WRITERS' RUMPUS

HOW TO MIDDLE GRADE

Hi! My name’s James Ponti, and I write Middle Grade book series such as City Spies and The Sherlock Society. I’m excited to share some pointers with you, but only with a major caveat. I know a bunch of writers and we all do it differently. I’m not talking plotting vs. pantsing, but radically different approaches.

SKIPSHOCK by Caroline O’Donoghue: A Master Class in World Building

For writers of fantasy, science fiction, and romance, this genre-blending novel is a master class in how to create details and imagery that pull readers into the plot and keep them riveted from first page to last, and importantly, leave them eager for more.

Celebrating Pride Month – Books for Kids

June 13, 2023 Alison Potoma

It’s June, and you know what that means… end of school freeze pops! And, of course, it’s Pride Month. Perhaps we should have rainbow sherbet instead!

Interview with Author, Editor, and Poet Ryan Van Cleave…And a Double Giveaway!

June 9, 2023 Hilary Elizabeth Margitich

Today is a very exciting day here on the blog. I have Ryan Van Cleave here with me, who, if you don’t know, is a bit of a writing and poetry rock star. And some of what he does, you may actually not know, because he has ghostwritten many books (in addition to those under his own name) and coaches and mentors many writers behind the scenes.

GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT WRITING A PICTURE BOOK SERIES OR SEQUEL

June 6, 2023 Alumni & Guests

It had been about a year since my debut picture book, Counting to Bananas (Flamingo Books, April 2022, illustrated by Estrela Lourenço) had been acquired. My editor, Cheryl Eissing, emailed to say her team was exploring the idea of Banana possibly carrying a picture book series. Was I interested? I had never thought about writing a sequel and, as a debut author, never imagined I would be asked to. But was I interested? Seriously? Of course I was bananas about it!

Interview: Accomplished Author Melissa Stewart

June 2, 2023 Joyce Audy Zarins

JAZ: Melissa, I am honored that you agreed to this interview. Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-floor Ecosystem is fascinating! Our readers are eager to learn

A Conversation with Lyn Miller-Lachmann, Author of TORCH: a YA Novel about Czechoslovakia, Resistance, and Hope

May 26, 2023 Alumni & Guests

Lyn Miller-Lachmann’s YA novel Torch brings 1969 Czechoslovakia to life, a time when the country is living under Soviet tyranny. The novel has won major book awards, most recently, Winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature.

I have a suggestion…regarding Character Arcs.

May 23, 2023 Marti Johnson

A friend of mine, who also happens to be a writer, gave me a book called CREATING CHARACTER ARCS, The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure, Plot, and Character Development, by K.M. Weiland, PenForASword Publishing, 2016. (Thank you Tina Oppici). Tina has been suggesting I read it for over two years. She finally handed me a copy and I’m glad she did.