Amanda Kelley
Unfading Daydreams May 24, 2019
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The Objects Your Character ValuesAs a small child, my daughter had a favorite teddy bear that we named “Grubby,” because he so often was. She took Grubby everywhere and learned to do…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Every story takes place somewhere. Some take place in a variety of locations. Overall, we’ve become somewhat twitchy about setting. I’ve seen so many people say they don’t really want to get…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > All the world is a stage, and so is your story. When we think about a stage play, we normally think of it from the audience’s viewpoint and that means the brief…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Like most writers, I’m prone to clutter. Clutter in my office with one deep drawer in my desk where I toss an alarming variety of things. And shelf clutter with all the…
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Writing is work. Now, I’m not one of those who think writing is suffering or agony. Honestly, if it were agony, I’d do something else with my time to make money for my family. But it is work.…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > This week is mostly going to be story time, so let me share some with you. When I was younger and single, folks had a tendency to assume I had a lot…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Some writers create playlists for their books. Some do elaborate interviews with their characters. Some just can’t get started until they come up with names: name of the book, name of the…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Dialogue is the favorite part of story writing for many authors. In dialogue writing, the author is able to give voice to the people the author created. Also dialogue is a favorite…
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 most satisfying things about writing is finishing a book or story. That last line typed, that last period placed almost always brings a rush of accomplishment. If you’re like…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > I do love having a GPS to guide us whenever we’re making a road trip. Still, to be honest, I miss the days when I navigated using a combination of internet map…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > When I was in high school, I discovered something interesting: teaching something made me learn it more. I spent a lot of time helping other people through a variety of subjects and…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > If you flip through your market guide or read writer’s guidelines online, there’s one word you’ll see over and over: humor. Kids love humor, so publishers do too. But for many writers,…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Having been writing professionally for a lot of years, I have sometimes been asked how do you build a career that has legs, one that will last. This is a valid question…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > January is a great time for a good cleaning. There’s something heartening about starting a new year with a clean slate. So let’s sweep away writing myths that might still be clinging…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Success Ahead in Creating Characters As we look at a successful year ahead, we must overcome the problems that have held our writing back. One of the frequent problems new authors encounter…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Now that 2019 has arrived, we want to get going on the best writing year ever. With many things outside our control (like publisher or agent reaction to our work), it’s good…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > As the last days of 2018 tick off, it is a good time to prepare for a successful new year. I always find a special hope in a new year. No matter…
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Attitude can make a big difference in your writing, and we often overlook its importance. Are you apologetic about the time you spend writing? Do you let minor things crowd it out…