Nancy I. Sanders's Blog, page 39

Faith Building Fridays: Completion

I suggest that you finish

what you started a year ago,

for you were the first to propose this idea,

and you were the first to begin

doing something about it.

Now you should carry this project

through to completion

just as enthusiastically

as you began it.

-2 Corinthians 8:10-11

What a challenge God has set before us this day! How many writing projects do we start, all fired up and with great enthusiasm–but then as the days and weeks go by we turn faint of heart and set the projects aside. Not today! Let this be the day we pull out that project God’s been tugging on our heart to finish and write, write, write until it is completed.

Dear God, thank You for this gentle reminder. Please give me joy in my heart. But even if You choose not to, I still choose to gird myself up and finish this manuscript enthusiastically out of joyful obedience to Your Word. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

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For more faith-building encouragement as a writer, visit my site, Scribes.

Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon. What a great gift of encouragement for you to have to start a brand new year as a writer! Add it to your Christmas wish list today.

Filed under: Faith-building Fridays

For Teachers Who Love All Things Pirates

Are you a teacher? Do you homeschool?

You can bring A Pirate’s Mother Goose into your classroom or homeschooling curriculum!

Download and print out the free Literature Guide for Educators available now for you to use. Each activity and worksheet in this guide is geared to support the Common Core State Standards so you can use these pirate-y nursery rhymes as you engage your students in the following:

* Haiku writing activity

* Pull-through craftivity with pairs of rhyming words

* Venn Diagram to compare and contrast pirate rhymes with original nursery rhymes

* Printable vocabulary cards of rhyming word pairs found in A PIRATE’S MOTHER GOOSE for playing a vocabulary matching game

* 22 Read, Write, and Draw sheets for students to gain reading fluency and learn 22 Mother Goose nursery rhymes

And to expand the learning into an entire pirate unit of classroom learning, be sure to get my English Language Arts, Math, and Science bundle just perfect for preschool through second grade, Yo Ho Ho! A Pirate Unit with Tons of Fun.

Filed under: Educational Market, Picture Books

Writer’s Workshops

How often do you wish you could go to a writer’s conference but just can’t afford to dish out the big bucks for airplane tickets and hotel, let alone the hundreds of dollars it takes to pay for the conference itself?

Or maybe you just don’t have the time to spend three days away from the kids and the dog (who else would feed him?!) and your busy, busy life?

If that sounds familiar, then these telephone audio classes are just perfect for you!

Over the years, I’ve recorded a number of audio classes on topics that I deal with in the real world of today’s children’s publishing industry. I share real techniques and strategies I actually use as I’ve written over 100 published books.

For many of these classes, I provide handouts that I actually use myself for brainstorming and working through various techniques required to complete different types of manuscript. Along with the audio file you’ll download, you’ll get these handouts to print out and use.

These are the same strategies that earn me the bucks and help me land the contracts year after year after glorious year. I don’t want to be alone in my success…I want YOU to be able to experience success as a writer, too!

So if you’d like to hone your skills, learn tried-and-true techniques, and grow on your journey as a writer, hop on over to the National Writing for Children Center and check out the tele-classes available for you!

Most cost just $20…about the same as going out to dinner with a writer friend…but each one will last longer than just one night out. Each tele-class you listen to will be an INVESTMENT that moves you forward on your career path as a children’s writer and closer to your goals to fulfill your dreams.

Filed under: Writer Workshops

Faith Building Friday: Time

Teach us to make the most of our time,

so that we may grow in wisdom.

-Psalm 90:12, NLT

Time. That’s what writing is all about. Let’s get out our calendar today and schedule time to write. Let’s rearrange our commitments so that writing is a top priority. Today, tomorrow, next week and in the upcoming year. Only then can we grow as God’s scribes. Only then can we truly accomplish what God desires us to do with the time we have.

Dear Creator, You created time. You have given me the exact same amount of time that You’ve given to each one of Your children. Teach me to value time as belonging to You. Show me how to make each minute count so that I find time to write the words You have burning in my heart. Amen.

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For more faith-building encouragement as a writer, visit my site, Scribes.

The pocket edition of Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon. What a great gift of encouragement to give to your critique group buddies and writer friends!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Announcing: A Pirate’s Mother Goose!

A Pirate’s Mother Goose

by Nancy I. Sanders

Art by Colin Jack

Avast me hearties, yo ho!

It’s here! My newest picture book has anchored at dock and is now available in at your favorite local store or online at sites such as Amazon!

Do ye have a wee one? A grandson or granddaughter? A youngster of yer own? A Pirate’s Mother Goose is a wonderful read-aloud and puts a rollicking good twist on popular nursery rhymes by giving them a delightful piratey makeover!

And with humorous art by the talented Colin Jack, this full color picture book has launched just in time to celebrate the annual TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY this September 19th!

Order it today and enlist yer young pirate to join in the fun. Yo ho!

