Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 239
August 11, 2016
New Award for Matt de la Pena
Late last week the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) honored Matt de la Peña for taking a stance on intellectual freedom. Some of you may not remember the event in question but back in 2012, the Mexican American Studies programs was terminated in Tucson, Arizona. For some areas, this might be underwhelming but Tucson has […]
August 10, 2016
Passive Voice: Pros and Cons
Big Bad Rule: Eliminate passive voice from your writing. You’ve heard this rule. I’ve heard this rule. Pretty much everyone who has been writing for over a week has heard this rule. Unfortunately, there are two problems with this rule. To eliminate it, you have to be able to identify passive voice. Sometimes passive voice […]
August 9, 2016
Follow Your Passions
“Follow your passions.” That’s the advice that we so often get about writing. Write what you love. So I look at the things that I love and I think … maybe. The list includes: Textiles/knitting – Color and textures mesmerize me even if my skill level is so-so. Science – biology, rocks, animals. I love […]
August 8, 2016
The Rule of Three: When to Use It or Lose It in Picture Book Writing
I have to admit it — when it comes to writing a fiction picture book, I’m a stickler for the Rule of 3. For those of you who don’t know what that is it is the idea that things should come in threes. The example that Heather Alexander gives in her most recent blog post, […]
August 7, 2016
Book Buys: Boy Books vs Girl Books
In our household, we seem to go on buying splurges. While we buy groceries every week as well as toiletries, other items including yarn, picture frames and books seem to be bought only every now and again but in bulk. The photo here shows, not only my skirts and feet, but also our most recent […]
August 4, 2016
Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge
When I signed up for the Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge, I did it for the most part to help me keep track of what I read this year. That said, I was also curious. How many books do I read in a year? I wasn’t sure but I came up with a guess-timate of about […]
August 3, 2016
Magical Realism: What It Is, What It Isn’t
Ask about my middle grade novel manuscript Rat Race and I’ll tell you that it is magical realism. At least, that’s what I would have said before reading associate agent Roseanne Wells posts (1 and 2) on MSWL (Manuscript Wish List.) First things first, Wells discussed the history which lays in Latin American literature. Magical realism, as […]
August 2, 2016
Writing Nonfiction: The Steps in Producing a Book
One of the things other writers frequently ask is what steps I use in writing a book. I have a process I mean to follow, but each book is a unique experience. What I plan to do and what I actually pull off are two separate things. I’m working on the book formerly known as What’s […]
August 1, 2016
Walt Whitman’s Advice to Writers
I recently read an Open Culture post discussing Walt Whitman’s advice to new writers. Before you read Whitman’s advice, know he was contrary. He liked to contradict people. He reminds me a lot of Twain who seemed to enjoy being argumentative just for the fun of it. Some of this may seem dated at first read, but think […]
July 31, 2016
Why Do You Write?
If you haven’t read David Levithan’s Margaret A. Edwards Award acceptance speech, you should. Excuse me while I have a fan girl moment. No just a moment. If you know me, you know I’m not the stuff of fan girl legend. It just isn’t . . . me. But he had so many things to […]
