Self-editing
Rhyming Picture Book Poetic Forms 1: Double Dactyl
You’ve decided you want to write a rhyming picture book. As a writer who takes their craft seriously, you’ve: taken a course on writing poetry read as many rhyming picture…Storytelling: What to do when you’re stuck
As writers for children, we are way more than simple wordsmiths. Like Navy Seals – we are a nimble unit that molds young minds and constructs new worlds through engaging…Ask Children to Beta Read Your Children’s Book
I often see posts in Facebook children’s writer groups for beta readers. The wonderful thing about the writing community, especially the kidlit writing community, is how willing people are to…Picture Books: How to Make a Dull Story Sparkle
(The information in this article has been adapted from my course on editing picture books for the Editorial Freelancer’s Association in May 2020. It’s open to both editors and writers…Build your manuscript by breaking it down
Build a manuscript by breaking it down? Illogical Captain. Actually, never has anything made more sense. To do so, you will have to put down your writer’s pen and look…Still Not Convinced that You Need an Editor?
On writers’ forums, I often come across people who believe that hiring an editor is not an important part of the self-publishing process for indie authors. If this is you,…Writing and Revising the First Draft of Your Novel Efficiently
Writing a book is hard work. But you can make the process easier by writing a set number of words or pages, and then stopping to revise them before writing…How to Bookmap for Plot Revision
In her insightful book The Magic Words, editor Cheryl B. Klein says, “A bookmap, in its simplest form, is a scene-by-scene or chapter-by-chapter outline of a novel…it allows you to…Follow Me
So effortlessly happy in her loose skin.
A lesson to us all to enjoy the small things and to be present in the now.
Just enjoy the writing without thinking of what it could become.
Here’s how it goes….
You have a great story idea but you just don’t know how to turn it into a 50,000-word middle-grade novel.
Or maybe you have found your way into your novel but now you’re stuck somewhere in the messy middle between ‘Chapter 1’ and ‘The End’?
Yikes!
Luckily, the ten universal story types can get you unstuck. They’ll help you:
✨ identify your novel’s story type
✨ find a way into your story
✨ get past the murky middle
✨ craft an effective character arc
✨ draft the scenes your story needs
✨ write a story that kids love
Does this sound too good to be true? It’s not!
If you want to find out more about the ten story types, comment STORY TYPE below and I’ll send you a link to the podcast episode that goes into more detail, as well as a free PDF handout and information on how to sign up to a workshop that shows you how to choose the right story type for your middle-grade novel.
Help is on the way! Fret not!
X
Lou
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#middlegradelit #middlegradebookstagram #middlegradeauthor #writemiddlegrade #kidlit #kidlitauthor #writersofinstagram
An early morning hike before a day of writing and recording the next podcast episode.
If you enjoyed getting to know your middle-grade reader in the last episode, you’re going to love this one…
It’s a deep dive into a case study of the 8 questions in action.
“Ex.ci.ting!” says Themba, “But can we go now? The squirrels aren’t going to tree-watch themselves!”
How can you make kids happy?
Become a middle-grade author who creates books with characters who feel like real people, and transports kids out of their own world and into the imaginary one you have created in such a way that they lose themselves and actually feel some sort of grief when the book ends…
If this is who you want to be, then you must start by understanding who middle-grade readers are, and especially who the best one is for YOUR book.
Comment READER, and I’ll send you a PDF handout and link to the podcast episode that covers:
✨ reasons why it’s important to get to know your ideal reader
✨ 8 questions you can ask to get to know them
✨ how this will help you outline, draft, revise, publish and market your book
x
Lou
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#middlegradeauthor #middlegradewriter #kidlitauthor #kidlit #writingtips #novelsforchildren #writerslife📚 #middlegradebook #middlegradenovels #writeabook #writeanovel