Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 43

Why You Should Read Piles of Picture Books

The common wisdom is that you should read 50 picture books before you write your first manuscript. Why? A picture book isn’t just a short story. In addition to being written for a very young reader, it utilizes the actual physical form of the book. Page turns matter. Sometimes the gutter matters. The trim size … Continue reading Why You Should Read Piles of Picture Books →

How to Write a Group of Characters

I am currently reading The Misfits: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee and Dan Santat. One thing that I wanted to see as I read this book was how they handle 5 principle characters. I wondered about this because I was working on a book with 6 young characters. I felt like my story kept … Continue reading How to Write a Group of Characters →

My Research Process

Not long ago, someone asked me how I research a nonfiction topic. Each project differs slight but there are basic steps. Library Search The first thing that I do is run a search in the catalogue of my local library. I’m not talking articles. I just type my topic into the search bar and see … Continue reading My Research Process →

When and Where Should You Write?

Recently I heard a group of writers debating when is the best time to write? Where is the best place to write? The reality is that there is no firm answer for this question. You are going to have to find what works for you. But here are some suggestions. Different Times of Day Try … Continue reading When and Where Should You Write? →

Giving a Popular Book a Second Try

The description for Yellowface comments on the “totally immersive first person voice.” Um, no. It was actually the voice that drove me away from the book the first time I tried to read it. June is way too annoying to be totally immersive. “Oh, poor me! Minority writers get all the contracts! Boo-hoo.” Yuck! But … Continue reading Giving a Popular Book a Second Try →

Query Pivot

What do you do when you have been querying and receive nothing but form rejections or silence? The answer — it depends. There are many potential problems. Here are five things to consider. Your Manuscript So many writers, especially new writers, rush through a manuscript and query it. At the very least, you need to … Continue reading Query Pivot →

When You Can’t Find the Facts…

Look what showed up on my front porch yesterday! When my editor approached me about writing Life as an Army Ranger, she needed an answer ASAP. They had another author on the project who had had to back out. Would I be willing to do it F-A-S-T. Of course, I said yes. I say “of … Continue reading When You Can’t Find the Facts… →

Studying the Market: Is There a Place for Your Book?

Yesterday I did several online searches looking for books on a particular topic. First, I checked Novelist Plus. If you don’t know this app, it allows you do search for books by an author or on a topic. Pretty much whatever you can key in goes. When you click search, you almost always get a … Continue reading Studying the Market: Is There a Place for Your Book? →

The Importance of Cover Design

This past week, I took Renee Roberson’s class on writing true crime. I’ll have to share a link with everyone when the class is up for registration again. I learned so much. One of the things that Renee discussed was using true crime stories to inspire fiction. And I have to say that this cover … Continue reading The Importance of Cover Design →

Your Opening Scene Must…

Mystery, romance, science fiction or fantasy, there are four things that your opening scene has to do. Create a contract with your reader.  In the opening scene, you tell your reader what type of story this is going to be.  No, you don’t come out and SAY but a humorous scene promises humor throughout.  A … Continue reading Your Opening Scene Must… →