Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 253
March 7, 2016
Nonfiction vs. Informational: Do you know the difference?
As a nonfiction writer, I tend to have fairly firm opinions on fiction vs nonfiction. Because of this, I sometimes find myself at odds with people who want to alter timelines or create dialogue. Sorry folks, that’s fiction! But what do you call a book like Brian Floca’s Locomotive? It doesn’t have a fictional plot […]
March 6, 2016
Picture Book Writing: The Wonders of a Good Rewrite
If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you know that 90% of writing is actually rewriting. Your initial idea was brilliant but somehow what you got down on paper (on in a computer file) isn’t quite there. Your picture book has a solid plot (fiction) or subject (nonfiction). You’ve got everything there that […]
March 3, 2016
Friday Fun: Crimes Against Humanity as a lesson in knowing your audience?
For his birthday, we gave my son Cards Against Humanity. He’d had a great time playing it with various cousins and at parties but my husband and I had never played. If you write picture books of the cute and sweet variety, this game would probably horrify you. Suffice it to say that my inner […]
March 2, 2016
Scene Structures: The scene and the sequel
As I do the research to write my mystery, I’ve been contemplating potential scenes. What is a scene? Try to find a definition online and you’re going to feel like you are looking for a unicorn or the Holy Grail. Simply put, a scene is a unit of story telling. Part of the reasons that […]
March 1, 2016
Writing the Historic Mystery: When To Set Your Story
I’ve been doing some reading on writing historic mysteries. The first discussion that I came across surprised me — Is Your Time Period Truly Historic? A group of historic mystery writers had come to some sort of consensus that unless the setting is 50 years in the past when the book is published, it is […]
February 29, 2016
Research: Do I really need to find each fact three times?
I’m currently writing an article on the difference between a nonfiction picture book manuscript and a nonfiction article manuscript. One of the writers I interviewed reminded our readers that they should find each and every article in three different sources. I’m including her quote although I don’t necessarily agree. The reality is that someone can […]
February 28, 2016
Ask the Agent: Things to ask before you sign…
When I read blog posts and articles about what to discuss with an agent before you sign on the dotted line, I frequently find myself shaking my head. Wouldn’t you want to know that before you contacted the agent? I think this when I read questions like: Are you an editorial agent? I want an […]
February 25, 2016
Friday Fun: I Wish I Had Thought of This…
About a week ago, my son was home on a sick day. That means that instead of listening to an audio book while I eat lunch, he picks out something for us to watch. His choice? The Deadliest Warrior. I was less than thrilled until I sat down and watched it. By the time it […]
February 24, 2016
Mentor Texts: A Right Way and a Wrong Way
I have to admit. I’ve been struggling to get going with my latest fiction idea. Granted, it is an adult novel so it will be longer than anything I’ve written to date but that isn’t what’s been slowing me down. I’ve been working from a mentor text. Several agents have tweeted that they would love […]
February 23, 2016
Agents: Still Searching
Let’s get this out-of-the-way. I’m not delusional. I never thought this would be easy, but seriously. Recently, I stumbled across an agent’s blog. As I read, I found myself linking to various posts, printing a few out to guide rewrites and just generally fan girling all over the place. Fan-girl is a strange state for […]
