Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike? I sure do. It felt shaky, awkward, and a little scary at first. But
Category: Writing – Tools, Tips & Resources
Before We Turn the Page: The 2023 Writers’ Rumpus Year in Review
Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, you’re invited to peruse my 2023 Writers’ Rumpus Year in Review! As another year draws to a close, I continue to marvel at the variety and quality of our posts, and thank all of our authors and readers for your commitment to our kidlit blog. Once again, I’ve been honored and challenged to highlight one post from each of our talented contributors with an image, date link, and brief summary. Enjoy!!
Editing tip: Ditch most filter words!
Crafting a memorable narrative requires keeping the reader engaged; limiting the use of filter words can help. Why is that? Because filter words tell rather
DECEMBER Middle Grade and Young Adult Opportunities
Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! Find all of the monthly opportunities on the MG/YA support page! All opportunities are available to anyone with an internet connection.
Is Your Chapter Length Affecting Your Novel’s Pacing?
The secret to writing a great book is to make it absolutely unputdownable! Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, but there are some choices you can make with your chapter structure to encourage readers to keep those pages turning–hopefully until the very end!
NOVEMBER Middle Grade and Young Adult Opportunities
Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! Find all of the monthly opportunities on the MG/YA support page! All opportunities are available to anyone with an internet connection.
Kate DiCamillo’s Way of Seeing Character
The heart of Kate DiCamillo’s newest book, The Puppets of Spelhorst, could be the wondrous, looping trajectory of the plot or the rich color of
The Thing To Remember About Stargazing: A Lesson in Learning to Rewrite/Revise/Recycle
Guest Post by Matt Forrest Esenwine This is a story about four books and a poem, and how interconnected the publishing life can be. Folks
OCTOBER Middle Grade and Young Adult Opportunities
Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! Find all of the monthly opportunities on the MG/YA support page! All opportunities are available to anyone with an internet connection.
Don’t Let ALMOST Sabotage Your Plot!!
If almost works in real life, why doesn’t it work in our novels? It’s no fun for readers when a scene builds up tension and … almost happens.
Interview with Author, Illustrator, and Inventor Vicky Fang…and a Book Giveaway!
I consider myself super-duper lucky, as a Writers’ Rumpus blogger, to be able to meet and interview so many talented kidlit authors. I learn new
ANT ics with Picture Book Layers plus Smarty Ants GIVEAWAY
I’ve been ANTicipating today for ages because it’s SMARTY ANTS’ book birthday! One of the reasons SMARTY ANTS sold is because of its many layers.
Interview: Kidlit Author Rajani LaRocca Discusses Four Eagerly Awaited Books
It’s my great pleasure to welcome Rajani LaRocca back to Writers’ Rumpus to discuss her upcoming books in 2023- three picture books (fiction and non-fiction alike) and an epistolary middle grade novel co-authored with Chris Baron.
How Difficult Can A Comp Be?
VERY! That’s my conclusion. I have been reading and writing in both YA and MG for nearly twenty years (where has the time gone). My querying nightmare continues to be comps!
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