The Kidlit Compass Blog

The “Common Core” – Crisis or Opportunity for Children’s Book Writers?

Emma Walton Hamilton February 5, 2013

There were several recurring themes that emerged at the wonderfully inspiring SCBWI 2013 Winter Conference this past weekend. One was brightening and enriching the lives of children – our readership.…

Would You Like a Query Critique from Me?

Emma Walton Hamilton January 17, 2013

I blogged last week about jump-starting your writing resolutions with Julie Hedlund’s wonderful 12X12 in 2013 program for picture book authors, but here’s some further news that includes yours truly……

Support Your New Year’s Writing Resolutions!

Emma Walton Hamilton January 7, 2013

Here’s a fabulous way to jumpstart your writing goals for 2013! My friend and colleague Julie Hedlund launched the first 12×12 initiative in 2012. Members were challenged to write a…

Writerly Intentions for 2013

Emma Walton Hamilton December 30, 2012

I’ve written here before that I prefer setting goals to making resolutions, because they feel more positive and attainable, less like resolving not to do something and more like committing to a…

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Presenting Your Work

Emma Walton Hamilton November 29, 2012

Does the idea of reading your work in front of an audience terrify you? We’ve been discussing the subject of presenting your work on the Children’s Book Hub this month,…

The Series Series, Part 6: Tracking Plot Details

Emma Walton Hamilton August 5, 2012

When it comes to maintaining continuity of plot details in a series, it can be helpful to create a scene chart or a storyboard for each story as well as…

The Series Series, Part 5: Tracking Settings

Emma Walton Hamilton July 27, 2012

In the last post, we looked at building, developing and maintaining the continuity of characters within a series. Now let’s look at the same thing with respect to setting. The…

The Series Series, Part 4: Continuity

Emma Walton Hamilton July 26, 2012

Despite scrupulous editing, some of the most successful series of all time feature notable inconsistencies. For example, in Eragon, book one of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, the character of Murtagh…