Or, Why you shouldn’t talk during your own critiques An encore post from 2014. Have you ever been part of a focus group? Eight to
Author: Marianne Knowles
Marianne Knowles writes chapter books and MG/YA with a science fiction slant, runs an SCBWI critique group, and serves as admin for the group blog Writers' Rumpus. By day, she is a curriculum specialist at the innovative edtech developer, SixRedMarbles. Marianne is represented by Emily Mitchell of Wernick & Pratt Literary.
…and then I read THE 100
I’m a stickler for getting things right. Scientific or historical inaccuracies REALLY BOTHER me. On the outside I’m polite and forgiving, but inside? I rail
Riding the Writing Roller Coaster
GUEST POST By Kim Chaffee The roller coaster metaphor has been used many times to describe one’s journey through life. Today I’m using it to
You Will Always Be Creative
This post really resonates with me this month, so I’m sharing it again. Recently, an old friend wrote to say that he feared his days
Book Review: BIG MAGIC: Creative Living Beyond Fear
I didn’t expect to read about being creative over my holiday vacation week. I expected to BE creative, to do some writing during a family
Happy Holidays & Round-Up of Featured Christmas Books
Writers’ Rumpus is taking a break for the winter holiday season. We’ll resume our regular Tuesday and Friday posting schedule the first week of 2017.
Odyssey Online Writing Courses: Intense Focus, Great Results
Last winter my novel got wrung out, taken apart, and put back together. It was praised and constructively critiqued by classmates from nearby towns and
How to Research Comps Using AR BookFinder
You’ve done it! You’ve written a children’s book, or maybe a young adult. Congratulations. But before you start to pitch or query your finished manuscript,
In Memoriam: Liz LeSavoy
Writers’ Rumpus has lost one of our own. I was surprised to discover, when I looked back through our writing group’s attendance lists, that Liz
These Wouldn’t Be Published Today
My vintage-book collection expanded this summer with two picture books published within two years of each other. One is fiction, the other nonfiction, and both
Let the Writers’ Rumpus Restart!
Our Writers’ Rumpus begins again! Welcome to our new interface. Try it out! We’re excited about how easy it is to navigate. Swipe through Featured
How to Read a Wordless Picture Book
Guest Post by Rob Broder, Ripple Grove Press, and Piotr Parda “I never read. I just look at pictures.” – Andy Warhol Wordless, adjective: without
Full Moons Can’t Rise at Midnight
I was reading a YA romance novel set on the coast of Maine. The teen girl woke up at 5am on July 4 to sneak
Butt in Chair without an Aching Back
This week is our Third Blogiversary! That’s three years of “butt in chair” commitment to writing, illustrating, blogging, and all the other activities that keep
