Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 68

Why You Need a Google Alert

Do you have a Google Alert set up to scan the wilds of the Internet for your work?  If not, you should. I use this basic Google function to search for my name.  Because I sign blog posts as SueBE and use Sue Bradford Edwards as my byline on print and non-blog electronic materials, I … Continue reading Why You Need a Google Alert →

Making New Plans

As a freelance writer, you need to be able to pivot. This week was supposed to be Spring Break. We’d make a run to the lake, come back for a birthday party, and then do fun things around town. I planned to do a little work but not much. And the universe laughed. Let’s just … Continue reading Making New Plans →

How to Condense a Vast Topic

When Red Line contacted me and asked me to do two books in their new Essential Library of Countries series, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. Little did I know what a study in contrasts I was setting myself up to experience. The Australia book was relatively easy to research. The Australian government has a … Continue reading How to Condense a Vast Topic →

Quickly Catalogue Your Books

Just last week, I was about 30 minutes into an audiobook when I paused it to look the series up on Fantastic Fiction. It just seemed so familiar and for a very good reason. I had read not only the first book but they first several. Then there are those times that I’m standing in … Continue reading Quickly Catalogue Your Books →

Recharge by Doing Something Creative

The St. Louis County Library System has been hosting a March drawing challenge with lessons from Creative Bug. Naturally, with three book deadlines this month, I’ve been taking part. This is something that I do for just a few minutes each day. Some images turn out a whole lot better than others. But the point … Continue reading Recharge by Doing Something Creative →

How to Format Your Manuscript

When I read Kathleen Temean’s post on manuscript format, I knew I wasn’t the only person seeing this problem. No, there is no single way to format your manuscript. Minor variations on a theme are okay as long as everything is clear and easy to read. But as I started trying to write about format, … Continue reading How to Format Your Manuscript →

Breaking the Writing Rules

Yesterday, I found myself nodding as I read this post from author and freelance editor Karin Beery. Personally, I know that there are words I can delete 90% of the time – start, begin and that. They are the written equivalent of “um” and “uh” and very often serve no vital function in my writing. … Continue reading Breaking the Writing Rules →

Prewriting a Historical Mystery

As I’ve reimagined my cozy, I realized that I just wasn’t loving it. I didn’t much care about my POV character. The community was a little too like my own and I was having troubles making it quirky. Nothing seemed genuine. So I decided to shake things up by revisioning it. Now it is both … Continue reading Prewriting a Historical Mystery →

Review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic

I was surprised to find that there is actually a book that explains how Houdini did many of his most famous tricks. I mean, I still couldn’t pull many of them off but I’m sure some of you could! I knew this book was a reprint. I did some poking around and found a copy … Continue reading Review of Houdini’s Fabulous Magic →

Writing A Fairy Tale

You never know what is going to be placed in front of you when my critique group meets. We have picture book authors, fiction, nonfiction, and periodicals. We also cover a wide range of topics. This time someone brought a modern fairy tale retelling. I vaguely remembered that when you retell a fairy tale you … Continue reading Writing A Fairy Tale →