Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 48

Review of The Way of Gratitude by Hannah Rowen Fry

As someone who has written prayers and devotionals, I thought I knew what this book would be like. There would be a Bible verse, a devotional and either a meditation or a prayer. Then there would be a point for the reader to reflect on.  Nope. That’s not how Fry did it.  Yes, each of the 21 … Continue reading Review of The Way of Gratitude by Hannah Rowen Fry →

Interview with Nonfiction Author Alice McGinty

It should come as no great surprise to my regular readers that I love nonfiction writing. From the research to revision, there’s something to love about every step. When I read Feast and Festivals Around the World, I knew I had to approach Alice. Fortunately she agreed to do an interview about writing this picture book.  Here is … Continue reading Interview with Nonfiction Author Alice McGinty →

Tips for Conducting an Interview

Tomorrow I’ll be posting an interview with Alice McGinty, author of Feasts and Festivals Around the World. Doing an interview is trickier than just chatting someone up. These tips will help you get started. The Interview Is About… When you reach out to someone to ask if they will do an interview, you want to be able … Continue reading Tips for Conducting an Interview →

How to Get Over Writer’s Block

Last week, I didn’t accomplish as much as I wanted on my cozy mystery. And it wasn’t that I didn’t have time. I had writer’s block. I wasn’t especially worried, because the project isn’t on deadline. So I didn’t force myself to write. Instead, I worked on the books page on my website. It isn’t done but I made a … Continue reading How to Get Over Writer’s Block →

When You Get a Bad Book Review…

There is a reason that writers put out “book baby” announcements. Books are very like our babies. They are a ton of work and we want other people to love them. Maybe that’s why it is so tough when we get a bad review. I’m lucky. My bad reviews have been few and far between. The vast majority have been … Continue reading When You Get a Bad Book Review… →

Rejection and Imposter Syndrome

This weekend I listened to a Writing Class Radio podcast titled “Here’s Why I Resolve to Fail More.” In the essay, Andrea Askowitz discussed how her son’s assumption that her day was full of free time sent her into a spiral of self-deprecation that led to her questioning if she really was fulfilling her destiny as … Continue reading Rejection and Imposter Syndrome →

What If You Could Do Better?

If any of you have Master Class, I highly recommend Ava DuVernay’s “Reframe Your Thinking.” You may recognize DuVernay’s name. She is the director responsible for both Selma and Wrinkle in Time. Even if you are interested in film, this is a video worth watching because she talks about being part of a creative team. One of the … Continue reading What If You Could Do Better? →

Adding Humor to Your Story

Way back when I was a new writer, I remember one of the old timers telling us about how to add humor to our stories. One of the things that he suggested was to add something that just didn’t belong, something that stood out from everything else. That’s what I felt like I was seeing when I … Continue reading Adding Humor to Your Story →

Breaking Picture Book Rules

Yesterday I read a stack of picture books that I picked up from the library. There were books that made me smile. There were a few that weren’t my “cup of tea” but I could see the appeal. And then there were the ones that I loved because the succeeded in breaking the rules. The Rules! You know what … Continue reading Breaking Picture Book Rules →

When Creating Characters, Avoid the Hive Mind

It is so easy to fall into the hive mind trap when creating characters. Everyone on this side of the conflict thinks like this. Everyone on the other side thinks like that. Or everyone who is part of culture A does x, y and z. Everyone who is part of culture B has an altogether different set of beliefs … Continue reading When Creating Characters, Avoid the Hive Mind →