Tag Archives: Children’s Writing

Bring On The Write Stuff at Kidlit 411

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party-hatsI’m not one to do much wild and crazy partying on my birthday, but I am all about celebrating other folks’ birthdays. And when those folks happen to be a wild and crazy bunch of kidlit writers who are giving away prizes…well, it’s bring in da noise and bring in da (writer) funk, ’cause I am down with winning prizes!

They’re having a birthday bash over there at Kidlit 411 (it started yesterday with a HUGE giveaway of all things picture book related!) and it continues through tomorrow (January 7th). If you want to win, you have to jump on the rafflecopter giveaways before January 15th.

And after you sign up for everything–and join everything Kidlit 411-related–then zip over and check out all the resources offered by this amazingly talented bunch of writers from the children’s world of literature. Many of them have their own blogs, of course, and you’ll want to catch up with them (and read their lovely books!). So even if you don’t win a party prize, you’ll still be a winner, enjoying the support of this terrific kidlit community.

(And P.S. I sorta told a fib. I kinda do par-tay on my birthday, and it gets a little noisy and a bit funky town. But I don’t give away any great prizes. Unless you count the booby prize. I pretty much win that every year.)

Tuesday Tip(s): Writing a Children’s Series and SCBWI

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I don’t expect everyone loves research, but for me, it’s the thrill of the hunt on the way to the treasure. And I love to pick up gems as I go.

Here’s a post I found in my search for info on editor Diane Landolf (Random House). This little gem, with all kinds of great information on writing a series for children, is courtesy of the SCBWI in Metro New York. I love a post packed with tips and this one is brimming. I also love a succinct post, and this one nails that, too. So if you have a few minutes, you can learn a little something something about series writing and what editors look for in this area.

If you have a few more minutes, you might want to read a few of the feature articles provided by the lovely folks in the Metro New York SCBWI. You’ll find tips from agents, tips on query writing, tips about setting, tips on the digital age. All succinctly written and provided for your perusal.

And here’s my last tip. SCBWI chapters all over the country have swell websites, packed with tips. Many (including my chapter, Southern Breeze), provide an online magazine with all kinds of writing-for-children information. Some, like Metro New York, update a blog regularly for even more tips. And if you’re a member of SCBWI, you’ll have access to even MORE information and tips. Not to mention the opportunity to meet some of the finest children’s writers around.

I mean, as treasure goes, SCBWI is worth its weight in gold.

Start August With Writing Fun

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I cannot believe it’s already August, but calendars don’t lie (they do, however, mock you) so we need to get down to some writing business. Happily, it’s writing funny business!

I saw where Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader is having an Inanimate Object Photo Caption Contest. How fun is that? You only need to come up with a caption. Just a couple of brilliant words. That’s easy enough for the beginning of the end of summer, right? So take a look at the examples (I laughed out loud at the drunk octopus), grab your cameras, and start clicking and captioning.

I also saw that Pockets is having their Fiction Contest once again, and that should be fun if you’re in the mood to write a children’s story. Or maybe you have a story that just needs a bit of polishing before you send it out. Or maybe you’re going to take the story that you sent to the last Pockets Fiction Contest, change the names, and try again.

Or maybe that’s just me. Anyway, take a look at their Writer’s Guidelines to get a feel of the Pockets kind of story and get ‘er done before the 15th.

And extra points (and a bronze medal, at least) if you can get those done while watching the Olympics.