Even though I have spoken nationwide and consulted with firms around the world, children's writing is a totally different animal. It has taken me awhile to absorb and take to heart the wonderful advice and experiences from other published writers. It's not that I don't believe them, nor didn't understand how to implement their good advice. I think there was…
I am bringing Ginger Wadsworth, author of First Girl Scout, and Yosemite's Songster, to our SCBWI Marin County April 18th Marin Meeting at the Depot Bookstore & Cafe in Mill Valley. It seemed that if we're having her for an evening meeting, perhaps she could do a book signing earlier. The Depot thought that was a good idea, so now…
Now that I am back from rehabbing, both on my manuscripts and on my lower back for running, I see they both take the same trajectory. For each, I have a support group of 3 people. Three people in my critique group, and three people for early morning runs along the marsh and bay. Both groups are an endless source…
SCBWI is a wonderful organization of talented volunteers. I am biased. I think our region has among the best. We have some terrific programs starting off the year for writers and illustrators to learn, hone their craft, and get inspired to keep on plugging (as we all know that there is not a lot of money in children's lit unless…
I'm excited about this new assignment - a short article about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I loved the research. I checked out every book from the children's library section in our county - some were good, some were okay, and some were downright boring. How could this be boring? So here is my short list of top…
It's been pretty crazy since our terrific, super crowded conference in October, 2012. I think it took the conference team a month or more to recover. We ended the year with two more fun events in December, one free for members at the lovely, historic Depot Bookstore & Cafe in Mill Valley, and the other event in Walnut Creek featuring…
This article is close to my heart. While I have visited my family over the many, many years they have lived in Australia, it was this article that immersed me into the true depth of the Aboriginal belief system. My family has toured me along many of the wonderful sites in Melbourne, along with the incredible museums. I've viewed Aboriginal…
COMING SOON in FACES magazine, The Dreamtime of Australia’s Aborigines. I collaborated with my sister, Linda Weil, Australian wildlife artist, on this article. What a great opportunity for me to talk with her about this article and her experiences.
I've had one children's manuscript done for a bit. But to get my elevator pitch down to a succinct, compelling, "I want to know more" one or two lines just bedevils me. (October Halloween talk). I write it, practice it, memorize it, rewrite it, re-memorize, and it goes on and on. I love my characters. I should let them give…
Well that tells you right off the bat that there are problems. There are no perfect queries. Yes there are. The queries that sell the manuscripts. So that's it! The query is your short ad or sales pitch, without sounding like you're a sales person. The query road is short, long, winding, and can trap you or free you. There…