad? Do-able while maintaining my sanity. Here are two challenges that I just discovered. Reading for Research Month (ReFoReMo). This one is all about reading picture books as […]
February 22, 2017
Query Letters: One Phrase to Avoid
Recently I was on Twitter when I saw the following from Sarah LaPolla, agent at the Bradford Literary Agency. “Phrase I see a lot in queries: ‘____ must risk everything.’ Try replacing ‘everything’ w/ the thing that’s specific to your MC.” I can see several problems in using this particular phrase. 1. You aren’t really […]
February 21, 2017
Little Free Library: And the Winners Are…
Recently, Little Free Library and Chronicle Books had a competition for architects to design Little Free Libraries that met the needs of library stewards. I have to admit that I loved the range of needs that various stewards listed. They included: keeping in mind that adult and child users are different heights, the need for […]
February 20, 2017
Character Development: What Can Your Characters Do?
It isn’t surprising that writers frequently draw on themselves and their friends when they create characters. Keeping that in mind, I guess it isn’t surprising than that so many characters, especially secondary characters like parents, are writers. But it does make me wonder when editors are going to start bouncing back writer characters as too […]
February 19, 2017
President’s Day
I hope that many of you are enjoying your holiday. I’ll be doing a bit of work but my family has a four-day weekend. That’s means that I’m spending some time with them. Have any of you written about one of our Presidents? I have a lot of presidential picture books that I adore but I’ve […]
February 16, 2017
Fiction or Nonfiction?
Recently one of my writing students wanted to know how to classify a book. She was reading STEM books and had found one set in a classroom with animal characters. They were learning about . . . rocks? She might have said rocks. I don’t actually remember. There was a ton of information about the […]
February 15, 2017
Reality vs Perception: When What You Know Isn’t Main Stream
Tuesday I saw an article in Smithsonian. “The Lesser-Known History of African-American Cowboys.” Whoa. It was a surreal moment because I grew up knowing all about these cowboys. An electrician by trade, my father was a history buff. We toured every fort we passed, scoured museums and walked paths reading signs. I grew up hearing […]
February 14, 2017
You’re so lucky: Luck Doesn’t Drive Successful Writing Careers
Recently, Hope Clark, the editor of one of my favorite newsletters, Funds for Writers, wrote about someone telling her how lucky she is. “You were lucky to have FundsforWriters to sell your books. I don’t have that luxury.” Personally, I find it a little hard to believe that the person who said this can coordinate […]
February 13, 2017
Love and Writing: Do you have what it takes to write children’s nonfiction?
I will never forget when I called me mom to tell her that I’d decided to write for kids. I was a university research assistant and about to finish a masters in history. I loved learning but I had pretty much had it with university level education. I’d taken scads of classes, written papers and […][image error]
February 12, 2017
Read aloud day
Eek! This really snuck up on me this year. This coming Thursday, February 16, is World Read Aloud Day. The goal of the founding organization, LitWorld, is to encourage young people to “lead lives of independence, hope and joy.” Seriously, what more could you wish for your readers? As LitWorld says, “By raising our voices together […]
