4 Tips for Snappy Dialogue
Dialogue is a great way to get readers to care about your characters and eager to find out what happens next. Here are 4 tips for snappy dialogue.
Dialogue Bits and Bobs
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Let’s talk about the mechanics of dialogue, the nuts and bolts of putting it on the page. In order to write good dialogue that communicates clearly with the reader, it’s helpful if…
Dialogue and Humor
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Much of the humor in the books I write, both the children’s books and the adult mysteries, involve the dialogue. Because dialogue reveals character, it’s a perfect opportunity for the characters to…
Writing Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As we study our market guides for the new year, one of the things we’ll see in each listing will be the genre the publisher accepts. One category often found is “realistic…
Checking for Ruts
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of the things that keeps writing fresh for me is trying new things. I can always tell when I’m in a rut, because my excitement for the writing wanes. Whenever I…
The End
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As I type this, I’m minutes away from having finished my last pass of revisions on a novel. I sent it off to the editor. I know, of course, that I’m not…
The End
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As I type this, I’m minutes away from having finished my last pass of revisions on a novel. I sent it off to the editor. I know, of course, that I’m not…
Looking Back on Your Year
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Are We There Yet? One of the best things to consider when looking over a year of writing is what we’ve learned. As writers, we’re always learning new things. It’s one of…
Your Year in Review
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > December is often a terrible time to try to get any writing done. We’re pulled in different directions socially since so many events pop up. Also, for anyone who gave NaNoWriMo (National…
Okay, I Sent My Submission. Now What?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > For many of us, the hardest part of the submission process comes after you’ve finally gotten brave enough to send off the submission. Whether you’re submitting to an agent or an editor,…
Have You Considered Essays?
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > If you’ve been a long-time reader of the eNews, you know that I often list markets that aren’t technically for children’s writers. I’ve done so in this issue, for example. There are…
Chris McCloskey
The Adventures of Tooten and Ter: A Nose for Crime , The Adventures of Tooten and Ter: A Nose for Trouble
November 15, 2019
Crossing Over Into Writing for Adults
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Throughout my career, I’ve written for children and for adults. My magazine work covers both. And I have books for kids and books for adults. For me, writing is about freedom. I…
Researching Agents
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Not every children’s writer needs an agent. Many areas of publishing are completely accessible to unagented writers. But for novelists, especially young adult novelists, having an agent affords a writer considerable benefit.…
Madeleine McLaughlin
Backyard Bug BandOctober 25, 2019
Research Never Stops
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Most successful writers are researching all the time. We just call it reading. Now there are two ways to read. There’s reading to pass the time and that’s a valuable type of…
4 Research Perils and Prevention
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Research Can Take You to Shady Places Since most of my online behavior jumps between a handful of sites (mostly writing sites), I rarely come into contact with viruses or malware of…
Four Unexpected Benefits of Research
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As a writer who regularly does extensive research, I’ve noticed some benefits to research as a lifestyle. Not only does quality research improve my writing, it often improves my life. Finding Answers…
Asking Questions
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > You know that tiring toddler stage where your child asks questions and never stops? Well, I never grew out of that stage. Introduce any topic about which I know nothing, and I’ll…
Needful Things: Revision Begins on Page One | IFW
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > One of the first things to keep in mind about readers in 2019 is that they are extremely busy. At every moment, a myriad of options lay before most of us. We…