Last week I pressed send. Not to an agent or an editor. But to 10 beta readers. I finally have a draft of Half-Truths, which is ready to be critiqued! Eight years ago Joyce Hostetter challenged me to join her in NaNoWriMo. I'd been thinking about writing a novel and had a rough idea what… Continue reading Marking a Milestone
Congratulations to Joyce Hostetter who won LONGBOW GIRL from last week's blog. I had promised you would hear the results of Sydney Kirsch's NaNoWriMo experience. But in typical "I-want-it-to-be-better" mode, Sydney wasn't quite satisfied with her guest post and is continuing to tweak it. Stay tuned, you'll read it soon! ***** As many of you know,… Continue reading The Lions of Little Rock: A Review
I first met Jan Cheripko, author of Rat; Sun, Moon, Stars, Rain; and Imitate The Tiger, when we both presented at a South Carolina Reading Association conference several years ago. I admire his tight prose in which young men face peer pressure and/or tough choices. His workshop at camp was on secondary characters and transitions. Since I'd… Continue reading Gems from Jan: Summer Camp at Highlights Part III
"Great story, Carol! Honestly, I have very little to say except can I read more?? It sounds very polished, the writing is excellent, and I love the characters. It sounds from the synopsis that you have a very well thought out book and an interesting story. GREAT first line! Love it. You've gotten into the… Continue reading Conversations with Kathy: Summer Camp at Highlights Part II
Congratulations to Clara Gillow Clark who won EMPTY PLACES by Kathy Wiechman. Illustrators and artists have brushes, pencils, and digital tools. Similarly, writers have their own set of tools: journals, laptops, and a wide array of websites, blogs, and online resources. In today's blog I'm featuring my new "go-to" website: One Stop for Writers. The… Continue reading One Stop for Writers: The Place to Go!
Congratulations to Linda Phillips who won WONDER and Mary Jane Nirdlinger who won ORCHARDS. Thanks to all of you for leaving comments here and in Talking Story. More great giveaways coming up! In the ongoing conversation about plotter vs. panster I've discovered that I work somewhere in between these two camps. On the one hand, I can't… Continue reading Plotting," Pansting", and the Act of Discovery
Congratulations to Judy Penz Sheluk who won the second critique from Joan Edwards. Thank you to everyone who left comments. *********** Raise your hand if you remember this commercial: If so, then you may understand how I felt three weeks ago when my mentor, Rebecca Petruck, wrote: Omigosh, I'm really liking the look of this outline!… Continue reading 2016 Challenge: Focus!
This is my sixth post from the 2015 Florida SCBWI young adult workshop with Erica Rand Silverman, an agent with Sterling Lord Literistic, and Jacquelyn Mitchard, author and editor-in-chief at Merit Press. Click here for Part I (Why Write Young Adult); Part II (Querying); Part III (Pitches); Part IV (Marketing Yourself and Your Work); and Part V (Building a Lasting Career). Jacqueline Mitchard facilitated this part of the workshop … Continue reading SCBWI Florida Workshop Part VI- Holden and Augustus: What We Mean When We Talk About Voice in YA
This is my third blog post from the Florida SCBWI young adult workshop. Erica Rand Silverman is an agent with Sterling Lord Literistic and Jacquelyn Mitchard is a prolific author as well as an editor-in-chief at Merit Press. Click here for Part I and Part II. Erica and Jacquelyn interwove their remarksinto a tapestry of great advice. Don’t over reach. You can use the… Continue reading SCBWI Florida Workshop Part III- Share Your Perfect Pitch and Find Out How it Sells!
“As an African-American child growing up in the segregated pre-Civil Rights South, Sarah Bracey White pushed against the social conventions that warned her not to rock the boat, even before she was old enough to fully understand her urge to defy the status quo. In her candid and poignant memoir, Primary Lessons, White recalls a… Continue reading Primary Lessons: A Memoir by Sarah Bracey White