I’m most comfortable stepping into the greater world via words on a page. But in these days of Zoom webinars, social media, and ubiquitous phone cameras, it’s probably inevitable that I would push the boundaries of my comfort zone. And so I have: I’ve started creating quick videos of craft tips and my DearEditor.com Q&As. […]
Editing and Writing to the Beat
I had a spectacular #MobileEditing office today! I set myself up at the Rady Shell at San Diego Bay during the San Diego Symphony’s open rehearsals. I edited a picture book AND revised two chapters of my own WIP. I know some folks would be distracted by the glorious music that swirled around me. I […]
Deborah In the Redwoods
Technology can be a very good thing. This weekend, thanks to the magic of Zoom, I’ll be “with” the members of Redwood Writers, the largest branch of the California Writers Club. I will be presenting an hour-long webinar called “You’ve Written a Book, What’s Next?” It’s beginners as well as advanced writers — published and […]
Deborah Auctioning Picture Book Edit & Call for #WeNeedDiverseBooks
I’m honored to be contributing to the #WeNeedDiverseBooks Campaign by offering a picture book edit and phone call with me in their Holiday Auction. Visit https://bit.ly/3HZPItU to bid on this and check out all the other offerings. The Holiday Auction ends 10pm Eastern 12/6/21.
SCBWI Summer Spectacular Looks SPECTACULAR!
SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Authors & Illustrators) is going virtual with its annual summer conference — they’re calling it the Summer Spectacular and it is indeed spectacular! 10 keynotes with children lit luminaries, an agents panel, & an editors panel, plus nightly live twitter chat socials, an online member book sale, a meme […]
Writers are Business People Too
Being a writer isn’t just knowing how to wield words or weave tales. Writers are also business people. People forget that… even writers themselves, sometimes. Among the tasks of running your own business is generating, paying for, and maintaining promotional materials, both digital and print. After all, we’ve got websites, postcards, bookmarks, social media accounts, […]
Me and My Two Gigantic Faces
It was like that moment when the Wizard of Oz’s gigantic green face appears in front of Dorothy. Only it was my gigantic face. And there were two of them, on either side of me. And in front of me wasn’t quaking Dorothy, but 1200 children’s book writers and illustrators poised to hear what I […]
Spotlight Week: 7 Days as a Writing Nut
When I met Nutschell Anne Windsor at SCBWI-National Conference 2011, I instantly knew why this writer and blogger also teaches writing to others—she’s an incredibly upbeat person with a passion for writing. This week I get to bask in her enthusiasm as the feature of her blog’s Spotlight Week–or as she’s renamed it for the […]
Real Life Is Real Inspiration
People often ask writers where they get the ideas for their stories. For me, the simple answer is “From real life.” Both of my published YA novels and the novel I’m currently working on are fictional amalgams of many events in my life, people I’ve met, and news items I’ve read or watched. As things […]
