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If so, then here’s a great little book that can help!
It’s called Writer’s First Aid: Getting Organized, Getting Inspired, and Sticking To It! by Kristi Holl.
Writer’s First Aid is divided into four sections for easy reference: “Getting Started,” “Work Habits That Work for You,” “Money and Other Practical Matters,” and “Creating the Writing Life You Want.”
When a writer is experiencing a particular problem, he or she can turn to the section of the book covering that topic and find 10 articles. These range from the very practical (in the work habits section) to inspirational and challenging (in the section on creating the writing life you want).
Articles in Writer’s First Aid fit the busy writer’s schedule: long enough to be helpful, yet short enough to be read during ten-minute breaks.
Think of Writer’s First Aid as a medicine chest, full of good things for what ails many writers. Medicine chests contain items that kill pain, bind up wounds, bring restoration, and increase vitality.
All writers get rejection slips. It’s just part of writing if you submit your work to publishers. But if you’ve been seriously writing fiction for quite a while, yet ALL you’ve received for your work are rejections, then take a closer look at one of your short stories. In fact, do you really have a story - or do you have what editors call “an incident”?
A story has a protagonist who has a big problem to solve. As the plot thickens, this character struggles and struggles to solve the problem. As he does, he encounters obstacles at every turn until, finally, he is able to solve (or at least resolve) the problem. In doing so, this character changes or grows somehow, so he is no longer the same person he was at the start of the story. He may be a little wiser now, or a bit more careful, or maybe he just has a better understanding of what he wanted in the first place.
An incident is simply a series of actions and occurrences in a character’s life. But these things don’t change the character. By the end of the final page, he is exactly the same person he was on page one.
Does your fiction contain all of these story elements? If not, chances are you have written an incident and not a full-fledged story, and that just may be why your work keeps getting rejected.
Give your main character a big problem to solve right at the start. The problem could be something he wants, or somewhere he must go, or someone he must find. As he tries to solve his problem, give him plenty of obstacles to make things get harder and harder for him before he is able to solve the problem.
Finally, before you mail your manuscript off to an editor, ask yourself this question, “How has my main character changed or grown as a result of struggling to solve his problem?” If you can easily answer this question, and your manuscript is well-written, then you probably have a great story. And it should be only a matter of time before you receive your first acceptance letter.
Just One More Book! is a thrice-weekly podcast which promotes and celebrates literacy and great children’s books.
Here’s what the creators of Just One More Book! have to say about the podcast:
Each weekday morning, we take a few minutes out of our morning coffee ritual to discuss one of our many favourite children’s books. We also feature weekly interviews with authors, literacy related discussions or audio reviews submitted by our listeners.
Through this podcast and its website, we are building a lively, interactive community linking children’s book authors, illustrators, readers (parents and children) and publishers.
Episodes range in length from 5 to 25 minutes and can be played directly from our web page or downloaded to an ipod for listening on the go. Each episode is an informal discussion of one of our family’s favourite children’s books. We also feature interviews with authors, literacy related discussions or audio reviews submitted by our listeners.
Busy parents and educators can now discover great read-aloud children’s books while they are busy doing the many tasks that would otherwise rob them of the opportunity to research great children’s books in more traditional ways.
This podcast is powered by passion. We have no advertisers or sponsors. Our goal is to link children with great books and help create happy memories for children and the adults that read to them…and to have fun!
Did you realize that most stories written for very young children today are written from a single point of view?
If you’re having trouble finding a publisher for a picture book manuscript, and you’re switching viewpoints with every line, that’s probably one of the reasons your manuscript is being rejected.
This week, members of the Childen’s Writers’ Coaching Club are studying point of view and are practicing writing a story from a single point of view. They are also learning how to start the action of the story on the very first page.
Become a member of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club and receive this week’s assignment plus an email invitation to this week’s manuscript critique telesession where we actually TALK about what’s working, and what’s not, in every manuscript we critique.
Many people want to become published children’s book authors but they just don’t know how to go about it.
Writing for children is different from writing for adults. There’s more to it than simply featuring children in your stories.
Learn the “tricks of the trade” to become a published children’s book author by joining the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club here at the National Writing for Children Center.
For just $27.00 a month you’ll have the opportunity for weekly writing exercises, weekly manuscript critique telesessions, and a monthly hour-long teleclass with a published children’s writer and/or illustrator.
As a member of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club you won’t need to GUESS at what you should do to write marketable stories and articles for children. You’ll KNOW what you need to do to succeed.
by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor
Metaphors talk about one thing as if it were another. They are not introduced with the words “like” or “as”, but make direct comparisons. Here are a few examples:
His shirt was a flag, flying in the breeze. Her eyes were jewels, sparkling in the sun. The ocean is a playground for scuba divers. A song is a poem set to music.
Metaphors can compare something unfamiliar with something familiar to give you a frame of reference.
The surface of the moon is a snowy yard with footprint craters. The bottom of the ocean is a dark cave. A kiwi is a fuzzy lime. A resume is a report card for adults.
A metaphor comparison is not literal. You can’t always take the meaning directly. Here are some examples:
His room was a pigpen. (This means his room is messy, not that pigs live in it.) The harvest moon was a pumpkin. (This means the moon was round and orange, not made out of pumpkin.) Her teeth were pearls. (This means her teeth were white like pearls, not that each tooth was actually a pearl.) The baby’s cheeks were two rosy apples. (This means the baby’s cheeks are round and red, not really apples.)
Writers use metaphors to make their writing colorful and you can to. Give it a try.
Life is a Roller Coaster Sometimes!
An Exercise in Writing Metaphors: Complete the sentences to make your own metaphors.
