Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 61

Sidebars and Picture Book Depth

“There isn’t enough a strong picture book manuscript. It needs more depth.” If you’ve been writing picture books for any length of time, someone has probably said something like this about your work. It doesn’t matter if it came from a critique partner or an editor. It is never what you want to hear. The … Continue reading Sidebars and Picture Book Depth →

What Social Media Should I Use?

This is a topic that is coming up more lately. In part it is a product of the many types of social media available. You can have a website. Maybe you are on Twitter (or whatever it is called today) or Facebook. Then there’s Instagram and Substack. And the list goes on! Admittedly, it got … Continue reading What Social Media Should I Use? →

Pitching or Querying: Make It Yours

I recently read a blog post about why your query isn’t bringing in any positive responses. This agent listed two major problems. I would like to add one more potential problem. Your query or pitch is too generic. Here are three problems that make a query or pitch seem vague and unspecific. Title and Character … Continue reading Pitching or Querying: Make It Yours →

Stepping Back to Focus

Some days I can roll from one project to another. I write blog posts, prep posts for Twitter, and work on my most recent project. I may even get a little time in on a freebie. Other days, all of this just seems like too much. I just want to focus on one thing for … Continue reading Stepping Back to Focus →

Don’t Exhaust Your Reader

You know how it is. You never pick up a book that you expect to dislike. But you anticipate some novels more than others. Earlier this week, I finished reading a novel that I expected to adore. I’ll be honest. I can finish most novels in just over a week. I read fast and I … Continue reading Don’t Exhaust Your Reader →

Silencing Your Inner Critic

“Why are you even taking the time to write this? No one cares.” “Your letter/manuscript/post had a mistake in it. That’s why no one takes you seriously.” Maybe you don’t have an inner critic. If you don’t, lucky you. I trace mine back to childhood when I was told in no uncertain terms that people … Continue reading Silencing Your Inner Critic →

Creating an Email Newsletter

Way back when I was a newer writer and new writing instructor, I had a newsletter. I maintained my own email list which I had to update as people changed email addresses. Eventually it fell by the wayside as various limiters were put on email accounts and what was considered spam and blocked. But email … Continue reading Creating an Email Newsletter →

Giving Each Character a Role

I love reading up on how to create strong characters. That’s probably because, especially in my first drafts, I end up creating place holders. What’s a place holder? A character that is almost never present. They ask one important question. They give the main character someone to talk to. But they don’t DO anything much. … Continue reading Giving Each Character a Role →

Giving Each Character a Roll

I love reading up on how to create strong characters. That’s probably because, especially in my first drafts, I end up creating place holders. What’s a place holder? A character that is almost never present. They ask one important question. They give the main character someone to talk to. But they don’t DO anything much. … Continue reading Giving Each Character a Roll →

The PC Is Not a Typewriter

Did you know we no longer need to put to spaces after a period? That two hyphens (–) are not the correct way to type an M dash? That asterisks should not be used to create a bulleted list? All of these things were acceptable in the not-so-distant past. In fact, they are what I … Continue reading The PC Is Not a Typewriter →