Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 55

Celebrate Your Library

Did you know that September is Library Card Signup Month? If you already have a library card, there are lots of ways to celebrate what that little card can do for you. If you live in an area with a top notch library system, use it. And let your librarians know that you appreciate them … Continue reading Celebrate Your Library →

The Need for Detailed Research

Last weekend, four kendo dojos held demonstrations at a Japanese Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden. I would never claim to be a kendo expert but I do have a number of people I can ask. Hint: My son is second from the right and I know several of his friends in this photo. The … Continue reading The Need for Detailed Research →

Time to Revise

You’ve finished a draft of your picture book/poem/short story/novel. When the time comes to revise, many of us simply work at making the current form work. We don’t consider experimenting to make sure that we’ve settled on the best possible form. In her book Writing Picture Books, Ann Whitford Paul advises readers to try telling … Continue reading Time to Revise →

You May Not See What Is There

Last week, my husband and I went to the St. Louis Art Museum to see the exhibit, Action Abstraction Redefined : Modern Native Art 1940s to 1970s. If this exhibit ever comes to your city, make a point of seeing it. It is the best modern art exhibit I have ever seen. That said, one … Continue reading You May Not See What Is There →

Happy Labor Day

I hope that those of you who live in the US are taking this three day to do something you don’t normally get to do. I’ve had a busy weekend with lots of fodder for future writing. Will post more about what I saw and did throughout the week. See you tomorrow! –SueBE

Stage Direction: 3 Tips for What to Include When

“Do not start your story with your character getting out of bed. No one wants to read about your character’s morning routine until it includes something unique.” We’ve all heard this piece of advice. But recently my editor asked for a scene with a young character preparing a meal with an adult character. They weren’t … Continue reading Stage Direction: 3 Tips for What to Include When →

Why to Read Your Work Aloud

I just read a blog post by agent Janet Reid about misspellings and typos in query letters. You’ll want to check it out because it is pretty funny. She has a list of forgivable errors as well as those that are so heinous that she cannot forgive them. One of her solutions to avoid this … Continue reading Why to Read Your Work Aloud →

3 Must Haves for a Personal Essay

Two of my writing friends are top notch essay writers. Hi Ang and Ann! They are always encouraging me to try this form. And I’ve been dabbling in writing micro-essays. But before I could get started I needed a feel for what essay writing is all about. And that takes me to the number one … Continue reading 3 Must Haves for a Personal Essay →

Choosing an Author Photo

For some time, I’ve had a hand drawn portrait of myself on my website. I’ve been playing with the idea of replacing it with an actual photo. So today I did some research to help me select the right photo. The first thing that I discovered is that there is no right photo. Depending on … Continue reading Choosing an Author Photo →

Imposter Syndrome

“I’m not a real writer.” “Everyone is going to find out that I don’t belong here.” These are the kinds of thoughts you might have if you are having issues with imposter syndrome. It is something that most of us go through. After one sale, we can’t make another and we wonder if we’ve been … Continue reading Imposter Syndrome →