1. The moon is a _____________________________________________.
2. Freckles are ________________ when they spread across your face.
3. His arms were _________________ as they lifted the heavy chair.
4. The stars are ______________ as they twinkle in the night sky.
5. The storm was a ______________ as it clawed against my window.
6. The freshly mowed lawn was a ___________________________.
7. The noisy children were __________________ as they raced through the museum.
8. I was a ___________________ as I tiptoed across the wooden floor.
9. The river was a _________________ as it twisted and turned down the mountain.
10. His cheeks were __________________ as he chewed the giant wad of bubble gum.
Tonight is our weekly manuscript critique telesession for members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club. Each member can submit a manuscript for critique today and then listen as other members give suggestions and comments about it tonight.
This week’s practice writing assignment was to write a short, short story in The Core of Three. So we’ll be going over those, too.
Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club for only $27.00 a month and get the help you need to become a published children’s book author yourself.
Need help creating your career as a children’s writer and/or illustrator?
OR - do you want to learn ways to make more of the writing and illustrating career you already have?
Then join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club.
Our club not only helps beginning writers and illustrators learn the tricks of the trade for children’s writing and illustrating, it also helps established children’s writers and/or illustrators learn to market their books, author visits, and even their own writing courses and workshops more effectively.
You’ll work with both published children’s writers and illustrators, and those who want to become children’s writers or illustrators, to create the children’s writing or illustrating career of your dreams.
And the best part is, you won’t ever have to leave your home - so you can enjoy your coaching club sessions in your pjs or bathrobe, if you like. What could be better than that?
Membership - only $27.00 per month
Become a member of the Children’s Writers Coaching Club and attend a live teleclass for children’s writers and illustrators each and every month.
Each monthly teleclass will focus on writing for children and will feature an interview and/or lesson from a published children’s author and or illustrator.
In addition to this live teleclass, members will receive a CDs of the recorded teleclass, so, as a member, you can listen to it at any time and never have to miss the monthly session.
You will also be invited to join a club listserv so you can discuss each month’s teleclass via email. In addition, you will have the opportunity to take advantage of short, weekly writing lessons and exercises for guided practice about some aspect of children’s writing.
Club members are also able to take part in weekly manuscript critique telesessions and submit their manuscripts for professional critique. At least one published children’s book author will critique each manuscript you submit. Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club here.
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Since I proof, edit, and critique several manuscripts for students, clients, and coaching club members each week, naturally I come across a variety of elements that make a story or article less than it could be.Here are just a few of the most common problems I see, and tips to avoid or correct them:
1) Overuse of participle phrases to begin a sentence. You know what a participle phrase is. It usually begins with a word that ends in the letters “ing.”
Here are some examples:
Tripping over her shoelaces, Mary stumbled onto the sidewalk.
Looking over his shoulder, Jeff called out to Michael, “Be careful!”
There is nothing wrong with beginning a sentence with a participle phrase. But when you do it too often, it begins to draw attention to itself and distract the reader from the action of the story.
When you finish writing a story, go back over it and circle all the sentences that begin with a participle phrase. If you have several of these phrases on each and every page, change most of them. Like this:
Mary tripped over her shoelaces, which sent her stumbling onto the sidewalk.
Jeff looked over his shoulder and called out to Michael, “Be careful!”
2) Dislocating or projecting body parts. Yes, many writers actually do this in their stories and articles. The most common example of this is characters whose eyes leave their bodies. Here’s what I mean:
I was angry at Mark. I shot my eyes across the room at him.
Yikes! Poor Mark. Was he left holding those eyeballs, or were they just stuck on the front of his shirt or something?
3) Dialogue that is punctuated incorrectly. The most common example is when characters laugh words. They simply can’t do this.
Try it yourself. Can you laugh and speak at the same time? Not really. Yet, when you use a comma to separate the dialogue tag from the dialogue itself, you are indicating the words were laughed. Here’s an example:
“You are such a comedian,” Mary laughed.
To avoid this mistake, simply use a period after the dialogue, creating two separate sentences. Like this:
“You are such a comedian.” Mary laughed.
It’s easy to avoid these common mistakes once you’re aware of them.
The very first time I visited McCormick Place, it was the original McCormick Place's grand opening and I was in the fourth grade. My class had studied Chicago history and the book had a drawing of the new convention center. I just had to go. I don't know how I got my dad to take the family but we all went. And who did we run into? Well, Mrs. Bacon, my fourth grade teacher! Talk about getting brownie points!
McCormick Place and I have had our ups and downs through the years (the original building was devoured in a fire and sat in ruins for years before being rebuilt and expanded). But yesterday we were both having a grand time. The site of the old center, now dubbed McCormick Lakeside or East, is hosting the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. I was there to sign books in the Albert Whitman booth.
It was fun to meet the editors, marketing people, and even the president with whom I had only emailed and spoken with on the phone. Here I am in my New Year's best with my editor Wendy McClure.
I signed a fair share of books and got to speak to folks from all over the country. Even folks who didn't purchase were nostalgic about their New Year's meals. And folks who ate black-eyed peas knew my roots were in the South!
As a bonus to the day, Whitman's Denise Shanahan walked me over to meet The Book Vine's Isabel Baker. I learned Isabel is a big fan of Shante' and has been teaching the book in sessions around the country. It has even been named a Book Vine Top Pick in the2008 catalog! Awesome!
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by Maurene J. Hinds Nonfiction need not be dull; it includes a wide range of topics. It can include history, biography, personal essays, personal profiles, sports, biology, geology, geography, holidays … the list really is almost endless. Anything that you find fascinating can be turned into a riveting nonfiction piece for young readers. Also, keep in mind that you can write for whatever age group you prefer, from the youngest toddlers to teens.
