Summer on Ice
Yesterday, I promised you an example of a marketable vignette. This one has setting and characters, but only three words of dialogue. It has no plot, for a story problem is absent — though it does contain a kind of … Continue reading →
Monthly Archives: August 2009
Writing Havens
Writing Havens I do a lot of my writing in my office in what was once an upstairs bedroom. It originally belonged to my daughter, had a four-poster bed and was decorated with flounces and ruffles. When she got married, … Continue reading →
In Search of Goals
From my forthcoming book A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Fiction for Young Adults. E & E Publishing.A few years ago, I got in the car and headed for Los Angeles and the SCBWI conference. Because of previous obligations, I was … Continue reading →
Picture Book Memories
I have never written a picture book, but I live in a picture book world. A world of images, sounds, smells — all captured in words that create pictures of nostalgia, adventure, joy, and sometimes heartache for me and my … Continue reading →
Jumpstart Your Writing
When I climbed into my car and turned the key in the ignition, nothing happened. The silence was ominous — so empty, so void of energy. I took out my cell phone and called AAA. “Can you jumpstart me?” I … Continue reading →
Secondary Characters in Middle-Grade Fiction
. . . from my forthcoming book, A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Fiction for Young Adults. E & E Publishing: Secondary characters, when developed properly, can give direction to the story by (1) giving an extra dimension to the main … Continue reading →
Viewpoint
. . . from my forthcoming book, A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Fiction for Young Adults. E & E Publishing:A tween-ager read my book, To Catch a Golden Ring, and wrote to me saying, “I felt like I was Angie. … Continue reading →
Monthly Magazine Magic
I want to talk to you today about the childhood magic of magazines. Did you wait, as I did, until a monthly subscription was delivered in the mailbox? Did you sit right down and start devouring it, reading it from … Continue reading →