Contributed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. A website owner was asked what the “three most important components are for publishing a professionally produced e-book” and he referred the question to me. As long as I was figuring out the answer to this all-important question, I figured…
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Words to Live By – The Three Gates
Sometimes, you read a quote or adage that makes you want to share it. This is one of them. Before you speak, let your words pass through three gates. At the first gate, ask yourself, “Is it true?” At the second gate ask, “Is it necessary?” At the third gate ask, “Is it kind?” Sufi…
The Foundation of Every Children’s Story
While every story starts with a good idea, that’s not enough to create a good story. Your idea, while possibly the cornerstone of the creation, is only one part of the foundation. There are other elements needed to make a fully developed story. To give you an example of this, a protagonist wants to take…
Twist Endings – Are All Children’s Books a Good Fit?
Twist endings in young children’s book can give a great story a blast off ending. One that kids will want to read over and over. Twist endings in young children’s book can give a great story a blast off ending. One that kids will want to read over and over. This type of ending is…
Naming Your Characters A-Z
Contributed by Melinda Brasher I recently read a book where eight significant characters (which was a good percentage of the significant characters) had names that began with the letter A. To make matters more confusing, it was a fantasy book, so many of the names were not familiar to us. The worst combo was Avem…
Writing and Mountain Climbing
“Because the creation of a novel is akin to a mad scramble up a mountainside layered with loose pebbles, any handhold or solid ground you can find will be a blessing.” ~ Walter Mosley The article where I got this quote from (link below) deals with Mosley’s writing style which doesn’t include character sheets or…
A Children’s Ghostwriting Dilemma
I get ghostwriting clients from all demographics. I work with psychologists, therapists, medical professionals, grandparents, parents, teachers, and others who, for whatever reason, want to have a children’s book ghostwritten. Now and then, I get a client who trusts my writing skills enough to hire me to ghostwrite or rewrite his story, but then doesn’t…
Write Your Life
“Every day is a permanent page of your life’s story that cannot be edited, live it well.” ~ Rebecca Murtagh I just happened upon this quote and it struck home. As a children’s ghostwriter and author, I create stories. I dictate how the characters behave – their thoughts, their actions. I dictate how the story…
Where Does Your Story Really Start?
You may think you’ve started your story where it should be started, but are you sure? Go over it again or ask a peer to go over it and see it you should start it further along.
Deep Point of View
Contributed by Linda Wilson Do you write romance novels? Historical fiction? Mysteries? Whatever your genre, you strive to create a close personal relationship between your main character and your reader. To shed light on this topic, at a recent New Mexico Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, SCBWI Regional event, Kimberley Griffiths Little presented…