If you’re interested in writing for the magazine market, the following tips will help you get started:
Stay Focused
Magazine pieces are short, which means that you will not be able to cover all sides of your topic. Choose the one that most interests you and that you feel has the most readership appeal.
Spice it Up
One way to avoid an “encyclopedic” feel to your article is to include quotes from experts, interesting quotes from your research, descriptions, and if appropriate, dialogue. Use the tools of fiction for a lively magazine piece.
Do the Research
This applies to both your article research as well as your market research. For your article, editors want to see a variety of resource materials. One entry from an encyclopedia will not make the cut. Use a variety of sources, and try to avoid those encyclopedia references. If possible, use both primary and secondary sources. If you are able to obtain a quote from an expert, that can also help sell your piece.
When doing market research use a variety of tools available to you, and do not forget the “hands on” approach. This means reading several back issues of your targeted magazine–reading a year’s worth is ideal. When fine-tuning your piece, be sure to follow the each magazine’s guidelines. This means staying within the word count, avoiding certain topics, and following any approaches listed. The following are some sources for learning more about the market and magazine guidelines. For up-to-date information, be sure to visit each magazine’s website, as many post their editorial guidelines as well as upcoming themes if applicable.
Children’s Writers & Illustrators Market, published by Writer’s Digest Books
The Best of the Magazine Market, published by the Institute of Children’s Literature (http://www.theinstituteofchildrensliterature.com/F9624/)
Lastly, be persistent! One common theme among published writers is that they do not give up. Find several target markets to begin with. If these do not work out, consider re-working the piece for a different age group, or give the piece a different slant. Whatever you do, keep writing and keep submitting. The nonfiction magazine market can be a great way to see your work in print. Yes, it takes focused effort, but it can be well worth it!
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Maurene J. Hinds is a contributing editor here at the National Writing for Children Center. Read her bio. on our “about us” page.
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Chances are, you won’t be the next J.K. Rowling. After all, she’s the only children’s writer on the planet who makes over a billion dollars from her work.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a living as a children’s writer. Here are a dozen ways to get your freelance career started:
1. Make sure you learn the basics of writing for children. If there aren’t any courses in children’s writing available where you live, take a correspondence course (through the mail) or enroll in an online workshop in children’s writing. There are many good correspondence courses and online workshops available. Go to www.google.com and type in the words “writing for children.”
2. Read, read, read – all the children’s magazines and books that you can – from a writer’s viewpoint. Study these articles and stories for structure, rhythm of language, a child’s or teen’s voice, and the type of content that appeals to young readers (and that editors tend to buy).
You might find a limited number of children’s magazines at your local bookstore, so get a current market guide to find out about other magazines for kids, then write for sample copies of these publications so you can read and study them.
3. Develop an appropriate resume to submit to publishers. You might not have many (or any) writing credits at first, so list any work you have done that was writing related. It doesn’t have to be only work you did for pay. Also list any volunteer work you have done that involved writing.
4. Join a critique group, or start one, and subscribe to at least one publication for children’s writers.
5. In addition to your critique group, network with people who already do what you want to do - one way to do this is to join your local chapter of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), or sign up for an online listserv of children’s writers. Go to www.yahoogroups.com and search for groups for children’s writers. You’ll find several.
6. Learn to write a great query letter and how to correctly format a manuscript. There are many good books available that explain (in detail) how to write an effective query and how to format a manuscript for submission to a publisher. You can also google “writing a query letter” or “formatting a manuscript” to find various articles that should help you.
7. Once you’re comfortable with your skills as a children’s writer, spend at least one day a week on marketing – looking for new opportunities and writing assignments. You’ll find job ads for children’s writers in those newsletters you start subscribing to and also on online job boards for writers.
8. You MUST learn to use the Internet effectively. Also, learn how to transfer your work electronically. And, if you don’t have one already, get an email account.
9. At least once a year, attend a children’s writer’s conference or workshop. This is will give you more networking opportunities, plus you’ll learn, firsthand, the current needs of many children’s magazine and book publishers.
10. Be dependable and professional. Freelancing is a business. Learn the business. For example, don’t expect to submit a handwritten manuscript and have an editor read it. Also, don’t expect to ignore submission guidelines and have an editor read your manuscript (see next step).
11. Study the markets and write for guidelines for the publications you wish to write for. Today many publications have submission guidelines (and even current needs) available on their website, so search these websites first to save yourself time and postage.
12. Give yourself time to succeed. This is one of the most important steps. If you’re just starting to write for children, don’t expect to make a living at this for awhile.
As you learn more about the business of writing for children, and continue to improve your craft, more opportunities will become available to you. You should also realize that it will take more than writing magazine stories and articles to make a living as a freelance children’s writer, so you must actively seek work ALL the time. But follow the steps outlined above, and your freelance writing career will be off to a good start.
See you in print!
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by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor
We’ve all read tall tales before. The legends of Paul Bunyan and John Henry are examples of tall tales. The accomplishments of the hero in the story are larger than life or exaggerated. Read a few tall tales with your students so they can become familiar with the genre. Here are some good ones to start with:
Paul Bunyan by Steven Kellogg. HarperCollins Publishers, June 1985.
The story of the larger-than-life lumberjack, Paul Bunyan, is familiar to many children. Steven Kellogg writes about all of Paul’s exciting adventures with Babe the Blue Ox. His illustrations bring the book to life.
American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne. Random House Children’s Books, September 1991.
Nine folk heroes are introduced in this collection of tall tales by Mary Pope Osborne. Readers will meet Johnny Appleseed, John Henry, Paul Bunyan, and many others. The exaggerated stories of their adventures will delight children.
Dona Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Lady with a Great Big Heart.by Pat Mora. Alfred A. Knopf, October 2005.
