The subject of this post is what not to do when you’re having a really bad day and things go crazy wrong. I’m talking about something totally unexpected that makes you so angry that you want yell like Tarzan and Stanley Kowalski, and any movie involving Al Pacino. You know, a childbirth sort of primal […]
When it Comes to Writing, Are You a Monogamist?
Some writers work on one thing at a time. Others are multi-taskers and successfully handle many projects at once. I’m not about to tell you which way to be–only you can decide what works best for you. However, I can tell you how I operate. I’m a serial monogamist when it comes to writing. I […]
How Do You Get An Agent?
I’m often asked by other writers–how do you get an agent? And the first question to ask is–do you need an agent? While I think it’s easier to have an agent in children’s publishing, it still isn’t absolutely necessary. For example, if you go to the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conferences, […]
The Three Questions that will Give Your Work-in-Progress (WIP) a Verb Tune-Up
When looking over the verbs in your WIP, you can pose three questions that will dramatically tune-up your draft. First, I’ll launch into the first question you should ask. It might seem basic, but it can’t be overlooked. 1) Are you using passive voice? When I’m critiquing manuscripts with passive voice, it signals to me […]
A New Year’s Resolution: Learn to Take Care of Yourself First
I used to always wait until the last minute and it was wrecking my life. In order to make deadlines for my books, I’d stay up late at night and often all night. During the day, I was trying to meet everyone in my family’s needs (I have three kids so that’s a lot of […]
Dear Frustrated-Almost-Published-and-Almost-Agented Writer
Dear Frustrated-Almost-Published-and-Almost-Agented Writer, Happy New Year! I bet you are full of resolutions for 2012. That’s a very good thing. But you are still incredibly frustrated with what you feel was your lack of progress in 2011 to get an agent and get published because 2011 was going to be your year, right? Maybe you […]