Handouts, Articles & Links ~ Books for Writers
Q&A ~ Writing Tips ~ Workshops and Courses
Updated July 5, 2011

Help for your writing


Handouts, Craft Articles and Links

Here you will find copies of my own published articles and handouts that you are free to duplicate and distribute. Also, links to craft articles that I have found especially useful.

School and Library visits - some tips for other authors anticipating and planning presentations in schools and libraries. A posting from my blog. (Added June 21, 2011)

Writing for a Good Cause - advice on how to market/fund production of cause-related books. A posting from my blog.  (Added June 21, 2011)

Icebreakers - We all get stuck from time to time. Pick and choose from this list to help you get moving again. (LP Handout) (Added March 2011)

The View From Here -  Having a hard time getting a handle on the concept of Point of View? This might help. (LP Handout)

We Have Ways of Making You Talk - my article about characterization that appeared in The Writer magazine Oct. 2008. (LP Article)

May I Put You On Hold? - my article addressing strategies for dealing with interruptions in your writing life, from The Writer Magazine. (LP Article)

 

Books for Writers
 

An endless supply of how-to writing books is available for those writing fiction, nonfiction, for adults or children. These are my top ten picks - books that offer the most useful tools or valuable insights to help you improve your craft.

The Art of Fiction by John Gardner

Finding Your Writer's Voice by Thaisa Frank and Dorothy Wall

Imaginative Writing by Janet Burroway

Make Your Words Work by Gary Provost

Manuscript Makeover - Revision Techniques no Fiction Writers Can Afford to Ignore by Elizabeth Lyon

Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale

Stein on Writing by Sol Stein

Turning Your Life into Fiction by Robin Hemley

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

Writing For Story - Craft Secrets of Dramatic Nonfiction by Jon Franklin

I only provide links to authors' websites. You can find your own way to a bookseller's website... I'd always recommend an independent bookseller rather than one of the big chains.

 

 

 

 

Q & A

 

I often get mail from emerging writers discussing one element of craft or other, or asking questions about selling their work. Here are a few recent questions, and my responses.

 

MAKING USEFUL CONTACTS
SP asks:  I was curious as to whether you have any contacts in the industry. I'm a writer myself and am shopping around a picture book as well as a young adult (9-12) novel, and needless to say it's a bit frustrating cold-calling publishing houses! Any advice or insight you may have would be much appreciated.

My response:  I now have a number of contacts in the industry, but contacts aren't enough to get a foot in the door. The quality of the work is usually what gets the attention of agents and publishers.

    It can be frustrating when you first start to do the rounds, but you have to be willing to persevere as it might take between one and 50 tries to find a home for your first children's work.
    My suggestion is to start with mid-list publishers, build a reputation, then as you build a publishing history, go after the bigger publishing houses or look for an agent. Most of the smaller to mid-sized publishers will accept unagented submissions, while the biggies (Candlewick/Scholastic, etc.) only accept work submitted through agents.   

    Publishers that accept unagented submissions usually want:
        1. A good query letter. 
        2. Two to three sample chapters.
        3. Info about your publication history, if you have any.

    On the other hand, they usually request the complete MS and a cover letter if you're submitting a picture book. (PBs are VERY hard to sell, expensive to produce, and take quite a while to develop the craft).

    Check this list at the Canadian Children’s Book Centre for Canadian publisher submission guidelines. 

    There's also a very good online critique group call Kidcrit (Compuserve forums) where a mix of published and unpublished writers post and critique work.
You need to request to join through the YA/Children's Literature page here.

    You might also want to check out The Purple Crayon website. (Harold Underwood, who manages the site, is the author of The Dummies Guide to Writing for Children.) On both the book and the website you’ll find useful links to publishers, writing tips, and other resources.

    My best suggestion is to work on your craft- preferably with input from others working in the field - before you start submitting work.

Email me your craft or marketing questions.
 

 

 

Writing Tips

Here's where you'll find some of my own tips, and/or links to what others are saying about how to write well.
 

One: When the Going Gets Tough
 It's not unusual for a writer to spend so long on one project, that they start to get bored. You can bet on it - if the writer's bored, the reader may well be, too. Here are six tips for breathing new life into a piece of work:

  1. Take a break - Set the piece aside and turn to something else. Perhaps you can pick up another chapter or scene later in the story. Or you may need to put the entire project aside, which is when having more than one project on the go at any one time helps.

  2. Pick a character - Take one of your main or secondary characters and do a little
    character development with them. Determine what their strengths and weaknesses are, and list how these might show up in the story. Have the character write a letter to you, describing how they feel about what's happening in the story... Sneak a peek into the character's purse/glove compartment/closet and describe what you find there, and do a little free writing of ideas that arise.  You'll find 100 (yes, 100!) questions to ask your character, here    .

  3. Try a little research - Take one small factual element of the story (the fountain at which the characters met in Rome / the breed of dog one of them own / . Often, you'll find metaphorical resonances that you can then incorporate into the piece to help bring it back to life.

  4. Close your eyes and pick a phrase/sentence at random on page 7, 11, or 164 and ignoring what went before or where you think the story is going, free write three pages using the phrase or sentence as a launch pad.

  5. Ask a trusted reader to identify one minor plot point or character that most intrigues them, and develop a scene in which they have a significant role.

  6. Read something good by someone else.

Send me your suggestions of writing tips I can write about.


Workshops and Courses

A good workshop or writing course can help you develop your craft skills and put you in the company of other emerging writers.