By Kirsti Call My favorite mug features first lines of classic books. I am an invisible man. Marley was dead to begin with. It
Category: Writing
How To Help An Author (Beyond Buying the Book): Part Two
By Jen Malone Most of us writer types could probably find a way to live on books alone, but sadly, the kids need new soccer
A Writer’s Best Friend
By Liz LeSavoy This was me a couple years ago, embarking on my new career as a children’s fiction writer. You can tell I’m just
26 Letters, Infinite Possibilities
By Joyce Audy Zarins Writing is an amazing abstract art. By arranging a small set of symbols in unique ways, writers convey ideas to the
Advice for writers from Madeleine L’Engle
By Kirsti Call A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is one of my all-time favorites. I remember reading the book when I was eight
Creating Active Characters
Good character development is essential for a story to work. The more complex a character is, the more we want to spend time with the
How to Help an Author (Beyond Buying the Book): Part One
By Jen Malone In this season of making resolutions, what could be a better one than using your talents to help those around you achieve
How to Write Successful Dialogue
One of the best presents I ever received from Santa Claus was a brown paper bag filled to the brim with paperbacks. It had a
How one small press got started: Character Publishing
UPDATE: CHARACTER PUBLISHING IS NO LONGER IN BUSINESS. Some titles have been acquired by other publishers. I first contacted Jerusha Bosarge through the SCBWI Discussion
What I Learned In An Agent’s Inbox
By Jen Malone This week I’ve been playing agent. And while I often fancy myself a secret agent, in this case I mean literary agent.
Thankful for Critique Groups (and Why You Need One of Your Own)
Guest Post by Stacy McAnulty Writers’ Rumpus is honored to be the first stop on Stacy McAnulty‘s blog tour for her picture book DEAR SANTASAURUS, illustrated
3 Ways to Pace Your Picture Book
Now that you know Why thirty-two pages? is the standard number for your picture book, you can pace your story within that format. By editing,
PiBoIdMo, Picture Book Idea Month!
By Kirsti Call I’m a sucker for a good writing challenge. Something about working with a bunch of other writers really gets me motivated. This
Chapter Book Blueprints
I didn’t have much experience dissecting chapter books until I started writing them. I’m not sure if any other authors go through the same process when
WRITERS' RUMPUS 