Thursday, October 31, 2013

Revisions Tips

Suggestions for revising, including "don't revise as you go along." 

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-top-tips-on-revising-your-novel-by.html

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Making a Good Book Trailer

If you want your book trailer to shine, you need to put in the work.

http://toddmitchellbooks.com/book-trailers-ten-tips-to-help-you-avoid-the-suck-part-i/

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tighten Your Writing

These simple hints will help you cut all those needless words from your manuscript.

http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/cut-thousands-of-words/

Monday, October 28, 2013

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Great Openings

How can you grab your reader in the first few pages?

http://www.alanrinzler.com/blog/2013/10/08/how-to-grab-delight-or-shock-your-readers-right-from-the-start/

Character Likeability

If you have an unlikeable character, he/she needs to add something else to the story.

http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-ramble-on-likability-in-novels.html

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Writing a Series

There's more to writing a series than writing multiple books with the same characters. 

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2013/10/guest-post-angie-smibert-on-how-not-to.html

Friday, October 25, 2013

Two Common Manuscript Mistakes

Most writers are guilty of overusing rhetorical questions and also telling then showing. 

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2013/10/nutshell-spoilers-and-rhetorical-no-no.html

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Agents vs. Editors

When agents and editors evaluate your manuscript, they look for different things. 

http://kidlit.com/2013/10/14/agents-vs-editors/

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Latin@s in Kid Lit

This website explores the world of Latina/o in children's literature. 

http://latinosinkidlit.com/

New Trends in YA

Agents give their opinions about where young adult writing is heading. 

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/59297-new-trends-in-ya-the-agents-perspective.html

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Using Poetic Devices

Steal (in moderation) some of these techniques from writing poetry to add interest to your writing. 

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2013/10/craft-of-writing-power-up-your-prose_8.html

Monday, October 21, 2013

Diversity and Character Depth

You book isn't multi-cultural just because you slapped an ethnic-sounding name on a character. 

http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/are-you-in-this-for-the-long-haul/

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Writing for the Long Haul

What are some things that will help/hinder a long-lived writing career? 

http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/are-you-in-this-for-the-long-haul/

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Proofreading Tips

After you've made your revisions, it's time to proofread.

http://kathysteinemann.com/Musings/proofreading-tips-for-authors-part-i/

Friday, October 18, 2013

Reduce Reader Fatigue

Break up your writing and vary your punctuation and sentence structure to keep your your reader's interest. 

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2013/09/break-it-up-how-to-reduce-reader-fatigue.html

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Rejection

Why rejections can be both good and bad news. 

http://migwriters.blogspot.ca/2013/08/my-love-hate-ok-mostly-hate.html

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

CC Your Agent

When in doubt, copy your agent on any correspondence. 

http://literaticat.blogspot.com/2013/09/when-in-doubt-cc-your-agent.html

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Heroes and Anti-Heroes

What's the difference between the good guys and the bad guys? 

http://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2013/09/23/hero-vs-anti-hero/

Monday, October 14, 2013

Blogging Tips

Whether you're new to blogging or an old hand, here are some tips to bring traffic to your blog. 

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/25-blogging-tips-for-fresh-bloggers.html

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Building a Nonfiction Manuscript

Make your nonfiction book work on multiple levels by including backmatter. 

http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2013/09/guest-post-melissa-stewart-on-layer.html

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Indie Booksellers

You want to make friends with your local independent bookstores. 

http://schoolvisitexperts.com/?p=936

Friday, October 11, 2013

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Conflict

How you handle the conflict will greatly affect the quality of your story.

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2013/09/how-your-conflict-is-solved-will-make.html

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Naming Your Characters

Do you name all your characters at the outset or do you wait and see what name comes to you as you write? 

http://childrenspublishing.blogspot.com/2013/09/QotW-naming-your-characters.html

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Book Signing Materials

What should you always bring with you when you're doing a book signing.

http://buildbookbuzz.com/your-book-signing-event-tool-kit/

Monday, October 7, 2013

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

Author Barbara Kingsolver tells how to tell the difference. 

http://scbwi.blogspot.com/2013/09/barbara-kingsolver-on-difference.html

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Dialogue Tips

Five easy tips to make your dialogue more believable. 

http://writersinthestorm.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/cheeseless-dialogue/

Saturday, October 5, 2013

Chapters

It's not only easy to figure out how to divide your book into chapters. 

http://querytracker.blogspot.com/2013/08/chaptering-those-magical-last-lines.html

Inspiration

Sometimes the best way to be inspired is to do nothing. 

http://streetsideconvos.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/are-you-feeling-uninspired-and-stuck-how-to-boost-your-creativity-and-productivity-by-doing-nothing/

Identifying Rhythm

If you're writing a rhyming picture book, you must be sure you understand how to write with rhythm. 

http://www.juliehedlund.com/debbie-diesen-may-12-x-12-featured-author/

100 Greatest Children's Books

The New York Public Library's list of the greatest books for kids. 

http://www.nypl.org/childrens100

Friday, October 4, 2013

Keep On, Keeping On

If you want to be published, you need to continue writing and submitting.

http://kristiholl.net/writers-blog/2013/07/want-to-be-successful-take-aim-and-keep-shooting/

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Voice and Love

What is that elusive concept called voice.

http://katiaraina.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/on-voice-and-love/

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Board Books

Everything you wanted to know about writing and publishing board books.

http://www.underdown.org/board-books.htm

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Pitching Your Projecf

Fill in the blanks and create a pitch for your manuscript. 

http://www.rachellegardner.com/2013/09/pitching-your-projects/