Do you have a writer friend? Have you ever tried to write a joint story, or ever wanted to? Over the past four months, my friend Anneka Freeman and I have been cranking out a first draft for a dual project (mostly just for fun, but we’ll see). Keeping separate copies of the story on separate hard drives can get messy, so we opted to use Google Docs (even though we are both avid Scrivener fans). Below are some of our tips for how to use Google Docs to the max! Make a System The most important principle to any...
A friend recently contacted me with this query: I need some book recommendations for my daughter. She is 15, an avid reader and enjoys historical fiction or fantasy books. She also loves classics like Pride and Prejudice and light humorous stories like Anne of Green Gables. Preferably long and in a series. Little did she know what she was getting into! By the end of the evening, I had scoured my shelves and my Goodreads lists to come up with 25 books for her daughter. Then I thought, “Hey, there are other teens out there who like fantasy and history and might appreciate this list....
I’m a huge fan of commissioning artists whenever I hit a milestone in my writing. That’s why I made a whole list guide of some rad artists currently open for commissions over on The Great Noveling Adventure. It’s really fun to see your characters come to life in art! Today I decided to take a trip down memory lane and pull out some of my favorite commissions from years gone by. The vast majority are by my incredibly talented sister, Laura Hollingsworth, in exchange for slavery services. She’s a freelance illustrator–go check her out! There’s also one by the amazing Lora Innes,...
You’ve finished your first or second draft. Huzzah! Your plot is fairly intact, your characters’ arcs are in order, and you’re ready to begin revising hardcore. At this point, I like to pull out my friend the chapter revision checklist. After years of revising, trying not to forget any key elements, I finally sat down and put this together. Now whenever I pull out my pens and start tearing into chapters, I have this beside me to make sure I have my bases covered. Click the picture to get the full size. Or click here for a print-friendly black and...
Last spring, the Roman Baths Museum in Bath, England, approached my MA program and asked the students to write short stories about the Beau Street Hoard—a real live treasure hoard discovered across the street. The museum wanted to make the discovery exciting for kids, so they turned to us to come up with short stories about how the hoard came to be buried. I was super excited about this project. I love historical fiction and I love the Roman Baths. But when I sat down to write a story in no more than 2000 words, about a time period I...
There are approximately 24,594 articles and blog entries out there about traditional vs. indie publishing, so if you’re looking for that debate this post won’t help you much. Instead, I’ve focused on hunting up some good links to give you the low-down on what you might need to know about how traditional publishing works. From publishing house basics to tips on researching literary agents, these links will help you get educated about the traditional publishing journey. Enjoy! 1. How a Book Gets Published For a first time author, a book generally starts with a completely finished and polished manuscript for...
I thought I’d take a little trek down Memory Lane via Sentimental Highway and talk a bit about my writing journey. My family has a home video of me at age three telling a story in an unintelligible Southern accent about pink dogs (my mom translates in the video, which is the only reason we can understand it now). So basically: I’ve been telling stories since I could talk. Growing up, Dad read to me and my siblings every night—you know, the light stuff like Lord of the Rings (three times between the span of me being 7-13) and Once...
My sister, the writer/illustrator for The Silver Eye, put together a list of questions to ask her character couples. I’ve tidied them up, added a few of my own, and present them now for your brainstorming usage! Character chemistry is one of the most important elements in a story. These questions can help you flesh out your couple’s/couples’ relationship(s), find some hidden details to use in your tale, and discover more about your characters in the process. Though the list is written in the past tense, I’ve found it really helpful for planning upcoming scenes and matchmaking possibilities. Enjoy! Basic Information What...
Last July, I volunteered to co-edit the Bath Spa University MA Writing for Young People anthology with Irulan Horner. I don’t think either of us realized quite how much work we’d be doing, though we were warned. Over the last ten/eleven months, I’ve worked from afar extensively with our mail-out team, developed a website and social media strategy with Lindsay Schiro, and edited, edited, edited the little book that became Beautiful Lies. (Also, I’m going to humbly approach the #bragtable and mention that the title was my idea – based on a David Almond quote – and I am very...
As many of you probably know, for the past ten months I’ve been co-editing for Bath Spa University’s anthology, Beautiful Lies. Nineteen writers, nineteen stories for young people. We launch in London on 12 May, and while you’re reading this I’ll be landing in England. It’s exciting times! One of the things I love to do is creating quote graphics. It’s a fun design exercise and an exciting way to visually explore creative writing. So when I sat down with Lindsay Schiro to brainstorm ideas for our social media team, I suggested we take a page from publishers’ social media–erm–books. Often publishers will post...
