Tag Archives: writing
Write What You Know
Writers are often told to write what we know rather than pretending to be in someone else’s shoes. I’m not sure how I feel about this. For the most part I get what it means, but I also think one can completely immerse themselves into a different lifestyle, time, place, or even person, especially if …
Walking for Writers
We’ve all heard we have to “get into the chair” to accomplish our work. We’ve also all heard we have to “walk 10,000 steps” to stay healthy. ‘They’ say that sitting is the new smoking—yikes. Since there are only so many hours in a day, how can we possibly achieve this on a daily basis? …
Picture Story Books
Once upon a time, when I first started out writing for children, it was picture books I wanted to create. I wrote numerous manuscripts, polished them, and sent them out to publishers. But for many of us authors, 32-page picture books can be an even harder sale than novels. Picture books may look easy to write, but …
The Woodshed
‘They’ say “write what you know.” So, it’s not surprising that a woodshed appears in the Amy books. Some woodsheds are quite simple with just an overhang to keep firewood and kindling dry, but others are more like little cottages. My favorite woodshed was built in 1900. Located in a small fishing village on the coast of …
Novel Revision Retreat
First, another interview about the Amy books to share. Click here for Marcia Meara’s popular Bookin’ It blog. This past weekend I returned to Rolling Ridge for my second Novel Revision Retreat. My first time was four years ago when I was still polishing Call Me Amy. Darcy Pattison is the wise instructor at the helm of …
April in England
“Oh, to be in England now that April’s there.” —Robert Browning I thought I’d do a bit of armchair traveling today. A few years ago, when my son was studying at Oxford, I visited England in April. We saw all the London sights, enjoyed plenty of banoffee pie, visited the haunts of Dickens, Keats, Lewis, …
Beloved Old Treasures
There’s something about old books. And I don’t mean a musty odor. My books, believe it or not, don’t smell at all and they’ve been on my shelves for more years than I care to share. Already antiques at the time, I bought some of the oldest ones from a used bookstore when I was …
A Bookish Tea Party
Have you ever thought it would be fun to have a tea party? I hosted one a while back with fellow authors, illustrators, librarians, and readers in attendance. We played literary games, sipped tea, nibbled on scones and crumpets, and had great conversations! As the author of Winnie-the-Pooh stated: “A Proper Tea is much nicer …
Famous Authors
What do these six famous children’s book authors have in common? They were all born on November 29th or November 30th! From left to right: Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women and other classics was born on November 29, 1832. C. S. Lewis, most famous for The Chronicles of Narnia books was born on …
