There are lots of amusing bits in this article about the work habits of famous novelists, but here's my favorite, from Margaret Atwood:Put your left hand on the table. Put your right hand in the air. If you stay that way long enough, you'll get a plot," Margaret Atwood says when asked where her ideas... Continue Reading →
Tips for finding your voice
The editor Alan Rinzler has a helpful post on voice:Voice is what gives writing energy, authenticity, it animates the narrator and characters with a unique personality. It grabs your attention and keeps you turning the page.I remember the first time I read Claude Brown’s Manchild in the Promised Land, and Lenore Skenazy’s Free Range Kids.... Continue Reading →
Getting to the heart of your story
Cheryl Klein (insert sounds of worship here) has four tips that help writers find their stories' emotional hearts.1. Conflict, Mystery, Lack.2. What Does the Character Want? 3. Compulsion vs. Obstacles.4. Problem, Process, Solution. For explanations of each, visit her blog.
Is your writing group…dysfunctional?
A blog called Writer's Relief offers advice and insight into writer's groups--and how to tell if you're in one that works for you:A writer's group is an informal gathering of writers who meet once a month or more to share their work, offer advice and criticism, and generally support each other. These groups are also... Continue Reading →
Contest for completed YA novels
Literary agent Anna Webman of Curtis Brown Ltd. wants to see your stuff! She has generously agreed to peruse the first five pages plus a synopsis of your YA novel. The details:This contest is for completed Young Adult novels only. (All the genres that fall under the YA umbrella.)The contest will open this Tuesday, November... Continue Reading →
Monthly meeting: Suzanne Morgan Williams and Terri Farley
Our November Professional Series Meetings is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at Seattle Pacific University, in Demaray Hall, Room 150. Registration starts at 6:45 p.m. and the main program at 7:00 p.m. Rumor has it there will be gingerbread cookies.Here's the lineup:Program 1: OUT OF THE CHUTE — BOOK PROMOTION TIPS FOR COWPOKES AND THE... Continue Reading →
Help support school libraries
Deb Lund sent along a plea and I will be coordinating replies. If you care about school libraries, read on:I don't know if you've heard that the Bellevue School District eliminated all the middle school and high school library positions last May. This year, there is no instruction in Information Literacy Skills that occurs after... Continue Reading →
Meet Suzanne Selfors
She'll be at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park at 5:30 on Nov. 10, and she writes, "I'll be yapping away about my latest YA, Coffeehouse Angel, giving away some coffee mugs, and hoping someone shows up. You know how these things go. Always happy to stay and chat with SCBWI members about the... Continue Reading →
NYT: 10 Best Children’s Books
Running in this Sunday's New York Times Book Review, the list comprises:* Only a Witch Can Fly, by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (Feiwel & Friends)* Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11, written and illustrated by Brian Floca (Richard Jackson/Atheneum)* The Odd Egg, written and illustrated by Emily Gravett (Simon & Schuster)* A Penguin... Continue Reading →
Look over there–on the left
Saturday is National Bookstore Day. If you're not at our retreat, you can celebrate by picking an event or two from our calendar (yeah, the one on the left). Support bookstores; support your colleagues. It's fun for everyone!(P.S. If you're reading this in e-mail without clicking through, you're missing the calendar. So visit the blog... Continue Reading →