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My Books
Gabby’s Secret
Back cover: Third-grader Gabby Honeycutt is devastated when her teacher asks... read more
Hook Me: What to Include in Your First Chapter
You only have one chance to hook an editor or agent with your first chapter.... read more
Altared Plans
The perfect day. The perfect marriage. The perfect groom. WHAT COULD GO WRONG?... read more
writing for children
He Said, She Said: Dialogue Tags
Many new writers complain that using “said” is too boring. They want to liven up their writing with new and different tags. The problem with using tags other than “said” is that 1) they call attention to themselves and draw …
Posted in Writing Fiction, writing a novel, writing for children
Tagged dialogue tags, fiction, fiction writing, Writer, writing a book, writing a novel, writing dialogue tags
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Creating a Character’s Backstory Part 1
A character’s backstory is important to your story. You won’t use all that you create as the character’s backstory, but knowing it will help you create deeper, more interesting characters.
Posted in Characters, Writing Fiction, writing a novel, writing for children
Tagged character backstory, creating characters, writing, writing a book, writing a novel, Writing Fiction
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Purple Prose
What exactly is purple prose and why should you avoid it? Purple prose can be defined as overwriting, using flowery language, and making the writing so complicated it’s hard to even understand it. Purple prose calls attention to the writing …
Posted in Writing Fiction, writing a novel, writing for children
Tagged fiction, Purple prose, writing a book, writing a novel, Writing Fiction
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Writing Ideas
I’m often asked where I find my ideas. My picture book, Grasshopper Pie, was based on an experience I had when my children tried to feed me a live grasshopper. I tweaked the experience enough to make it an interesting …
Writing Goal for Your First Draft
Someone once said that a goal not written down is only a wish. In order to achieve goals, it’s important to write them down and then make yourself accountable for those goals, especially when it comes to writing. It’s easy …
Posted in Writing Fiction, writing a novel, writing for children
Tagged daily word count, first draft, Writer, writing, writing a novel, writing ficiton, writing goals
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