Memory is a fickle friend. Some things we remember in minute detail; The birth of our children; The death of a parent; crouching in a closet after a tornado alert; The moment we heard Elvis was dead (I was playing with my brother’s train set on my parent’s living room floor. I cried.). The glue… Read more »
Temps of 105 degrees couldn’t keep me and my un-pedicured toes away. Eons ago, during a particularly stressful period of my life, an old friend quipped that I needed to head out for “rock time.” In his estimation, I needed to find a big ole rock to perch upon as I pondered my way out… Read more »
Returning to the research. Yes, all of this relates to one nonfiction picture book. Rewriting is the essence of writing well—where the game is won or lost. —William Zinsser That big ole pile of paper and books in the above picture represents three years of research. Today, I return to the resulting nonfiction… Read more »
Do you outline or write by the seat of your pants? It’s a common question among writers. Samantha Clark has begun a fabulous thread on her blog about the subject. Today, she very kindly featured me. Next in her lineup are authors Bethany Hegedus, P.J. Hoover, Nikki Loftin, and Jessica Lee Anderson. Pop over to… Read more »
An interesting question was posed during a recent critique group meeting. Do all picture book biographies need a story arc? Put another way, does every NF PB need dramatic highs and lows in physical and/or emotional elements? Opinions vary on the subject. First, let’s clarify that picture book biographies, as opposed to adult biographies, don’t… Read more »
I love to read nonfiction picture books and the reason may surprise you. As a kid, I was as interested in history as I was in learning to bake the perfect muffin in home economics class. Not! In the eons before home computers, internet, and narrative nonfiction, history meant dry, boring text books, and pop… Read more »
Battling blog design gremlins here. Bear with me:)————— Here we are in the final critique week interview. Welcome to three lovely and talented authors. Shelley Ann Jackson is an author, illustrator, and arts educator who recently relocated to Austin, Texas with her… Read more »
Emily Kristin Anderson Lindsey Lane Continuing the trilogy of interviews with authors who participate in critique groups, I give you… Emily Kristin Anderson, a young adult novelist and poet, is a resident of Austin, Texas, a long way from her native Maine. Her poetry has been published in national literary journals and she is currently… Read more »
I’ve posted previously about how vital critique groups can be. A trustworthy critiquer is at once cheerleader, first-reader, editor, and therapist. But, don’t take my word for it. The next three blog posts feature the critique group expertise of seven prolific writers. If you’ve ever considered joining a group, you’ll want to read what these… Read more »
An author’s path to publication can feel like THE HERO’S JOURNEY, full of pitfalls, pratfalls, and painful perseverance. (also see Christopher Vogler’s THE WRITER’S JOURNEY.) Well, it got me thinking. If story can be broken down into predictable stages, surely an author’s journey toward publication can be broken down as well. What are the… Read more »
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