Blog Archives

SWEET DREAMS: GOOD NIGHT

8/22/2022

TITLE: Sweet Dreams: Good Night
AUTHOR: Brittany Herrera
PUBLISHER: Independent
FORMAT: Paperback
PRICE: $9.50
ISBN-13: 979-8729248216

Little Ally doesn’t want to go to bed. Every night, Mommy hears the same excuses. You can hear Ally cry, “Mommy, I want a drink of water!” Or, “Mommy, I need the potty!”

In this adorable picture book, Mommy teaches Ally a way where she can sleep and have fun, too. Mommy tells Ally that she can go on any adventure she wants. She also tells her little girl that in her dreams, Ally can be a princess, pirate, cowgirl, or anything she wants to be!

If your a little one who doesn’t like bedtime, take a cue from Ally’s mother. Tell him or her about the fun that will happen in their dreams.

If you’d like to purchase Sweet Dreams: Good Night, you can find this picture book on Amazon.

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WHY ARE CRITIQUE GROUPS IMPORTANT TO A WRITER?

8/15/2022

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Why are critique groups so important? It’s usually suggested that you join one, but how do you find one? What kind should you join? How will it improve your writing?

A critique group will improve your writing
It’s true. They will in many ways! In critique groups, there’s usually a schedule to follow. A person submits his or her story on a certain day and they critiques have to be in by the end of the week. This isn’t always the case. Some groups have two people submit and those critiques have to be in by the end of the week. Why? The reason for this is simple. It prepares the writer to write for a deadline.

You will get honest feedback and suggestions from the other members, and this is so important! Your fellow critiquers can help you see problems in your story that you’ve missed. Writers live in their own solitary world. I can’t say it’s lonely since you always have your characters talking to you in your head. I know. That sounds crazy, but it’s true. Your critique group can help you improve your manuscript with their feedback. Thus, you’re pulled back into reality. Because of the other member’s honest feedback, you’ll be able to catch your mistakes more easily.

It’s Fun
It really is fun! You develop friendships with the other members that can go beyond the critique groups. Writers live in their own solitary world. I can’t say it’s lonely since you always have your characters talking to you in your head. I know. That sounds crazy, but it’s true. Developing a friendship with another writer is a precious thing.

You can discuss writing with other writers
That’s right! Talking to another writer is priceless! Yahoo Groups are chat enabled so you can talk to each other. I’m not sure about Google Groups since I’ve never been in one. Currently, I’m in one called Kidlit Connect and we meet on Webex. Which means it’s a lot like meeting on a Zoom call. Really, it’s exactly like that since we can see and hear each other in real time.

What kind of critique groups are there and where can I find them?
I guess you already know that there are two kinds of critique groups. There are the physical ones. They’re the ones you’ll find in your local libraries and bookstores. My town used to have one in the local library, but the group hasn’t existed for years. I wish it was still there. In these physical ones, you read your story to the others and get feedback right away. You’re face-to-face with other people. Or maybe that group has a unique set of rules where the person, whose turn it is to submit their story, prints up enough copies for every member to peruse carefully. In either instance, there are usually snacks and a social period after the meeting. As I mentioned before, there are groups like the one I’m currently in who meets over real time. Another great place to start is Kidlit 411.

If your town doesn’t provide a physical group, there’s no reason you can’t belong to a critique group. They abound on the internet. You might have to try several groups before you find one that’s the perfect fit for you. Where can you find these online critique groups? You can do this easily by going to your favorite search engine and typing in “Children’s Critique Groups.” You’ll get a long list of groups. Or go to Yahoo and scroll down to groups (this is on the left side of Yahoo’s homepage. Once you click on “groups” that takes you to a page where you can search for a children’s critique group. You can do the same thing on Google. Go to their homepage and click on Google groups. All that’s missing in the online groups are the snacks.

I mentioned my Kidlit Connect group on Webex. It’s exactly like a physical site except we meet online in real time. We upload our stories so everyone can print a copy out. Also, like physical groups, we read our stories online and get fantastic feedback! Can you tell I love this group? If you’re interested in joining me there you can for a minimal cost, that is. Just email Dayna Ault (our fearless leader) at dayna.ault.author@gmail.com.

One last thing
Critique groups also give you an advantage over other writers. You’ve already had several other sets of eyes scrutinize your work and they haven’t.

