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A Tense Surprise
In an earlier post about how I sometimes do multiple simultaneous drafts of the same manuscript, I mentioned how a critiquer had suggested trying to rewrite my picture book biography of piano inventor...
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Editing…Without Touching a Word
When writers meet up, one of the first questions parried is, “How’s the writing going?” Recently I had this conversation with another Scriva. Both of us have been overwhelmed with non-writing life, and...
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Conversations with Oneself
What do you know? I was using a writerly tool beloved by some top writers without knowing I was part of a tradition. You yourself may be using this tool too. Or you can consider adopting it, if it...
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NEVER Give Up on a Book You Believe In
When I was pregnant with my second child, who is now 10 years old, I started writing a picture book called Squeaks, Stumps, and Surprises: A Big Brother’s Guide to Life with a New Baby. I was trying to...
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The First Act: Thirds, Fifths, or Sevenths?
Aristotle divided stories into three acts, Elizabethan dramatists preferred five. But exactly how long should the beginning be? Maybe you’ve never worried about how long the first act of your story...
View Article“Make friends with other writers…”
“The right alliances will save your spirit — not to mention your career — during the dark nights of the soul. Spend some time getting to know what you want. It’s a shifting-sands industry, so you’ve...
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Switch It Up
Switch It Up – ONE I read somewhere of a writer who writes at her desk but revises in an armchair. Something like that. And I’ve often read the advice to print out a manuscript when revising it,...
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“I Bought It for the Book”
Recently Scriva Nicole posted her thoughts on engaging in experiences “for the writing,” and I can attest to her enthusiasm…and courage…to practice her own advice. Way to go, Nicole! My variation on...
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Credit where Credit is Due
My newest book The Next Wave: The Quest to Harness the Power of the Oceans just published. Hurrah! Thanks to wonderful Scriva critiques, it is a Junior Library Guild selection and has gotten a starred...
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The Order of Things
(AT LEFT: “Things Organized Neatly” or “Out of Order #1″ by Marianne Viero) Nicole and I started writing together a year or two before Viva Scriva came to be. She was working on a historical novel—and...
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When the ice is thin…
Frozen lake in Algonquin Park (Photo by Voyageur Quest) Currently I am in the very final revisions of a contemporary YA novel called THE WAY BACK FROM BROKEN, which will be published in Fall 2015 by...
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While I’m Sleeping….
Indulge me a moment. I’ve got to add to Sabina’s sentiments and to the gratitude that Liz expressed in her recent post. This is the “little elves” version of a critique group. Do you know Grimm’s fairy...
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Rest, Reflect, and Wait Now. Revise Later.
As the Scriva who is the first to offer a post here for 2015, I suppose it would make sense to talk about new beginnings and resolutions. If you’re looking for that, here’s a link to a thoughtful post...
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Taking a Chapter Break
Shelves in progress. Only waiting for the window seat. This fall, I built a wall-to-wall shelving unit for my office/studio. Complete with power tools, pocket-hole joints, european hinges, doors,...
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Plagiarize, Plagiarize, Plagiarize!
With credit to Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) PLAGIARIZE! Now that I have I caught your attention, let’s clarify. I do not want you to take someone else’s work and pass it off as your own. Nope. Not...
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The Attack of the Brain Snatchers
Here it is, folks, in black and white, like this sign I saw in a store window a block from my writer’s garret. I confess to you that my dream as a writer is to control your mind. While you are reading...
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REVISING SCENES
While revising my middle-grade novel April Fool, I have found Donald Maass’ THE FIRE IN FICTION to be enormously helpful. The whole book is terrific, but I’ve been focused on Chapter 3: Scenes that...
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The Problem with “Butt in the Chair”
I’ve heard at least dozen writers talking about overcoming writers’ block with one simple rule: Sit your butt in the chair. I have two problems with this advice. First of all, I don’t really get...
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Present to Past Tense
Ah, the tense tango continues. You may remember in an earlier post how I rewrote my nonfiction picture book manuscript called THE MUSIC OF LIFE: BARTOLOMEO CRISTOFORI AND THE INVENTION OF THE PIANO...
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How to Deal with a Huge Pile of Comments
Have you ever felt buried under a pile of manuscripts comments? My two critique groups generously agreed to read my whole middle-grade novel April Fool. So I had 10 copies printed and mailed them off....
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