Alphabetical List of My Blog Posts
The above list is aimed at writers, illustrators, kidlit creators, and does not include the book recommendations or quotes. Subscribing below will send emails to notify you of all new posts.
Some of My Articles from Elsewhere
- 11 Reasons Why You Can’t Write the End of the Story (Institute for Writers Blog, May 30, 2023)
- Don’t Get Bogged Down with Backstory (Institute for Writers Blog, May 2, 2023)
- From Real Life to the Written Page: Inspired by People You Know or Have Met (Institute for Writers Blog, June 25, 2019)
- From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Others’ Experiences Along With Your Own (Institute for Writers Blog, June 11, 2019)
- From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Where You’ve Lived (Institute for Writers Blog, June 4, 2019)
- From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Your Emotions and Beliefs (Institute for Writers Blog, June 18, 2019)
- Revision: The Importance of a Critique (Institute for Writers Blog, March 5, 2024)
- Revision: Why Writers Need Objective Feedback (Institute for Writers Blog, March 19, 2024)
- Speed Bumps to Avoid in Your Story (Institute for Writers Blog, May 16, 2023)
My Favorite Facebook Pages
- Kidlit 411
- Kim Norman’s Cool School Visits for authors & illustrators
- For the Love of Middle Grade
- Sub It Club
Writing Blogs, Newsletters, and Podcasts
- Institute of Children’s Literature Blog – not updated since Dec. 2024
- Bruce Hale’s Writing Tips
- DearEditor.com – where you can ask questions and get answers from editor Deborah Halverson!
- Greg Pattridge‘s Always in the Middle… – featuring Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
- Growing Book by Book – a guide to nurturing young readers
- Kathy Temean‘s Writing and Illustrating Blog – daily posts
- Janice Hardy’s Fiction University – weekly posts
- Ken Nesbitt’s Weekly Poetry Roundup
- Literary Rambles by Natalie Aguirre – spotlighting children’s book authors, agents, and publishing on Mondays and Wednesdays
- Picture Book Summit Podcast
- Seasons of Kidlit – featuring books that fit a specific season
- Susannah Leonard Hill‘s Blog – Debut Tuesdays and Perfect Picture Book Fridays
- Tara Lazar‘s Blog: (Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), includes Storystorm every January!
Formatting a Manuscript
Standard Manuscript Format.pdf
Characters
- 5 Questions to Turn a Character from Flat to Fabulous by Janice Hardy
- Character blocking in fiction by Madeline Ash
- Description Tip: Make “Sense” of Your Characters by Janice Hardy
- How to Show Your Characters’ Emotions by Victoria Sherrow
- How Naming a Character Is Like Naming a Child by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
Grammar Resources
- Active/Passive Voice Practice Test
- Future in the Past
- The Misplaced Modifier
- Run-on Sentences, Comma Splices
Humor
- Finding the Funny: 8 Tips on Writing Humor by Joni B. Cole
- Finding the Sweet Spot for Funny: Writing Humor for Middle-Grade Readers by Jake Wheeler
- How to write smart comedy for middle grade readers by Kristen Pham
Idea Generation
- 500 Things Kids Like by Tara Lazar
- Storystorm – an annual event each January by Tara Lazar
- Ten Ways to Generate Story Ideas
- Top 100 Short Story Ideas
Lyrical Writing
- Let Lyrical Language Add Music to Your Writing by Buffy Silverman
Market Books for Writers
Marketing Published Books
- 10 Tips for Marketing Your Children’s Book
- Getting Started Guide for co-marketing groups – sign up for newsletter to receive the guide
- Author Author – a resource for purchase your own books to resell
- The Three Best Author Marketing Strategies to Sell More Books
- The Three Steps to Selling Out a Booksigning
Microtension
- Microtension in Writing Explained by C. S. Laken
Picture Books
- Creating Picture Books: A Resource by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
- Deconstruction & Resconstruction: a Primer on Picture Book Revision by Karen Krossing
- The Fusion of Humor and Heartwarming in Picture Books: Wisdom from Shanna Silva
- Josh Funk‘s Guide to Writing Picture Books
- Kirsten W. Larson: Writing Is Just Such a Messy Process for Me by Robert Lee Brewer – nonfiction picture book revision
- Linda Ravin Lodding Turns Headslines into Hope
- Tickling Funny Bones: 14 Tips for Crafting Humor in Children’s Books by Sabrina Moyle
- Using Humor to Write Children’s Books that Are Relatable for Both Children and Adults by Jessica Marie
- NOTE: I have a list of picture book resources here.
