Is there a difference between storytelling and writing a story? Yes, there is. A children’s publisher commented on the difference between storytelling and writing. She explained that storytelling involves visual aids, whereas writing does not. Granted, children’s picture books do provide illustrations in the form of visual aids, but they are not the same as…
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6 Tips to What Makes a Good Story
Contributed by Aaron Shepard Good writers often break rules—but they know they’re doing it! Here are some good rules to know. Theme A theme is something important the story tries to tell us—something that might help us in our own lives. Not every story has a theme, but it’s best if it does. Don’t get…
Ghostwriting Children’s Books – 5 Ways to Know if You’re Any Good
Some writers can, at times, wonder if they’re ‘good enough’. Are they fulfilling their clients’ expectations? They may occasionally doubt their writing skills and ability. I think it goes with the territory. They may take on a project they’ve never done before. Yep, doubts surface. They see peers getting credits from major magazines or getting…
Writing Tips – 5 Ways to Annoy an Editor
Contributed by Anne Duguid Knol The wonderful thing is that you can annoy an editor at any and all points throughout the publishing process. This allows you to get your own back for all the odd comments sprinkled on every page of your great works from kindergarten onwards. After all, your inbox is full of…
The Author Website – Do You Really Need One?
The idea of creating a website may seem overwhelming to many who are new to the writing arena. This may cause hesitation in regard to taking the website step. But, don’t let fear or procrastination get in the way of your online presence. A website is a necessary online marketing tool that is at the…
Picture Books – Story or Illustrations, Which Comes First?
While most authors know the answer to the title question, whether the story or illustrations come first in picture books, some newbies don’t. I have a client with a three-book series. This client happens to be an amazing artist and created her story around her illustrations. For the purpose of this article, I’ll say…
Writing – Showing vs. Telling
Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . we’ve all heard of, or read about the showing and telling aspect of writing: you must show, not tell. But, there are those out there just beginning a writing career and may be uncertain as to the importance of this writing strategy. While there must be some amount of…
Tips to Overcome Writing Procrastination
Contributed by Mary Jo Guglielmo. “If and When were planted, and Nothing grew.” ~Proverb Procrastination………….who me? I know how to get things done; I also know how to procrastinate. As a writer, sometimes procrastination has to do with feeling lost in a project, other times it’s about not being satisfied with a draft. Personally, I’m…
Children’s Writing and Information Dump
As a ghostwriter and editor, occasionally I get clients who give me a draft of a story that has information dump within the first few spreads of a picture book. This is a no-no. Information dump is when an author literally dumps a chunk of information for the reader to absorb. Granted most new writers…
6 Book Marketing Tips Sure to Boost Your Author Online Platform
So, you’re an author. That’s great. But, just writing books isn’t enough – you’ve got to promote you and your books. The first step to doing this is to have yearly, monthly, and weekly book marketing goals. With goals, you know where you’re heading and can work toward that end..Marketing goals can be considered a…