Three case histories Sometimes I have what I think is a great idea for a story. I plot it out, polish the text, start thumbnailing scenes and begin working on character design. And then I hit a wal…
Source: Does Your Story Need a Heart Transplant? by @BonnieAdamson and #GIVEAWAY
These case histories give very good examples and tips of how to fix stories. Thanks, Bonnie!
“She’s gonna listen to her heart It’s gonna tell her what to do.” — Tom Petty And it’s going to tell you, the writer, what to do. Listening to your main character’s heart—is going to te…
Source: Listening to Your Characters by @mimicross and #GIVEAWAY
Listening to your characters will allow you to give them heart. That’s what I forget to do! LISTEN. Thanks, Mimi.
Before I became a children’s book author, I wrote newspaper and magazine articles. I looked forward to feedback from editors that would help my stories shine. But one day, I received a note that ma…
Source: Writing with Heart and Soul by Kelly Starling Lyons
Thanks for sharing these tips, Kelly!
Creating a character with real heart is hard. It isn’t like slapping a wristwatch into a Tin Man and telling him he suddenly has one. Writing a character who possesses true heart requires the same …
Source: From Paper to Pulse: Character with Heart by @TerraMcVoy
How to create a character with heart – by Terra McVoy. Thanks, Terra!
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming!
By Patricia Hubbell
Illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy
(Marshall Cavendish Children, 2006)
I love the vintage illustrations of Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming!
This fun picture book is about all sorts of vehicles. And the drivers are not necessarily human!
Told in rhyme, Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming! features things vehicles do as well as places they go and specific information about them (like the parts of a car).
I enjoyed the feel of this book. Any child who loves things that GO will have fun reading Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming!
KID KANDY:
Masking Tape Highways
Materials: toy vehicles, blocks, masking tape
1. Stick masking tape on the floor or carpet (or furniture) to create winding roads on the floor.
2. Use blocks to build homes, businesses, and community features.
3. Drive those vehicles along the roads and use your imagination to pretend you are really in a car. Isn’t that fun?
4. Pull up the tape as soon as you are done playing so it doesn’t stick on the floor!
Zoom, zoom!
Perhaps my greatest pleasure is making people laugh. Which is why pretty much everything I write is anchored in humor. It keeps my readers engaged. It allows for higher highs and lower lows. But ho…
Yet another fantastic post about how to add humor to your writing. Just by looking at the meme, one knows these 2 know their stuff.
I hope you don’t mind taking a break from your regularly scheduled programing (ie: the craft of writing) for just this week. While considering how a writer might go about infusing their characters …
Source: Reaching A Child’s Heart By Trusting Your Own by @wenmass plus a #Giveaway
Yet another great post from #KidLitSummerSchool. This has been a great 3 weeks already!
If you write picture books, you’ll have the privilege of working with some of the finest artists in the world. You get the opportunity to guide these talented illustrators as they create a variety …
Love this post about how to allow illustrators to use their creativity to add humor to picture book texts. And I learned a new word – pulchritudinous. Try using that today!
by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell
It Came in the Mail
By Ben Clanton
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016)
Who doesn’t love mail and wish for something exciting to show up in the mail box?
Liam does, that’s for sure. But, as he put it, after checking daily (and more), he got diddly-squat.
After an idea brainstorm, Liam decided he needed to write some mail in order to get some. So Liam wrote a letter to his mailbox and asked for something BIG.
The mailbox delivered.
And delivered. And delivered. Until finally, Liam had so much mail, he had a different problem to solve.
I love It Came in the Mail. Lots of wonderful illustrations filled in the blanks and added details for readers to enjoy. Liam and his buddy, Jamel, were fun characters. The common thread of a childhood wish (to get mail, just like a grown-up) was solved in a very inventive way!
Readers will love It Came in the Mail. Who knows? Maybe your child will even want to write a letter to the mailbox. Just be prepared for an answer.
KID KANDY:
Write a Letter
Materials: writing paper, pencil, crayons, envelope, stamp
1. Choose the person (friend, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, dad, mom, or the mailbox) for whom you want to write a letter.
2. Write a letter to that person.
3. Decorate the letter.
4. Fold the letter and place it in the envelope. Ask an adult to help you address the envelope and place the stamp in the correct place.
5. Mail the letter.
6. Wait.
7. Check the mailbox for an answer. Every day.
P.S. You can write more letters while you are waiting. Or draw pictures of what you think you will get in the mail. Or use your imagination to think of things you’d like to see come out of the mailbox.
Getting mail is so much fun! I’d love to hear what showed up in your mailbox!
Ever try to tell someone a story only to end up saying “I guess you had to be there” when they don’t respond with the emotion you want them to? Do you want to know why that is? It all comes down to…
Source: Brushing Up on “Show, Don’t Tell” by @marciecolleen1
This blog post gives several excellent examples of how to SHOW and not TELL when writing! Worth your read.
Love, Laughter, and Life 