How to Write a Children's Book

The Christmas Angel Part III

2005-11-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL

BY

ABBIE FARWELL BROWN

CHAPTER III

THE FLANTON DOG

She returned to the play box by the fire, and rummaged for a few minutes
among the tangled toys. Then with something like a chuckle she drew out a
soft, pale creature with four wobbly legs.

"The Flanton Dog!" she said. "Well, I vow! I had forgotten all about him.
It was Tom who coined the name for him because he was made of Canton
flannel."

She stood the thing up on the table as well as his weak legs would allow,
and inspected him critically. He certainly was a forlorn specimen. One of
the black beads which had served him for eyes was gone. His ears, which had
originally stood up saucily on his head, now drooped in limp dejection. One
of them was a mere shapeless rag hanging by a thread. He was dirty and
discolored, and his tail was gone. But still he smiled with his red-thread
mouth and seemed trying to make the best of things.

"What a nightmare!" said Miss Terry contemptuously. "I know there isn't a
child in the city who wants such a looking thing. Why, even the Animal
Rescue folks would give the boys a 'free shot' at that. This isn't going to
bring out any Christmas spirit," she sneered. "I will try it and see."

Once more she lifted the window and tossed the dog to the sidewalk. He
rolled upon his back and lay pathetically with crooked legs yearning
upward, still smiling. Hardly had Miss Terry time to conceal herself behind
the curtain when she saw a figure approaching, airily waving a stick.

"No ragamuffin this time," she said. "Hello! It is that good-for-nothing
young Cooper fellow from the next block. They say he is a millionaire.
Well, he isn't even going to see the Flanton Dog."

The young man came swinging along, debonairly; he was whistling under his
breath. He was a dapper figure in a long coat and a silk hat, under which
the candles lighted a rather silly face. When he reached the spot in the
sidewalk where the Flanton Dog lay, he paused a moment looking down. Then
he poked the object with his stick. On the other side of the street a
mother and her little boy were passing at the time. The child's eyes caught
sight of the dog on the sidewalk, and he hung back, watching to see what
the young man would do to it. But his mother drew him after her. Just then
an automobile came panting through the snow. With a quick movement Cooper
picked up the dog on the end of his stick and tossed it into the street,
under the wheels of the machine. The baby across the street uttered a howl
of anguish at the sight. Miss Terry herself was surprised to feel a pang
shoot through her as the car passed over the queer old toy. She retreated
from the window quickly.

"Well, that's the end of Flanton," she said with half a sigh. "I knew that
fellow was a brute. I might have expected something like that. But it
looked so--so--" She hesitated for a word, and did not finish her sentence,
but bit her lip and sniffed cynically.

Part for of THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL

BY

ABBIE FARWELL BROWN will be coming up next.

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

A Christmas Angel Part II

2005-11-20T19:14:00.000-08:00

THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL

BY

ABBIE FARWELL BROWN

CHAPTER II

JACK-IN-THE-BOX

Miss Terry rose and crossed two rooms to the front window, looking out upon
the street. A flare of light almost blinded her eyes. Every window opposite
her along the block, as far as she could see, was illuminated with a row of
lighted candles across the sash. The soft, unusual glow threw into relief
the pretty curtains and wreaths of green, and gave glimpses of cosy
interiors and flitting happy figures.

"What a waste of candles!" scolded Miss Terry. "Folks are growing terribly
extravagant."

The street was white with snow which had fallen a few hours earlier, piled
in drifts along the curb of the little-traveled terrace. But the sidewalks
were neatly shoveled and swept clean, as became the eminently respectable
part of the city where Miss Terry lived. A long flight of steps, with iron
railing at the side, led down from the front door, upon which a silver
plate had for generations in decorous flourishes announced the name of
Terry.

Miss Terry returned to the play box and drew out between thumb and finger
the topmost toy. It happened to be a wooden box, with a wire hasp for
fastening the cover. Half unconsciously she pressed the spring, and a
hideous Jack-in-the-box sprang out to confront her with a squeak, a leering
smile, and a red nose. Miss Terry eyed him with disfavor.

"I always did hate that thing," she said. "Tom was continually frightening
me with it, I remember." As if to be rid of unwelcome memories she shut her
mouth tight, even as she shut Jack back into his box, snapping the spring
into place. "This will do to begin with," she thought. She crossed to the
window, which she opened quickly, and tossed out the box, so that it fell
squarely in the middle of the sidewalk. Then closing the window and turning
down the lights in the room behind her, Miss Terry hid in the folds of the
curtain and watched to see what would happen to Jack.

The street was quiet. Few persons passed on either side. At last she spied
two little ragamuffins approaching. They seemed to be Jewish lads of the
newsboy class, and they eyed the display of candles appraisingly. The
smaller boy first caught sight of the box in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Hello! Wot's dis?" he grunted, making a dash upon it.

"Gee! Wot's up?" responded the other, who was instantly at his elbow.

