Many of you who read this blog may also be writers or aspiring children’s authors. Some of you may be interested in taking some online writing courses to learn an aspect of the writing business you didn’t know before. WOW! Women On Writing offers several online workshops in a variety of subjects from finding an agent to writing picture books and screenplays! You can check out all the listings here on the classroom page.
I am teaching five classes for WOW! Here’s the information:
This is the perfect class for someone who wants to start blogging or someone who has started and needs some oompf added to her/his blog. I’ve had students who knew nothing to students who had been blogging for years but had become uninspired.
September 14: SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR WRITERS: TWITTER, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN AND MORE!
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/WOWclasses.html#MargoDill_SocialNetworking
If you want to learn how to use the 3 social networking giants for marketing purposes and to get more exposure for you as a writer, then this class is for you.
Also if you are looking for some inspiration for your writing this summer instead of a class, I highly recommend this book, which I just love and look at from time to time: The Literary Ladies Guide to the Writing Life by Nava Atlas. There’s more information about this book at this post on my blog.
Here’s an article I wrote for a post on WOW! Women On Writing’s blog, The Muffin. I am teaching a blogging course for them starting on April 29. If you are interested, check it out here. Now on to the article:
Comment Sense: Using Comments to Build Your Blog Readership
One thing blog owners seem to wonder is: Where are my readers?
They ask themselves these questions: Is anyone actually reading this blog? If so, what do they think? If not, how do I drive readers to my blog?
One way to answer all of these questions is with comments.
If you want to make a blog owner happy, leave her a comment. There’s nothing like reading a comment on your blog from a new or old friend–it just shows someone out there somewhere is actually reading and has an opinion on what you have to say. Why do you think there are so many contests where the way to enter is to leave a comment and the winner is chosen from the readers who left their two cents on the post? So besides having a comment contest to get readers to your blog, how can you use comments to work for you?
1. Leave comments on other blogs in your same area. For example, if you have a blog on gardening, then find other blogs on gardening, leave a thoughtful comment along with your blog address, and wait. Chances are, that blog owner will visit your blog and perhaps even start a dialogue with you. Maybe you can start a conversation in the comments section of this gardener’s blog. The more people who see you and your wisdom on this gardener’s blog, the more they might also want to visit you on your blog.
2. Answer and respond to comments. If someone leaves you a comment, you must respond and/or answer him or her, especially if there were any questions asked. It is your job as blog owner to make sure these questions are answered and addressed. If you become known as an expert in your field as well as very helpful, then you will grow readership. People will come to you for the material on your blog. If they have a question, you can answer it.
3. Visit other people’s blogs who leave comments on yours. Most bloggers leave their URL in some way when they comment. A few times a week, you should visit the blogs of these bloggers and leave comments on their posts. It is the best way to get your name in front of other people and your blog to attract new readers. It also shares you care about your readers and want to support them.
If you have a blog, then you know how important comments are to bloggers. So, spread the love around, and make some comments today.
This post originally appeared on “The Muffin”, WOW! Women On Writing’s blog on March 13, 2011. I am teaching a Middle Grade novel writing class for WOW! in May. (Details following this post.)
Middle grade novels are fun to write, and I believe there are two reasons why. The first is that the readers, which are generally between the ages of 9 and 12, love to read. They love the characters, the series, and the writers. They can devour books like no other. When I taught fifth grade, some of my students would finish a book a day. They’d go home and read, read, read. Remember those days?
The second reason why middle grade novels are so much fun is the characters. I LOVE middle grade characters. Take the series by Gennifer Choldenko pictured here. How can you not fall in love with Moose from page one? There are famous characters like Margaret from Judy Blume’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret or Stanley Yelnats from Holes. And there are even money makers like Harry Potter. The wonderful thing is the characters are complex, lovable, flawed, brave and usually under 12–an age we all couldn’t wait to grow out of, but an age we want to go back to if we could.
What characteristics does a middle grade main character need?
They can be a boy or a girl, and they should be about 11 to 13. Kids like to read about kids their same age or older, as a rule (of course, there are always exceptions). If you are a new author, try to follow this rule. In my middle grade novel Finding My Place, my main character Anna is 13 and her younger brother is 11. I hope to appeal to both boys and girls with these two characters.
But besides age and gender, I think that readers are looking for ordinary kids who can do extraordinary things with their ordinary talents. Look at Harry Potter. Even though he’s a witch, we don’t love him because of that. We love him because he is smart, brave, and good. He stands up against the fiercest evil and wins, again and again, and for his family and his friends. That’s chivalry. That’s what kids want.
If you are writing a middle grade novel, one of the best things you can do is read other middle grade novels. Look at the main characters. Make a list of their personality traits and why they are so likable. Then look at your character. How does he or she measure up?
What are some of your favorite middle grade characters and why?
Join Margo Dill on May 11 for her online class, Writing the Middle Grade Novel. To see a syllabus and sign up, check out the class listing. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Margo at margo (at) wow-womenonwriting.com.
