This post was first published on the Epic Eighteen blog. There are many excellent resources available for picture book writers and illustrators: classes, challenges, workshops, online writing communities, writing organizations, and blogs. The small sampling listed below have all helped me along my writing journey: CLASSES: Children’s Book Academy – Dr. Mira Reisberg offers many… Read more »
This interview was first published on Lydia Lukidis’s blog. Lydia Lukidis – Can you describe the journey to publication for this book? Melissa Stoller – My debut picture books were published in 2018! First, SCARLET’S MAGIC PAINTBRUSH, illustrated by Sandie Sonke, and then READY, SET, GORILLA!, illustrated by Sandy Steen Bartholomew. Callie Metler-Smith, publisher at… Read more »
This post first appeared on the Children’s Book Academy blog. Cheers to Winter 2020! Here are some suggestions to help generate story ideas during the winter season. Use your five senses as inspiration as you develop characters, plots, obstacles and twits for your latest manuscripts. 1) SIGHT – Take a winter walk in your neighborhood…. Read more »
This post was first published on the Children’s Book Academy blog. Many people use gratitude practices in their daily lives to celebrate large and small victories, help move past obstacles, and feel connected to themselves and others. Here are a few tips for starting a writing gratitude practice. You can take note of these points… Read more »
This post first appeared on the Children’s Book Academy blog. Last month, I posted about finding writing ideas in winter. Now that you have hopefully identified several ideas, what’s next? Review some of your notes and then take one idea through this process: Brainstorm the idea – What thoughts come to mind? What plot… Read more »
This post was first published on the Children’s Book Academy blog. While it’s still technically the summer season in New York where I live, for me it’s back-to-school time for my children. And that means it’s back to my regular writing routine. Writing and revising beckon, but I’ll also be setting aside time for brainstorming… Read more »
This post was first published on the Children’s Book Academy blog. It’s already mid-August! The days are flying by. Here are some tips to ensure you meet your writing-related goals before the summer ends. WRITING I read a recent article about moving past perfection in your work. Check it out here! This applies well to… Read more »
This post was first published on Dani Duck’s Spring Into Writing blog. Thanks for inviting me to be a guest blogger for this writing challenge, Dani! Today, I’m offering some writing magic motivation for this month and into the future. Here are three tips to help bring some spellbinding creativity into your writing world: 1)… Read more »
This post first appeared on the Children’s Book Academy blog. If you are concerned about maintaining your motivation and keeping your creativity in these stressful and uncertain times, read on for some tips that will hopefully be helpful: 1) FIND ONE IDEA: Observe everything. What’s right outside your window – nature, buildings, people? Write about… Read more »
This post was first published on the Children’s Book Academy blog. If you’re like me, it can be difficult in the summer to stay motivated and find time to write. My children are out of school, so my daily routine is different. And the lure of vacation, family outings, and the beach sometimes interferes with… Read more »