IDENTIFYING WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK
When you look back on your year, what was the biggest obstacle to finishing your book? Most folks think it’s lack of skills.
You may be surprised that the most common obstacle that stops aspiring writers is a lack of time. Skills you can improve through courses, workshops, or a lot of practice, practice, practice. But if you have a family, a job, social obligations, if you keep putting that story or article aside, if you constantly find that you’re putting the day job, housework, yard work, volunteering, cooking, or cleaning ahead of your writing, you’re simply not going to get anywhere. You have to generate words…lots of words…in order to succeed in this business.
Let's talk about how to get ahead next year.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you get that book out of your head and onto the page. Get started here!
AN INTERVIEW WITH ANN SHEYBANI
This is Ann.
“I began my practice as a book-writing coach, not just because I like bossing people around, which I do, but also because I know all of your sorry excuses for not settling down to write your book, because I invented them. In other words, I’ve got your number, cupcake. I may look nice, but don’t let that fool you. You need to prepare yourself for an ass kicking. It’s time to blindfold your sorry excuses for not writing your book, hand them a lit cigarette, then shoot them.”
We talk about:
Let a one-on-one mentor help you get that book out of your head and onto the page. Get started here!
WRITE A GRIPPING NOVEL
You want your book to be referred to like this: “Fast-paced.” “Gripping.” “A page-turner.” “I couldn’t put it down.” Why do some books get these comments, while others are called “slow” or “flat”?
Let's get to the bottom of the pacing dilemma in today's episode.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your revision skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
CHARACTERS, SETTING, AND THEME, OH MY!
This week is Thanksgiving in the U.S., so we are bringing you a rebroadcast of a popular episode. Time to take it back to the basics and discuss characters, setting, and theme in children's books.
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BRINGING READERS BACK FOR MORE
I’ve been watching my nieces learning to read. They study the pictures. They beg for more, and readily cuddle up while we read together.
So how can you create great picture books with the identifying characteristics that will magnetize your readers and draw them to your work, again and again?
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LISTS YOU SHOULD KEEP
Have you ever seen one of those journals where the pages have dots instead of lines? It’s called a bullet journal. If your desk has a tendency to become a bunny nest of paper scraps with lists on them, this could be a great idea for you. All of the lists are things you want to be reminded of. Sorting through your nest of lists could be the first step in creating valuable writer lists.
Let's talk about the kinds of list that writers can use.
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AN INTERVIEW WITH HANNAH HOLT
Debut picture book author Hannah Holt shares the results of her extensive surveys of picture book authors (How much do they make? What kind of advance do they get? Do they make more with or without an agent?), advice for prepublished authors, and how she researched and brought to life the picture book based on her grandfather, THE DIAMOND AND THE BOY.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you get that book out of your head and onto the page. Get started here!
USING TENSION AND PACE
This podcast was inspired by a post from former instructor, the late Mary Rosenblum.
Let’s begin at the beginning. What exactly are tension and pace? Think of tension as a rubber band that pulls on us as we read. As the tension increases, that rubber band pulls us to the edge of our seats, riveted to the action on the page. As it relaxes, we sag back onto the sofa and enjoy the scenery in your world, really noticing those delicate drops of dew and the exquisite colors of the birds’ plumage.
Controlling tension and pace is a matter of craft.
Let a one-on-one mentor help you hone your writing skills and polish your work so it shines in your submissions to agents and publishers! Get started here!
RECONNECTING WITH A WORK IN PROGRESS
One of the problems with writing is that it's fairly difficult to complete a project in one sitting. It can sometimes be a bit easier with a picture book where the rough draft may come in a rush during one sitting and then you return again and again to revise (and sometimes to rewrite).
But for longer works, it's almost mandatory that you be able to stop, go about your non-writing life, and then return to the project. This can be difficult, especially if the break between the stop and return is lengthy. We're constantly changing as people and as writers, so returning to an older work in progress can be daunting. There are some things that can help.
