Hello from children’s author Crystal Bowman! I love the challenge of writing for children, and I love teaching other writers the craft of writing for children. In previous blogs I’ve talked about the many different genres of children’s literature as well as sharing tips on writing for children. Today I want to give you an inside look into how I got my most recent book published.
Category: Writing craft
This is our archive pageCharacterization: Apparel
Happy Friday, and welcome to the CAN Blog on Writing Fiction from Gail Gaymer Martin. When writing a novel, authors can deepen characterization by adding elements to the novel that sends a signal to readers. These signals allow them to see deeper characterization by observing what a character chooses wear in a given situation. Not only can personality be seen, but often deeper character such as morals or values. Dressing Characters If your heroine comes through the door wearing baggy jeans, a large bulky sweatshirt, and a baseball cap set on her head backwards, what would a reader think? A…
Editing Tips #47
Hi! I’m Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I’m a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I’m blogging about tips for writers based on the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit.
Ruining Your Book At The Last Minute
Hello from novelist Gail Gaymer Martin. Once again I’m here to share some information with you about the art and craft of good fiction writing. Earlier this year I read an article written by Agent Erin Buterbaugh on Chip MacGregor’s Blog. The article talked about what happens when you don’t understand how to end a novel successfully. I’ve written numerous articles on the final act of a novel, Act III (you’ll find more info on writing the last quarter of the book on my website under Plotting, but Erin made reference to the denouement, a French word meaning the last…
Proofreading Pointers #46
Hi! I’m Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I’m a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I’m blogging about tips for writers based on the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit.
Stories, Parables & Movie Scripts Basic screenplay writing excerpted from HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL) Part V The Premise
A great story goes somewhere. It tells us something. That something is a premise. A poor story wanders about, gets lost and bores an audience. In a baseball game, the team with the most runs wins. You watch the game to see if the team that you like can get the most runs and win the game. Imagine how boring baseball would be if there was nothing to win: if “games” were like practice sessions where players just hit and fielded balls without a clear purpose. No one would want to pay to watch. A premise says, “To win, I…
Proofreading Pointers #45
Hi! I’m Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I’m a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I’m blogging about tips for writers based on the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit.
Ten More Tips on Writing for Children
Hello from Crystal Bowman! In my twenty-plus years of writing for children, I have met many writers who want to write for children because they think it would be fun. Yes–it is fun, but far from easy. It’s a craft that needs to be mastered just like anything else. The more you know about writing for children, the harder it gets. It is very difficult to break into publishing with a children’s book, so the more you know, the more you increase your chances. In January I posted seven tips on writing for children. Today I am offering ten more….
Stories, Parables & Movie Scripts Basic screenplay writing in the context of HOW TO SUCCEED IN HOLLYWOOD (WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SOUL) Part IV Where do you begin scriptwriting?
Where do you begin scriptwriting? Fifty years ago 20th Century Fox released Rogers and Hammerstein’s THE SOUND OF MUSIC. It remains a favorite of millions of moviegoers. Rodgers and Hammerstein ate, slept and dreamt their craft. It drove them. Both saw their work as something they had to devote their life to. It was their passion. Both demanded of themselves exemplary work. In a world filled with would-best they succeeded because they were creative, innovative and persistent. Before their big success with OKLAHOMA there were years of study, struggle, rejections, failures, disappointments and growth. Their passion drove them through many…
Proofreading Pointers #44
Hi! I’m Kathy Ide. In addition to being a published author, I’m a full-time professional freelance editor. For CAN, I’m blogging about tips for writers based on the most common mistakes I see in the manuscripts I edit.