Readers will meet, Dona Flor, in this tall tale about a giant woman. She makes giant tortillas for everyone to eat and they can use the leftovers as rafts and she lets children use her giant flowers as trumpets. When a large lion threatens the village, Flora sets off to find it.
Tall tales all have one thing in common - they’re probably as much fun to write, as they are to read. Why don’t you try your hand at writing a tall tale, or at least the beginning of a tall tale? We’ve written the start of the first sentence, now all you have to do is fill in the rest. Whether you write one sentence, a paragraph, or a whole story, make sure that you exaggerate. See how wild your imagination is.
1. Dan Magallan and his horse traveled the country _______________________________.
2. The locomotive sped toward the car that was stalled on the train track. It would take a miracle to save the driver. Suddenly __________________________.
3. A long time ago in a land far, far away there was a knight who was braver than all of the men in the land. He was called the dragon slayer and he _____________________.
4. The giant waves of the hurricane were no match for ____________________________.
5. Big Tex rode a twenty foot rattle snake when he came into town _________________.
6. Giovanni, the pizza maker was legendary in these parts. He used to ______________.
7. Leo the Great could tame any wild beast. He rounded up the wild animals of the jungle and _________________________________________________.
8. Billy Bob had an amazing set of lungs. He could blow all of the sand out of the Sahara Desert. With one breath, he could suck up all of the water in Lake Michigan. These amazing powers came in very handy when ______________________________________.
Members of the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club are invited to a manuscript critique telession tonight at 7:00 CST. Manuscripts must be submitted for tonight’s critique by noon (CST) today.
The really great part about these manuscript critique telesessions is that writers get to TALK to other writers about their work, not simply read comments or suggestions written in the margins of the manuscript.
Join the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club right now and submit your manuscript for tonight’s critique telesession by noon (CST).
Later today, you’ll receive an email with the call in information you’ll need in order to take part in tonight’s session.
Stories for Children Magazine is a free online publication for children and children's authors and illustrators alike. I recently had the chance to chat with its editor, Virginia S. Grenier. Virginia talks about her magazine, its guidelines, and about the process of starting your own ezine, among other things.
How and when did Stories for Children Magazine get started?
I started Stories for Children Magazine after being published in a few children’s Ezines. I really liked what they were trying to do and felt I could bring something different to the table with my own Ezine. My first goal: to develop a FREE children’s Ezine for elementary aged children. The second goal: To publish youth authors (ages 17 and under.) There aren’t a lot of print or on-line magazines out there publishing authors under the age of 18. I wanted Stories for Children Magazine not only to be read by children, but to be written by children authors along with new and established children’s writers and illustrators. So far we have met my goals. Stories for Children Magazine is FREE for its readers and we have at least one writer, 17 years old or younger, in each issue. Stories for Children Magazine’s debut issue released on April 1, 2007. We’re on our sixth issue this September.
What inspired you to begin such a project?
Mostly, because I love children, writing, and marketing. I use to be a buyer in ladies and junior fashion before I started writing. And really the writing just sort of happened. I retired from fashion to be home for my children. But I wanted something to do when my son was in school and my daughter took her naps. I came across the Institute of Children’s Literature and from there fell into writing and starting Stories for Children Magazine. I love sharing what I write and helping new writers young and old getting published. And what better way to do that, but with my own Ezine.
What type of stories do you publish?
Stories for Children Magazine publishes any genre of children’s fiction as long as it’s written for our audience, ages 3 to 12 years old. We publish four stories in each issues age group: Read Aloud (ages 3-6), Early Readers (7-9), and Middle Readers (10-12). We also publish three non-fiction pieces in each group along with poems, crafts, puzzles, and games.
Who is your audience?
Stories for Children Magazine is for kids ages 3 to 12 years old, but don’t let that stop you from reading our Ezine. We have teachers, writers, illustrators, and parents reading Stories for Children Magazine each month, too. Just recently a teacher from Henrico County, VA contacted me about using multiple stories and articles in preparation for the state’s reading and comprehension test. I’ve also received emails form two children’s actors. One is on the T.V. show Jericho and the other is the Disney Channel.
Are you open for submissions at the moment?
We did close our door to submissions this summer, but are open once again September 1, 2007.
What are your guidelines?
Our guidelines are like most publishers who are serious about the type of writing they want to see for their publications. The basics always apply at on-line or print publications, but here is quick break down of what we look for: Stories for Children Magazine publishes short stories, articles, poems, coloring pages, word and picture puzzles, book reviews, arts & crafts, and interviews with Children's Book Authors and/or Illustrators for children ages 3 to 12 years old. Stories for Children Magazine will publish reprints with the information as to where it was published prior to our magazine. Content should be age appropriate. We encourage you to study back issues for content and style. When writing non-fiction, please use primary sources with up-to-date information. We also like to see engaging articles that read more like a story or have a WOW factor. Kids read enough book reports and text books at school. We want to be fun and lively when sharing information. Stories for Children Magazine ISN’T a themed magazine, but there are holidays and subjects that we would love to cover in each monthly issue along with the creative, adventurous, and thought provoking stories and articles. STORY CATEGORIES: READ ALOUD STORIES (ages 3-6): Rebus, easy-to-read stories, humorous tales, fantasy, fables, and myths. EARLY READERS (ages 7-9): Realistic fiction, humorous tales, satire, fantasy, fairy tales, science fiction, fables, light scary stories, mysteries and myths. MIDDLE READERS (ages 10-12): Realistic fiction, humorous tales, satire, fantasy, fairy tales, science fiction, fables, scary stories, mysteries and myths. NONFICTION CATEGORIES: nature, animals, science, technology, environment, foreign culture, history, and biographies. Please make sure the information is appropriate for the right age group. Discovery (ages 3-6): Learning about the world around them. HOW AND WHY (ages 7-9): Wants to understand the how and why of things. TELL ME MORE (ages 10-12): Has a basic knowledge of how things work. This age group wants to dig deeper to really understand their world.A short bibliography is required for all nonfiction articles. LENGTH FOR ALL STORIES AND ARTICLES: 3 to 6 year olds: 150 to 400 words 7 to 9 year olds: 400-800 words 10 to 12 year olds: 500-1200 words Poems: 2 pieces per submission, 100 words max per poem. Puzzles/Arts & Crafts/Games: 1 page Book reviews-targeted at children: up to 200 words Word counts should be noted on each submission. For a more detailed look at our guidelines young writers, adult writers, and illustrators can visit our site at http://storiesforchildren.tripod.com/id7.html
Do you also review books?