"Gwan! Lemme look at it."

The smaller boy drew away and pressed the spring of the box eagerly.
_Ping!_ Out popped the Jack into his astonished face; whereupon he set up a
guffaw.

"Give it here!" commanded the bigger boy.

"Naw! You let it alone! It's mine!" asserted the other, edging away along
the curbstone. "I saw it first. You can't have it."

"Give it here. I saw it first myself. Hand it over, or I'll smash you!"

The bigger boy advanced threateningly.

"I won't!" the other whimpered, clasping the box tightly under his jacket.

He started to run, but the bigger fellow was too quick for him. He pounced
across the sidewalk, and soon the twain were struggling in the snowdrift,
pummeling one another with might and main.

"I told you so!" commented Miss Terry from behind the curtain. "Here's the
first show of the beautiful Christmas spirit that is supposed to be abroad.
Look at the little beasts fighting over something that neither of them
really wants!"

Just then Miss Terry spied a blue-coated figure leisurely approaching. At
the same moment an instinct seemed to warn the struggling urchins.

"Cop!" said a muffled voice from the pile of arms and legs, and in an
instant two black shadows were flitting down the street; but not before the
bigger boy had wrenched the box from the pocket of the little chap.

"So that is the end of experiment number one," quoth Miss Terry, smiling
grimly. "It happened just about as I expected. They will be fighting again
as soon as they are out of sight. They are Jews; but that doesn't make any
difference about the Christmas spirit. Now let's see what becomes of the
next experiment."

Part III of THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL

BY

ABBIE FARWELL BROWN will be coming up next

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

The Christmas Angel

2005-11-20T19:11:00.000-08:00

THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL

BY

ABBIE FARWELL BROWN

CHAPTER I

THE PLAY BOX

At the sound of footsteps along the hall Miss Terry looked up from the
letter which she was reading for the sixth time. "Of course I would not see
him," she said, pursing her lips into a hard line. "Certainly not!"

A bump on the library door, as from an opposing knee, did duty for a knock.

"Bring the box in here, Norah," said Miss Terry, holding open the door for
her servant, who was gasping under the weight of a packing-case. "Set it
down on the rug by the fire-place. I am going to look it over and burn up
the rubbish this evening."

She glanced once more at the letter in her hand, then with a sniff tossed
it upon the fire.

"Yes'm," said Norah, as she set down the box with a thump. She stooped once
more to pick up something which had fallen out when the cover was jarred
open. It was a pink papier-mâché angel, such as are often hung from the top
of Christmas trees as a crowning symbol. Norah stood holding it between
thumb and finger, staring amazedly. Who would think to find such a bit of
frivolity in the house of Miss Terry!

Her mistress looked up from the fire, where the bit of writing was writhing
painfully, and caught the expression of Norah's face.

"What have you there?" she asked, frowning, as she took the object into her
own hands. "The Christmas Angel!" she exclaimed under her breath. "I had
quite forgotten it." Then as if it burned her fingers she thrust the little
image back into the box and turned to Norah brusquely. "There, that's all.
You can go now, Norah," she said.

"Yes'm," answered the maid. She hesitated. "If you please'm, it's Christmas
Eve."

"Well, I believe so," snapped Miss Terry, who seemed to be in a
particularly bad humor this evening. "What do you want?"

Norah flushed; but she was hardened to her mistress's manner. "Only to ask
if I may go out for a little while to see the decorations and hear the
singing."

"Decorations? Singing? Fiddlestick!" retorted Miss Terry, poker in hand.
"What decorations? What singing?"

"Why, all the windows along the street are full of candles," answered
Norah; "rows of candles in every house, to light the Christ Child on his
way when he comes through the city to-night."

"Fiddlestick!" again snarled her mistress.

"And choir-boys are going about the streets, they say, singing carols in
front of the lighted houses," continued Norah enthusiastically. "It must
sound so pretty!"

"They had much better be at home in bed. I believe people are losing their
minds!"

"Please'm, may I go?" asked Norah again.

Norah had no puritanic traditions to her account. Moreover she was young
and warm and enthusiastic. Sometimes the spell of Miss Terry's sombre house
threatened her to the point of desperation. It was so this Christmas Eve;
but she made her request with apparent calmness.

"Yes, go along," assented her mistress ungraciously.

"Thank you, 'm," said the servant demurely, but with a brightening of her
blue eyes. And presently the area door banged behind her quick-retreating
footsteps.

"H'm! Didn't take her long to get ready!" muttered Miss Terry, giving the
fire a vicious poke. She was alone in the house, on Christmas Eve, and not
a man, woman, or child in the world cared. Well, it was what she wanted. It
was of her own doing. If she had wished--

She sat back in her chair, with thin, long hands lying along the arms of
it, gazing into the fire. A bit of paper there was crumbling into ashes.
Alone on Christmas Eve! Even Norah had some relation with the world
outside. Was there not a stalwart officer waiting for her on the nearest
corner? Even Norah could feel a simple childish pleasure in candles and
carols and merriment, and the old, old superstition.

