Ten minutes after Viviane Lwin, a member of my SCBWI writing group, sent out a picture book manuscript she sent a SOS email to several of us: "I finally started submitting my picture book. I'm so stressed! "Do you get stressed when submitting stuff? I guess now I just have to wait 6 weeks to… Continue reading Chasing Your Dream–With a Little Help from Your Writing Buddies and Ice Cream
In another totally random drawing, Rosi Hollinbeck, the SCBWI critique group coordinator for SCBWI in Northern California, won last week's giveaway contest! A copy of Chris Woodworth's new middle grade book, Ivy in the Shadows is on its way to California. Tracey Adams of Adams Literary kindly offered two copies and the second name I drew… Continue reading Two Winners and Some Winning Writing Advice
I spent the month of February writing a proposal for the SCBWI-Work in Progress grant. Rebecca Petruck encouraged me to re-vision the first chapter of Half-Truths and tirelessly cheered me on--even as she delivered the "but I really think it would be better if you did it this way" news. When I finished the revision… Continue reading Book Burst- Pass it On!
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If you have taken a writing class with me, than you have heard me extol the virtues of the red pencil as your best friend. One of the themes of Teaching the Story is that revision happens on many levels. Writers must be ready to delete their "word treasures," rewrite sentences, add or remove paragraphs,… Continue reading In Which I Take My Own Advice
I thought I'd share some of what I learned this past weekend at the SCBWI-Carolinas conference. 1. I'm not as close to having a finished manuscript as I'd thought (more on this in a future blog). Mary Cate Castelanni 2. From Mary Cate Castellani, editor at Walker Books: A book's definition of either Middle Grade… Continue reading 8 Takeaways and 1 Giveaway
At our recent SCBWI critique meeting, aspiring picture book author, Dorothy Price mentioned she had read on Rebecca Sherman's Writer House profile and on Teresa Kietlinski's profile for Prospect Agency that each were looking for individuals who could both write and draw. I wondered if this was a new trend, so I asked Harold Underdown and… Continue reading Author Illustrators
....Carolina that is. Here is full disclosure. This blog is about the classes I'm teaching this fall. My feelings won't be hurt if this doesn't interest you and you stop reading. But, if you know anyone who is interested in developing his or her writing skills, please share this blog with them. Friends, family (particularly… Continue reading Teaching from North to South
#1: If you're working on a manuscript intended for the Christian youth market and need some outside help, then consider attending Write 2 Ignite's one day summer workshop. Here is a brief blurb from their website: A Day Apart is not another conference. It’s not a writer’s retreat. And it’s not just a workshop. It’s… Continue reading Three Not-to-Be-Missed Events
...add sweet tea, the company of fellow writers and illustrators, and incorporate great advice from Adams Literary, then you have the recipe for a great schmooze. Which was exactly what happened last Saturday at the Fort Mill Library in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Josh Adams, Quinlan Lee, Tracey Adams Hosted by the Charlotte and Rock Hill SCBWI… Continue reading If You Give a Writer a Cookie….