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For many children's writers, the concept of attempting a novel is daunting at best and filled with questions. So for the sake of those looking toward this exciting writing option, let's answer a few unusual but frequently asked questions:
Let a one-on-one mentor and professional author help you get that book out of your head and onto the page. Get started here!
AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNE R. ALLEN
Anne R. Allen writes funny mysteries and how-to-books for writers. She also writes poetry and short stories on occasion. Oh, yes, and she blogs. She's a contributor to Writer's Digest and the Novel and Short Story Writer's Market.
In this episode, Anne shares how keeping a writer's blog may be easier than you think!
Let a one-on-one mentor help you get that book out of your head and onto the page. Get started here!
TIPS FOR YOUR WRITER WEBSITE
Every author needs a website—yes, even if you're not published yet. In the Internet age, your website acts as your online business card for readers and even prospective agents and editors.
Today we discuss tips for keeping your website user friendly and keep them coming back for more.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
5 TIPS FOR YOUR AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE
Amazon is the largest bookstore out there. Not only that, but did you realize it’s a search engine, just like Google? Not only that, it’s a search engine that people go to intending to buy things. Buy things like your books.
If you publish on Amazon, whether as a Kindle author, Create Space author, or with a traditional publishing house, you’re entitled to an “Author Page.” But so many authors simply don’t take the time to make the most out of their author page, and they’re missing out—not only on an opportunity to make a great impression, but on the chance to earn more money as well. Today, we talk about how to get the most of your Amazon Author Page.
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TIPS FOR CREATING QUALITY DIALOGUE
A while ago on the Institute's Facebook page, someone was asking about dialogue, which made me think again about this important writing tool. And if you’re writing to self-publish you really need to know about how to write dialogue. Readers love dialogue because it makes a scene and a character come to life. Dialogue puts us into a specific moment within a story and that's a powerful thing for readers. But many writers struggle with dialogue and with making it feel lively, purposeful, and real. So what should you do first in the pursuit of good dialogue?
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
AN INTERVIEW WITH A SELF-PUBLISHING EXPERT
In this episode you’ll meet Dave Chesson, my friend otherwise known as The Kindlepreneur. He’s an expert on anything Amazon/Kindle related. Check out his podcast if you’re thinking about self-publishing.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
Nesting usually involves the spot where you find immediate (or first) success, but there will always be walls around you if you give in to staying in your first nest.
You'll grow until you fill up that specific nesting spot and no more, not unless you're willing to peek out of your particular niche and considering dashing into a spot you know nothing whatsoever about. Growth, change, learning, and challenge makes us better writers. Nesting holds us at whatever spot we've grown accustom.
Let's talk about getting out of our nests today and finding success in new writing areas.
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WHERE SHOULD YOU SPEND YOUR DOLLARS?
Last week we talked about classes, conferences, and critiques and self-publishing. Let’s get going with Part 2 with…agents and submission services and promotion services.
There are a lot of "services" that have grown up around writing. Some, like agents, are vital to working in specific areas of publishing. Some are simply good ways to extract the cash from your wallet. Let's look at agents.
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WHERE SHOULD YOUR MONEY GO?
Whenever you have a large group of people with a dream and a desperation to fulfill it, you're also going to see people quick to take advantage of that. Helpful writers (many of whom began their careers a while ago) say helpful things like, "The only place you should sign on a check is on the back" and "money flows toward the writer." And those truisms can be useful as long as you use them to make you pause and consider, rather than letting them slam the brakes on your choices.
Let's consider what kinds of things might a writer spend money on? Time to dig into the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Join the Institute of Children's Literature Community! Get our free weekly newsletter with articles on the craft of writing, hot markets looking for your work, and cool resources for your writer toolbox: www.instituteforwriters.com/icl-news
YOUR FIRST STEP TO FANTASTIC WRITING
"Wait ... what do you mean I'm not done?!"
