1 – Page 186 – Cathy C. Hall Writes

The February issue at WOW!Women-on-writing is all about Children’s writing! This month, WOW! talks to a bunch of children’s writers (wonder if there’s a name for a bunch of writers? I mean, witches,whales, and warships have group names. Shouldn’t writers?) who happily share their writing wisdom.

I love hearing tales from the writing trenches, and how-to tips, too. And I love asking writers questions and sharing their answers. So, I was thrilled that WOW! used my interview with Eve Heidi Bine-Stock! You can find out what Eve had to say in “Twenty Questions with Eve Heidi Bine-Stock.”

Eve has written three books on how to write children’s picture books, and I read and enjoyed each book. She uses lots of diagrams (very visual!) and examples from children’s books (very literary!) to explain all those techniques that look so easy (but are so, so hard!).

Check out my article for some great how-to tips, courtesy of Eve. But don’t stop there! Read the entire issue and soak up all that writerly wisdom from the wrabble (I’m coining that term for a group of writers. What d’you think?).

Congratulations to Irishoma! She won the autographed copy of Writer Mama by Christina Katz in my Sharing the Love Giveaway. So shoot me an email and send your address and I’ll send your fantabulous book right away.

Thanks to all the writers who shared their thoughts and maybe you’ll win the next time I give away a book. I’ve developed an incredibly high-tech method I employ when picking winners. I call it the “Beneficent Mr. Hall Picks a Winner Out of the Colander” method. It’s not copyrighted or anything, so feel free to use it if you ever have a giveaway contest. Here’s a picture, just so you can get the complete nuances of the whole system.

Notice the intricate slots of the plastic colander. I suppose you could use a steel colander, but I really prefer plastic for its lightness. Notice, too, that the slips of paper (torn, not cut) have been folded and placed carefully in the bowl of the colander. As far as the beneficent Mr. Hall goes, I guess you could substitute with a person of your own as long as he/she was truly beneficent. However, Mr. Hall has a certain je ne sais quoi that’s hard to duplicate with your ordinary beneficent person. I mean, when he picks a winner, that person really feels like she (or he) has won something!

And you know, I feel like I’ve won something myself during the Giveaway. I took the opportunity to read some new writers’ blogs and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I’ve shared Donna’s Book Pub with you; she always has some contests or markets. But you can also read what Krysten’s been up to over at Brunch at Tiffany’s. And Jules tells some awfully funny stories over at Weekly Jules. GaWebSpinner is building a blog filled with her haiku, free verse, and other poetry forms I’ve never tried (and honestly, I’m not sure how to pronounce them. But I’m intrigued, as Tim Gunn would say).

So, I found a few laughs, some inspiring writing tips, and a method for picking prize winners. Makes me want to give away another book right now. (But maybe I should finish reading it first!)