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.

Kids Fight Climate Change

April 22, 2022 Joyce Audy Zarins

Be a 2-minute superhero! “Our planet is in trouble. It needs YOU.” Today, April 22nd, is Earth Day, time for some action. Kids who read

Atinuke’s Wondrous Africa, Amazing Africa Country by Country

April 19, 2022 Laura Fineberg Cooper

At nearly 10 inches by 12 inches, Africa, Amazing Africa Country by Country, written by Atinuke and beautifully illustrated by Mouni Feddag, is the perfect coffee table book. But this book is so much more than a visual treat: it’s a lyrical and engaging nonfiction homage to Africa’s diversity of people, traditions, animals, and landscapes that is sure to delight children and adults alike.

5 Books to Help You Beat Writer’s Block

April 15, 2022 Rebecca Moody

Writer’s Block can happen when you’ve been pushing yourself too hard for too long, or when you’ve gotten so far out of practice that the keyboard feels more like a foreign device rather than a natural extension of your hands. It can even happen when you’ve just finished a successful project–suddenly the prospect of repeating the process can seem so daunting you don’t really believe you can ever do it again.