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Plot Holes? Resources for Repair
I’m struggling with plotting in my middle grade novel. While I’m getting better at plotting, it’s still something that doesn’t come naturally to me. I wrote a post recently about the resources that I use when plotting. If you are struggling with plotting, these resources might help you too!…
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Mentor Texts for Writers: Studying Lyrical Language for Prose by Renée M. LaTulippe
Words can not express how much I have learned from Renée. I have loved reading and writing poetry for many years, but when I took Renée’s The Lyrical Language Lab class, I loved poetry even more. She is an amazing teacher and she gives such valuable feedback. I continue to learn…
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Mentor Texts for Writers: Doors and Maps: Digging for Treasure in Middle Grade Mentor Texts by L.M. Quraishi
It’s time to dive into middle grade mentor texts. Like L.M. Quraishi, our guest blogger today, I love to read and write middle grade. In fact, when I’m stuck in any kind of writing, I particularly like to read middle grade novels because it always helps me savor…
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Where in the World is Marcie Writing? The Library
I have this novel that’s been pretty much done for several months. But the climax of the story was just terrible. I knew it would require some major rewriting and some rewriting of early parts to make it all come together. But I needed some big chunks of…
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Artist’s Date: Research Trip
I went on a hunt for a tree. With my kids. My daughter brought a sketchbook and a field guide to trees. My son brought four plastic screwdrivers. My WIP has a Hawthorn tree that’s important in the story, and a friend brought me a Hawthorn branch last…
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Artist’s Date: Hollins
I had the opportunity this summer to audit a class through the Hollins Children’s Literature program. I’m a two-time alumna from this program earning my M.A. and my M.F.A. I’m lucky enough to get to return each summer for the free public event featuring authors, illustrators, scholars, editors and…
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Mom’s Write: Potential Readers
I know many writers will disagree with me when I say that I sometimes use my own kids as a “test audience” for my books. One of the arguments against this is that kids aren’t going to tell you that they dislike your book because they don’t want to…
