Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 84
August 2, 2022
Manipulating Who Knows What to Create Tension
I am learning so much from Madeline Dyer’s class on narrative structure. If you write fiction or memoir, this is definitely a class you should consider taking. Today’s lecture was about non-linear manuscripts. In a linear manuscript, the story is told chronologically. In a non-linear manuscript, it is not. Me? For the most part, my … Continue reading Manipulating Who Knows What to Create Tension →
Nontraditional Patterns
A while ago I was watching a webinar when an agent asked writers, especially picture book writers, to learn about something other than the three act structure. The problem with this particular pattern is that it is used so frequently that it has become somewhat predictable. Fortunately there are a number of other patterns you … Continue reading Nontraditional Patterns →
July 31, 2022
Danger, Danger! Scammer Impersonating an Agent
Over the last several weeks, a scam e-mail has been going around. The scammer claims to be Jenny Bent, head of the Bent Agency. The e-mail says that because of so many changes in the industry, specifically advances in technology, the biggest publishers find it hard to scout for books that will translate well across … Continue reading Danger, Danger! Scammer Impersonating an Agent →
July 28, 2022
3 Things to Remember about Worldbuilding
Most of us are fairly certain that we know what worldbuilding is. When we hear the term we think of fantasy and science fiction writers spinning up whole new worlds on the page. In reality, it doesn’t matter what you write. And that leads us to the first thing you need to remember about world … Continue reading 3 Things to Remember about Worldbuilding →
July 27, 2022
3 Things to Remember about Writing Historical Fiction
Yesterday I watched the Kidlit Distancing Social with Lyn Miller-Lachmann on writing historical fiction. If this is a genre that you are considering writing for young readers, there are a number of things that you need to remember including these three. More Recent than You Think First things first, if you want to write historical … Continue reading 3 Things to Remember about Writing Historical Fiction →
July 26, 2022
Expect the Unexpected: Floods, Frogs and Felines
I went to bed Monday night expecting a fairly calm day on Tuesday. The universe laughed. Our area got hit by thunderstorms over night. I got up. I made my breakfast smoothie. Then I got on Facebook. Am I okay? Why wouldn’t I be okay? Depending on what estimate you use, we got anywhere from … Continue reading Expect the Unexpected: Floods, Frogs and Felines →
July 25, 2022
The Two Plots in a Cozy Mystery
I’m not working on my cozy at the moment. I take that back. I’m not revising it. I am reading cozies and thinking about how my book stacks up. Sigh. My mystery feels really episodic. There’s a murder and my character bumbles around, poking into other the lives of everyone she meets, and eventually collects … Continue reading The Two Plots in a Cozy Mystery →
July 24, 2022
Even an Evergreen Topic Must Be Unique
If you aren’t familiar with the term, evergreen topics are the ones that are always in demand. The include alphabet books, counting books, colors and shapes. The trick is finding a slant that is 100% unique. Author Ellen Heck pulled this off in A is for Bee. She explained that she wanted to include animals … Continue reading Even an Evergreen Topic Must Be Unique →
July 21, 2022
Nontraditional Structures
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that the class I’m taking is studying nontraditional structures. The instructor challenged each of us to rework a portion of our story using one of these structures. Hmm. Nontraditional structure number one was novels in verse. As much as I enjoy reading them, I can’t imagine writing one. I have … Continue reading Nontraditional Structures →
July 20, 2022
When There’s Too Much Information
Last night, a webinar was ending when my husband slammed the front door. A notebook slipped off my bookshelf and smacked my camera light. That flipped into the air and hit the stack of books from my class. Those toppled and hit my keyboard. I felt like I was in a desk top cyclone! Fortunately … Continue reading When There’s Too Much Information →
