To write a good book, you need a killer plot with no plot holes, a vivid setting, and characters that stay with the reader long
Category: Writing – Middle Grade & Young Adult
How to Edit a First Draft
So you’ve finished the first draft of your new novel. Now what? I’ve edited half a dozen manuscripts in my writing endeavors, each one requiring
Meet #kidlit blogger and debut author, Danielle Davis.
CAROL GORDON EKSTER: I found Danielle through her wonderful blog about picture books, “This Picture Book Life.” Her literary love is evident and I’ve been
…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
A Guide to the Writing World
Like every industry, the publishing industry has a set of rules. Rules which both publishers and agents expect authors to follow. Many amazingly written manuscripts
Two Truths and a Lie interview plus GIVEAWAY!
Two Truths and a Lie is the first book in a fascinating new series that presents some of the most crazy-but-true stories about the living world as well as a handful of stories that are too crazy to be true—and asks readers to separate facts from the fakes!
Write Deep
Congratulations New England Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators! Celebrating forty-five years of influencing and encouraging quality children’s literature and capping it off with
Cover reveal for The Art of the Swap (and a little “how a book is born” story to accompany it)
By: Kristine Asselin and Jen Malone We’re joining you today from the land of co-writing to (hooray!!) reveal the cover for our first joint venture!
Want to Know Your Characters? Try a Character Sketch.
One of the hardest aspects of writing a novel, a good novel, is creating characters that are relatable. Whether you’re writing a 300 word picture
The Plotter, Pantsed
Recently, I baked banana cookies. I was doing a series of posts on holiday recipes because my book, A Witch’s Kitchen, was #10 or 14
Meet #kidlit debut middle grade author, Alyson Gerber
Carol Gordon Ekster: I had the pleasure of living in the same town as Alyson and watching her grow up into a beautiful, intelligent, and
So You Didn’t Win #NaNoWriMo
With end of November last week, many people in the writing community struggled with finishing their 50K word goal for NaNoWriMo. If you were one
Resisting the Kitchen Sink
I recently attended a reading by Daniel Jose Older and Zoraida Cordova at which they both talked about their first novels. Older revealed that actually Shadowshaper
Finding Your Views
A few days ago, I watched an interview with Emma Watson and Lin-Manuel Miranda from back in March. If you are unfamiliar with either of
