“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.” ~ Anna Quindlen
Thought for the Day: "There are two reasons I support mistake-making. First, we know that failure means we tried. It also means if the mistake is wrong enough, we can make someone laugh." ~ Jorjeana Marie ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Writing good dialogue is a real art. I am always on the lookout… Continue reading WHAT GOES ON INSIDE A BEAVER POND? — Review
Thought for the Day: "There's no need to plan everything out beforehand. Part of the fun is setting up high stakes without knowing the outcome. This way you'll be right there with your protagonist, struggling to come up with solutions, even as the walls close in deliciously around you." —Julia Bartz from "Writers on Writing"… Continue reading JUST KEEP WALKING — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "'I don't know where to start,' one [writing student] will wail. Start with your childhood, I tell them. Plug your nose and jump in, and write down all your memories as truthfully as you can. Flannery O'Connor said that anyone who has survived childhood has enough material to write for the… Continue reading THE PUPPETS OF SPELHORST — Review
Thought for the Day: "When you first start writing -- and I think it's true for a lot of beginning writers -- you're scared to death that if you don't get that sentence right that minute it's never going to show up again. And it isn't. But it doesn't matter -- another one will, and… Continue reading THE SECRET LIBRARY — Review & Giveaway
Thought for the Day: "Somebody gets into trouble, then gets out of it again. People love that story. They never get tired of it." ~ Kurt Vonnegut ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: We all want to keep our readers on the edge of their seats. That's how we keep the pages turning. HERE is… Continue reading ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PLANTS, FUNGI, AND LICHENS: FOR YOUNG READERS — Review
Thought for the Day: “Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.”~ Tom Stoppard ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: We all want our characters to be memorable. Lisa Hall-Wilson has written a fun and useful post HERE on Writers… Continue reading A WALK THROUGH THE RAINFOREST — Review
Thought for the Day: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." ~ Winston Churchill ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: It is always a good idea to get new ideas about building characters. HERE on A Writer's Path, Georgio Konstandi has a good post on Creating that… Continue reading THE PRINCE OF THE STEEL PIER — Review
Thought for the Day: “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do.~ Bob Dylan ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Minor characters are awfully important to our stories. How dull they would be with only… Continue reading An Illustrated Collection of Nordic Animal Tales — Review
Thought for the Day: “Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads.” ~ Marianne Moore, poet ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: Dialogue can make the difference between a great book and a mediocre one. HERE Audrey Wick writes in Writers’ Digest about Using Beats to Improve Dialogue and Action in Scenes.… Continue reading The Atlas Obscura Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid — Review
Thought for the Day: “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.”~ African Proverb ~ Gifts for My Writer Friends: I see a LOT written about voice and how important that is. HERE is a great article from Ronald Kelly in Writers’ Digest called 5 Tips for Forming Your Own… Continue reading Always, Clementine — Review & Giveaway
