Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 259

Diversity in Literature: Reading around the world

The children’s publishing community is an amazing thing.  We step forward and help each other all the time.  But I learned about another astonishing community to day — the community of book lovers world wide. Ann Morgan is a British author and editor who realized that she wasn’t too terribly impressed by what her bookshelves […]

Writing a Series

I just finished reading book one in a new series — The Accidental Keyhand (The Ninja Librarian Series) by Jen Swann Downey.  Her book got me thinking about the different ways that I could write a series.  This is seriously loaded with plot spoilers but don’t say I didn’t warn you. In some series, like this one, […]

Voice: What it is and what it isn’t

All you have to do to get a room full of writers to panic is to say “voice.”  Why?  Because voice in an intimidating, somewhat vague topic. Why do I say “vague”?  Because you can point to the where and the when and all the little sensory details and say “this is setting.”  You can […]

Creating depth in your writing

There are certain phrases that you simply never want to hear from an editor.  Top on my list?  “This just feels slight.” Yes, there are fixes including adding subplots but I’m always worried that these subplots will feel like they’ve just been tacked on.  After all, I didn’t plan them as I was creating the […]

Manuscripts Wanted: Might Media Press

Are you looking for a publisher that takes an active part in publicity?  No, I’m not teasing. Sammy Bosch, Director of Marketing & Publicity at Mighty Media Pres, had this to say when interviewed by Carrie of Carrie On . . . Together! “The marketing team at MMP schedules a book launch tour for every […]

Using a Rewrite Checklist

When I’m moving into the final draft of a manuscript or rewriting based on my editor’s comments, it can be hard to keep everything in mind that I need to correct.  I have friends who will read the editor’s comments and then start reworking their manuscript at page 1.  Me?  I need a checklist because […]

A Talk with Linda Sue Park

As writers, we all like to believe that we are doing something worthwhile.  Not only will our books engage and entertain young readers, we are giving them the tools that they need to live better lives and even to change the world. That’s what we want to believe.  But how can we tell if it […]

Prepositions: Can you end a sentence with one?

When I’m rewriting my work, I often find myself going to great lengths to change a sentence.  Why?  Because I’m trying to avoid ending it with a preposition.  It is something I’ll let myself do on occasion here on the blog, because blogging tends to be less formal than other writing. But in print, I […]

Brainstorming: My PiBoIdMo Experience

PiBoIdMo (Picture Book Idea Month) ended on Monday.  Going with the stated goals (30 ideas in 30 days), I have achieved success.  I came up with 33 picture book ideas and 3 middle grade/ya ideas.  What can I say?  I don’t always brainstorm with a G-rating.  All in all I have: 20 fiction ideas.  Yeah, […]

Blogging Basics

If you write, it can be a good idea to blog.  Regular blogging keeps you in the writing habit even when you have no other deadlines. It is also a great way to connect with readers and fellow writers. I’ve also had more than one editor Google me when they recieve a query.  Because I […]