In today’s post, Donna McKinney hits one of my favorite topics—structure. I’m fascinated by the way playing with structure can open up your thinking and writing. Her book LIGHTS ON! started with a list of fascinating undersea creatures, but then she needed to find a way to shape the information to be engaging for kids. “What’s the … More Behind the Scenes: “What’s the Big Idea?” by Donna McKinney
While every historical rabbit hole offers interesting tidbits and discoveries, there’s always the challenge of accuracy. It takes time and perseverance to sort it all out, but somehow, for me, it’s nerd-ily fascinating. In this post, Cathy Ogren shares how she searched out the facts for PEW! THE STINKY AND LEGEN-DAIRY GIFT FROM COLONEL THOMAS S. … More Behind the Scenes: “Separating the Curds from the Whey in Search of Accurate Information” by Cathy Ogren
Think back to when you were a child and dared to hold a wiggly worm or lifted rocks in search of fishing bait. Worms fascinate despite the EW factor. Marie Boyd’s JUST A WORM can be the beginning of an exploration for kids. Here she shared a nature walk to use with the book. Be … More Especially for Educators: “A Nature Walk Activity Inspired by ‘Just a Worm'” by Marie Boyd
How do you make a story about math and electricity comprehensible and relatable for kids? Author Jan Lower knew she needed to “show don’t tell,” but how? Finding connections for elementary aged children in the main character’s actions and processes, she crafted each sentence to build a child-friendly and engaging text. Here’s how Jan did … More Behind the Scenes: “Making the Moment of a Calculator’s Invention Relatable for Kids” by Jan Lower
Voice—mysterious, essential, unique—that quality that every editor wants, the “flavor” bestowed by the author that makes a story come alive. Here Caitlin DeLems shares her struggle to find voice in her nonfiction book PITCH PERFECT AND PERSISTENT! THE MUSICAL DEBUT OF AMY CHENEY BEACH. And you’ll see that even Caitlin’s blog article has voice! GIVEAWAY! … More Behind the Scenes: “Discover the Victorious “V” in Voice!” by Caitlin DeLems
This blog is my effort to share children’s books, insights and processes of authors and illustrators, ideas for educators and parents, and a range of writing related topics. Today I offer a PSA for a learning opportunity for aspiring, beginning, and “on their way” authors—a free seminar which answers many of the big questions about … More The Writing Journey: Opportunity!
Once in a great while a title jumps onto the page. But mostly, titles are tough! Seldom is the title you start with the final one. It evolves with the writing and story. Here’s a post from Gretchen Woelfle about her quest for just the right title and how it became A TAKE-CHARGE GIRL BLAZES … More Behind the Scenes: “Searching for Just the Right Title” by Gretchen Woelfle
I absolutely loved Debra Shumaker’s book, FREAKY, FUNKY FISH, so when I learned of her new one, PECULIAR PRIMATES, I invited Debra back in hopes she might share something about it. Her topic in this post is valuable not only for authors, but educators, too! I get stalled way too easily and frequently on imperfect … More Behind the Scenes: “Using Placeholder Words and Stanzas until the Lightbulb Moment” by Debra Shumaker
I’ve been in a local critique group with Julie Rowan-Zoch for nine years (Oh wow, has it been that long!) and have had the good fortune to learn a lot of from her. It’s always fascinating to see another creator’s process, especially illustration, since it’s foreign to me. Here’s a great post from Julie sharing … More Behind the Scenes: “Composition 101” by Julie Rowan-Zoch
Writing CLOAKED IN COURAGE: UNCOVERING DEBORAH SAMPSON, PATRIOT SOLDIER was a challenge in many ways, just one being that the misinformation about her made it difficult to find HER, the person in history. Why did she do what she did? and What made her who she was? As always, setting was key. And books of … More Mining for Heart: “Setting as a Window into Character”
Beth Anderson, Children's Writer 