So, whatever kind of critique group you decide to join, physical, online, or both, stay a while to make sure it’s the right group for you. There are a few ways you can do this. Ask yourself these questions: Am I learning something here? Is the group schedule to much for me to handle? Do the other members take the time to explain their suggestions? Am I comfortable here? Are the other members encouraging? Is there a risk of anyone stealing my ideas? This question should be able to be answered by the moderator. If you can’t answer yes to any or some of these questions, it’s time for you to find another group. When you find the perfect group for you, you’ll be able to answer yes to these questions and more!

Why are critique groups so important? It’s usually suggested that you join one but how do you find one? What kind should you join? How will it improve your writing?

A critique group will improve your writing
It’s true. They will and do in many ways! In critique groups there’s usually a schedule to follow. A person submits his or her story on a certain day and they critiques have to be in by the end of the week. Some groups have two people submit and those critiques have to be in by the end of the week. Why? The reason for this is simple. It prepares the writer to be able to write for a deadline.

You will get honest feedback and suggestions from the other members, and this is so important! Your fellow critiquers can help you see problems in your story that you’ve missed. Writers live in their own solitary world. I can’t say it’s lonely since you always have your characters talking to you in your head. I know. That sounds crazy, but it’s true. Your critique group can help you improve your manuscript with their feedback. Thus, you’re pulled back into reality. Because of the other member’s honest feedback, you’ll be able to catch your mistakes more easily. This improves your writing greatly.

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Stella: The Shark Who Loved Treasure

8/8/2022

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TITLE: Stella: The Shark Who Loved Treasure (4th book in the Ocean Tales series)
AUTHOR: Sarah Cullen, Carmen Ellis
PUBLISHER: Thorpe-Bowker
ISBN-13: 9780645365054
FORMAT: Paperback
PRICE: $10.95

In this latest edition of the Ocean Tales series, Stella learns just how much fun it is to share and the great feeling you get from it!

Stella loves trinkets. In fact, she has a whole chest full of trinkets that she’s gathered in the past. She really wants one more jewel and Stella promises herself it will be the last one she’ll collect. The Rose of the Sea is in a chest, in a sunken ship, and on the bottom of the sea. She enlists two of her friends to help her in her quest. Will they find The Rose of the Sea? What will Stella do after she gets the jewel?

This book is the perfect addition to your child’s library! He or she will delight at this story in rhyme. If you’d like to buy your child a copy of Stella: The Shark Who Loved Treasure, you can find it on Amazon.

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MAKE IT FLOW!

8/1/2022

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What is flow and what does it have to do with writing? Flow is simple. It’s also known as cohesion. According to The Writing Center of Gustuvas College, it’s the seamlessness of one sentence flowing into another. There should be no changing of the subject in a paragraph. The sentences should flow or run together seamlessly into one another without jerking the reader around. The changing of a paragraph should be done the same way with a transition, so your flow doesn’t break up and jerk your readers around.

Start your transition to your next paragraph by making your last line in the earlier paragraph about what you want the next paragraph to be. For example, they last sentence in your first paragraph could be something like: “They had to climb the mountain to arrive at their destination.” The next paragraph would show them climbing the mountain, stepping over or around obstacles in their way. Maybe the obstacle is an attacking mountain lion? This would be a surprise for the reader. It would also be a plot twist since fighting your main character is fighting the mountain lion. That would hinder the climb over the mountain, but the flow or cohesion hasn’t broken since they’re still climbing that mountain.

Look at the picture of the river above. See how the river flows without breaking? It gently makes it way to the ocean flowing over rocks and other obstacles in its way. Now, imagine that you’re rowing a boat down that river. The river doesn’t jerk you around at all. In your rowboat, you gently and seamlessly flow down the river passed the woods on the riverbank. What happens when the river comes to a rock in the river does it stop its flow? No. It takes a detour by going around the rock or splashes over it. I like to think of this as putting a twist in the plot.

The same can be done with chapters with one small difference. The end of a chapter should be like the season finale of a TV show. You can’t wait for the next season to start to see what happens next. End your chapter the same way you do a paragraph but with something jaw dropping. So, your reader keeps turning those pages. That’s what you want them to do!

At the end of this post is a video I found on the subject that I hope will help you.

For more information see:
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/flow/

Five Ways to Make your Writing Flow Better
http://waldenwritingcenter.blogspot.com/2013/12/five-ways-to-create-flow-in-your-writing.html

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