This past Saturday three of my fellow critique group members and I visited the exhibit booths at the ALA Conference. Although none of us are librarians, we felt this would be a beneficial field trip from a writer’s perspective since we could see the books coming out in the fall for many big and little [...]

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I am currently working on a proposal for a non-fiction children’s book for my current publisher. Before I delve into the actual research, I need to intensely study the publisher’s format for this type of book. Here are some tips on how to do a beneficial breakdown.   ·   Pick 2 to 3 books from the [...]

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Do you have writer’s block? Kick start your creative brain by picture. Pull out an old magazine or select one from your library’s periodical section. Flip through the pages and pick a picture that captures your eye. Then start writing. Don’t take the time to create character names or plan out intricate plot twists. Just sit down [...]

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My local library has been very good for resources, but limited for the amount of research I need to do for the various articles I write and the background information I need. Thankfully I live in an area where several colleges and universities are within ten to twenty miles from me. Their libraries are stocked with a variety [...]

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I just received my brand new box of business cards. Since my book won’t be out until the Fall of 2009, I had hesitated before. But when I read a recent blog post by a published author that it was a good idea to have some, I decided to take the plunge.      I used an [...]

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