Author Archives

Cathy C. Hallhttps://cathychall.wordpress.com/I write, write, write. Then I rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. THEN I submit all those polished-up words out into the world and sell 'em. It's a plan that's worked pretty well.

The Writer Mama’s Give-Away is Back!

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You know how I love the freebies. And that’s why I love The Writer Mama’s Back-to-School Giveaway! Every day during September, Christina Katz gives away a book, or several books, or a subscription, or an e-book, or…well, I don’t know all the goodies she has lined up, but if you check out her blog, I’m sure she’ll tell you all about it.

Last year, I won two e-books which I thoroughly enjoyed. And this year, I aim to win me something good, again. And read words of wisdom from writers all over the world.

So, check out Christina’s give-away. You don’t have to be a mama; you just have to be a writer who’d like to win big!

Finding Something Friday…Oh, Look! It’s Cheryl Klein on Writing Children’s Books

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You know what I really love about the Decatur Book Festival? I LOVE that a literary editor like Cheryl Klein comes all the way to Georgia to present a workshop. And that I get to hear her wonderful words of wisdom at a heavily discounted rate. Okay, it was free. How awesome is that?

Cheryl (yeah, we’re on a first name basis now) is an editor with Arthur A. Levine (an imprint of Scholastic Books). You might recognize her name in connection with the Harry Potter books. But, she’s edited quite a few other notable books. And she shared some stories about editing these top-sellers, as well as what she looks for in a great manuscript.

So, if you want to impress Cheryl, you need to have a story with great characters. Creating real characters can make or break that manuscript. She wants a plot and a theme, and she wants that plot to support the theme. And if you want more details (because honestly, I’m just giving the bare bones here. I mean, Cheryl talked for two hours…) you can visit her website here and read her talks where she expounds on all the above.

Tons of great information from a funny, smart editor, courtesy of the Decatur Book Festival. Seriously, how awesome is that?