"Stuff and nonsense!" mused Miss Terry scornfully. "What is our Christmas,
anyway? A time for shopkeepers to sell and for foolish folks to kill
themselves in buying. Christmas spirit? No! It is all humbug,--all
selfishness, and worry; an unwholesome season of unnatural activities. I am
glad I am out of it. I am glad no one expects anything of me,--nor I of any
one. I am quite independent; blessedly independent of the whole foolish
business. It is a good time to begin clearing up for the new year. I'm glad
I thought of it. I've long threatened to get rid of the stuff that has
been accumulating in that corner of the attic. Now I will begin."

She tugged the packing-case an inch nearer the fire. It was like Miss Terry
to insist upon that nearer inch. Then she raised the cover. It was a box
full of children's battered toys, old-fashioned and quaint; the toys in
vogue thirty--forty--fifty years earlier, when Miss Terry was a child. She
gave a reminiscent sniff as she threw up the cover and saw on the under
side of it a big label of pasteboard unevenly lettered.

[Illustration: PLAY BOX OF TOM TERRY AND ANGELINA TERRY (scrawl)]

"Humph!" she snorted. There was a great deal in that "humph." It meant:
Yes, Tom's name had plenty of room, while poor little Angelina had to
squeeze in as well as she could. How like Tom! This accounted for
everything, even to his not being in his sister's house this very night.
How unreasonable he had been!

Miss Terry shrugged impatiently. Why think of Tom to-night? Years ago he
had deliberately cut himself adrift from her interests. No need to think of
him now. It was too late to appease her. But here were all these toys to be
got rid of. The fire was hungry for them. Why not begin?

Miss Terry stooped to poke over the contents of the box with lean, long
fingers. In one corner thrust up a doll's arm; in another, an animal's tail
pointed heavenward. She caught glimpses of glitter and tinsel, wheels and
fragments of unidentifiable toys.

"What rubbish!" she said. "Yes, I'll burn them all. They are good for
nothing else. I suppose some folks would try to give them away, and bore a
lot of people to death. They seem to think they are saving something, that
way. Nonsense! I know better. It is all foolishness, this craze for giving.
Most things are better destroyed as soon as you are done with them. Why,
nobody wants such truck as this. Now, could any child ever have cared for
so silly a thing?" She pulled out a faded jumping-jack, and regarded it
scornfully. "Idiotic! Such toys are demoralizing for children--weaken their
minds. It is a shame to think how every one seems bound to spoil children,
especially at Christmas time. Well, no one can say that I have added to the
shameful waste."

Miss Terry tossed the poor jumping-jack on the fire, and eyed his last
contortions with grim satisfaction.

But as she watched, a quaint idea came to her. She was famous for eccentric
ideas.

"I will try an experiment," she said. "I will prove once for all my point
about the 'Christmas spirit.' I will drop some of these old toys out on the
sidewalk and see what happens. It may be interesting."

Stay tuned for part II of
ABBIE FARWELL BROWN's Story - The Christmas Angel

Sincerely,
Caterina
http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Persuasive Writing

2005-07-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Persuasive Writing that will Have Your Readers Chomping for More

If you write from the heart, people will automatically love your book. Yeah right and tiny elves will also sneak into your house at night and clean it for you, if you wish hard enough. If that were the only criteria, poets would be millionaires.

Whether you are writing a children's book or sci fi novel or romantic adventure, as a writer you have one job. You must grab your readers attention and emotions and keep it focused on the world that you create.

The reader doesn't know or care about your motivation or the countless hours you spent writing your book and probably never will, until your last name ends in Rowling or Tolkien. If your first line doesn't grab them, your book will go right back on the shelf.

Persuasive Writing 101

So how do we write a killer first line, paragraph and page?

1) Action baby.

Ex. Your main character is racing away from the class bully, will he make it home in time?

2) Keep the details to a minimum.

Do not spend half the page describing every facet of your character's eyes, hair and delectable or horrendous body. These details can be laced throughout the book.

3) Grab their emotions on this first page and keep them.

Get them anxious about your character, curious, intrigued, laughing at their predicament. Draw them into your character's world and until they feel compelled to find out what happens next.

4) Target your character's problem. Make it something that the reader can relate to.

Ex. ( excerpt from Tales of the Romantically Challenged by Caterina Christakos)

Have you ever been totally and completely in love? Love so intense that your hands shake, your heart pounds and you can feel cold sweat trickle from your armpits down your sides, as you pray that there are no accompanying odors? I have and for me it was like watching a really gory horror flick, from between widely spread fingers. A part of me was completely repulsed, yet at the same time, felt compelled to follow through to it’s bloody end.

