Here's a great reason for a road trip.Local author/illustrator Richard Jesse Watson presents this Saturday, September 12, at the Washington and Idaho SCBWI Regional Conference.You can learn more about him at his blog, his website, and through the books he's created.Other presenters include Lisa Yoskowitz, Editor at Dutton Children's Books; Terry Trueman, young adult novelist;... Continue Reading →
Good beginnings: two agents discuss
Chris Richman and Michael Stearns of Upstart Crow Literary have started a series of podcasts on the craft of writing. This is what they have to say about books with strong beginnings.
Authors: an invitation to hold your horses
Editorial Anonymous gives us a nice reminder not to get too YESYESYES when an editor makes an offer.You can, you know, ASK FOR MORE MONEY.Read the post.
Are libraries (and books) endangered species?
Here's an interesting speech about how one headmaster wants to evolve a school library. He talks a bit about books and their history, imagining here we're still in 1439, when manuscripts were copied by hand:I want to tell you about this wonderful scriptorium that we have at Cushing Academy in 1439. We have scribes working... Continue Reading →
Jolie’s tweets from last night’s meeting
The good news is, Jolie tweeted last night's meeting with Elana Roth, marking all her posts with the #Chinook hash tag.The bad news is, that is also the hash tag that people use when discussing a certain type of military helicopter. Still, to get a quick recap of Elana's points about plot (and some German... Continue Reading →
Would you hand your iPhone to your kid?
You just might. And we need to start thinking about how we'll write for apps. Publishers Weekly has a bit on ScrollMotion, an iPhone book app-developer "which will launch a new kids' e-book reader app this fall that will bring enhanced picture books from major publishers to the iPhone."Read all about it.
Thoughts on point of view
Figuring out which point of view to use for your story? Sterling Editing has a nice piece on strengths and weaknesses of a first-person POV. Many first-time writers choose first person to tell their story because it looks easy and natural. However, it’s not always the best choice.A first person narrative can only tell the... Continue Reading →
The editorial equivalent of a propeller beanie
The blog Editorrent has a post today about moves that mark you as an amateur. Here's an excerpt:Bling punctuation (see other posts on this) is a good example of this, and one we've blogged about in the past. Look on the sidebar for a link to posts about ellipses if you need a refresher. The... Continue Reading →
Richard Peck fans: check out his Horn Book interview
Notes from the Horn Book offers this five-question interview with the great Richard Peck. Here's a tease: Season of Gifts is Richard Peck’s third novel about Grandma Dowdel; she appeared first in A Long Way from Chicago, a Newbery Honor Book in 1999, and again in A Year Down Yonder, which won the 2001 Newbery... Continue Reading →
Janet Lee Carey: Party in Seattle!
If you are in the Seattle area this weekend (and you should be, after all of that hardcore resting from your labors!), then why not come out to celebrate the release of Janet Lee Carey's latest YA fantasy novel, STEALING DEATH at Parkplace Books in Kirkland:It's this Saturday at 6:30 pm. Even better: Janet supports... Continue Reading →