One of my grandma’s favorite sayings when an imminent disaster on our Indiana farm turned into a hilarious moment was, “Well, I just found a Shetland pony in that pile of poop.” Everyone would laug…
Source: Finding a Shetland Pony in a Pile of Poop by @rcpjallen plus a #Giveaway
#KidLitSummerSchool strikes again! Funny and helpful post for writers.
Author Josh Funk shares ten ways to support picture book authors and illustrators …
Source: How to Buy a Picture Book (without Buying a Picture Book)
This post contains a great list of ways to share books to spread the word!
One of the greatest misconceptions about children’s picture books is that these are books with pictures that are meant for children. This is simply not true. I would agree that, obviously, a signif…
Source: Slapstick and Subtlety: Yes, Please by @cordellmatthew
Whether your novel is humorous or serious, a bit of levity can add to a child’s reading enjoyment. Let your characters help you inject humor into the story, by giving them unexpected traits, such a…
Source: Unexpected Character Traits Bring In The Funny by @lauriewallmark and GIVEAWAY
I am learning so much this month at the #KidlitSummerSchool! Each day there has been an entertaining, informative, and interesting post about ways to put heart and humor into my writing. It is definitely worth my time.
When I was in elementary school, all the 4th-6th graders took part in a musical extravaganza called The Legend Train, where different narrators would ride around on this wooden train, pulled by the…
Source: Don’t Be Afraid to Be Embarrassed by Jo Whittemore
Use your embarrassing moments as humor in your writing. Great post!
Recently, I saw Penn & Teller live. It was a riveting show filled with mystical “ooohs,” enlightened “aaaahs,” and of course, plenty of laughs. The magician-entertainers are dubbed as a comedy …
Source: Tipping The Scales Between Heart And Humor by @leezaworks and GIVEAWAY
Do I have a secret for pulling on heartstrings? You bet. It’s furry, or feathery, or scaly, and it’s often my favorite character in my story. I give my child hero a pet. First, a disclaimer—I’m a f…
Excellent post about including pets as sidekicks. This post made me realize that I have a LIST. On that list are those books and movies in which a beloved pet (Hedwig, Old Yeller, etc.) or main character (almost any of the YA titles or the newest Star Wars – grrrr) die or are killed off. WHY?????? It’s like losing a family member!
But that is beside the point. Pets are perfect companions in almost any story. Great post!
Have you ever heard the piece of writing advice that goes, “readers come for the plot, but stay for the characters?” This means that often times readers are drawn to a story by a cool premise or pr…
Source: Crafting Characters We Can’t Help But Root For by @megan_shepherd
Great insights into creating memorable characters! Thanks, Megan!
I’ve often described heart as the thing that gives the reader a reason to care about the character and the story. But caring – or, at least, admitting that we care – can sometimes be uncomfortable,…
Source: A Spoonful of Sugar by @SudiptaBQ and GIVEAWAY
How to infuse humor into books for children! Great information and examples.
My co-conspirator, Cece Bell, summed up the way we worked on our Inspector Flytrap series like this: I wrote it to make her laugh. She drew it to make me laugh. That’s really where a LOT of …
Source: Pressing Jokes Between the Pages with Tom
Kids love humor! KidLitSummerSchool strikes again! Yay!
Love, Laughter, and Life 