Announcing the Children’s Book Hub!
I’ve been hinting about this for some time… and here it is: I am very excited to announce a brand new center of information, resources and support for children’s book authors – The Children’s Book Hub! The Children’s Book Hub is a membership-based ‘virtual salon,’ featuring lively, ongoing discussion about writing and publishing for children [...]
Writing Goals for the New Year
I prefer setting goals to making resolutions. Somehow they feel more positive and attainable, less like resolving not to do something and more like committing to a new behavior or action. One of the most powerful ways to get something done is to establish the goal first. The simple act of committing a goal to [...]
The Nativity of Our Ideas
Many people around the world will be celebrating the birth of a babe in a manger this evening and tomorrow. Not the most auspicious spot to be born in, nor the best of timing, or circumstances… but that didn’t stop the child from arriving, or from growing up to do some fairly impressive things. So [...]
Answers to Your Questions About Writing Children’s Books – Tonight at 7!
This is just a quick post to invite you to join me TONIGHT at 7 PM EST for a FREE question and answer phone call during which I will be answering your questions about writing children’s books! Here are the details: EVENT: Children’s Book Author Q&A Call with Emma DATE & TIME: Tuesday, December 14th [...]
Rx for Gift-Shopping Woes: Books and Journals
At the risk of belaboring a subject, here is yet another reason why books make the best gifts. A recent article in Ode magazine states that, “science is starting to prove what readers and writers have long known: Words can help us repair and revitalize our bodies as well as our minds.” As a result, [...]
Great Books That Inspire Writing
Building on my last post about books that inspire reading, here are some of my favorite books that celebrate and/or support writing, for children and adults: The Best Story by Eileen Spinelli Author: A True Story, by Helen Lester Spilling Ink: A Young Writer’s Handbook, by Ellen Potter and Anne Mazer Ish by Peter H. [...]
Maintaining Sanity, Focus and Productivity During the Holidays
Writing is hard enough. On any given day I wrestle with hundreds of distractions – some real, like my children’s needs or my other professional commitments, some self-imposed, like checking email or needing snacks. But when the holidays roll around, maintaining any level of productivity is a challenge of epic proportions. Between the shopping, wrapping [...]
Gratitude
Every night before bed, my children and I go through a list of things, people or events of the day for which we are grateful. No matter how stressed (or how uneventful) a day may have been, it seems we can always find things to be grateful for. It’s often said that our outward experiences [...]
What’s in a Title?
One of my students asked a question this week about coming up with good book titles. It got me thinking. In my view, good titles are: Catchy – They play with language, use alliteration, rhyme or rhythm, have a sense of humor, rather than just describing the events of the story. What if Where the [...]
The 3 Little P’s of Picture Books
Writing a good children’s book is hard. Selling one to a publisher is even harder. Getting it bought, and read – by librarians, booksellers, and most of all, kids – is the hardest of all. The best children’s book authors are masters of economy and action, which can take a lifetime of study and practice [...]