5) Know thy reader. Go online to the chat boards that host your genre of writing. Ask other writers what has been successful. More importantly, ask readers what their favorite books are and why?

This information is invaluable and better yet won't cost you the price of hiring a research assistant or firm. Test opening lines on them. Most people are more than willing to give you feedback. Take the constructive feedback and throw out the rest.

These are just a few techniques for persuasive writing. For more tips or personalized help, from Caterina Christakos, in writing or marketing your book go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com/

How to Get Your Book Published

2005-06-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

How do you know which publisher to send your work to?

Well the answer to that question is simple

-Do your research!

Now if you are picturing yourself bogged down with dusty books in a library, relax.

Finding the right publishers to send your book to is simple.

Just pick up the Writer's Market for the current year. Flip
to the back and find the type of story that you have written by subject
matter. Then cross reference that with publishers that publish those
type of stories.

Write a query letter to those editors only. A query letter
is simply a letter which briefly describes your story and catches their
attention. The Writer's Market has sample query letters that you can
review.

DO NOT SEND YOUR MANUSCRIPT UNLESS THEY SPECIFIALLY SAY TO. Place a self addressed stamped envelop in with your query letter. This
is very important. It shows that you are a professional and makes it
esier for them to send back an answer. Will all this guarantee that you
will get a yes your first time out? No, but it will put you ahead of
the rest of the pack who waste hundreds of dollars sending their
manuscript to publishers that either don't publish their type of story
or simply throw it in the trash for not following proper procedures.

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less. To learn how to write a children's book in 30 days or less go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

How to Write a Holiday Tale that Isn't a Turkey

2005-06-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

When we write stories, with the purpose of sharing them with others, we enter into an agreement where we allow our reader to see a glimpse of our heart, our souls and our memories. If we truly want them to be immersed in the tale, we actively immerse ourselves in those memories so that a glimmer of what we saw, heard and felt comes through.

This is especially true with holiday tales. The best way to convey a holiday scene is to take a trip back in time through the wonderful world of our unconscious. Here are some great ways to delve back into our child hood memories and incorporate them into our holiday tales.

1) Sit in a darkened room and close your eyes. Allow yourself to go back in time to the very first Christmas that you can remember. Take a deep breath and relax. What are the scents, sounds and feelings that come up? What is the first picture that pops into your mind?

Is it the sound of children racing down the stairs that comes to you first? The feel of your heart pounding when you awoke and found that Christmas was really here? The warmth of your parents’ blankets as you bounced on them, anxious to wake them up?

The autumn and winter holidays will always be associated, for me, with my grandmother’s cooking and pumpkin pies. I remember running into her little house, and the sound of the front door’s slam behind me. I was immediately engulfed in warmth. The scent of nutmeg and cinnamon and pumpkin seeds physically drew me forward, until I was wrapped in my grandmother’s embrace.

2) Recreate the scene. Since a prime trigger for me is the scent of pumpkin pies, I often order pumpkin scented candles from Yankee Candles. I sit on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket, light the candles and wait. Within moments, the scent has pulled me back to my grandmother’s kitchen. And I hear the sound of my cousins pounding down the hall after me, each of us anxious to win the first warm treat.

You can do the same. If a scent triggers your memories, you can either bake the cake or cookie or brew the eggnog. Or you can get one of those scented candles and simply light it.

If the feel of sweaters immediately transports you back to your snow throwing days, slip one on. If you are like me and live in Florida, turn the air way up first. Close your eyes and hear the sound of children shouting as they try to nail each other with snowballs. Picture their fresh flushed faces.

3) If there is a particular holiday character that sparks your memories, rent holiday movies. Some of my favorites are Frosty the Snowman and Miracle on Thirty fourth street. Watch one for a while, until you get the holiday feeling, then turn the sound off. Watch the pictures and let your mind go.

4) Use all of these pictures and sensations and feelings in your story.

If you are writing about a little girl in a big family, think back to what holiday dinners were like for you. Did everyone talk at once? Does your character like this or does she feel overwhelmed? What is it like to be the smallest one in a room full of adults? Is there a cousin or neighbor that is constantly picking on her? Do the children get bored and decide to explore the forbidden attic?

5) Once you have a scene in mind, write down all of these questions. Don’t worry about answering them until you have run out of questions. Then think back to the picture, sound or feeling that you associate with and answer the questions.

6) Now describe everything that you can about the characters. What are their ages? What do they look like? Are they the youngest or oldest in their family? Where do they live? What is their favorite thing? What are their best friend’s names? Who is their arch nemesis and why?

Get as much detail as possible down.

Once you can describe all of these things, the pieces of your story will begin to fall into place. More importantly, your characters and your scenes will be real and alive. Be brave and put as much of yourself into these stories and your characters. Your readers will love you for it.

