Friday, May 31, 2019

Author Platforms

What exactly is an author platform and how do you create yours? 

https://alaynekaychristian.wordpress.com/2014/12/13/julie-hedlund-busts-myths-about-author-platforms/

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Comp Titles

If an agent or editor asks you for comp titles, or books that are similar to yours, you need to choose only recently published ones. 

http://bookendsliterary.com/2019/05/09/choosing-comp-titles/

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Children's Book Categories

Contrary to popular opinion, a picture book is not a genre (like mystery, science fiction, biography) but rather a category. 

https://www.jennybowman.com/what-genre-is-my-childrens-book/

Monday, May 27, 2019

Character Descriptions

Describing your characters is more than just listing their physical attributes. 

https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/11-secrets-to-writing-effective-character-description

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Tighten Your Writing

Cut these 25 words and phrases to make your writing read more smoothly.  

Saturday, May 25, 2019

Things to Love About Author Visits

An educator shares five benefits for her students when authors come to visit.

https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/5-things-i-love-about-author-visits/

Friday, May 24, 2019

Middle Grade Fiction - Genres and Topics

What genres and topics appear in middle grade fiction on the best-selling lists?

https://ellenbrockediting.com/2013/09/30/bestselling-middle-grade-fiction-part-1-genres-topics/

Thursday, May 23, 2019

Grow Your Backstory

We all know you shouldn't infodump your backstory at the beginning of your manuscript, but how do you organically integrate the needed information? 

https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/2019/05/06/mfa-for-breakfast-series-how-to-grow-your-backstory-by-katia-raina/

Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Rockstar-Quality Titles

Although your publisher may end up changing the title you choose, it never hurts to start with a catchy title. 

https://www.tckpublishing.com/how-to-choose-a-fiction-title/

Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Publishing Dictionary

Like any business, publishing has a language all its own. 

http://bookendsliterary.com/2019/04/30/an-updated-publishing-dictionary/

Monday, May 20, 2019

Book Events

Here are some hints to make your next book event a success. 

https://writerunboxed.com/2019/03/23/the-art-of-the-book-event-9-tips/

Sunday, May 19, 2019

Third Person Limited

Since the early 1900s, the most common point of view in novels is third person limited. 

https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/craft-technique/why-third-person-limited-point-of-view

Saturday, May 18, 2019

Is it a Picture Book

Just because you're manuscript is only 500 words long, that doesn't necessarily mean you've written a picture book. 

http://www.highlightsfoundation.org/10105/guest-post-darcy-pattison-and-leslie-helakoski-how-do-you-know-if-youve-written-a-picture-book/

Friday, May 17, 2019

Realistic Dialogue

Dialogue in a book should mimic exactly the way people talk, but it needs to be believable. 

https://killzoneblog.com/2019/03/what-did-you-say-writing-realistic-dialogue.html

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Injecting Humor Into Your Writer

Even the most serious of books needs to humor to lighten them up. 

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2019/04/8-ways-to-inject-humor-into-your-writing/

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Social Media Tips

Your readers are on social media, so you need to be there, too. 

https://annerallen.com/2019/04/use-social-media-avoid-cesspool/

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

One-Sentence Summary

Before you can even consider writing a synopsis, you need to be able to describe your book in one sentence. 

https://rachellegardner.com/writing-a-one-sentence-summary/

Monday, May 13, 2019

Character Objectives

Knowing your character's objectives, both external and internal, will help you write a strong character.

https://kidlit.com/2019/02/18/character-objective-writing-strong-protagonist/

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Author Websites

Do you need an author website and, if so, what are the necessary pages? 

https://www.jenniferlaughran.com/faq/do-i-need-a-website-and-if-so-what-should-be-on-it

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Close Point of View

Using a close perspective allows your readers to more identify with your character. 

https://mythcreants.com/blog/narrating-a-close-point-of-view/

Friday, May 10, 2019

Free Verse Poetry

Whether you're writing a novel or picture book in verse or stand-alone poetry, you might want to give free verse a try. 

https://www.writingforward.com/poetry-writing/what-is-free-verse-poetry

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Growing Your Instagram Audience

Instagram is becoming increasing important for authors, but how do you build a following? 

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2017/01/07/instagram/

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Showing a Character's Age

It can be awkward showing your character's age in your story, but these three hints might help. 

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2014/02/an-age-old-question-how-do-you-show.html

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Character Tools

Here are several tools to use that will help bring your character to life. 

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2019/04/5-character-tools-you-absolutely-need-to-know/

Monday, May 6, 2019

Critiquing - Best Practices

When workshopping someone else's manuscript, what's the best way to make your suggestions the most helpful? 

http://www.kittywumpus.net/blog/2014/01/31/how-to-critique-best-practices-for-workshopping/

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Poetic Voice

How can you use syntax in your rhyming picture book to make it sing? 

https://kidlit.com/2019/04/08/syntax-in-poetry-and-poetic-voice-in-rhyming-picture-books/

Saturday, May 4, 2019

Setting Tips

Here are several tips to use in describing a setting. 

https://www.nownovel.com/blog/describe-place-6-tips/

Friday, May 3, 2019

Choosing Between Book Ideas

As writers, we have so many ideas swirling around in our heads, but how do we choose which ones to pursue? 

https://rachellegardner.com/so-many-ideas-so-little-time-2/

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Interactive School Visits

Engage the students during your school visit by making it more interactive. 

https://thebookingbiz.com/2019/03/5-ways-to-make-school-visits-interactive/

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Photographs in Picture Books

If you need photographs in your picture book, here are some great sources for copyright-free images.

https://www.nonfiction-ninjas.com/blog/picture-perfect-by-stephanie-bearce