Writing tips—Take a look at the writing tips on this blog post. On the Writing for Children and Teens blog, Cynthea Liu posted the “Best Writing Advice Ever,” by asking many, many authors their best advice for writers. The list of advice by these authors is long and fascinating.

And while you’re at it, here are the submission guidelines for Peachtree Publishers. Write, write, write. Never give up!

Here’s another tip from Writers’ Digest Weekly Planner: “The nonfiction book proposal should include a discussion of the target market, competitive title analysis, your author bio, a marketing plan/platform, a chapter outline, and sample chapters.”

Authors and Editors – If you’ve ever wondered what the relationship between editors and authors is, read this excellent post by Lynn Neary on the NPR blog. The title of the article is “What Exactly Does An Editor Do? The Role Has Changed Over Time.” Excerpts from the article:

How much do editors shape the final book we read? According to Rebecca Saletan, vice president and editorial director of Riverhead Books, “The first task is [to] just take it at face value: What is this writer trying to say? What is the project of this book?” Saletan explains. “Once you understand that, then you have to make tough decisions: Is this a good idea? Will there be an audience for it? Is this the right person to tell the story? Do they have the ability? If they don’t have the ability, what’s lacking? What can you bring to it? That’s all the initial phase of evaluation. What I’m looking for is a mind that is capable of grappling with the structure of something as big as a book.”

Read the entire post to find out more. Very interesting.

“Possibly the greatest role a book can play in the lives of young readers is to assure them that they aren’t alone.” – Richard Peck

Time Management – Do you struggle like most writers with finding the time to write? I know I do. Trying to squeeze in writing time is sometimes difficult with the many things we have to do during the day. So … here’s an article on just this topic written by Jan Fields on the Institute for Children’s Literature blog. Some of her tips include: (1) Give Up Perfection, (2) Don’t swamp yourself with goals, (3) Map your Most Creative Time of the Day, (4) Carry a Notebook With You Everywhere … and more … Visit the above website to read more.

Two days ago I conducted a writing workshop for students in the Rio Grande Valley. The school was in San Juan, Texas, and the students were enthused and eager to write their stories after we discussed the structure of story. It was a most enjoyable session.

Short-Short: A complete short story of 1,500 words or less. – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Writers’ Rejection Letters – Has some of your writing ever been rejected? I believe, most of us, at one time or another have received those dreaded rejection emails. A while back, the rejections came via snail mail. But a rejection, no matter how we get it, is a rejection. Boo-Hoo. So how do we deal with it? Do we take it personally and give up? You might want to read an excellent article on the Write for Kids blog titled, Dealing With and Learning From Rejection,” by Suzanna E. Henshon, Ph. D. Her subtitles include:

Be Professional

Rejection is a Subjective Process

Timing

It’s Part of the Writing Process

Why Are You Getting Rejected?

Writing is a Long Apprenticeship

May Not Get Published by a Traditional Publisher

MOVE ON

Visit the above website to learn more on the subject of writers’ rejection letters. It will help to put things in perspective.

Books

On another note, here is the list of the 2016 Tejas Star Book Awards. Some of my writer friends are on the list. I am proud to have been on their list several times. Congratulations to all!

Synopsis: A brief summary of a story, novel, or play. As part of a book proposal, it is a comprehensive summary condensed in a page or page and a half, single-spaced. – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Too Old to be a Writer? I don’t think so. You have got to read this inspiring piece, KM Peyton: ‘You’re never too young to start writing’, on The Guardian blog. It is inspiring and uplifting. I believe like this author does that one is never too old to write. Her first book was published when she was 15 and she’s had numerous others published since then. She is now 86. I admire the journey this lady has been on. So if you’re thinking you’re too old to start writing, think again!

Chicken Soup for the Soul is accepting submissions (poems and stories) for different topics. For detailed guidelines, visit their website for more information.

Charlesbridge is also accepting submissions for YA stories. Visit their website for details.

And here’s a neat article on Publisher’s Weekly blog, Shelf Talker. The topic by Josie Leavitt is “Where Do You Like to Read?” Mine is in the living room close to the fireplace where in the corner of the room, I have a maroon armchair and a lamp right by my side. I also have a footstool where I put my feet up while reading. We all find our own special places. Where’s yours?

Sante Fe

“Children need to feel they have a place, that they’re not some object, and that they have a designated and honorable role in a family where everybody contributes.” – Scott O’Dell

School Visit: Just returned from a school visit to Perez Elementary, Austin, Texas. This was a Project WISE (Writers in Schools for Enrichment) visit sponsored by the Writers’ League of Texas. My presentation was in English and Spanish and the students were really enthused, especially when I encouraged them to write their own stories and, yes, illustrate them as well. My thanks to the librarian for her gracious hospitality.  Looking forward to FESTIBA in the Rio Grande Valley next month.

