The Writer's Craft Summit

I just happened to see a post on one of my groups telling about the Writer's Craft Summit. I've been looking for something like this for a while. The videos are free to watch during the timeframe of the summit.

I've seen a few videos so far, but one of my favorites is the video titled "Creating Complex Characters".  Megan Linski had many great suggestions on how to develop your character. One thing that really hit me was when she said how difficult it is to write your novel if you haven't fully developed your character yet. She mentioned that sometimes the character sheets we use to develop our characters can limit our creativity. One suggestion is to interview and observe your character. Put them in situations and see what they do. I loved these ideas and I definitely plan to apply this to my work in progress.



My Work in Progeress is a novel that I have been working on for a long time. I go through dry spells with it because I often feel I hit a wall. After watching this video I am inspired to take another serious look at my book's characters and see where they need to further develop.

One thing I asked myself was, What do you love about your favorite characters in other novels? Can you predict what they would do? How did the author convey this character's traits so clearly? I definitely walked away from that video inspired.

Have you joined the Writer's Craft Summit? What video did you enjoy?

May Issue of Guardian Angel Kids

Guardian Angel Kids Ezine has a new issue out. Stop on by at the link below. The poems were sweet and catchy and I really loved the story A Fish Named Fred by Linsy Hunsaker. 

Guardian Angel Kids 

May 2019 

Theme:  Living in a Fish Bowl

http://www.guardian-angel-kids.com    

Book Feature

Don't Put Gum in the Fishbowl by Stuart Wesley, Sirac-illustrator

Features

POETRY

I ♥ My Fishbowl  by Jan Cornebise 

Fishbowl Feelings by Stephanie Malley

FICTION SHORT STORIES

A Fish Named Fred by Linsy Hunsaker 

Otter’s Greenhouse by Pamela Love 

NON-FICTION ARTICLE

Fishbowls of Our Own Making by Irene S. Roth 

Looking through Glass: The World of Snow Globes by Carol J. Douglas

PARENT/TEACHER ARTICLE

In Favor of Field Trips by Kelly Bakshi M.S. Ed.

Book Review: What is That Strange Noise

What is That Strange Noise 

Written by Karen Carr and Piper Anderson

Illustrated by K.C. Snider

I was delighted to have a chance to read this fun book about Piper and Grandma’s interesting car ride. The story starts out with Grandma and Piper going on one of their adventurous car rides, when something odd happens. A strange noise grabs their attention and they discover an even stranger guest in the car. The story continued, picking up many other guests along the way.

I liked how the story incorporated animal names and animal sounds, which can make this book a great tool for preschool and early childhood teachers. I also loved how Grandma names every animal every time they picked up a new guest. This is a great way to continue to review animal names. 

One thing that could have made the book even better is the ending. I would have loved to see where Grandma and Piper were going and what happened to all their guests at the end of the car ride. 

Overall, this was a delightful, fun story that would work well in a classroom as well as at home.

Where can you get it? 

Amazon

Visit Karen's Website 

My Light Magazine is hosting a Writing Contest

The magazine I publish, My Light Magazine, is hosting their first writing contest! 

See the flyer below for all the details. You can also visit the Writer's Guidelines on www.mylightkids.com for things we regularly look for in submissions. 

Writing contests are good for practicing the skill of adhering to guidelines including word count and style. When I first began my writing career, contests were helpful in developing my professionalism. 

The reason we are hosting (and hope to contine to host) the contest is because we are trying to find a way to keep the magazine free for readers, yet allow us to pay our talented contributors. 

More details are in the flyer below. 

My Light Magazine Returns

I chose to wait a few months before announcing the news here. Now that it seems there is a definite momentum going, I am thrilled to announce that My Light Magazine has officially relaunched. We are located at My Light Kids. We also brought back the PDF version. It has been a core part of us, and we definitely felt something was missing without it. 

We have had three issues published already. The December 2018, January/Winter 2019 and February 2019.  We're currently working on the March issue. We have several other plans involving My Light which we hope to announce in the near future. 

Now that the new year has begun, what are your writing goals for the new year? 

#GAP Highlight

Guardian Angel Publishing's newest E-zine is out for November.  In this issue we will see: 

 SPECIAL FEATURE 

Little Isaac’s Big Adventure Tracy Schuldt Helixon and Illustrations by Jack Foster

POETRY

Bird’s Eye View by Pamela Love 

The Butterfly and the Balloon by Jill Clark

FICTION SHORT STORIES 

Up in the Air by Caroline Kiberd

Abel the Angel by Brenna Miller 

NON FICTION ARTICLE-

Star Light, Star Bright by Irene S. Roth

Sweeping the Sky by Carol J. Douglas

The Sky is the Limit by Mary Sue Roberts

PARENT/TEACHER ARTICLE 

Our Very Own Star by Kelly Bakshi M.S. Ed. 

The special feature this month is Tracy Schuldt Helixon 's book Little Issac's Big Adventure. I, being a very short person, can appreciate what Little Isaac goes through in the book. The illustrator, Jack Foster, is absolutely incredible with his work. I can think of no better combination of creative people to put together an empowering picture book. Be sure to head on over and see the other features in this months Guardian Angel Kids EZine!

So It's November

I've been in a writing funk for a while. Mostly this is because I've had a lot of things to take care of on my end. I'm finally gaining the Muse back and I know it never really left. It's always there. It's quiet voice whispers an idea as I drive past the brown and orange trees or as I pass an old, curious building with endless possibilites. I love those moments. I just need to continue to "feed" the Muse and let it do its job. The relationship between an Author (or any creator) and its Muse is like any other relationship. If you ignore or neglect the relationship, it will fade.

November is here and I know I'm not ready to plunge into NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month) , but I am grabbing the spirit of it. I am using this time to nurture the writer in me again. I have set alternative goals for me to reach this time. They are just basic writer things that I used to to all the time. Some goals I have are to blog more, write down those ideas that come to me, explore one of those ideas, and add more to that novel I am working on.

So what about you? What are your goals this November?