Stories for Children Magazine does do book reviews. There are multiple ways to send in a book review. One type of book review we publish is from our readers. We love hearing about a book our readers enjoyed or didn’t enjoy reading. The second type of book review we publish is from Book Reviewers themselves. We have a few Book Reviewers who will send in book reviews that are also posted on their book review blogs or sites. The last type of book review is done by one of our editors. This would either be myself or my assistant, Gayle Jacobson-Huset. Our reviews are sent back to the publisher, agent, author, illustrator, or editor that asked for the book review for their promotional use and is also posted on our site.
How may authors contact you with book review requests?
Currently we are seeing about two submissions a month for professional reviews, two to three from Book reviewers, and one or two from our readers. Authors or Illustrators can contact us at:
Stories for Children Magazine 54 East 490 South Ivins Utah 84738 Phone/fax: (206) 350-3440
I don’t find anything hard if it’s what you want or love to do. Something you’re passionate about shouldn’t be considered hard. But if you want to start an Ezine, there are a few key factors to consider.
The first factor is where to host your site. There are lots of free hosting sites or hosting sites that cost very little money if you plan to be a free Ezine like Stories for Children Magazine. I think it’s a little harder if you are going to charge for a subscription on-line. Most people surfing the web feel it should be free if it’s on the internet. But there are some willing to pay a subscription and therefore you may want to go with a higher paying hosting site that can do some of the maintenance for you.
The second factor is know what you want to do, say, or get across with your publication. You need to first know your niche before you can really start putting an Ezine together. Have a mission statement, goal, or outline of what you stand for. This is going to be your guide in how your site and information will look, and the type of readers you will attract.
The third factor is you need to have the time. If you plan to write a series of books for young adults, adults, or middle graders, you may want to rethink doing an Ezine. I spent a lot of time working on Stories for Children Magazine; from reading submissions to formatting each new issue.
What words of advice would you give to people who are considering such an endeavor?
Do your homework! Starting a magazine is no different than starting your own business or submitting your manuscript to a publisher. You need to research, research, research and then research some more.
I know lots of people think they can just jump on-line, build a site, and have readers or subscribers. Well you can, but if you want to be taken seriously as a magazine then you need to know your niche, competition, and publication rights.
How do you go about promoting your magazine in the midst of all the competition?
I was very lucky about how fast Stories for Children Magazine’s name got out there. Being a student from the ICL was one of the best helps I had. I knew other writers and editors because of the ICL. Also I’m in a few different writers groups both on-line and locally. “Word of month” is the best way to spread anything your marketing. Most people will trust a friend, relative, or co-worker before they will an advertisement. So by talking about Stories for Children Magazine with-in my writing groups and with my fellow writing students, the word just spread like wild fire.
The second thing that helped Stories for Children Magazine get its name out was actually making contacts with our competition. For example: I was first published in Fandangle Magazine, a free on-line magazine for children ages 6 to 12 years old. Nancy the editor wrote an Ebook for teachers about how to use print and Ezines in the classroom. Two of my publications with Fandangle were in her Ebook. I asked Nancy if I could link from my site to her Free Ebook. She was more than happy and in return we have shared information on marketing with each other. And as you can see here I am putting a plug in for her Ezine now. LOL.
Having an author website, blog, or newsletter is another way to get your name out there. I have all three. On my author site you can actually download the past issues of Stories for Children Magazine. On my blogs I post who our Featured Guest of the month is with a link to the SFC site. Having interviews each month with Children’s Authors and Illustrators is a great way to bring traffic.
I also send out media releases on our Featured Guests or if we have some fun news going on at Stories for Children Magazine. And again I always include the link to SFC’s site. You would be surprise how many media releases I get without one.
How does one subscribe to your magazine? Is it free?
Stories for Children Magazine is FREE for everyone. We do hope to go to print with-in the next year or two at which time the print magazine will be a paid subscription. However, I still plan to keep Stories for Children Magazine’s site free by publishing a smaller issue for our on-line readers when we go to print.
You’re also a published author, with many magazine credits to your name and several upcoming book releases. Would you like to tell our readers a little about your works? My writing has been something of a surprise to me. The first submission I ever sent was inspired by my dad’s childhood. He’s a retired pilot and was born with wings. I had first written the story as my sample writing for the ICL to see if I really had what it took to become a children’s writer. After my second assignment I decided to submit a revision of the story to Fandangle Magazine. I guess I still didn’t believe I was cut out to be in children’s writing and felt I needed a rejection to make that clear to me. The funny thing was, Nancy, the editor accepted the story. After that I had two more publications in Fandangle Magazine followed by publications at Vision: A Resource for Writers, KidsMagazine.com, Storybox On-Line, and most recently Pack-O-Fun bought a craft for the June/July 2008 issue. I’ve also written a few articles for my newsletter which has 100 subscribers to-date and for Stories for Children Magazine.