A couple of days ago, some in our critique group brought up the topic of writer’s block or as someone else said, “The muse just wasn’t there.” I hear you, I said. Happens more often than not. If you sometimes struggle with what some call writer’s block, you might want to view the following Writer’s Digest blog, The Writer’s Dig, hosted by Brian Klems. The guest post, “5 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block,” by author Molly Cochran goes into some detail about some of the causes. For example, her list includes:  Indecision, Lack of Inspiration, Perfectionism, Opinion of Others, and Not Knowing What Type of Book Will Sell. If you’ve been struggling with writer’s block, you might want to find out why.

Tip: No matter what your writing life brings, believe in yourself and keep moving forward. Most writers cycle between periods of self-doubt and periods of confidence. – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Narrative Nonfiction: More about writing narrative nonfiction because I discovered there were a lot of writers, including yours truly, interested in this topic at the SCBWI chapter meeting I attended a few days ago. I found this excellent post by Eerdmans Publishing Company on the From the Editor’s Desk blog titled “Four tips for Writing Nonfiction Plots.” It lists the following four main steps and then goes into detail for each one:

Creating plot in narrative nonfiction is all about choosing wisely what you keep and what you cut.

Remember that character should always shape the action of the story.

Use scenes that set up conflict and show resolution.

Look for the dark and difficult points in a character’s story.

Visit the above website and read it in full. It is very helpful. Good luck with your narrative nonfiction piece.

Chautauqua

“A writer ‘gets started’ the day he is born. The mind he brings into the world with him is the amazing machine his stories will come out of, and the more he feeds into it, the richer those stories will be.”—Lois Duncan

Writing Contests: Be open to surprises. Last December, our SCBWI local chapter had a writing contest where the story had to include kites (which is the logo for SCBWI). There was a deadline and I waited until the last minute because I was so busy with the holidays and family. The word count was only 500 words so I knew that if I sat down and really, really focused, I could do it. Well, I made the deadline. At our annual Christmas chapter’s party, the winners were announced. I won first place! That was one very nice surprise. That’s how I started my writing career, entering writing contests. I am still doing it because it’s FUN! You can do it too. Good luck!  By the way, the title of my entry was, “A Kite is a Story; A Story is a Kite.” Google for writing contests. They’re out there.

Today I attended our SCBWI chapter’s session on Nonfiction Narrative Picture Books. I was very interested in this topic because that is one of the projects I am working on right now. I’ve done the research, written the story, but still had a few questions about how to address some of the historical facts in the story. I received the guidance I needed and will now go forward.

SCBWI-SWTX Book Session

Short-short: A complete short story of 1,500 words or less.—Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

Showing emotion in characters: I am in the middle of making revisions after meeting with my critique group. They gave me excellent suggestions that will make my story better. Critique groups, if you get into the right one, are invaluable. It’s always good to have someone else see your work with fresh eyes. Several in the group commented that my character needed to have more emotion. Sometimes it’s hard for writers to really show that. I went back to one of my posts in 2015 which covered emotion in characters.  Here it is:

Do you have trouble coming up with words to describe emotion from your character? I know I do. On the blog, Writers Helping Writers, there’s a brief post on Showing Emotion: Moving Beyond The Face. The article by Angela Ackman poses the question: “The face is the first thing we notice in real life, and the focal point during any conversation. We connect to a person’s gaze, paying attention to how their eyes widen, squint, focus inward or dart. We also watch their mouth, noting lip presses, teeth flashes, frowns, smiles and pursed lips. Eyebrow lifts, the forehead crinkling and relaxing…each facial micro movement is a message, a clue to what the person is thinking and feeling. So if we focus on face-reading in real life, should we then center description on it when trying to convey our character’s emotion?”

Read on to find out.

Genre: Refers either to a general classification of writing, such as the novel or the poem, or to the categories within those classifications, such as the romance novel or the sonnet. – Writer’s Digest Weekly Planner

ALA 2016 Book Awards!  I hope you were as excited as I was several days ago when the winners of the 2016 American Library Association Youth Media Awards were announced. Besides the Newbery, Coretta Scott King, Printz, Pura Belpre, and Caldecott awards, there were many, many others. Click above for the ALA list. I’ve already read a couple of those books on the list.

I’ve been revising a picture book manuscript which I started months ago. It’s been gathering dust in my work-in-progress files. Coming back and reading it with fresh eyes helps. I can see where I needed to develop my character more and write in more descriptive details to really make the story. Sometimes I need to go back and reread some of the notes I’ve taken at workshops and conferences or even take out that book on the writing process.

I am always learning. I am a work-in-progress writer. Like I say to the students when I do school visits: Revising means to revisit your work and make it better. Next Saturday, I will attend a Picture Book Salon meeting sponsored by our local SCBWI chapter. It will cover creative nonfiction in picture books. See what I mean? There are always resources and opportunities for writers to perfect their writing skills. Look around your area for such resources. Do you belong to SCBWI? If not, why not?

And here’s another great list on the Latin@s in Kid List blog. This one lists new books being released in 2016. Some of my author friends’ books are on the list. So exciting!