The Craft of Writing
The Kidlitter Letter Is Here!
I’ve been missing from Poetry Friday since late June because I’ve been having my website redone and doing a 12-week course on starting and growing a newsletter, which has been…Are You Ready to Write YA?
(Adapted from my Editing Young Adult Fiction course with the Editorial Freelancers Association.) If you want to write for teens, the most important tool you have is… your memory. You…Have You Written a Picture Book or a Short Story for Children?
As an editor for children’s literature, I work on manuscripts for all ages from picture books to young adult, but most of my work comes from editing picture books and…The Dirigible Balloon – Poetry for Kids
Work has been calm this month which has been both wonderful and stressful. On one hand, I’ve been able to work on gathering things to get my website redone, starting…Playing with Poetry to Combat Writer’s Block
Dear writers of children’s lovely literature, Sometimes the words are there for the picking. Other times, they’re nowhere to be found. I’m not a fan of the term ‘writer’s block’…Poetry Polaroids – Animal Haiku
Like many people, I enjoy the short and accessible feel of writing haiku. There’s nothing quite like creating a word image drenched and dripping with meaning in so few words.…A Poem a Day
At the beginning of 2023, I bought myself a notebook with the intention of writing one poem a day throughout the year. I didn’t need to spend a lot of…Protecting Our Right to Read
Like most of us, I’ve always understood that I could read anything I wanted for two reasons: I have had the privilege of learning how to read, and also because…Mindfulness in Children’s Literature
As a developmental and line editor of children’s books, I work on manuscripts from all categories of children’s literature. While each category has its own specific guidelines according to the…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