On the book side of things, well does anyone really ever want to say much before they have publication dates?
I will say this much. I have two picture books in the works. They are in the revision stage and I’m working on a novel with another writer. It’s for young adults and my hope is that once I’m done with my part of the novel, my co-author will love it and we’ll see it in print.
Author, editor… and also manuscript critiquer as well. What kinds of manuscripts do you critique, what are your fees, and what can a writer expect from one of your critiques? I critique only children’s writing. I look at short stories, articles, and children’s book in all genres. I’m in a critique group as well as editing accepted submissions for Stories for Children Magazine. I don’t think I ever take off the critiquer hat. LOL.
I don’t charge a lot for a critique. My fee is $15 for 1,000 words or less and then $2 per page after that. When I critique someone else’s work, I look at it two ways. The first way I read the manuscript is as a reader. I love to read children’s books. I hardly ever read an adult genre book. So when I read a manuscript, I look at it as if I picked it off the shelf at the local book store or library. I make my notes from that prospective and then I go back through as an editor. For more information about my critiquing service and testimonials, writers can visit my site at http://vsgrenier.com/critiques.aspx
What mistakes do you keep encountering over and over when you critique other people’s manuscripts?
Formatting is the number one mistake I see as a critiquer and editor. A lot of people want to use fancy fonts or colored text. As a critiquer or editor this is very hard to read. Times New Roman 12pt font is best. Grammar is another area I see lots of mistakes. The most common is the usage of commas, dashes, semi-colons, or quotes. A lot of rules of writing change over the years and if you don’t read current trade magazines or newsletters, then you’re missing some pretty important information. One discussion came up, in an on-line form I was attending, about the use of italics for thought instead of underlining thought on a manuscript. At one time publishers wanted you to underline internal dialogue, but now, a lot of them have you using italics as the preferred way to show internal dialogue or thought. When I critique someone else’s work, I look for all of this on top of spelling, plot, character development, etc. The other big thing I see is pacing. Once you hook your reader you don’t want to lose them with too much detail or slowing in the plot. I see this happening a lot with writers who are in love with descriptive words. Yes you need to be descriptive, but you also need to let your reader use their imagination to fill in some of those blanks. Remember to “Write Tight”. If I wanted to see all the detail to a story, I’ll go watch a movie instead of reading a book. I like painting part of the picture the author starts to draw for me.
The world of children’s book publishing is extremely competitive, with many authors hesitating between trying their luck with a traditional publisher or self publishing. What advice would you offer writers who are oscillating between these two publishing venues? I debate this same question all the time. Self publish, traditionally publish, E-publish, or POD my works. I think you have to first research all avenues and then you have to look at your work and decide, “Why did I want to write this story?” Did I write it to share with my family and friends? Did I write it to be the next New York Times Best Selling Author? Did I write it because I just needed to tell the story? Did I write it because I want to see the smile on a child’s face as they read what I had to write? After that then you need to decide how important it is to get your work out there. POD is something I’m looking into for the Anthology of Stories for Children Magazine. This makes sense because I want to take the best of the best in Stories for Children Magazine and combine it. For my own writing, I’ve looked at E-publishing some of my shorter stories and a more traditional publishing for my picture books and novels. But that is me. Each writer has to do what they feel is best for them and their work. But make sure you research each publisher in any genre of publishing and read the testimonials by those who have used that publisher. And never be afraid to ask someone who has published with a publisher their thoughts about the process.
How do you see the future of children’s book publishing, both traditional, electronic, and print on demand?
I know many younger writers and illustrators believe we are headed to a paperless world of writing. I’ve heard this even back when I was buying clothes for department and specialty stores some 10 years ago. We still have print to this day and I think it will be a long time before we are totally paperless as a society. However, I think a writer would be foolish not to have their hands in both print and E-publishing. I do think POD and self publishing is becoming more common place because it’s so hard to get your foot in the door at the big traditional publishing houses. There are a lot of talented writers who normally would never see their manuscript as a book if it wasn’t for POD or self publishers, but don’t forget the small publishing housings. I do feel all three will always have a place in the children’s book market.
Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
Learn all you can to hone your writing. Never think you don’t have anything else to learn. Each day is a day to learn something new or share something to help another along the road to publication. Join one or more writing groups to network with others who have the same passion in writing. Through networking you become more confident in your work. Make sure to have your work critiqued before sending it out. Join a critique group, partner with another writer as critique buddies, or have a professional critiquer look over your work. Having others read what you have written and giving feedback not only makes you a better writer, but you start to understand how a well written story’s voice captures the reader; drawing them into your world of ink.
0 Comments on Interview with Virginia S. Grenier, Children's Author and Editor of Stories for Children Magazine as of 10/11/2007 10:53:00 AM
Become a member of the Children’s Writers Coaching Club today and tonight you can learn how to write nonfiction for children’s magazines by attending our special teleclass with children’s nonfiction writer Pat McCarthy.
The teleclass starts at 7:00 (CST) and lasts for 55 minutes.
Club members also receive a CD of this recorded event in their membership packets at the end of the month.
McCarthy is the author of over a dozen nonfiction books for kids.
Plus, she has written all sorts of nonfiction - everything from articles to quizzes and puzzles - for a variety of children’s magazines and other publications.
And tonight she’s going to talk to members of the CWCC and offer tips for how they, too, can start writing a variety of nonfiction pieces for the children’s magazine markets.
We also have 2 more special teleclasses planned for CWCC members this month. Plus, members are invited to weekly professional manuscript critique telesessions every month.
If you’re looking for a way to jumpstart your career as a children’s author, what are you waiting for?
Join the Children’s Writers Coaching Club today and get the help you need to make that happen.
