In the magazine Maine Boats, Homes & Harbors, there’s a wonderful column by Mainer Rob McCall called "Awanadjo Almanack," in which he ponders and wonders about nature. His observations are vivid and splendid, and I’ve since learned he’s on the radio and has...
our stories, ourselves
Keeping Up With the Racing Rules
"Instant gratification is not soon enough" - Meryl Streep I was reading an article about how some boat makers are researching ways to replace the baby-boomers who are aging out of the pastime of sailing, and in the course of their research once such company came...
Why Playing It Safe May Be the Most Dangerous Game of All
I read some exchanges recently between picture book authors in which one posed the question (and I’m paraphrasing here) as to whether she could do whatever she wanted with her main character in her manuscript, or whether it was better to perhaps “play it safe.” A few...
Finding Your Voice – craft tool giveaway!
where, oh where, is the voice coming from? Editors, agents and authors are always talking about that illusive VOICE - the voice of our characters, the author's voice, the novel's voice. But where does voice come from? And how can we find it? How can we tackle it? How...
The Craft of Craft
I speak frequently at various children's book writers and illustrators conferences and have become something of a craft junkie. While I thoroughly enjoy talking with authors and illustrators about the business of publishing and the market place, I'm relishing more...
Falling In Lust With Our First Draft (Or, What Not To Do On A First Date)
Some time ago I posted about Revision [read post here]. Since that time, I’ve had the privilege to speak with dozens of authors about the revision process, revision techniques, and more. As recently as this past weekend, I spoke at a workshop about Robust Revision –...