Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 62

4 Mystery Must Haves

If a scene isn’t essential, get rid of it. If a character doesn’t move the plot forward, they need to go. Dialogue? It has to advance the plot, reveal the character or . . . can you guess? You need to cut it. This is the kind of advice that we often receive for very … Continue reading 4 Mystery Must Haves →

Guard Your Writing Time or Quit Fussing. Really.

Recently an acquaintance was bemoaning the fact that she can’t get any writing done. “I haven’t written in a year. I’ve tried asking my husband and the kids to do various things so I can work but they don’t do them right.” Excuse me? They don’t do them right. Is it surgery? Are they building … Continue reading Guard Your Writing Time or Quit Fussing. Really. →

Story Beats: What They Are and Where They Go

Over the weekend I attended a fun Save the Cat webinar. One speaker was a screen writer. Another wrote for TV, and the third was Jessica Brody whose Save the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel will be coming out soon. It was interesting listening to them talk about how the beats play out in … Continue reading Story Beats: What They Are and Where They Go →

Taking Classes on Plotting, Rhyming and More

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – I love taking classes and attending webinars. Here are some of my most recent finds. As you can see, I like to take a variety of classes at any given time. Some I take to push my craft — that would be either of the … Continue reading Taking Classes on Plotting, Rhyming and More →

Increasing Stakes

Late last month I blogged about taking Story Plan Intensive with writing coach Kevin T. Johns. Specifically, I wrote about his thoughts on character growth in a series. You can see my post here. Something else that Johns discussed has really stuck with me. He explained that increasing story stakes doesn’t just mean making it … Continue reading Increasing Stakes →

Think Outside the Box to Find a Hole in the Market

Whether you want to write a life-cycle picture book or one about holidays, you need to find a story that hasn’t been written. When I talk to my students about this, I recommend that they find a hole in the market. I’m not telling them to find a literal hole but a gap in what … Continue reading Think Outside the Box to Find a Hole in the Market →

From Book to Screen

My husband and I just finished watching American Born Chinese. If you haven’t seen this, it is a Disney Plus offering based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the live action depiction of the Monkey King but they did a great job. It’s been a … Continue reading From Book to Screen →

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 →