Pitching
- The Art of Pitching Your Book to a Children’s Book Editor in Just One Sentence by Madeline Smoot
- Describe Your Book in Two Sentences: Q&A with Ann Garvin
- How to write a killer one sentence pitch (or logline) for novels and memoirs by Nathan Bransford
- Pitch Examples of Published Picture Books by Nakisa Nooraee
- Pitching Your Picture Book by Jan Fields
- Why Your Book Description Feels Flat and How to Fix It by Jane Friedman
Querying
- The Best Way to Find an Agent for Your Book (with a link to a query letter template)
- How to Craft an Amazing Picture Book Query by Mindy Alyse Weiss
- How to Write a Picture Book Query Letter (Template and Example) by Tracy Gold
- Successful Query Letters and Route to Publication by Clare Helen Welsh and friends
Publishers and Agents
- 100 Publishers Accepting Children’s Books (no agent needed) by Bitsy Kemper
- Manuscript Wish List
- Monster List of Picture Book Agents by Heather Ayris Burnell
- Query Tracker aka Query Manager (this latter name from the agent side)
Revising
- First Look at a First Draft: How to Revise Your Manuscript by Janice Hardy – I love the questions about scenes
- Five Micro-Edits to Hook Readers On Your First Page by Marissa Graff
- How To Fix a Scene That Feels Dead In Deep POV by Lisa Hall-Wilson
- Revision: The Importance of a Critique by me (Institute for Writers Blog, March 5, 2024)
- Revision: Why Writers Need Objective Feedback by me (Institute for Writers Blog, March 19, 2024)
School Visit Resources
- ABC’s of Author Talks at Schools
- Darryl Cobbs Presenter’s Services
- Kim Norman’s Cool School Visits for Authors and Illustrators
- School Visit Experts
Swearing in Middle Grade
Synopsis Writing
- HOW TO WRITE A SYNOPSIS: Hint: It’s Not A Long Plot Summary by Renee Fountain
Word Count
- Find the word count in a published book at Word Counters (doesn’t work well for picture books)
- Nonfiction Picture Book Word Count Survey – March 2024
- Another option to find word counts – Accelerated Reader Bookfinder – search for the book and if found, click on title and more info will pop up.
Writing Helps especially for the Novelist
- 6-Point Story Checklist for Powerful Scenes by Laurence MacNaughton
- 12 Ways to End a Chapter by John Fox (aimed at adult novelists but still very practical)
- Dialogue in Your Novel by Lynette Eason
- How to Set the Scene in the Book by Jenna Moreci (note the section on “avoiding layouts”)
- How to Write a Story: A Checklist for Writing Your Story by David Farland
- The Key Differences Between Middle Grade vs Young Adult by Marie Lamba
- Setting the scene: 6 ways to introduce place in stories by Savannah Cordova
- Ten Things to Consider Avoiding in Your First Page by Amy Nielsen
- Use Theme to Determine Subplots, Supporting Characters, and Tension by Amanda Rawson Hill
- Weak Scenes? by Janice Hardy
Other Resources
- 12 X 12 – focuses on picture book writing
- Children’s book categories
- The best children’s writing organization in the world – The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI)
- Janice Hardy’s Fiction University – can sign up for her email newsletter – you’ll see I’ve linked to some of her posts above
- Picture Book Builders is a group of picture book writers and illustrators blogging about picture books
Writing Books
- Writing Magic by Gail Carson Levine – especially good for the beginning novelist or someone having trouble getting “going”
- The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maas
Links Especially for Illustrators
- Temple of the Seven Golden Camels by Mark Kennedy
- Blackwing Diaries by Jenny Lerew – be sure and check out the sketchbook, too.
- Debbie Ridpath Ohi – writer and illustrator – love her cartoons and daily doodles!
- How to Make a Graphic Novel by Mark Fearing
- The Sketchables