Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 81

Blog Tours: What and Why?

Next week, I’m going to post about the blog tour that I’m taking part in, but I thought I would first discuss what a blog tour is and why you might want to do one for your own book. A blog tour is like a book tour but it is entirely online. It is an … Continue reading Blog Tours: What and Why? →

Character Agency and Picture Books

If you aren’t familiar with the term, one way to think of character agency is power. A character who has no agency is an observer or a victim. Things happen around this character and to this character but not because of this character. Agency can be tricky in picture books especially if you have a … Continue reading Character Agency and Picture Books →

4 Reasons to Use a Pen Name

These are the two state books that I wrote last year. You’ll note that these books aren’t published under my name but are under a pen name – L.C. Edwards. Why on earth would a writer with 30+ books decide to use a pen name? There are a number of reasons. Writing for a Different …

Muse? What Muse?

“I’m so jealous. I don’t know how you get so much writing done.” I’m never sure how to respond when someone says this. It is especially confusing when the person is a writer. I have deadlines. I meet them. I get paid. It is just about that glamorous. Oh, I forgot. It involves coffee. You … Continue reading Muse? What Muse? →

Research: How Do I Know I Have Enough?

One of the questions that my students ask is “how do I know when I’ve done enough research?” My answer isn’t especially helpful. It is – when you have enough to write the piece. If you are writing an article, this might mean that you only need 5 or 10 sources but I’m assuming this … Continue reading Research: How Do I Know I Have Enough? →

Setting: Make Sure Your Data Is Up-to-Date

This past weekend I had a lesson in making sure you setting information is up-to-date. I’ve been noodling over the possibility of setting a story at the local Missouri Botanical Garden. Maybe I’d even set it at one of the festivals. This past weekend was the Japanese Festival. We used to go to this with … Continue reading Setting: Make Sure Your Data Is Up-to-Date →

Revising: 3 Essential Steps

I have a book due Friday. I had a complete draft by last Saturday, and I’ll work through it twice by Friday. All it takes is these three steps. Show Up to Work Step #1 is the most important. First things first, you have to show up to work. I am not a brilliant morning … Continue reading Revising: 3 Essential Steps →

Labor Day: Recharging and Contemplating the Work People Do

As I was considering this post, my first thought was that I only have one Labor Day book. That would be Become a Construction Worker. But then I really started thinking. One of my books is The Who. Not many people get to make their livings as rock musicians but that’s at least part of … Continue reading Labor Day: Recharging and Contemplating the Work People Do →

Cover Design

Last week I watched an SCBWI summer conference session on cover design. I heard what she said and I could even see most of it, but I’m a hands-on learner. So I decided to play around and create a cover for one of my works-in-progress, a picture book about a prickly pear and the family … Continue reading Cover Design →

Lessons I Learned Writing for Younger Readers

I thought that package I spotted on the front porch was my son’s text books. Instead, it was author’s copies aka early Christmas! Many of the books I work on are for tweens and teens, but not this batch. The two on the bottom are hi-lo. These are written at a third grade level for … Continue reading Lessons I Learned Writing for Younger Readers →