It's a common refrain among new writers as they realize their first draft is only the beginning. In truth, revision is the step that takes your writing from so-so to sold.
So, revision is a necessary part of the writing process, but how do you go about doing it?
Different techniques work better for different stories and different authors. With the help of IFW contributor Rita Reali, we dig into a few examples.
START WRITING YOUR BOOK. Learn how to write publishable manuscripts with your own one-on-one mentor, an experienced professional author. Get started here!
THE KEY TO REVISION
As most writers know, it's much easier to find the flaws in someone else's work than to find the flaws in your own. Part of the reason for this is distance. When you're reading work by another author, you aren't caught up in all the personal things that went into the creation of the story. You are actually judging the story based on the merits of what you read on the page. So to be able to revise your own work successfully, you need to get the same kind of distance that you have when you're reading someone else's work. That's not always easy, but there are some tips that can help.
START WRITING YOUR BOOK. Learn how to write publishable manuscripts with your own one-on-one mentor, an experienced professional author. Get started here!
CREATING A REVISION PLAN
Some writers love revision. In fact, for many, the rough draft is something to be rushed through to get to the real "fun," the revision. Some writers don't like the revision part at all, but they know it's necessary if their book has a chance of getting a contract. Our contributor Jan Fields is one of those writers. Jan admits revision might be something she would skimp on if she didn't enter into revision with a plan. Here's how to create your own plan.
START WRITING YOUR BOOK. Learn how to write publishable manuscripts with your own one-on-one mentor, an experienced professional author.
HOW GOOD IS YOUR TITLE?
Sometimes I find great fodder to share in the ICL archives. I loved this one, inspired by an article by Veda Boyd Jones. Have you ever played The Landlord’s Game? Come on. I bet you have. You know, the game that was created in the Depression? Oh, wait. That was the original title given to the game…it uses real estate as the theme. Does… Monopoly sound familiar? The Landlord’s Game was renamed Monopoly, and history was made.
Often, working titles can generally be dull and simply name the topic. Before you submit, you need to give them the zap that will make the reader pull a book off a bookstore shelf. And although editors often change the titles of an article, story, or book, as a writer you want the first reader––which could be an editor––to find your title engaging. The best way to learn how to title a piece is to study successful titles.
Get a one-on-one mentor to help you write publishable work that agents and publishers are looking for! Get started here!
GUEST EXPERT DEBORAH HEILIGMAN
Deborah Heiligman is the author of 31 books for children and teens. Her most recent book is Vincent And Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers. It has received six starred reviews and has won the Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Nonfiction as well as the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award and a Printz Honor Award at the 2018 ALA Youth Media Awards. Her other recent books include: The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life Of Paul Erdos and Snow Dog, Go Dog. Charles And Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith was a National Book Award Finalist, A Printz Honor, the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction winner, and a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize.
We discuss:
- What to do if you receive edits from an editor/agent/critique partner you don’t agree with.
- How to eliminate dates or places or details/facts that get in the way of story if you feel like the reader should know that stuff?
- Not writing “on the nose.”
- AND MORE!
START WRITING YOUR BOOK. Learn how to write publishable manuscripts with your own one-on-one mentor, an experienced professional author. Get started here!
HOW TO WRITE AN INTERVIEW
Last week, we talked about how to conduct an interview—what to do beforehand, how to act during the interview, and what to do afterward and how to follow-up with your subject. This week we go one step further —how to write the article.
Plus, we touch on how to pick the perfect subject for your article.
START WRITING YOUR BOOK. Learn how to write publishable manuscripts with your own one-on-one mentor, an experienced professional author. Get started here!
HOW TO CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW
One way to break into nonfiction is with a profile piece. What better way to learn more about a subject than to interview them directly? In this episode, we cover how to conduct an interview professionally including how to prepare, what to do during the interview, and how to follow-up afterward.
START WRITING YOUR BOOK. Learn how to write publishable manuscripts with your own one-on-one mentor, an experienced professional author. Get started here!