Backstory can be essential to understanding a character and his/her journey. It can deepen conflict, reveal motivation and elicit sympathy for a hero or secondary character. But...
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“What I need is someone who will make me do what I can.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson. Would you like to finish a...
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Many aspiring children's book authors are confused about the difference between young adult (YA) and middle grade novels. Aren't all teens and...
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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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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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One of my favorite speakers at the 2013 SCBWI winter conference was Mo Willems. No surprise, he’s also one of my favorite...
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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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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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It took us thirteen drafts to figure out the best way to start the Very Fairy Princess series: with a “day in...
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What does it take to draw in today's young reader and persuade them to keep reading? Last week, in the children's lit class I'm...
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