A Disagreement with the Editor by S.E.M. Ishida

Originally posted on S. E. M. Ishida:
Before publishing my first book, Nick Newton Is Not a Genius, my editor and I disagreed about how the last paragraph of the last chapter should end. She commented that the ending would “gild the lily,” but I thought those last few sentences added a sense of closure…

Black Friday Book Sale!

Hi, everyone. Want to fill up your Kindle app with new reads? There’s a Black Friday Book Sale happening online (even though Friday is over). Click on the button to see what’s available. I myself bought the following books. I know, I may look like those people who take a picture of their food andContinue reading “Black Friday Book Sale!”

Why I Read More Kids’ Books Than YA Books: A Casual Conversation Post — Words

Note: I shared this post from Kaley Kriesel’s blog Words. Read on to find encouragement if you’ve ever felt silly for reading kids’ books as an adult or teen. Or even for writing more children’s stories than YA stories. I myself dabble in YA writing here and there, but I’ll probably be writing more children’sContinue reading “Why I Read More Kids’ Books Than YA Books: A Casual Conversation Post — Words”

The Importance of Fiction in a Christian’s Life by Teen Writers’ Nook — M Liz Boyle

Is your teen a reader? If so, awesome! This post, re-blogged from M Liz Boyle’s blog, shows the benefits a teen can gain from reading. This post is also a reminder for us writers to incorporate these benefits into our stories. Today I have the privilege of introducing Teen Writers’ Nook to the blog. Let’sContinue reading “The Importance of Fiction in a Christian’s Life by Teen Writers’ Nook — M Liz Boyle”

Writing Chapter Books by CAYUGA ISLAND KIDS Author Judy Bradbury

Originally posted on Writing for Kids (While Raising Them):
by Judy Bradbury Thanks, Tara, for inviting me to your blog space to offer a few tips on writing chapter books! I’m honored to be here. A bit of background: THE CAYUGA ISLAND KIDS is chapter books series is contemporary fiction featuring five diverse friends who…

The Importance of Writing for Yourself

Originally posted on S. E. M. Ishida:
I don’t think I realized until recently how important it is to write for yourself. Let’s face it—writing and publishing can feel like work. You close your day job laptop and open your personal laptop to reply to an editor’s email and post to your author social media…

Writing Tips From Kevin Lovegreen

Originally posted on M Liz Boyle:
If you are (or know) a reader of middle-grade adventure stories, you’re probably familiar with award winning author Kevin Lovegreen. His series, Lucky Luke’s Hunting Adventures, is a big hit among the families in our neighborhood. Lovegreen gives presentations to promote the love of reading, writing, and the outdoors.…

Be Gritty? Or Be Optimistic?

It’s good to be realistic about how corrupt our world is. But how realistic is too realistic, particularly when it comes to writing stories? Should we be as gritty as today’s news and reveal all the world’s evils? Or be the opposite extreme, too optimistic? My book review on Laika: Astronaut Dog shows a bookContinue reading “Be Gritty? Or Be Optimistic?”

Write Truth. Don’t Preach.

When writing a story, have you ever added a quick Gospel message in a way that seems forced? For example, out of the blue you have added something like, “Your brother gave his life for you, just like Christ would have done.” I’ve been guilty of that. But fiction writers are meant to write storiesContinue reading “Write Truth. Don’t Preach.”