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.

Loki: A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good

October 7, 2022 Joyce Audy Zarins

“Can a trip to Midgard help a bad god grow a conscience?” Louie Stowell Loki savors being the god of mischief and chaos. Odin, the

Meet the Fords: A Family You Won’t Soon Forget

October 4, 2022 Keri Demers

On the night of that child’s 4th birthday in March 2015, they looked their mother straight in the eye (still wearing their favorite Elsa gown from the day’s birthday festivities) and proudly declared, “Mom, I’m not a boy. I’m a girl. In my heart and in my brain.”

OCTOBER Middle Grade and Young Adult Opportunities

September 30, 2022 Lexi Donahue

Welcome to the MG/YA Opportunities post! Find all of the monthly opportunities on the MG/YA support page! All opportunities listed are available to anyone with an

Bringing Up a Writing Family: A Kidlit Journey with Award-Winning Author Jane Yolen

September 23, 2022 René Bartos

René Bartos: I am so excited to be able to chat with author Jane Yolen today! Welcome to Writers’ Rumpus Jane! I am humbled and

How NOT to become a published author

September 20, 2022 Laura Fineberg Cooper

There are many useful books and posts to help you get your completed manuscript published, but if you’re bound and determined NOT to become a published author, avoid them like the plague. Instead, here are 10 quick and easy tips to help you remain safely unpublished.

The Kitchen Pantry Scientist Math for Kids: An Interview with Rebecca Rapoport and Allanna Chung

September 16, 2022 Alumni & Guests

Math for Kids does indeed include a wide range of fun and interesting math activities for children, but it pairs each activity with a brief biography of the mathematician who inspired that activity. Reminiscent of biographical anthologies such as Bygone Badass Broads and She the People, this book gives kids a peek into the intriguing and complicated lives of mathematicians.