How to use this Page

<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-AU X-NONE X-NONE <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]>

It's been a while since I shared a link to a great writing resource, but I had an email from an old acquaintance today asking for some tips on getting started  as a children's author. Among other advice, I suggested she head over to the SCBWI Australia website.  There, among other resources, she'll find a great series of articles contributed by various SCBWI Australia members on topics including

What do singer/songwriter Sting and a beginning children's writer have in common? A love of words, of course. And, as this article by Helen Brain, published at Suite 101, points out, writers can learn a lot from Sting. Check it out.

As you'll know, if you've been following my blog, I love to write poetry for children. From a quick rhyme to a verse novel, I love the way that poetry allows a depth of expression it's harder to capture in prose. And kids like reading and listening to poetry, too.I find that when I'm busy in my non-writing life, I can often catch ten minutes to write a first draft of a poem, wheras I may not have

If you want to make a career out of writing for children, you should certainly consider writing nonfiction. there are loads of magazines which publish nonfiction for children, as well as thousands of books published each year both by trade publishers and educational ones. Author Fiona Bayrock has a wonderful page of links directing you to loads of advice on all aspects of writing for children.

Another great site to share with you today. Writing World is one one of the most comprehensive sources for quality articles about all aspects of professional writing. The Writing for Children articles cover a wide range of subjects, from writing in rhyme, to figuring out which age group to target, from the Christian market to writing children's nonfiction. A wonderful site to browse and read,

There are so many wonderful online resources for children's writers, but it isn't always easy to work out which ones are worthwhile. Today's hot writing link is to a wonderful list of online resources, compiled by Holly black. What's so great about this list is that Holly has categorised the list so methodically, by using common questions from new writers, and providing the best link or links to

I have to confess I don't do a lot of book signings. It's at least two hours drive to my nearest book shop, and so the opportunity only arises when I travel to present at a festival or such. Still, I know many children's writers DO do book signings, with varying degrees of success. This week author Simon Rose, in his blog Simon Says has an interesting piece full of tips for successful book

Another link to an article you should read if you want to write for children. Today's link is to a blog post on the Children's Writing Web Journal. The post, Writing Page Turning Picture Books was written back in June, and discusses four ways of giving your picture book text the page-turning quality that makes a picture book work. You can read the piece here.

Today's hot link is not just for children's writers, but I think it's a lovely article, well worth a read. If you have not yet had nay publication success, you may wonder if you really ARE a writer. Gay Ingram's article To Be a Writer may put your mind at rest, exploring as it does what it takes to BE a writer. Enjoy!

Another hot link to writing advice. Do you have trouble with creating believable characters? Ian Bone has some excellent advice about creating characters, and even has some exercises for you to try. You can read Ian's paper here Enjoy