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing tips go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

How to Make Your Readers Clamor for More

2005-06-20T07:13:00.000-07:00

How to Make Your Readers Clamor for More

Many writers make a huge mistake. They write forthemselves. Now this is fine if you are writingin your journal, making a grocery list or onlyintend to show your work to your closest friendsand most accommodating critics. For those of you,who actually wish to get published, receiveglowing reviews and actually sell more than tencopies, there is a better way.

Write for your audience. Target your words, yourideas and your plots to a particular audience andknow what they want. Do some research.

If you intend to write for five year olds, go to thelibrary and study their stages of development.What are their language skills at that age? What are their interests? What children’s books for that age group soared and which flopped?

If writing for the sci-fi crowd, don’t just limit yourself to that genre. Look for niches withinit. Are you targeting readers that were avid StarTrek fans or are they into the Next Generation?Find a sub section. Are they interested in aliensor humans who have stumbled upon extraordinarypowers?

Read writing magazines, from that genre. What areeditors looking for? Many times, they will tellyou exactly what they need and what they willburn, if they receive any more of.

Join online newsgroups and chat boards for yoursubject. If you are a romance writer, joinromance chat boards and web sites. Trade ideaswith other writers. Ask who their favoriteauthors are and why.

Submit sample chapters online for review. Taketheir constructive criticism seriously and applyit, if it seems to be the majority opinion.

Finally, read as many successful authors from your field as you can. What makes their booksbest sellers? What keeps you reading? Is it thestyle? Is it the subject? What can you apply fromtheir style to your own to keep your language andcharacters fresh?

If you keep these simple tips in mind, yourwriting will improve, your brain will kick inwith better characters and plots and your workwill be not only accepted but applauded.

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Writea Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less, How to BlowYour Competition Away at Any Audition, And DreamsLost Along the Way and countless articles. Tolearn more about how to write and get published go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Character Development for Writers

2005-06-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

Character Development for Writers

Who's voice is it anyway?

(c)2004 Caterina Christakos

When writing your stories, many of you have written to me asking how to keep your character's from sounding wooden or alike.

Here is a simple method that I have developed.

1) Create a written or artistic sketch of each character. Imagine exactly what they will look like, sound like and which emotions really resound within them.

Post each character sketch on a board by your computer.

2) While writing your story look up every half hour and see if what you have written is true to your characters.

3) After you are done writing divide up the dialogue into seperate pages for each character. This is a bit of a process but thanks to the cut and paste features on your computer it will still take you half the time, it normally would have.

4) Does the dialogue for each character match up? Would your character say that, react that way?

5) Compare the dialogue of your characters. Do any two sound too much alike?

6) Revise accordingly.

If you do this consistantly, your characters will never sound tired and will always be true to themselves in tone, word and deed.

Advanced English Grammar

2005-06-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

Advanced English Grammar

ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE

Of course in simple sentences the natural order of arrangement is subject--verb--object. In many cases no other form is possible. Thus in the sentence "The cat has caught a mouse," we cannot reverse it and say "The mouse has caught a cat" without destroying the meaning, and in any other form of arrangement, such as "A mouse, the cat has caught," we feel that while it is intelligible, it is a poor way of expressing the fact and one which jars upon us more or less.

In longer sentences, however, when there are more words than what are barely necessary for subject, verb and object, we have greater freedom of arrangement and can so place the words as to give the best effect. The proper placing of words depends upon perspicuity and precision. These two combined give _style_ to the structure.

In arranging the words in an ordinary sentence we should not lose sight of the fact that the beginning and end are the important places for catching the attention of the reader. Words in these places have greater emphasis than elsewhere.

As the beginning and end of a sentence are the most important places, it naturally follows that small or insignificant words should be kept from these positions. Of the two places the end one is the more important, therefore, it really calls for the most important word in the sentence. Never commence a sentence with _And_, _But_, _Since_, _Because_, and other similar weak words and never end it with prepositions, small, weak adverbs or pronouns.

Advanced English Grammar

2005-05-24T15:11:00.000-07:00

Advanced English Grammar

ARRANGEMENT OF WORDS IN A SENTENCE

Of course in simple sentences the natural order of arrangement is subject--verb--object. In many cases no other form is possible. Thus in the sentence "The cat has caught a mouse," we cannot reverse it and say "The mouse has caught a cat" without destroying the meaning, and in any other form of arrangement, such as "A mouse, the cat has caught," we feel that while it is intelligible, it is a poor way of expressing the fact and one which jars upon us more or less.

In longer sentences, however, when there are more words than what are barely necessary for subject, verb and object, we have greater freedom of arrangement and can so place the words as to give the best effect. The proper placing of words depends upon perspicuity and precision. These two combined give _style_ to the structure.

In arranging the words in an ordinary sentence we should not lose sight of the fact that the beginning and end are the important places for catching the attention of the reader. Words in these places have greater emphasis than elsewhere.

