Nancy I. Sanders's Blog, page 9

Master Class for Christian Writers

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If you write fiction for children, young adults, or even adults you are invited to join Write2Ignite for their first ever Virtual Master Class. On September 19, 2020, multi-published author Joyce Moyer Hostetter will help master four big elements in writing fiction.

Creating Memorable Characters — Tried and true strategies for creating characters.

On Writing Plot: What’s the Problem — Structure and the power of conflict in creating a great plot.

View Point and Dialogue— Dialogue that works overtime and strategies for creating an authentic narrator.

W2I provides Christian writers of children’s and young adult literature with:

Instruction

Inspiration

Encouragement

Challenges

Community

Their focus is on those who write for youth.

Their foundation is Christ and His Word.

This Master Class format provides one-day workshops designed to help writers build specific skills. If taking your writing to higher levels is your goal, you will benefit from these Master Class features:

Instruction by master authors like Joyce Moyer Hostetter

Guided hands-on practice of new writing skills

Immediate feedback

This Master Class will be an online event using Zoom. If you’re not familiar with using that platform, no worry! We’ll have a practice session on Friday, September 18, 2020 just for you.

If you’re not familiar with Joyce check out her Youtube video here. Her books are available through any bookstore.

We’re excited about this innovative opportunity. Hope you’ll join us on September 19, 2020.

Registration is just $79 for a full day of instruction, practice, and encouragement.

Click here to Register .

Image Credit: Image by Лариса Мозговая from Pixabay

Free Resources for Kidlit Authors

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I have cats. And naturally, because I’m a kidlit writer, they like to write for children, too. Here’s a picture of my cat, Sandman, who is doing research for a new book he’s writing on the history of Legos for kittens. I mean, he’s gonna write about how they make good chew toys and fun toys to chase when they have a set of little wheels on them. They even make a great place to nap when they’re all spread out in a pile. Comfy! (According to cat standards, that is.)

So naturally, being writers, my cats have lots of helpful tips on how-to-write for kittens. If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you already know about their website. But if you’re new here, you just might want to check it out.

There’s free tips on everything from character development to research. PLUS, there are oodles of free worksheets and printables to help you write with success. Their website is the cat’s meow!

CLICK HERE to visit their website, WRITING ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY AND FRIENDS.

Kidlit Author: Agent or No Agent?

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You’re a kidlit author. You write for children. Chances are you have a manuscript. Right now it’s in the caterpillar stage. You’re longing for it to find a publisher, go through a process of metamorphosis, and take flight as a beautiful butterfly.

But you’re worried. Do you need an agent? Or do you NOT need an agent?

Here’s the answer: Yes. And no.

Yes, you need an agent if you want to work with the big publishing houses. You know: Zonderkidz, Scholastic, Penguin. I currently have an agent and I’ve had an agent for years because I want some of my manuscripts to be published by the big houses. And they have.

But no, you don’t need an agent if you want to work with the many, many other publishing houses who don’t require an agent. All throughout my writing career I’ve also written plenty of manuscripts (nearly 100 books!) for other publishings houses and haven’t needed an agent to work with them: Chicago Review Press, Scholastic Teaching Resources, Christian Ed Publishers.

When I first started getting books published, I didn’t have an agent. But as I started learning my craft and diving into different genres, I realized I was ready for an agent.

So if you’re in this whole agent/no agent vortex right now, I encourage you to click on two links of mine to get more information:

CLICK HERE to read a list of agents who represent children’s books.

CLICK HERE to read a list of publishers who don’t require an agent.

(NOTE: I haven’t updated this list since COVID-19, so please let me know if you find a link that isn’t working or that no longer fits.)

(ANOTHER NOTE: I know lots of reports are going around about publishers not accepting things at this time, but I just want to let you know that I’m hearing from writer friends who are currently landing contracts…so be encouraged as you move forward on your journey!)

Mentor Text for Nonfiction Picture Book Biography

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I’ve been really enjoying diving into all the nonfiction picture book biographies I’ve ordered in from my local library.

I wanted to share this one with you, too, as a potential mentor text to use as you’re working on your biography.

The reason this book really stands out to me as a mentor text is the way it handles the universal theme.

Every book has a universal theme. It’s the tug that reaches every heart in a deep way and keeps us engaged with the story. GIRL RUNNING uses its universal theme as the golden thread that ties the first page of this picture book across the pages of the story and to the very last page.

