When authors write about POC, the very last thing they should be worrying about is what word to use to describe a character’s skin color. (or the slant in the eyes, the shape of the nose, etc.) Once an author has elaborated on the exact skin hue … well, exactly what do readers really know […]
Chocolate or Coffee? Read More »
I’ve heard numerous white authors use variations of that phrase when they decide to include characters from marginalized groups in their stories. Writers make things up all the time, they insist. They seldom appear capable of seeing any other reason for negative reaction to their work. Readers, critics, and reviewers who complain about their works
I’m a writer, I can just use my imagination Read More »
When I was a kid, we used to have a song we sang when we walked down the street, deliberately bumping into people we didn’t like. I am blind and I can’t see, and if I knock you down don’t you blame it on me. As if that absolved us from guilt. Being “color blind” requires
More on the “Color Blind” thing Read More »
At first, the question the novice writer asked seemed simple. A member of one of my writing groups asked whether describing one of her characters as “a black man” was racist. That one word (racist, not black) often seems utterly terrifying for many white people – especially white authors. I started simply, by asking if
So You Say You Don’t See Color Read More »
I was recognized today. When you are a writer, that’s important. Even when, no especially when, another author knows your name. I attended a writing workshop at the Northbrook, Illinois public library about crafting YA characters. The library holds a series of workshops int he fall entitled NorthBrook Writes! These are all open to the public,
It feels good to be known Read More »
This post is a response to a question about how I got an agent, from someone about to start the process of searching for one of their own. The timing on was excellent. I have been commissioned to create a workshop on the business side of writing for KidLitNation.com, and chose to use this as
Finding a Literary Agent Read More »
Revision is a bitch, with a capital B! I once wrote a post about the differences between revising and editing a manuscript at (https://romancingthegenres.blogspot.com/2015/08/revision-and-editing.html) Those actions require two different skill sets and produce two different levels of pain. Revision means changing scenes, moving action around, adding, subtracting, modifying. Change pieces from act 1 to act
Revision is a Bitch Read More »
For the record, the title of this blog is meant to be a hook. Authors know what I mean, that thing good novels use to capture a reader’s attention. In reality, the contest I am going to tell you about had lots of entries. Entries that shared more than a few things in common. Last
What if you gave a contest and nobody came? Read More »
Here are the winners of my contest, two fresh author/illustrator faces who won free tuition for the Illinois SCBWI conference, Prairie Writers and Illustrators Day, Nabeeh Bilal and Jill Kuanfung. Both will be my guests at this year’s conference. Congratulations to everyone who entered.
On November 5, the Illinois chapter of the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is having its annual conference, Prairie Writer’s and Illustrator’s Day. The one-day conference is held at the Wojcik Conference Center, at Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. This conference contains valuable information for people who craft children’s books, with information about
Illinois Writers and Illustrators conference scholarship Read More »