Illustrator Intensive with Paul Zelinsky

I've finally finished my middle grade novel.
But now the fun begins. Anxious to meet the great Paul Zelinsky and learn from his vast experience.

TED TALKS LINKED TO CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Found a neat blog I wanted to share with you.

 Playing by the Book is a blog that reviews kid's books and other fun stuff.

Besides these thoughtful reviews, I discovered their list of TED TALKS linked to children's books.

Enjoy.

I did.

Pitch It

My critique group is getting together for shop talk, food, and a sip of wine this week. Our assignment-- to bring a great pitch for the project you are currently working on.

I found an excellent pitching formula from Jessica Sinsheimer on Twitter this week. 

"MC wants to   GOAL but can't because of CONFLICT 

so s/he does ___________ which results in ___________________."

Is this great or what?  

She has 28 retweets and counting, so others think so too.

Thanks Jessica------

Short Break Before Starting the New Novel

Time to read, sketch, take long walks, and do a little gardening.

 
Revisiting several of my favorite books

Stephen King's - ON WRITING

Blake Snyder's - SAVE THE CAT

Cheryl B. Klein's - SECOND SIGHT 

Wow, Revision Surprizes

Yes. Things to tighten, things to cut out and things that I'm not sure why were there in the first place. 

But cut I will.
Cut I must.

Revise and Resubmit

So a picture is worth a thousand words.
And since I'm so deep into a final revision and resubmit with a looming deadline,

I'm leaving my two pals here.


Hey, they are not rats but white squirrels --

Oh, but it is going fantastic and I hope to be back in a few weeks.

Writer's Rumpus, so worth it.

I came upon the blog,  WRITER'S RUMPUS 

Such a talented group of writers and illustrators, providing so many tips and information that I couldn't resist passing it on. Wow. Take a peek at the Writer and Illustrator Resource page.

Worth another cup of coffee and afternoon study.

Merry Christmas to All

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful Holiday and a Very Happy New Year...

 

SCHOOL VISITS

Time again for a few school visits. 

Christmas time is a great time to spread cheer and sell a few books too. I found Kidlit411 had an amazing page of articles on how to make your visit enjoyable for you and your wide-eyed audience. 

I love school visits- as you can tell. --------------------Kit's School Visit Page


Just a shout out to Louie V, my fav cat in Louie V Trims the Tree  by Tracey Delio- the perfect Christmas feline.

Publishers Weekly Announces the Best Children's and YA Books for Fall, 2015

Perfect timing. Finished a big project- for now, so it's the perfect time to take a few days break and grab some great reads.

 The Publishers Weekly, Best Children's and YA Books for Fall 2015

A Trip to Remember

So they say-- when you are finished writing and revising, take a break for a little bit to get fresh eyes. 

So I did- 

But what a trip. Started our Anniversary Trip in Paris, then Venice, Florence, and Rome.

So I'm sharing a few pictures.

But now I'm
back. And back to work...

How Can Revising Take all my Time?

Yes it has. Oh yes it has. 

Editing away these days. But, oh so happy with my results. 

Taking the next two weeks off to regroup and then------

I promise to have some fresh insights.  

And I hope to share some great news too.