Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 60

Happy 4th of July

I hope that everyone who celebrates has an amazing day. My gift to you today, one of my favorite presidential quotes. I’ll be back tomorrow, and I hope you will to, for more book news and writing information. –SueBE

Flexibility: A Critical Freelance Skill

I was all ready to sign up for Camp NaNoWriMO and pound out a draft of my mystery during July. Well, not all ready. I still needed to finish my outline. But I’ve got the broad strokes so that wouldn’t take long. Then I got a message from my editor. “Would you be willing to … Continue reading Flexibility: A Critical Freelance Skill →

Describing Flavor Is Hard to Do

I was gifted a bag of “Belly Flops.” For those of you who have never encountered them, these are misshapen, often stuck together Jelly Belly jelly beans. The problem is that you have the possibility for any flavor that Jelly Belly makes. My husband and I were gaming as we popped them into our mouths. … Continue reading Describing Flavor Is Hard to Do →

Writing Scary Stories for Young Readers

I just finished listening to the audiobook of Hide by Kiersten White. Although White has written numerous young adult novels, this is the first time I’ve read her work. Note: This particular book was written for adult audiences. I say this because it is horror and what works for an adult reader may be too … Continue reading Writing Scary Stories for Young Readers →

Themed Reading Lists

To attract traffic come up with freebies. We hear the advice but I had largely ignored it until earlier in the year. That was when I saw a reading chart for young readers that completely neglected nonfiction. No seriously. There were 10 or so types of fiction listed but only one category for nonfiction. As … Continue reading Themed Reading Lists →

Writing Warm-Up: Roses, Buds, and Thorns

Recently my friend Ann Kathryn Kelly blogged at the Muffin about focusing on the roses, buds, and thorns in her writing lift as a way to celebrate her wins. Roses are clear, obvious wins. What are the things you have to celebrate? Buds are the things that you are looking forward to in your near … Continue reading Writing Warm-Up: Roses, Buds, and Thorns →

Flamer: Basing a Story on Real Life

I just finished reading FLAMER by Mike Curato. For those of you who don’t know the book, Aiden is relieved to be at Scout camp for the summer. Things are tough at home with his parents fighting, and he’s just relieved to be in his own space. The relief is short lived though. Aiden is … Continue reading Flamer: Basing a Story on Real Life →

Character Growth and the Series

Throughout the month of June, I’ve been taking part in the Story Plan Intensive with Kevin T. Johns. One of the things that has been the most helpful is that he talks about story and things about story in a slightly different way then many of the people I’ve heard speak. Sometimes this is all … Continue reading Character Growth and the Series →

From Nurse to Writer: Guest Post by Regina Buttner

As a child, my heroes were authors. I always wished I’d been born a century earlier and lived the exciting frontier life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and as a horse-crazy adolescent, I longed to become a famous author like Marguerite Henry, creator of the Misty of Chincoteague series. I whiled away many a Saturday afternoon … Continue reading From Nurse to Writer: Guest Post by Regina Buttner →

The Right Cover for the Book

We may say “never judge a book by its cover,” but it is often the first thing we notice. Or at least that was my experience the other day when I picked a stack of books up at the library. Among the other books was I AM THE STORM by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple. … Continue reading The Right Cover for the Book →