Institute for Children’s Lit | Cathy C. Hall Writes

Let’s say you are having a writing meltdown…the kids are demanding dinner, you have a brilliant plot idea but no idea where the idea is going, and you just saw a rejection pop up in your inbox. Quick! You need some serious writer’s first aid!

And I know just where you can get it! Kristi Holl’s written a wonderful book called More Writer’s First Aid ( Yes, there was the first Writer’s First Aid) and it’s jam-packed with all sorts of ideas to help you get your writing and yourself back on track.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. You can zip over to the Hall of Fame today and get some of Kristi’s delightful inspiration. She answered a few questions that will help you through your writer emergency. And you might even win her book!

You know you need More Writer’s First Aid in your medicine chest of hope. So what are you waiting for? Go find Kristi and her lovely book. And please comment here for a chance to win.

Now, get the peanut butter out and fix that dinner!

If you want others (and by others, I mean editors, publishers, and potential readers) to believe in you as a children’s writer, you’ve got to believe in yourself first.

So invest in your writing and give yourself a few gifts this year. That’s right. I said give yourself. Because you know what you need to make your writing better in 2010. And you just can’t afford to wait around any longer!

Do you need some serious writing support? Join a professional organization like the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. SCBWI can help you meet other children’s writers in your area, get the scoop on important conferences, and provide tons of writing information on the members only website.

Could you use some help with the sticky ins and outs of children’s writing? Take that class you’ve been debating about forever. Even if you’ve been writing for a long time, a specialized class can help you learn (and climb!) the ropes. The Institute of Children’s Literature offers a great class, with detailed one-on-one instruction.

Buy a children’s market book, get a manuscript professionally critiqued, attend a conference, enter your work in a contest. You already know what you need to do. Isn’t it time you believed in yourself enough to do it?!

(Hoping your writing heart will find what will keep you believing this holiday and throughout the year!)