Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 54

3 Ways to Add Creepiness to Your Picture Book Manuscript

I love creepy stories. Jump scares, atmosphere, and . . . what is that sound? Gore and violence don’t play as well with me, but creepy-ness? Yes, please! The thing to remember when writing for the youngest readers is that these books aren’t horror. They are simply creepy. How do you make that work? Weird … Continue reading 3 Ways to Add Creepiness to Your Picture Book Manuscript →

Guest Post: There Are so Many Publishers; How Do You Choose Who to Submit to? by Emily Winslow

I’m taking part in a blog tour for Emily Winslow’s book, Time to Write. As part of this tour, Emily has written a post about how to find the right publisher for your book. Check out the other posts on the tour below but first I’m going to hand this post off to Emily. Welcome, … Continue reading Guest Post: There Are so Many Publishers; How Do You Choose Who to Submit to? by Emily Winslow →

Listen to Your Body

I have a book due today. I have the first chapter and outline of another project due in a week. I am prepping for Write Till Christmas which means that I’m outlining a third project. Yet, I’m starting a new knit project, The Very Stripey Cowl KAL. Why? Because work-work-work is taking a physical and … Continue reading Listen to Your Body →

Character Driven v Plot Driven

I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of character driven books. Me? I’m a goal oriented person. So it makes sense to me that I like plot driven stories, but this book won me over. If you don’t know the difference between plot driven and character driven, let me take a moment … Continue reading Character Driven v Plot Driven →

Review Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I agreed to review this particular title. Cover copy describes it as “equal parts gripping adventure tale, personal memoir, and vivid nature writing.” I adore nature writing although I have to admit that I knew very little about the John Muir Trail before I read this. Okay, let’s … Continue reading Review Force of Nature by Joan M. Griffin →

Doing a Bit of Research Before You Say Yes (and 3 New Covers)

For ages, I would spot my covers on Amazon before the books were available and long before I received my copies. But more recently Amazon has been scooped several times by Barnes and Noble. I received a Google Alert about Cave and Mine Survival Stories at B&N and then found the other two — The … Continue reading Doing a Bit of Research Before You Say Yes (and 3 New Covers) →

Review of Time to Write by Emily Winslow

I am reviewing this book as part of the WOW! Women on Writing blog tour for Emily Winslow’s book. Read on for my review. For more on the tour. Check out the graphic at the bottom of the page. Recently a newer writer joined the critique group I belong to. She asked for advice on … Continue reading Review of Time to Write by Emily Winslow →

Teaching vs Preaching in a Picture Book

Instead of delivering a lecture on why we need to learn to say other people’s names correctly, Joanna Ho has written a picture book about a group of children. Each of them has a name that is steeped in history and culture. Misnaming a child is, as Ho makes clear, the same as refusing to … Continue reading Teaching vs Preaching in a Picture Book →

Write Till Christmas

Just over a week ago, my writing friend Kelly Sgroi sent out her newsletter. This issue was about her plan to finish a draft by the end of the year. Like many of us, she finds NaNoWriMo untenable. For me, it is a matter of Thanksgiving and family with days off and powering up to … Continue reading Write Till Christmas →

Laurent Linn Shows How to Create 3-D Characters

If you write YA, you need to pick up Draw the Line by Laurent Linn. Of course, pick it up when you don’t have a lot going on. It is over 500 pages and I read it in two hours straight. Draw the Line is the story of Adrian Piper, high schooler and secret superhero … Continue reading Laurent Linn Shows How to Create 3-D Characters →