If you missed the Summer Revision Smackdown at the blogs of Holly Cupala and Jolie Stekly, don't fret - here is the lowdown on the fabulous array of revision tips they gathered from the cream of the author and illustrator crop (plus a few publishing experts!):Jill S. Alexander, YA Historical Author, on revising to immerse... Continue Reading →
Headed to SCBWI in LA!
I won't be posting too much in the next few days--the SCBWI national conference in L.A. will eat all my time.Meanwhile, head on over to CocoaStomp for Jaime Temairik's gut-busting interview with illustrator Dan Yaccarino.Jolie Stekly offers a Cuppa Chat with Karen Cushman, and she also wants to know your questions about the L.A. conference--so... Continue Reading →
SCBWI in LA: Jealousy!
Alas, I'm not going to the SCBWI Conference in LA this year, but last year's was one of the best I've attended...!So if you're not going, either - or even if you are - keep up with the goodies at the brand new SCBWI Conference Blog. Some highlights: an interview with Ellen Hopkins, Keynote Speaker... Continue Reading →
Time to sign up for another year of regional programming
SCBWI WWA’s 2009-2010 season will begin in September as usual, but we’re getting a 24-hour jump on the fun: This year, our Professional Series Meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month, instead of Wednesdays as has been our habit. We will continue to meet on the Seattle Pacific University campus at... Continue Reading →
Apply for the Inside Story
SCBWI Western Washington would love to celebrate your new book at The Inside Story, a twice-yearly salon to celebrate the new books of local authors and illustrators. If you have a book coming out on a Fall 2009 list, you might be eligible to apply for the Fall Inside Story, which will be on Wednesday,... Continue Reading →
New Barbara Jean Hicks book
Barbara Jean Hicks has a new book out on August 11: She's getting nice reviews, and here's a link to a podcast on Just One More Book.
Helpful plot tips
Daily Writing Tips has a collection of tips for plotting:1. Read one of the many books about plot, for example 20 Master Plots and how to build them by Ronald B. Tobias.2. Describe the story you plan to write in one sentence. If you can’t say what your book is about in one sentence, you... Continue Reading →
New Yorker blog post on worst children's books debate
The debate got nasty, so I didn't link to this. But the New Yorker pulled out an interesting comment from LeVar Burton, Reading Rainbow host (and Star Trek: The Next Generation fave).He doesn't like The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, and he has an interesting reason why. Click here to read it.
Writing challenges: 500/1,000 words a day
Debbie Ridpath Ohi, who offers daily diversions for writers, has two challenges. If you want to write 500 words a day, click here. For the 1,000-word-a-day challenge, click here.
Fantastic Mr. Fox trailer
This one's for the adaptation of the Roald Dahl book. @ Yahoo! Video