Children’s author Julie Hedlund, challenged participants of her 12 Days of Christmas for Writers series to post SUCCESSES (rather than resolutions) on our blogs this year. She believes the way New Year’s resolutions are traditionally made come from a place of negativity – what DIDN’T get done or achieved in the previous year. Instead, she suggests we set goals…
Tag: writing
Writing and rain
I opened up the front door earlier this evening to check for packages on my doorstep, and while I was not blessed with a bundle of goodies, I did get to take in a deep breath of damp, cool air with a slight musty smell that only comes with new rain. Though it is…
YA Novels: Hooked in Five Sentences or Less
It’s late at night. You’ve just finished a book on your e-reader and are dying for something new to read. But how much time will you give a sample chapter to lure you in? For me personally, I’ve found that new late-night reads need to hook me in five sentences or less, that way I can sink my teeth into them right away I’ve chosen three excerpts from books I’ve loved that have ‘hooked me in five sentences or less‘. I’ll tell you why they appealed to me as a READERS and what we can take away as WRITERS. From The Selection by Kiera Cass When we got the letter in the post, my mother was ecstatic. She had already decided that all our…
11 Tips for Maintaining a Daily Writing Habit
This summer I’ve made a deal with myself — write something new every morning, Monday-Friday. I can’t move on (with submissions, revisions, etc.) until I’ve written something new. At first it was like scratching nails over a chalkboard. I’d talk myself out of it for at least a dozen different reasons. It’s been a few…
Creating a Writing Nook
Where do you complete your writing? Do you have a zen-like place with the sounds of a gentle trickling fountain nearby? Perhaps there’s a vanilla scented candle burning and Enya playing in the background? I think that’s how I pictured it would be before I started writing seriously, but in reality my writing corner has consisted…
Getting out of my bubble — My SDSU Writer’s Conference Experience
I love attending writer’s conferences, workshops, and critique groups with fellow children’s and young adult writers. I get to spend time with like-minded, spirited individuals who love children’s books as much as I do. And, I don’t get people looking at me funny for enjoying them either! This past summer, I received a wonderful piece…