Is it YA or Adult Fiction?
You're writing a story with a teenage protagonist but very sophisticated themes and content...
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childrens books Tag
Is it YA or Middle Grade?
Many aspiring children's book authors are confused about the difference between young adult (YA) and middle grade novels. Â Aren't all teens and...
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Secondary Characters
Whether your manuscript is a picture book or novel, it can be tempting to create a wide variety of supporting characters to...
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Editing with a Jewelers Loupe
I had the privilege and pleasure of interviewing middle grade and YA author Maryrose Wood last night for our Wednesday night Writers...
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The “Common Core” – Crisis or Opportunity for Children’s Book Writers?
There were several recurring themes that emerged at the wonderfully inspiring SCBWI 2013 Winter Conference this past weekend. One was brightening and...
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Would You Like a Query Critique from Me?
I blogged last week about jump-starting your writing resolutions with Julie Hedlund's wonderful 12X12 in 2013 program for picture book authors, but...
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Support Your New Year’s Writing Resolutions!
Here’s a fabulous way to jumpstart your writing goals for 2013! My friend and colleague Julie Hedlund launched the first 12x12 initiative in...
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The Series Series, Part 6: Tracking Plot Details
When it comes to maintaining continuity of plot details in a series, it can be helpful to create a scene chart or...
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The Series Series, Part 5: Tracking Settings
In the last post, we looked at building, developing and maintaining the continuity of characters within a series. Now let’s look at...
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The Series Series, Part 4: Continuity
Despite scrupulous editing, some of the most successful series of all time feature notable inconsistencies. For example, in Eragon, book one of...
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