As the beginning and end of a sentence are the most important places, it naturally follows that small or insignificant words should be kept from these positions. Of the two places the end one is the more important, therefore, it really calls for the most important word in the sentence. Never commence a sentence with _And_, _But_, _Since_, _Because_, and other similar weak words and never end it with prepositions, small, weak adverbs or pronouns.

http://howtowriteachildrensbook.com/advanced_english_grammar.html

Child Book Review -The Wish List by Eon Colfer

2005-05-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Free Book Reviews - The Wish List by Eon Colfer

What happens when a juvenile delinquent manages to do one final good deed before she goes to the great beyond? One of the greatest battles between heaven and hell of all time!

Meg is dead even. She has done exactly as many good deeds as bad. That means she must go back to earth and help out the last person that she wronged to get to heaven. Otherwise it is an eternal barbecue with her on the pit.

The only thing stopping her from earning her heavenly reward is an arch enemy with a grudge and his computerized minion from hell.

This book, as all Eoin Colfer's books are, was funny and entertaining. If you loved his Artemis Fowl series, you will definitely want to get his latest book - The Wish List.

http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com/free_book_reviews.html

How to Get Your Book Listed on Amazon

2005-05-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

The question of the day is how to get Amazon.com to distribute your book. Frankly, I was glad that it was asked because it made me do a little research.

If you self-publish through iUniverse.com, they will automatically place it on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble for you, as well as a half a dozen other sites. They also have connections with the regular Barnes and Noble stores.

If you go through a traditional publisher, they will do the same, as well as pass it on to distributors.

There are many online publishers and print on demand publishers that make you register on your own or charge you a ridiculous fee to do it for you. In these cases, this is what you need to do to get listed:

1) Get an ISBN number from Bowker, if your print on demand publisher fails to provide you with one. The ISBN number is the way that online and offline publishers track down your book and order it.

2) Once your book has an ISBN number and is actually available for order you should click here to be listed on Amazon.com

3)To get listed on BarnesandNoble.com click here

4)Also, if you have an ebook that you want to sell online you can sell it for 80% commissions on http://www.digibuy.com

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing and publishing tips or personal one on one coaching click below:
http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

http://howtowriteachildrensbook.com/amazon.html

Overcoming Writers Block

2005-05-16T07:19:00.000-07:00

Overcoming Writer Block

Every writer has their own private boogey man to contend with. Sometimes it manifests itself in a real life disapproving relative or jealous friend. For others it is the imagined image of themselves failing or a critical voice that whispers in their ear," Who do you think you are?" This boogeyman leads to the dreaded state of writers block.

Here are some simple cures for this obnoxious disease:

1) The best way to begin is to begin. This sneaky devil that we call writers block tends to disguise itself as excuses. Here are some that I have heard:

a) I can't start until I have the perfect idea

b) I can't think of the best way to begin my book

c) I can't begin until I know whose voice my story should be told in.

Let's take these one by one:

Click here to read more: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com/overcoming_writer_block.html

Writing Help - Ordinary Objects Extraordinary Stories

2005-05-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Writing Help - Ordinary Objects Extraordinary Stories

Some of the most memorable stories were begun with ordinary objects or simple concepts.

Thumbelina, when you think about it, was the story of a flower with a mystery inside. Perhaps the author was staring out at his garden and noticed a bud about to open.

Disney was formed around the idea of a talking mouse.

And where would Cinderella be without her slipper?

Look at your home and your surroundings with fresh eyes.

Pick an object and let your imagination soar.

Gold clocks for example always remind me of bookstores or time travel. Pocket watches bring me to the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.

Perhaps a story could be created about a magical man who runs a bookstore. He flips open his pocket watch, after the last customer has left and is whisked away to another time. Perhaps his niece and nephew were hiding in the story and saw him. They decide to try it out for themselves.

Do you see how one simple object and a bit of imagination can take you down amazing paths?

There are stories locked away in your brain that you have yet to allow yourself to imagine.

Choosing an object as simple as a key may unlock them now.

As a friend of mine always reminds me,"The best way to begin is to begin."

Give it a try for yourself.

Learn how to write a children's book now

Writing Dos and Don'ts

2005-05-05T05:56:00.000-07:00

One of the most important things to remember as a writer is that your job is to entertain. What I mean by this is that in order to get your book published you're going to have to give the reader what he/she wants, which is entertainment. Listed below are 2 Do's that successful writers practice and 2 Don'ts that many writers fall into.

Do's:

1. Understand your audienceSpend some time at your local bookstore and see what the bestselling authors have in common, write up a sheet of similarities and differences and see if you can find a niche of your own! The more you know about the current market for books, the better off you'll be.

2. Understand your publisherMost publishers have a set of guidelines outlining what they are currently in the market for. Be sure to contact publishers and get these guidelines so that you can try and cater your books towards their needs.

Don'ts:

1. Be like everyone elseUnderstanding why other books are successful and using some aspects of these books in your own is important. Remember though, that your goal here is to be unique, to stand out, and to be memorable. The more entertaining and original your story is, the more likely you are to be published.

