Every writer eventually encounters a creative rut. The ideas feel flat. The enthusiasm fades. The work that once felt exciting begins to feel mechanical. When that happens, many writers assume they’ve somehow “lost” their creativity. But in my experience, ruts rarely mean creativity has disappeared. More often,...
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At some point in every writer’s journey, a quiet voice begins whispering a dangerous question: Why them—and not me? Maybe you see a debut...
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Every writer collecting submissions will eventually collect something else as well: rejections. They arrive in many forms—polite passes, form responses, the occasional champagne...
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Every writer I know has encountered writer’s block at one point or another. Sometimes it arrives quietly—a vague resistance when you sit...
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In the writing world we often say there are two kinds of plotters—outliners, who work from a carefully planned story map, and...
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One of the most common issues I see when reviewing picture book manuscripts is this: a story that’s pleasant, charming, or even...
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Many writers assume that depth comes from complexity—that richer stories require more plot, more explanation, more moving parts. But picture books teach us...
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Picture books are often thought of as "simple." Short sentences. Only so many pages. A quick read. But anyone who has ever tried...
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Dialogue in picture books does a lot of heavy lifting. Good dialogue: - Reveals character - Builds tension - Moves the plot forward - Delivers conflict -...
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Let’s start with a confession. For years, I used “voice” and “tone” interchangeably. And the truth is, in casual conversation, many writers do....
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