Filed under: Picture Books

Educational Publishers: Test Publishers

If you scroll down through all the publishers listed on Ev Christensen’s amazing site, EDUCATIONAL MARKETS FOR CHILDREN’S WRITERS, you will see a list of several Test Publishers.

Go ahead and click on the links for each one of these as we’re exploring this part of the list.

One of the first things you’ll see is that most of these require submissions from educators or teachers.

I know a gal in my local region of SCBWI who has written for this market for years. From what she says, it seems like a very nice steady reliable opportunity for work and income.

If you really really want to try working for this market, but you aren’t a teacher, what can you do?

Do as I do! Pair up with a teacher who would like to earn some income but doesn’t have the time, interest, or experience to write.

Any time I’ve wanted to write for an educational publisher who requires writers who are also teachers, I just team up with my teacher husband Jeff! We apply as a team. He gives input and ideas, I write, and then he checks the material for educational content and focus. It’s a win-win situation.

But of course if you have an educational background yourself, what have you got to lose! Go ahead and submit to these publishers and see if you can land a spot as one of their writers.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Book Review: Noah’s Voyage

Noah’s Voyage (Adventure Bible)

Zonderkidz: I Can Read! Level 2

Pictures by David Miles

Summary

Noah has a great big job to do for our great big God! Closely following the biblical account, the age-appropriate vocabulary is perfect for children who are learning to read with help. Young readers follow Noah as he hears from God about how people aren’t following God’s rules so God is going to send a flood. Noah does everything God tells him to do including building an ark and bringing all the animals on board. God kept Noah, his family, and the animals safe during the flood. When the flood was over, God dried up the earth. “Then God did something wonderful. He put a rainbow in the sky. God promised to never flood the earth ever again.”

What I Like

I like how this book teaches little children the truth in God’s Word, the Bible. This account is historical (it tells how Noah was 600 years old when the flood came). The illustrations support the biblical text (the ark’s proportions show how large it really was and could easily hold giraffes and elephants and more!). This book helps teach children that our faith is evidence-based on actual world history such as Noah and the Flood and not just based on fairy tales. I especially like the reminder that God put the rainbow in the sky to remember that he will never again send a flood to wash away the sins on the earth…God doesn’t need to because he sent Jesus to wash away our sins instead! Highly recommended.

-Thanks, BookLook Bloggers for another wonderful free book in exchange for my honest review!

Filed under: Book Review

Faith Building Friday: God’s Book

You saw me before I was born

and scheduled each day of my life

before I began to breathe.

Every day was recorded in your book!

-Psalm 139:16, TLB

What an amazing concept this is! In His great love for us, God has kept a memory book about us from even before we were born. How precious each day of our lives is to Him–may we as His scribes grasp this wonder and dedicate ourselves to His purposes. May we not waste another day away from His great call upon us to write.

Dear God, on this particular day of my life, may I spend time writing the words You planned for me to write from even before when I was born. In Jesus’s name. Amen.

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For more faith-building encouragement as a writer, visit my site, Scribes.

The pocket edition of Scribes: Devotions for Christian Writers is available at Amazon. What a great gift of encouragement to give to your critique group buddies and writer friends!

Filed under: Uncategorized

Educational Publishers: More Packagers

So now we have 3 categories that we’re exploring on Ev Christensen’s amazing site, EDUCATIONAL MARKETS FOR CHILDREN’S WRITERS.

Publishers who need authors to work on projects they develop.

Publishers who accept original ideas from authors.

Publishers who are actually packagers who need authors to help develop products for other publishers.

I’ve never worked with a packager before but I’m exploring this idea just like you.

Here are some of the packagers you’ll find here on Ev’s site:

BENDER RICHARDSON WHITE

BOW PUBLICATIONS

BRAINWORX STUDIO

DOUBLEINK PUBLISHING SERVICES

EDITORIAL DIRECTIONS

RED LINE EDITORIAL

Filed under: Uncategorized

Book Review: Say & Pray Bible

Say & Pray Bible

First Words, Stories, and Prayers

by Diane Stortz

Art by Sarah Ward

Summary

This sturdy board book has a soft padded cover…just perfect for your toddler’s first Bible! Each Bible story covers 2 pages and includes the following features:

* 1-3 sentences to tell the Bible story in a simple yet meaningful way

* A Bible verse to “say”

* A short prayer to “pray”

* Half a dozen or more words that label items in the pictures such as cow, horse, sheep, flowers, and tree

Over 20 Bible stories are included to introduce young readers to the main ones in both the Old and New Testaments.



What I Like

I like how few the words are for the actual Bible story because it holds the attention of little ones while explaining the story in easy-to-understand language. I also like how lots of items in each picture are labeled with their names because young children will love to point at each one. What a great way to learn how to read while learning Bible stories! This is a solid tool for any parent who wants to help their little ones on the road to reading success while growing in their love for God’s Word.

-Thanks, BookLook Bloggers for another wonderful free book in exchange for my honest review!

Filed under: Book Review