As children’s writers, we have a very awesome “job.” A day at the park is never just a day at the park: it is an opportunity to hear dialogue and chatter.
Playing pretend is never “just for kids” because it unleashes the magic of ideas and storytelling. In the world of writing for children, no idea or desire is too silly or too small.
And, in the world of writing for children, there is always an opportunity to share information in a fun and exciting way.
As a children’s writer, I know I have the best job in the world. In order to let myself really flourish, I have to give myself permission to play, pretend, and then, eventually— create!
It isn’t always easy to define my own success and keep the doubts out of my mind. But, then all it takes is this swift reminder, that this is exactly what I want to do!
I have promised myself to behold my passion and embark on my creative journey with determination and with confidence in my dreams! Are you committed to your dreams? What kind of commitment can you make to yourself?
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Visit Sylvia’s Insight for more articles and tips about creativity from Sylvia C.
In today’s busy world, few of us have the luxury to spend hours pursuing a writing dream. There’s no such thing as finding time to write. You have to make the time! As with other priorities, if you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to fit some writing time into your schedule. How do you do this?
First, you need to dispel some of the myths about writing. You don’t need huge chunks of time. Several focused, 15-minute sessions can be very productive over the course of days, weeks, and months. Can you expand that time to half an hour? Even better! Whenever you can squeeze in some time, do it.
Don’t wait for inspiration. One of the greatest myths about writing is that you have to feel fully inspired to write. While inspiration is great, it’s not a prerequisite. Writing is like any other skill. The more you practice, the better you get. Sitting down to write and producing something—anything—is better than not writing at all. Waiting for the muse is a great way to procrastinate and make excuses.
Now that you know two important rules (or non-rules), how else can you make the time to write? The following tips will help you spend more time writing and less time thinking about it.
1. Commit. If you want to be a writer, you have to write, plain and simple. Make writing a priority.
2. Share your commitment with others. Let your family and friends know that writing is important to you. Of course, you need to demonstrate this by writing. Once they see that you are committed, their level of support will likely increase.
3. Realize that some things may have to go, or at least be put aside. Most people can’t do it all. For some, even making fifteen minutes means that something else, such as vacuuming, is going to be put on hold. The house does not have to look perfect.
4. Keep your priorities in perspective. Yes, your children come first. So that means your writing time may need to happen when the kids are asleep. For many writers, this means getting up early, before everyone else, or staying up late after everyone else is asleep.
5. Give yourself mini goals. For some, a page a day is a reasonable goal. For others, it’s 500 words. Figure out a reasonable, yet still challenging goal, and stick to it.
6. Keep writing.
7. Turn off your inner critic. This is the voice that tells you your writing is no good. First, you need to get something on paper (or screen). You can call on this voice later when it’s time to revise. (Many writers find that early morning writing is the best writing time as far as keeping this voice quiet.)
8. Keep writing.
9. Don’t think about “big picture” issues such as whether or not the work will be published and where. This comes later. The top priority is getting those first drafts done. Then you can work on the other stuff (such as revising!).
10. Keep writing
As with other important things in life, writing takes time and effort. However, few things match the satisfaction of setting a goal, sticking to it, and watching your writing grow.
First, I created little of this advice, but I’m afraid I heard it long enough ago that I can’t remember the originator to give him/her credit.
Of all the writing advice, the following nuggets have helped me the most:
1. Listen to children’s audiobooks. By hearing how the best authors capture the readers’ (listeners’) interest and entertain, you’ll improve your own language skills and enjoy yourself at the same time. I listen on my long commute to work, but you can listen to audiobooks while walking (if protected from traffic), while cooking or cleaning, or simply while going to sleep. Free audiobooks are available from the library. Cheap audiobooks are available on Ebay or used on Amazon.com.
2. Join SCBWI - Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. You’ll get a helpful newsletter. More importantly, you’ll learn about informative and inspirational conferences across the United States. The conferences will improve your writing and motivation, and often provide submission opportunities that you wouldn’t have otherwise.
3. When you are ready to submit your work to publishers, there is an advantage to having more than one story or article that you are submitting. I am talking about submitting two different stories to two different editors or sets of editors. Often authors start with one story, their baby, and they send it out and then wait for answers, all answers. Then, when the rejections arrive, they have to fight off depression and despair. BUT, if you have at least two stories “out there” at all times, when all the NO’s come back on one story, all you have to do is convince yourself that the other story SURELY will find a home. And, while you are waiting to hear the news from that second story, send out the first story again, hoping that this time your recipient(s) will seize the golden opportunity to publish it.
4. Don’t give up. Well don’t give up if you really want to be a published children’s author and you are willing to work hard. If you had some vague idea about a story that you think would make a good children’s book and that’s where your interest stops, then forget it. Writing well, whether for kids or adults, is hard work. Achieving some commercial success by getting published and making sales takes a lot of drive and determination. Just don’t quit when you hit your first major setback, or your second or …. Just don’t quit.
5. Make writing friends. Whether you do this through SCBWI or by joining an online writing forum or a critique group, find other people who write for kids. They don’t need to be published, they just need to love children’s literature and have a strong interest in the craft of creating books. There are two reasons for doing this. First you can get a fresh perspective on what you’ve written, from someone who knows something about kids’ books (not your mother). Secondly, you are going to need some morale support in order to achieve number 4.
So why didn’t I tell you to create a great first sentence and funny characters? If you take the advice above, you’ll learn all that and more.
************** About the Author:
Anne Emerick is a children’s author turned publisher. As Aboon Books, she has published her first title, Poster Girl, a chapter book about two girls competing to make the best science poster and the discovery one makes about the other. Anne is also the author of an ebook, Could You, Should You Self-Publish a Picture Book? Both titles are available at http://www.aboonbooks.com. Poster Girl can be purchased from Amazon.com as well.