Here’s an example:

Opening page:

Bobbi Gibb must wear a skirt to school because she is a girl. She is not allowed to run on the school’s track team. Because those are the rules–and rules are rules. But after school…

And the last page includes this text:

[The race officials] insist that rules are rules. But Bobbi has shown that it’s time for some rules to change.

Using this book as another one of my mentor texts, I’m going to go back through my drafts and pick out the thread of my universal theme. And make it the golden thread that ties my book together from the very first page to the very last one.

Amazing Marketing Course for Writers

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When January 1, 2020 hit the calendar, I was ready! My biggest goal for the year was to get a handle on how to market myself as a children’s book writer, engage in social media, and make key connections in the kidlit community.

That was my BIG goal, but my little goal was small. I chose one platform to really learn: Instagram. (Why? ‘Cause it’s where the teachers and librarians and homeschooling mamas hang out and share books, books, and more books!)

I took my first online class on Instagram and I tried to figure out all the rest on my own. One stumbling step at a time.

Well–you know how 2020 threw us a loop with all the challenges we’ve been facing. But I continued to plug along until I heard about a course on marketing that sounded too good to be true: Building Platform 101.

Once a week, for an entire year, I would get a new video class on marketing and social media. Every month we would learn a different platform. And it was all for an unbelievably low price. The perk? It was hosted by none other than Christian social media guru, Victoria Duerstock. I’ve interacted with her before on various platforms and love her books on home decorating with a godly focus. (I bought each of my daughters-in-law one of her books for Christmas.) So I signed up.

And I got more than I bargained for.

She sent us all an actual hardhat to wear while we’re building our platform. She offers office hours twice a week where we can e-mail her any questions we have. She meets with each of us several times in the year personally for our own personal zoom meeting. Plus, she runs our Facebook private group where we cheer each other on. Plus more! I mean, I feel like I have my very own marketing mentor and personal coach!

I was planning on sharing about this incredible, inspirational journey I’ve been taking, but I didn’t want to make you feel bad because it’s a closed group. And then I just found out that she’s opening up to new members RIGHT NOW for just a short time! And at an incredibly low price.

So if you would like to learn marketing strategies at a nice pace, with a godly Christian author to hold your hand and help inspire you each step of the way, CLICK HERE on this affiliate link to find out the amazing details.

My life as an author is never going to be the same…in a very, very good way.

Mentor Text for Nonfiction Picture Book Biography

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You. Must. Read. This. Book. That is, if you want to learn how to write winning nonfiction picture book biographies for kids.

This is nothing short of a game changer in learning how to write.

Why? For starters, look at the title in this picture. THE AMAZING COLLECTION OF JOEY CORNELL. But wait…read the subtitle ABOVE the title:

“Based on the Childhood of a Great American Artist.”

Based.

This one word gives us the freedom as authors to create a wonderful picture book that’s classified with all the other nonfiction picture books that are out there in the market today. But we can use liberty in writing dialog and emotion and scenes that pure nonfiction can’t take.

Based!

Then there’s the plot line. It’s brilliant. (But then aren’t all Candace Fleming’s books brilliant?!)

This is not a birth to death timeline like so many other picture book biographies. Birth to success to death. Predictable. Ho hum. Boring.

Not this book! This book introduces us to Joey, who likes to collect things. It takes us along a journey to see what he collects while he’s young. It shows us a sad point in his childhood that motivated him to take his collection and turn it into an art show for his mother and sisters to enjoy.

End of story. We don’t find out when he was born. We don’t find out how he became famous. We don’t find out how he died.

Because all of that can be found in the Author’s Note at the end.

So if you want to learn a magnificent way to tell the story of your nonfiction biography, get this book, read it, type it out word for word, dissect it, and use it as a mentor text to write your biography BASED on the life of your subject.

My goal is to write a third draft of my nonfiction biography using this book as my mentor text. Then I’m going to compare and contrast the three drafts I’ve written…and move forward from there. I hope you do the same!

The Very Oldest Pear Tree Book Launch!

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Hi friend! I’m so excited to share the word about my upcoming newest children’s book. THE VERY OLDEST PEAR TREE is the amazing true story of the very first pear tree ever planted in America and it’s still alive today!!!!!

It’s due to be published on August 1, 2020 and I was wondering if you would like to help me get it launched into the world.

If so, could you please visit my book on Amazon and add it to your wishlist? CLICK HERE to see my book on Amazon.

