The Great Children’s Literature Study: Bridge to Terabithia It occurred to me the other day that in high school and college I studied plenty of great novels — The Great Gatsby, Beloved, The Scarlett Letter, etc. – but what I need to do now, as a kidlit writer, is study great children’s literature. By this I mean I need to… View Post
Voice. Agents want it and award-winning writers have it, but what exactly do people mean when they say a novel has a strong or unique voice? And how can you develop your own writing voice? *Note: This post contains affiliate links.* What IS a Writing Voice? There’s no exact definition of voice. According to literary agent Rachelle Gardner, “your writer’s… View Post
Is this you? You get super excited about an idea for a novel, write the first few chapters, and then get stuck. You wonder, where am I going with this? What’s going to happen now? So you abandon the novel and start something new (perhaps only to abandon the new project a few chapters in.) No judgment. I’ve gone through… View Post
My Writing Must Haves: Silence and Solitude For some, their writing must haves are a a double-shot of espresso and a spot at the coffee shop near the power outlet. I am definitely not one of those writers. For one thing, just a regular cup of coffee gives me the jitters (I’m more of a tea lady), and for another,… View Post
Apparently, my love for a good paranormal suspense novel goes back to early childhood. When my parents tucked me into bed at night, I’d always beg for a ghost story. And, because there aren’t many ghost stories written for six-year-olds, my parents made stuff up. They told me stories like “the ghost inside the air-conditioning unit” and “the haunted toaster… View Post