Sue Bradford Edwards's Blog, page 97
February 2, 2022
How to Create Suspense
Last week, I finished listening to the audio book, The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate. The suspense drove me crazy! Wingate wrote this book with two story threads. One is the story of Hannie. This thread takes place in 1875. Hannie is a former slave who is struggling to save two young women … Continue reading How to Create Suspense →
February 1, 2022
Setting Goals
Many writers that I know set annual goals. I tried it and I have to say that my results are unimpressive. A year is just too long for me to wonder. Monthly goals? Now they seem to work. This year several members of my accountability group are setting monthly goals. In addition to setting goals … Continue reading Setting Goals →
January 31, 2022
Lunar New Year
Today is the Lunar New Year and it is the year of the tiger. I’m crazy for cats of all kinds so I’ve enjoyed seeing all the recommendations that publisher’s have put together for tiger books. But why am I not seeing recommendations of books by Chinese American authors? After all, this is a cultural … Continue reading Lunar New Year →
January 30, 2022
Remove the Filters Between Reader and Story
When we write, whether it is nonfiction or fiction, we want to pull our readers in. It is hard to do this if we remind them that they are reading a story. One of these reminders is often called filtering language. For example, don’t write – Before her, Ada saw the wreck of a passenger … Continue reading Remove the Filters Between Reader and Story →
January 27, 2022
The One Thing Every Writer Needs to Publish
My writing journey is not your writing journey. I learned to format manuscripts as if everything was still being done on typewriters. We weren’t all using typewriters but even on home computers the goal was to create a manuscript that duplicated type. Those days are long gone so if you are tying to break in … Continue reading The One Thing Every Writer Needs to Publish →
January 26, 2022
Breaking Promises to Your Reader
Don’t ask me the book’s title or who wrote it. I simply won’t tell you. I don’t publicly bash my fellow writers. But I will issue warnings. My warning for today? Do not break the promises that you make to your reader. Just don’t. Tuesday, the book club that I’m in met via Zoom. We … Continue reading Breaking Promises to Your Reader →
January 25, 2022
5 Tips for Dealing with Your Inner Critic
Many writers struggle with their inner editor as they try to lay down words. Their inner editor might better be called their inner critic, a nagging voice that tells them that what they are doing is not good enough. These writers write and rewrite a sentence or a paragraph. Their inner editor does little more … Continue reading 5 Tips for Dealing with Your Inner Critic →
January 24, 2022
3 Query Letter Tips
Now that agents are back at work after the holidays, I’m getting ready to start querying. Sigh. Why the sigh? Because that means wrangling a query letter. If you put a little thought into you letter, you’ll have a much better chance of hearing yes. Here are three tips to get a positive response. Check … Continue reading 3 Query Letter Tips →
January 23, 2022
Edgar Nominees Announced
If you love a good mystery, I hope that you take the time to check out the Edgar Award Nominees. These awards are made each year by the Mystery Writers of America and late last week they announced the nominees for 2022. If you write for children or young adults, you are likely most interested … Continue reading Edgar Nominees Announced →
January 20, 2022
Try, Try Again: Creative Pursuits
One of the best pieces of advice that I’ve ever seen for writers is this quote by Joe Chiappetta. Chiappetta is a graphic novelist with a style that is loose and a little messy. He is also extremely prolific. Being willing to take chances has paid off for him. I’ll admit that I hesitated to … Continue reading Try, Try Again: Creative Pursuits →
