After decades of being a freelancer, first as a writer (mainly nonfiction) and now as a writer and illustrator, I’ve streamlined some of my business and creative routines. I’m going to start sharing some of these tips in my blog, in case it helps any other creatives out there. In . . .
I’m honoured to have my blog included in the MY PET FEET Virtual Book Tour! I encourage you to visit the other stops along the way so far, including Imagination Soup, Simply 7 on Jena Benton’s blog, Cabin Reads, Librarian’s Quest, Unleashing Readers, Pragmatic Mom and Here Wee Read. Billy . . .
(Shortlink: https://debbieohi.link/ClearTheList) UPDATED June 1st, 2023: I have a new Twitter thread for educators with crowd-funding projects. Teachers spent an average of $750 out of their own pockets for classroom supplies during the 2020-2021, according to a survey by AdoptAClassroom.org. Many teachers started using the hashtag #clearthelist on social media . . .
Adriana Hernández Bergstrom is a Cuban-American artist and children’s literature author-illustrator. She enjoys learning languages and lives in Florida. Abuelita and I Make Flan is her debut picture book, and comes out from Charlesbridge on Aug. 9th! I was lucky enough to see an early version of Adriana’s picture book . . .
Congrats to my writing critique partner and friend, Carmella Van Vleet, whose NOTHING IS LITTLE launched from Holiday House Books this week! This middle grade book has already received many accolades, including being a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. NOTHING IS LITTLE is about 11-year-old Felix, who likes being . . .
Rebecca Gardyn Levington is a children’s book author, poet, and journalist. Her debut picture book BRAINSTORM! (Sleeping Bear Press, 2022, with illustrator Kate Konreif) hits bookshelves August 3rd, 2022 – you can pre-order a personalized, signed copy from her local indie bookstore, Words in Maplewood, NJ. She has four more . . .
Does this happen to anyone else? I hit the 54k wordcount today in my middle grade novel. My original goal was around 50k but my characters won’t let me end the story yet. ? I figure I can let them take over for now since it’s just a first draft; . . .
I’m up to 51,000 words in the first draft of my middle grade! In the home stretch now. If you’re confused about why I’m talking about writing middle grade and not picture books, please see my Perseverance post. Using Linda Sue Park’s #12minutes first-drafting method helped me get going, as . . .
Ah, rejections. It’s part of the business, before and after publication. If you’d like to get straight to the poll results, feel free to browse the original Twitter thread about writer rejections. As someone who has received many rejections over the years, I am well acquainted. In the years I . . .
To those who never have problems writing the first drafts of their novels, you can skip this post. For others like me who sometimes find it a challenge (especially during the past couple of years) getting that first draft down, I highly recommend Linda Sue Park’s 12-minute Pomodoro routine. I . . .