Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 65

Freebie: Reading BINGO

We are just getting ready to eat a late dinner tonight and I’ve finally finished the freebie for April – a Reading Bingo card. Sometimes I wonder if I make things needlessly complicated. Here is a look at my Reading BINGO card. You can download an 8 1/2 x 11 version here. I looked at … Continue reading Freebie: Reading BINGO →

Surprise! Twist Endings Add Depth

Picture books and early readers quite seem so simple and Go, Sled! Go! is no exception. If I’m not mistaken, the text is all of 87 words long. 87! As with other picture books and early readers, there are no subplots. To justify the price of a hardcover children’s book, you have to create something … Continue reading Surprise! Twist Endings Add Depth →

Bad Drawer: Creating as a Group Endeavor

Admittedly, when I first saw the title The Bad Drawer my brain went to dresser drawers. But Seth Fishman’s picture book is about a young writer who laments their inability to draw. Get it? Bad draw-er. In Fishman’s story, the narrator has an adventure story in their head about a mouse, Bailey, and dragons with … Continue reading Bad Drawer: Creating as a Group Endeavor →

Rejection: What It Is and Is Not

Before I got down to work yesterday, I was reading blog posts on the nonfiction blog for the journal Brevity. One on rejection really stood out – Rejection is (Still) Not Feedback. How often have you heard a fellow writer say one of these things or said them yourself? When you submit a piece to … Continue reading Rejection: What It Is and Is Not →

The Zombie Test or Author vs Passive Voice

“Editors don’t like passive voice.” I absolutely dread statements like this. Because they’re true but a lot of people are really bad at recognizing passive voice. Hint: Passive voice is more than using is, are, or was. In active voice, the subject does something to the object. “Bob painted the house.” Active. In passive voice, … Continue reading The Zombie Test or Author vs Passive Voice →

Writing Fiction that’s Real

Not long ago my book club read an adult novel with a drug dealer as the main character. Okay, not a dealer. Trafficker? Someone else was in charge of sales. He was in transportation. One other woman and I had serious problems with the book. I have a cousin who is in recovery. She divorced … Continue reading Writing Fiction that’s Real →

National Library Week

Did you know that April 23rd – 29th is National Library Week? There are so many ways to celebrate. How are you going to celebrate your library system this week? –SueBE

6 Tips When Creating a Marketing Plan

Imagine my joy when I was clicking through a publisher’s online submission form and came to the penultimate field. “Attach files here: Manuscript, cover letter, and marketing plan.” I must have groaned or something because my husband asked what was wrong. I didn’t have a marketing plan. No, it isn’t impossible but it does require … Continue reading 6 Tips When Creating a Marketing Plan →

Conventions, Tropes and Striking Out on Your Own

Yesterday I stumbled across a blog post by Savannah Gilbo on genre conventions vs genre tropes. As explained by Gilbo, a convention is a story element that fans of that genre expect to find in a story. Tropes are the way these conventions are enacted. So let’s say we are talking about cozy mysteries. A … Continue reading Conventions, Tropes and Striking Out on Your Own →

Board Books and Novelty Books

Writing for the youngest book lovers can be tricky. These stories aren’t just short. And, especially if you are only an author and not an author/illustrator, there has to be enough to them not to feel slight. Two different types of books for younger book lovers are board books and novelty books. Board Books ME … Continue reading Board Books and Novelty Books →