Much like with prospectors at the peak of California’s Gold Rush, there was a time when writers rushed to self-publish because they saw other writers striking it rich when editors at traditional publishing houses spotted their books and signed them to lucrative deals. I understand the temptation. Much like those prospectors found with the reality of digging for […]

I was perusing the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style this weekend, as editors are wont to do, when I noticed this statement: “The great mass of linguistic issues that writers an editors wrestle with don’t really concern grammar at all–they concern usage: the collective habits of a language’s native speakers.” (5.216) This spoke to […]

Have you seen the trailer for the new movie adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time? Wow, please let the movie be as fantabulous as this trailer looks. This is a classic story I’ve not read — I just couldn’t ever get into it. Sometimes that happens to readers, even with classics. One readers’s beloved favorite […]

Yesterday I raised a virtual butterbeer toast to two picture book writer clients who just signed with agent and publisher, and to two other writer pals who just signed agents. I celebrated them on Facebook, posting the celebration to inspire other writers. Today, I heard from another writer who just received a contract offer on her picture […]

The creative process can be a fragile thing. Writers can be very set in their process, uninterested in trying new programs because they simply see no need to do so … yet. That’s the kind of writer I am. I’ve used Word so long that I’m no longer conscious of the program itself. And that’s […]

Someone recently asked me if older kids really do still read picture books. Yes, they really do, and I have photographic proof. Tonight’s selection is inspired by current events (Kathleen Krull’s Hillary Clinton: Dreams Taking Flight), but just as often my 11.5-yr-olds just see a book in a nearby basket and can’t resist. Leave picture […]

My son, who is almost twelve years old, explained to me that writing can have a “tone” —  “You know,” he said, “like funny or serious. Sometimes it’s because of the punctuation and sometimes it’s because of other stuff.” He then invited me—“because you’re a writer and you’ll probably think this is neat”—to watch him […]

Here we are, Revision Week’s grand finale. The stunning author who’ll share her revision process on this big day is Marie Force, the New York Times bestselling author of over fifty contemporary romances. Her books have sold millions of copies around the world. Marie is amazing in her work ethic as well as with her storytelling. […]

Oh boy! Here we go with Day 4 of Revision Week… which means the Jane Yolen, celebrated author of over 300 picture books, novels, and poetry collections for young people. Yeah, that’s right: 300. She’s prolific, praised, and above all talented.  With Jane having so many projects in various stage of drafting, revising, reviewing, and approving, […]

It’s Day 3 of DearEditor.com’s Revision Week already? I absolutely love hearing about other authors’ writing processes, so these interviews make me so happy. Today’s interview is withChanel Cleeton, popular author of thriller and contemporary romance series: “I ALWAYS edit once on my computer, once on a printed draft, and once on an e-reader because […]

Revision Week continues over at my writer’s advice blog DearEditor.com with Salina Yoon, the tremendous author/illustrator of more than 160 books including Penguin and Pinecone and the other adorable Penguin books. Salina says, “I approach writing a story like solving a puzzle. Each piece is critical in telling the story.” In her interview, she shares her […]