2.Send out your stories at random

Let's face it, in order to get a publisher to put your book in print, you are going to have to play by his/her rules. Be sure to know what the best ways to get published are. There is a vast amount of information available through newsletters like this one or books available that can help you, don't just send off your story to random publishers and hope for the best.

Learn how to write a children's book in 30 Days or Less

Buy Child Book - Find the top sellers now

2005-04-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Buy Child Book - Find the best selling childrens books here now.

Creative Writing - Not Just a Class in School

2005-04-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Creative Writing that will get your books and articles sold.

Creative Writing Tips

2005-04-27T10:31:00.000-07:00

Creative Writing Tips that will make your books more popular and even more interesting.

What to Write About

2005-04-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

What to Write About? Learn how to answer the question that all writers wrestle with.

From Drab to Fab, Writing that Sizzles

2005-04-18T05:10:00.000-07:00

From Drab to Fab, Writing that Sizzles

When in school, most of us took creative writing. When we decided to become “serious writers” though something changed. For many of us, the idea of being a professional writer seemed to preclude creativity. Talent took a backseat to playing it safe. If you look at most magazines, there is a formula to their articles. Each editor prefers a certain style and authors that conform to that style have a better chance of being selected. That’s life.

On the other hand, there is a reason that millions of magazines and books are published and sold, every year. And that reason is that the writers have conformed their format to industry standards, while keeping their own voice.

Here are some tips on getting published, while keeping the creative part in your creative writing:

1) Look at the magazines that you will submit articles to or the books put out by your favorite publisher. Find out what the articles in that particular magazine or the books in that publisher’s genre have in common.

Is it length?

Do they open with action?

Do they help?

Do they include references?

Is there a particular theme?

2) Next take the format and make it your own. Pick an article or one of the shorter books and lay out the format. Make an outline.

For example: Article starts out with a killer headline. First sentence has pizzaz. Second paragraph goes into details and references. Last paragraph sums it all up and tells them where to get more information.

For books: First paragraph starts out with action. Second paragraph gives characteristics in a funny way. Publisher seems to like animal themes. Doesn’t seem to like too much dialogue. Most books in this series are about 100 pages long. Ending usually has me laughing.

3) Analyze your topic.

Make your normal notes or outline of your book or article. Draft your characters or conduct your interview. Get as much information on paper as possible, without worrying about format.

4) Dust off your creative writing books and jog your memory with a cup of coffee. Let your mind go. Take chances. Have fun with it.

5) Implement your creative writing strategies for this work, while sticking to the publisher’s preferred format. If they love funny first lines, give them one. If they love lessons, include one. If they are all about family values, include them in your story.
Remember creative writing is not just a class in college. It is a part of what professional writers do.

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing tips go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

7 Keys to Writing a Children's Book that Sells Like Hot Cakes

2005-04-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

7 Keys to Writing a Children’s Book that Sells Like Hotcakes
There are seven fundamental reasons that some books succeed and others collect dust on the author’s bookshelf. These seven keys to success as an author are simple, obvious even, and yet in the midst of our writing many of us forget them.
We get so focused on the idea of the book that we forget the mechanics. Here is the strategy that award winning authors use:
1) Create a hero that your audience can relate to.
Examine your target market honestly. Who will be reading your book? Just because you think that your main character is funny, charming and brilliant doesn’t mean that they will or even that that is what they care about.
2) Write for your audience, not your highschool English professor. There has already been a Shakespeare. Most genres do not require you to write like him. You will just turn your audience off if you write at a level beyond their comprehension.
3) Give your reader a problem that he or she can empathize with.
Ex. Are you writing for teenage girls? Then something to do with the pains of adolescent romance, or lack thereof, might be a good start.
4) Provide a nemesis that makes sense. The antagonist in your story should appear to be everything that your main character is not. Then go back in and give him or her some good qualities as well.
People are not good or evil. Your characters should have the same character traits, as the rest of humanity.
Ex. A Thief with a Conscience or who hates everyone except his little sister, who he has taken care of since their mom died.
Give all your characters depth.
5) Provide obstacles for your main characters. Both your hero and antagonist need to have a few bumps in the road. Life isn’t smooth. Let them both screw up and figure their way out of their messes.
6) Your hero, at the very least, must learn a lesson about himself or herself. Is he braver than he thought he was? Is her nerdiness actually an asset?
Your characters should have some type of self-realization. It can be subtle. You do not have to go into a five chapter monologue on it, just give the readers some clues that he or she has changed.
7) Begin and end your story with a bang. Grab your reader’s attention in the beginning and have them hoping for a sequel in the end. The rest, no matter how much work you put into it, will probably be skimmed until they hit the next seat gripping scene. Your job is to make that skim time as short as possible.
Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more information about her book and writing tips go to:http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

How to Get Motivated and Stay Motivated

2005-04-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

Procrastination - How to Eliminate Excuses and Write Now

This morning I received a wake up call from one of my subscribers. He called me on the fact that I hadn't sent a newsletter out in about a month. ( Thank you Steve )I responded that for the last month I ended up in one state and my laptop in another. I forgot to add that the darn thing had crashed the week before. Seems like a perfectly worthy excuse until you think about it.

