I’ve blogged about generosity at conventions, “Is it worth it for a writer to go to IRA?” (or any of the big conventions), setting goals for conventions, and following up afterwards. Now, I just want to take a minute to share some of the fun I had in Vegas. You
My Writing Book of the Day: Letters to a Fiction Writer, edited by Frederick Busch. Letters from great writers like Ray Bradbury, Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor…This isn’t so much a how-to book, but it’s a book full of lessons, to be sure. Quick quote: “The one thing I know about
My Writing Book of the Day: Word Magic, by Cindy Rogers. Forget structure. Forget first drafts. Think specific words and phrases. That’s where magic happens, and Cindy is your guide. The chapter on implication is one of my favorites. Through examples, exercises, explanation, and quotation, you learn how to imply
My Writing Book of the Day: Take Joy, by Jane Yolen. Jane debunks the myth that writers must be miserable. Yay! Because, really, who wants to be around miserable writers? And read their work? Quick quote: “Serendipity is not so simple as luck. It is the result of a conscious
Great Writing Book of the Day: Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury. 10 essays by?one of the most creative minds ever. If you’re not a Bradbury fan, you will be. “What can we writers learn from lizards, lift from birds? In quickness is truth. The faster you
Yesterday, I posted about a retreat/conference I was part of recently. As part of that, I was asked to present a Pick 5 booktalk of 5 great recent poetry books. And I only had 5 minutes. Well, the best way to share a poetry book is to read a poem
I went to the Hubbs Children’s Literature Conference Saturday, which has an audience of mainly librarians and teachers. Here’s a quick slideshow: I debated going. I was exhausted and had work to do. And it’s not aimed at writers, so the practical me wondered, “What will I get out of
Saturday was the Children’s Literature Network’s annual Books for Breakfast event. It was a blast! Here’s a very brief slideshow to give you a taste of what it was like: pictures, laughter, door prizes, food, goody bags, a contest, authors, illustrators, and–most of all–books. Wonderful books! Twenty-five writers and artists
I got home last night from my whirlwind trip to Chicago for NCTE. Wow. I spent Wednesday and Thursday and Sunday with my daughter, Maddie, who came with me for college visits and fun (2 college visits, 2 hotels, 11 miles walked on Thursday, Cloud Gate, Field Museum, shopping on
Did you see the lovely essay in the new SCBWI Bulletin by Diane L. Burns about shaking hands with someone who shook the hand of…It reminded me of this wonderful experience I just had of the chain of encouragement and joy poets build. When I saw poet Tracie Vaughn
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