This week, I’m talking about what a picture book truly is. We all read them as kids, but standards have changed. Here’s what’s expected from a modern picture book. These expectations are just one of things I cover in my brand new course: Stellar Self Publishing for Picture Books. And you can get it as… Read More »Episode 27: What is a picture book?

Voice is an essential quality for compelling writing, but it can be confusing for new writers. So, what is voice in writing? Grab The Messy Author Planner 2022 or the undated version. Get your book edited.

Today’s episode is a joint one with Authoring Onward, so if you also subscribe to AO, no need to listen to both–they are the same! Today’s tips episode is about what to do when you’re writing along on one project and a shiny new story idea comes up, tempting you to cheat on your current… Read More »Episode 25: When inspiration distracts

There’s a lot of worries when you’re just starting to take writing seriously. Today I tackle some of the big ones that stop newer writers from sharing their work. This is always going to be a bit scary, but let’s dive deep into these worries and how to tackle the overwhelm and learn to live… Read More »Episode 24: New Writer Worries

This week is especially for those of you who write or want to write for kids and teens. I work with a lot of children’s and YA books as a freelance editor and coach, and today I go over some of the common things I see with newbies that mean it’s time to do more… Read More »Episode 23: Kid lit rookie mistakes

What’s the difference between self publishing and traditional publishing? Is there anything in between? And how do you decide? Only you can make that choice, and it’s a choice you might make differently for each book or series. But today’s episode is a breakdown of the different publishing methods with some benefits and drawbacks to… Read More »Episode 22: Different publishing paths

Head hopping is a term you may have heard in writing circles, and it can sound a little baffling at first. Heads? Hopping? Are we rabbits? Head hopping is actually an error in point of view, so today’s episode gives a primer of point of view and how to identify head hopping and distinguish it… Read More »Episode 21: Head Hopping and Point of View

Last week the podcast took a short break because of Covid-related school closures (thank goodness my family all okay, though), and I’m so glad to be back in front of the mic this week. This week is about getting feedback from others. As Stephen King says, write with the door closed. That is, write with… Read More »Episode 20: Open the door

Verb tenses! Most of us are familiar with simple categories of tense like past, present, and future, but what about more complicated tense questions? Today, let’s dive into two categories of tense: perfect tenses and progressive/continuous tenses. Have a listen to learn about what distinguishes these from simple tenses and how to use them effectively… Read More »Episode 19: This podcast gets tense!

This week on Let’s Start Writing: You may have heard the common writing advice to eliminate adverbs. But why would you get rid of adverbs? And do you really need to ditch all adverbs in your prose? Let’s dive into the adverb conundrum. Looking to get more out of your writing time or find more… Read More »Episode 18: Adverbs