“So when are you going to write a real book?” Children’s writers in my audience are probably groaning right now, because this is a question we’ve all been asked at least once. Most of us come back with ... Read More  

I love that word, “process.” Makes it sound like writers know what they are doing, when we’re actually just faking it and hoping no one will notice. Now that I’m working on a fantasy novel, though, I have noticed ... Read More  

As publishers' marketing budgets continue to be slashed, authors are finding that self-promotion is ever more necessary.  One time-honoured way to get the word out is to spend a couple hours in a bookstore, talking to customers as though ... Read More  

Writing a novel is a lot more personal than writing non-fiction. Non-fiction is external – I find and repackage information. Fiction, in contrast, comes from the inside, and sometimes what’s inside is a bit… surprising. When I first started ... Read More  

There are a number of reasons authors choose to publish under a name besides their own.  Perhaps a children's writer has the same name as a queen of erotic romances.  Perhaps a business writer wishes to publish literary fiction, ... Read More  

In Part 1, I talked about factors influencing book sales that the author has little or no control over.  Today, as promised, the Ways In Which You, As The Author, Can Help Rock Your Own Sales Read More  

  When I gave up a career in science to be a starving artist, I knew, without doubt or reservation, that I was doing the right thing.  I also knew it was a thing that would be difficult, if ... Read More  

I’ve blogged before about the importance of fact checking sources when researching nonfiction for kids. This post is about a slightly different research challenge that, in the age of the internet, is becoming a huge problem. I sometimes teach ... Read More  

  Calling all writer friends! Have you read Joseph Campbell’s Hero With a Thousand Faces and Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey yet? If not, you should get on that. Mythic structure is a good starting point for novels, especially fantasies, but both authors ... Read More  

Is this nerdy? Yes. Do I love it from the depths of my nerdy soul? Heck yes! To all my friends attending the SCBWI Summer Conference this week – have an educational, inspiring time! I’ll be over here, trying not ... Read More  

Short post today, because I’m preparing for this afternoon’s Alistair MacLeod Mentorship Reading. I haven’t talked about it on the blog much, but I’m writing my very first novel – a fantasy adventure for ages 10-14. And I was incredibly fortunate ... Read More  

Actually, that’s totally untrue. I know exactly what happened. 1) I had company 2) I finished the first draft of my novel 3) I spent a full day talking about forensics at a local junior/senior high 4) I researched ... Read More  

Never fear, science fans, I have several children’s nonfiction projects in the works. But I’ve also been working on my first high fantasy novel, for ages 10-14, and the process has got me thinking a lot about the intersection ... Read More  

I think there is some kind of unspoken rule about writers and their cats, because an unusually high proportion of us seem to have them. Which means, at least in my case, sharing our workspaces with furry little dictators. ... Read More  

Tech Support is on the road this week (he fixes other people’s tech, too), and last night he sent me this picture from his hotel room: I’m still trying to suss out the reason for this policy. Is popcorn ... Read More  

Yolanda Ridge, the lovely and talented author of Trouble in the Trees and Road Block, has tagged me in the My Writing Process Blog Tour. It’s only natural she picked on me, as I’m pretty sure we are twins ... Read More  

When I was in grad school, I worked part time as a teaching assistant.  One semester, I gave my lab students a vocabulary quiz in the form of a crossword puzzle; they responded with unanimous outrage.  As one put ... Read More  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k1aoLAMRMc   Instead, I’m up to my neck in revisions and photo research for my next project, I signed up for a web conference that I don’t have time to actually take, and my filing cabinet has exploded all ... Read More