Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 93

Giving Each Character a Distinct Voice

I’ve been watching Brendon Sanderson on Youtube again. He suggested a really interesting exercise to create unique dialogue for each of your characters. In the past, the exerise that I had heard was to copy and paste your dialogue into unique documents. Each document would be the dialogue for one character. Then you review the … Continue reading Giving Each Character a Distinct Voice →

3 Reasons Writers Need Resilience

Yesterday I had a critique group meeting and I noticed that one of our members seemed really down. She’s a lady that always has a word of encouragement for the rest of us. During our general discussions she’s got a list of helpful resources including books and webinars that she’s eager to share. But this … Continue reading 3 Reasons Writers Need Resilience →

Finding Your Reading Level

The manuscript I am currently drafting is for 3rd graders. I have to admit that it has been a while since I attempted this reading level. The last time was a hi-lo project which means I was written for middle graders at a 3rd grade level. I just turned in two books that were written … Continue reading Finding Your Reading Level →

You and Your Mews

Are you someone who sits and waits for your Muse to show up and inspire you? At one point, I was that kind of writer. But no more. It really isn’t compatible with doing work-for-hire or having contracts. Sign a contract for a series and you have to get those books turned in on time. … Continue reading You and Your Mews →

Cover Reveal!

Cover reveal! I just found two of my new book covers up on Amazon. Although I had some ideas about what a book cover for Become a Construction Equipment Operator, I really had no clue for What Are Learning Disorders? I’m glad they didn’t show a younger student. These books are for readers in fifth … Continue reading Cover Reveal! →

How Book Club Gave Me a New Perspective on Rejection

Earlier this week, book club met to discuss a mystery. I hate it when I don’t love the book club book because I make 50% of the recommendations. What can I say? When you get as many industry newsletters as I do, it is easy to drop interesting book titles into a folder. This time … Continue reading How Book Club Gave Me a New Perspective on Rejection →

Creating Problems for Your Characters in the Tech Age

More than once lately, I’ve heard someone say that in books written pre-2000, so many story problems would have been solved if only the character had a cell phone. And that’s true to a point. Apparently if you write romantic comedy, your characters can simply fail to talk to each other. But even good romantic … Continue reading Creating Problems for Your Characters in the Tech Age →

Proto-Science Fiction

In my reading this week, I came upon a term I had never heard before – proto-science fiction. Am I the only one who hadn’t heard this before? Many people think of science fiction as a product of modern science, but proto-science fiction is much earlier and may actually have led the way for modern … Continue reading Proto-Science Fiction →

Someone Familiar with a Unique Twist: Writing a Picture Book Biography

I love finding a top notch picture book biography. That’s kind of funny because I’m not a huge fan of biographies for adult readers but picture book biographies? Yes, please! The problem for writers is that they can be a hard sell. Go with someone too remote, and you may well be told that their … Continue reading Someone Familiar with a Unique Twist: Writing a Picture Book Biography →

Promoting Your Book through Writing

Many of the writers that I know loathe self-promotion. Some of them don’t like social media in general. Others just hate the idea of approaching people to buy their book. Visiting bookstores, getting a table at a craft fair, even renting a booth at a farmers market are possibilities but many writers just hate the … Continue reading Promoting Your Book through Writing →