And if you have an account on Goodreads, it really helps give the title a boost if you add it to your To-Read shelf.

CLICK HERE to see my book on Goodreads and add it to your WANT-TO-READ shelf.

If you know of any teachers, librarians, homeschooling mamas or folks who love nonfiction picture books, please feel free to share this post with them and help spread the news.

Thanks so much. This really means a lot to me, especially with everything going on in the world today and how difficult it is to launch a new book for kids!

Mentor Text for Nonfiction Picture Book Biography

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As you know if you follow my blog, in March I started a series of posts about writing a Nonfiction Picture Book Biography. CLICK HERE to start at the beginning of those how-to steps.

I finished the first draft of my picture book biography somewhere in April/May. (I’m still tweaking it.)

But because the libraries were shut down and none of my mentor texts arrived, I set this aside for awhile and have been working on other projects.

Now that our library is semi-operational, the books I ordered in back in March are finally coming in. Here is one of them: Frida Kahlo and her Animalitos.

I want to share it with you because it is simply brilliant and it’s sending me in a new direction with my picture book biography.

When I wrote my most recent nonfiction picture book biography manuscript, I started with a pivotal scene from my subject’s childhood. Then I brought her to adulthood and featured another pivotal scene. And then I ended with one final important scene in her history-breaking career.

But author Monica Brown chose a different way to portray the life of Frida Kahlo. She chose to feature Frida’s many animals and paint a story of her life based on these. Most pages start with the sentence: Frida had a pet named XX. Then the text goes on to show how Frida was like that pet.

This format has inspired me so much that I’m going to schedule a few upcoming playdates and personal writers retreats so I can play with my topic again. I want to rewrite a new draft of my picture book using this book by Monica Brown as my mentor text.

That’s right. I’m going to write a totally new draft of my picture book biography using a unique mentor text.

So many times we cut ourselves short as writers. We write a picture book manuscript and then we feel like we’re finished with it and then we start to submit it. We forget to “play” with it. Experiment with it. Enjoy the journey and write multiple drafts in different formats.

Each time we do this, we become better writers and our stories become better, too! I encourage you to pull out a picture book manuscript that you wrote (whether recently or long ago). Find a brand new mentor text and rewrite that story using your new mentor text as a guide.

Have fun!

Let’s Regroup and Recharge!

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It seems like everyone I chat with is feeling discouraged…family members, friends, neighbors, and other children’s writers included.

Could today be the day we regroup? Take time to get refreshed, reenergized, and recharged?

Pouring over all my recent library books and looking for mentor texts has made me feel revitalized and reconnected with my writing goals again. So has participating in a weekly online marketing class that I’ve been taking since May. And most of all, I’ve been really trying to get in bed in a timely manner so that I can wake up early and spend my hour alone with God before I start my day. This has probably helped me regroup and recharge most of all.

What are you doing to take a second breath, regroup, and embrace your new normal in your corner of the world?

If you want to get reenergized by taking a course on writing for children, you can also help my friends and fellow writers at the Serious Writer Academy celebrate their third anniversary! They are offering 26% off on all their courses, including the three I teach:

Writing Humor for Kids

Developing 3-D Characters for your Children’s Stories

Say Goodbye to Writer’s Block…Welcome to the Writing Zone!

Use the code BIRTHDAY26 when you register to get the discount. Then after you take my class(es) let me know how you feel refocused and recharged in your vision and goals as a writer!

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My Writer’s Notebook

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In my last post I explained how I’m busy evaluating and dissecting nonfiction picture book biographies I borrowed from the library. And to help me, I’m filling out a Nonfiction Picture Book Rubric for each one.

Your next question should be: What are you doing with those rubrics?

Great question! I’m glad you asked.

I’m putting them in my Children’s Writer’s Notebook, of course!

Well, actually I have 2 notebooks now. I was getting so many rubrics for picture books I evaluated that I recently took them out of my first notebook and gave them a notebook all their own. I just file them in here in alphabetical order by the title of the book so it’s easy to find when I want to refer to it again.

As a children’s writer, I think it’s important to have a Writer’s Notebook. It’s the place I keep a lot of my printable worksheets so when I want to print out a new worksheet, it’s handy. I also keep lots of other notes and tidbits in my notebook, too.

Plus, I like to have fun with it. You can see the fun stickers and cover sheet I created for each of my notebooks.

Do you have a writer’s notebook? What do you keep in yours?

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