The Craft of Writing for Children

Kidlit Distancing Social #18 Replay – Bad Kitty Author Nick Bruel on Creating Subversive – and Hilarious – Characters

Nick Bruel is the author and illustrator of New York Times bestseller Boing! and the Bad Kitty books.
 
Nick has created some brilliantly subversive – and hilarious – characters. On the Social, he and Laura had an extensive and fascinating discussion about his process and his tips for writers looking to give their kidlit characters a little extra edge.

Kidlit Distancing Social #14 – Eileen Robinson on Middle Grade Fiction for Boys

In this episode, we welcome Eileen Robinson, publisher at Move Books, a small press that focuses on middle grade novels for boys. MG for boys is a hot and growing market, so this is a very timely topic.

Eileen’s had an accomplished and varied publishing career including work in acquisitions and development, pub planning, leveled reading, audio books and more.

Kidlit Distancing Social #13 – Josh Funk on Creating Successful Kidlit Series

In this episode, Josh Funk brings his special brand of fun to the Social. Josh has created one successful children’s book series after another, and he’ll share how he did it, and how other writers can follow the same path. This is really powerful insight for any writer seeking to build a long-term successful writing career.

Kidlit Distancing Social #12 – Laura Backes on What Picture Book Writers Need to Know About Illustrations

On this week’s Kidlit Distancing Social, CBI Publisher Laura Backes discusses the interplay between words and illustrations in picture books, and shares how writers can create picture book manuscripts that are optimized for illustrations.

Understanding Children’s Book Genres

I just received a letter from a writer who said, “Alas, I find myself adrift in a sea of unexplained and/or contradictory publishing terms.” It’s true — you can read three different books on writing and find three different definitions of “picture book.” So, to make your life easier, here’s what I hope is a definitive glossary of children’s book genres:

How to Deal with Critical Feedback on Your Work

As a writer, it’s hard to get far without feedback. But how do pros handle feedback that is less than enthusiastic? Here’s how to do it….

Mining Your Life for Story Ideas

Occasionally, the well for new story ideas runs dry and we must mine for fresh ones. We all know to look in such places as the newspaper, television news, and even advertisements for ideas. But have you thought of researching yourself? You are a mine of experiences, feelings, and knowledge.

How Middle Grade Author Ellie Sipila Turned a School Assignment into a Series

To say that Elizabeth “Ellie” Sipila is just a “writer” would be like labeling Emeril Lagasse as merely a “cook”. Like a master chef, Sipila wears many hats: debut author, small press publisher, book designer, freelance editor, and more (http://www.movetothewrite.com).   Her debut novel Mark-Napped!, out this month from Pelican Publishing (the first in a […]

Crafting Scenes with Emotional Intensity

Have you ever fallen deeply into a story and emerged changed forever? There are probably moments in the text that stay with you, important scenes sprinkled through your memory. Those are moments infused with emotion. Here’s how you can add emotional intensity to your work.

Kill Your Darlings – Editing Your Manuscript to Remove Overused Words & Phrases

We all have them. Our darlings, those words, phrases, or even chunks of description that we use over and over, often unknowingly. When editing a manuscript, the ability to kill our darlings is a vital skill. Here’s how to do it…..