Sunday, January 31, 2021

Query Format

 Here's a straightforward explanation of what you should include in a query letter.

https://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2019/07/do-all-yall-need-refresher-course-on.html

Saturday, January 30, 2021

Dialogue

 How to write dialogue that sounds natural and will captivate your readers.

https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/how-to-write-dialogue-tips-to-captivate-readers

Friday, January 29, 2021

Kidlit Publishing Basics

 Roxie Munro shares what you need to know about the children's book industry.

https://roxiemunro.wordpress.com/

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Research Tips

 Here are some suggestions for making your preliminary research process easier.

http://www.marcieatkins.com/2019/07/08/research-tip-using-google-alerts-for-preliminary-research/?sfns=mo

Tuesday, January 26, 2021

Mind Mapping

 Organize your writing using one of these mind-mapping techniques.

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2016/11/mind-mapping-can-help-organize-your-writing-process/

Monday, January 25, 2021

Older Writers

 You're never too old to start a career in writing.

https://www.lynmillerlachmann.com/advising-a-60-year-old-who-wants-to-write/

Sunday, January 24, 2021

Sentence Length

 Avoid using long sentences in colloquial writing.

https://kidlit.com/avoid-long-sentences-in-colloquial-writing/

Saturday, January 23, 2021

Character Strengths and Weaknesses

 Here's a list of some common character strengths and weaknesses.

https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2019/06/list-of-character-strengths-and-weaknesses

Friday, January 22, 2021

Requested Material

 How long can you wait between a request to see more of the manuscript and sending it?

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2019/07/how-much-time-between-request-and.html

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Nonfiction Platform

 Do you need a platform to sell a nonfiction book?

https://bookendsliterary.com/2019/07/02/platform-for-nonfiction-authors/

Wednesday, January 20, 2021

Holiday Books

 Are holiday books more or less likely to be acquired?

https://writersrumpus.com/2019/07/02/the-s-and-s-of-writing-holiday-books/

Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Writing Biography

 Although this post is not aimed at kidlit writers, the same principles hold true when writing biography.

https://writersinthestormblog.com/2019/07/top-5-things-learned-writing-my-first-biography/

Monday, January 18, 2021

Reveal Your Character Through Others

 Your protagonist's friends can tell your readers a great deal about your character.

https://onewildword.com/2019/06/22/reveal-your-characters-through-their-circle-of-friends/

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Why Queries Are Rejected

 Here are five mistakes that will earn you query an instant reject.

https://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/2019/06/five-reasons-i-passed-on-your-query-and.html

Saturday, January 16, 2021

Friday, January 15, 2021

Tax Resources for Writers

 Here's some basic tax information you need to know as a writer.

https://www.annettewhipple.com/2020/12/tax-resources-for-writers.html


Thursday, January 14, 2021

Fantasy Maps

 For you fantasy writers, here's a tool to help map out your world.

https://inkarnate.com/

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Nonfiction Picture Books

 Here's extensive and detailed advice about writing nonfiction picture books from Laura Salas.

https://laurasalas.com/writing-for-children/how-to-write-a-nonfiction-picture-book-3/

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Monday, January 11, 2021

Freelance Editors

 What should you expect when you hire a freelance editor?

https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2020/12/what-to-expect-when-you-work-with-a-freelance-editor

Sunday, January 10, 2021

Book Titles

 Yes, your book title may change along the way, but why not start with one you think is good? 

https://annerallen.com/2016/10/book-titles-10-tips-choose-right-title/

Street Team

 What is a street team, and do you need one to help market you and your books?

http://jmfrey.net/2019/09/words-for-writers-what-is-a-street-team-guest-post/

Saturday, January 9, 2021

Voice

 No matter how you define an author's voice, how do you find yours?

https://nybookeditors.com/2017/06/find-writers-voice/

Friday, January 8, 2021

Stories With Heart

 How do you put heart into your words to make a story a child will want to read (or hear) over and over again?

https://bethandersonwriter.com/2020/01/10/mining-for-heart-the-voice-of-heart-by-vivian-kirkfield/

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Picture Book Topics

 There are some picture book topics that are so overused that you might want to avoid them.

https://www.highlightsfoundation.org/3705/leslie-helakoski-and-darcy-pattison-9-picture-book-topics-to-avoid/

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

School Visits

 Debbie Ridpath Ohi has accumulated an extensive list of resources for authors doing school visits.

https://www.debbieohi.com/school-visit-resource

Tuesday, January 5, 2021

Picture Book Endings

 You've written a great picture book, so make sure your ending is satisfying to the reader.

https://www.wordsandpics.org/2016/04/ask-picture-book-editor.html

Monday, January 4, 2021

Characters' Jobs

 Your characters' jobs can give your reader great insight into their personalities.

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/12/your-characters-job-is-more-important-than-you-think/

Sunday, January 3, 2021

Query Tips

 Here are some tips on querying agents, including strategies on how many and to whom you should submit in each batch.

https://mailchi.mp/a0a56f0b24fa/advanced-tips-for-querying-agents-query-critique-giveaway

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Story Tropes

 Should you (can you?) avoid all story tropes?

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2020/12/story-tropes-to-avoid-or-not-to-avoid/

Friday, January 1, 2021

Picture Book Dos and Don'ts

 Here are 20 picture book dos and 20 don'ts from an expert, Mem Fox.

https://memfox.com/for-writers/for-writers-20-dos-and-20-donts/