What a rugged manly hero. And what a rugged manly name to match.
Rhett Butler.
Imagine if he’d been named something else - Percy Sprong perhaps, or Hubert Gribble.
Would his character be just as convincing?
And what if Scarlett O’Hara had been Enid Snirke or Maisie Brittlebanger?
Character names matter. They convey rhythm and flavour and shape. They evoke memories and reinforce the reader’s response.
Inexperienced writers tend to pick names that appeal to them. If Jack and Chloe are top choices in the birth notices, you can bet a lot of characters will be Jack and Chloe.
This is a wasted opportunity.
Why name your antagonist Pete when he can be Slade or Odin?
Who sounds more like a victim - Calvin or Brad?
And who would you rather meet in a dark alley - Gareth or Goober?
Why not call an energetic character Dasha or Mehira rather than something that disappears on the page like Sara?
And isn’t Jinx more evocative than Ruth?
Roald Dahl was a master at naming characters. You can tell he had a lot of fun with it. Augustus Gloop is a gluttonous child. Aunt Spiker is mean and vindictive. Professor Foulbody is dubious. And Miss Honey? Naturally she’s very sweet.
Nicknames create powerful images without an adjective in sight. Who would you prefer on the basketball team– Lofty or Limpy? And who would you rather have in your study group - Crusty’s Gang or the Swot Team?
It really is worth spending some time thinking about your characters’ names to get the right ‘fit.’
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Jill McDougall is the author of over 100 books for children. You can find more writing tips on her website as well as links to hundreds of publishers’ guidelines through her ebook Become a Children’s Writer: Insider Secrets. Visit her website at http://www.jillmcdougall.com.au
Whether you write for children or adults, characters are the driving forces of your stories. What happens to your characters and how they solve their problems are the outlines of plot. A plot can be summarized in three simple questions.
1. What does my character want?
2. What is getting in his/her way?
3. How will my character solve or deal with what is getting in the way?
That’s it.
In order to answer these questions in a way that is compelling and leads to an interesting story, however, you need to know your characters well. Once you have an intimate knowledge and understanding of your characters, you can create interesting roadblocks for them while knowing how they are most likely to respond.
How writers choose to learn about their characters varies greatly. Authors’ personalities are as varied as the characters they write about. Here are some of tools and exercises that writers use.
The Profile A character profile is exactly as it sounds. It profiles everything you know about your character. Not all of this information ends up in the story, but the more you know about your character, the more authentic he or she will come through in the story. A profile can and should contain as many details as possible, such as:
* Physical description, including age
* Where he or she lives
* Favorites and preferences (favorite color, food, chocolate or vanilla, etc.)
* Likes and dislikes
* Hobbies
* Sports
* Occupation
* Family and marital status
A profile is similar to those email questionnaires that circulate among your friends every now and then. If you’ve ever received one of those emails, consider answering the questions about your character instead (whether or not you reply with those answers is up to you!).
The Interview This is similar to the profile, but conducted more like an interview than simply writing a profile. Consider it a “getting to know you” interview. You can talk aloud with your character (yes, many writers do this), or you can write the questions and then answer them as your character rather than yourself.
Write from the Character’s Point of View Get into “character mode” and have your character write about him or her. Invite the character to include as many details as possible. Include the types of information that are listed in the profile or conducted in a “getting to know you” interview. What your character writes may surprise you!
Talk to Your Characters Many writers do this. Yes, it means talking aloud, first as yourself, and then as your character. Allow yourself to “channel” the character so that his or her voice can come through as authentically as possible. If this process inhibits you, consider talking to your characters in places such as your car when you’re driving alone, or turn up some music in your room and hold a quiet conversation. The process can be surprisingly fun, and you may be pleasantly surprised at what you learn.
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Do YOU want to learn to write for children?
The annual children’s writer guide from the Writer’s Institute is now available. 
This week, members of the Childen’s Writers’ Coaching Club are studying point of view and are practicing writing a story from a single point of view. They are also learning how to start the action of the story on the very first page.
Learn the “tricks of the trade” to become a published children’s book author by joining the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club here at the National Writing for Children Center.
by Renee Kirchner, Teaching Tips Contributing Editor
This week’s practice writing assignment was to write a short, short story in The Core of Three. So we’ll be going over those, too.
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Nonfiction need not be dull; it includes a wide range of topics. It can include history, biography, personal essays, personal profiles, sports, biology, geology, geography, holidays … the list really is almost endless. Anything that you find fascinating can be turned into a riveting nonfiction piece for young readers. Also, keep in mind that you can write for whatever age group you prefer, from the youngest toddlers to teens.
Chances are, you won’t be the next J.K. Rowling. After all, she’s the only children’s writer on the planet who makes over a billion dollars from her work.
The really great part about these manuscript critique telesessions is that writers get to TALK to other writers about their work, not simply read comments or suggestions written in the margins of the manuscript.
McCarthy is the author of over a dozen nonfiction books for kids. 
by Sylvia C. Hall, Contributing Editor
by Maurene J. Hinds, Contributing Editor
First, you need to dispel some of the myths about writing. You don’t need huge chunks of time. Several focused, 15-minute sessions can be very productive over the course of days, weeks, and months. Can you expand that time to half an hour? Even better! Whenever you can squeeze in some time, do it.
Anne Emerick is a children’s author turned publisher. As Aboon Books, she has published her first title, Poster Girl, a chapter book about two girls competing to make the best science poster and the discovery one makes about the other. Anne is also the author of an ebook, Could You, Should You Self-Publish a Picture Book? Both titles are available at 
Remember the dashing hero in Gone with the Wind? 