What could I have done to get you your writing tips:

1) Paid overpriced hotel prices for internet service.

2) Gone to Kinkos.

3) Written the article by hand and faxed it to my sister to send out.

4) Called in a favor from a writing buddy and had her take over for a few weeks. etc.. etc.. etc...

There is always a way to get our goals met, when you expand your thinking. Now let's look at your writing goals. Have you met your daily, weekly and monthly minimums? Why not? Let's go over the old standards:

1) I am too busy. Were you too busy for Starbucks, or to sit in front of the television for hours at a time?

2) I am too tired. Do you think that Rowling would have let that stop her? She probably had much worse obstacles than most of us face on a daily basis.

3) I can't think of anything to write today so I won't. How much time today did you spend today imagining worst case scenarios or worrying? You have an amazing imagination put it to good use. Take your troubles and give them to your characters and help them figure out a way out of the situation.

4) It is the holidays and therefore there is never enough time for anything. Bring a pad and pencil for all that time you spend standing in lines and a mini recorder for those trips back and forth to the mall. The only obstacles that you and I have that keep us from our writing goals are what we create in our minds - i.e. imagination.

Expand your thinking and watch as dozens of solutions fall into your lap!

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less. To learn how to write a children's book in 30 days or less go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

How to Eliminate Excuses and Start Writing Now

2005-04-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Procrastination - How to Eliminate Excuses and Write NowThis morning I received a wake up call from one of my subscribers. He called me on the fact that I hadn't sent a newsletter out in about a month. ( Thank you Steve )I responded that for the last month I ended up in one state and my laptop in another. I forgot to add that the darn thing had crashed the week before. Seems like a perfectly worthy excuse until you think about it.
What could I have done to get you your writing tips:

1) Paid overpriced hotel prices for internet service.

2) Gone to Kinkos.

3) Written the article by hand and faxed it to my sister to send out.

4) Called in a favor from a writing buddy and had her take over for a few weeks.
etc.. etc.. etc...

There is always a way to get our goals met, when you expand your thinking. Now let's look at your writing goals. Have you met your daily, weekly and monthly minimums?
Why not?

Let's go over the old standards:

1) I am too busy.

Were you too busy for Starbucks, or to sit in front of the television for hours at a time?

2) I am too tired.

Do you think that Rowling would have let that stop her? She probably had much worse obstacles than most of us face on a daily basis.

3) I can't think of anything to write today so I won't.

How much time today did you spend today imagining worst case scenarios or worrying? You have an amazing imagination put it to good use. Take your troubles and give them to your characters and help them figure out a way out of the situation.

4) It is the holidays and therefore there is never enough time for anything.

Bring a pad and pencil for all that time you spend standing in lines and a mini recorder for those trips back and forth to the mall.

The only obstacles that you and I have that keep us from our writing goals are what we create in our minds - i.e. imagination.

Expand your thinking and watch as dozens of solutions fall into your lap!

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less. To learn how to write a children's book in 30 days or less go to:http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

How to Make Time to Write

2005-04-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

How to Make Time to Write
Summer is fast approaching and many of us are already dreaming of days outside playing in the sun. As the temperatures rise so does our procrastination levels when it comes to our writing. Their are vacations to plan, kids to schedule for camp and other activities and traffic to get stuck in. Well cheer up my little sun bunnies. The summer season is the perfect time to create phenomenal stories.
1) Instead of sitting in traffic gritting your teeth and expanding on your four letter vocabulary, try speaking into a recorder. Notice the other drivers. Are their children in these cars? What are they doing? Create a story about a little girl or boy who is stuck on a family road trip.
This poor child has nothing to look forward to but his sweaty aunts hugs, his uncle's pinches and a cousin who beams at the thought of tossing him in the lake at first opportunity.
How can you turn this storyaround to impart a happy ending with a mild but never preachy moral?
2) In line buying your kids bathing suits behind a hundred other sweaty patrons?
Create a summer tale called " The Big Splash - the tale that almost never was."
3)Or perhaps you are envisioning traffic jams at school as you fight to be the first to pick your child up from school on that final day, or that long road trip with the kids screaming the whole way - again! Tis the season to create a story about a child who accidently gets left behind at the summer cabin, after throwing the mother of all tantrums. Yes, I know this screams of Home Alone but add a few twists and turns of your own.
These are just suggestions off of the top of my head. Brainstorm, Bounce ideas and above all write!
Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less. To learn how to write a children's book in 30 days or less go to:http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Anxiety and Writer's Block

2005-04-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

Anxiety and Writer's Block

The people who are most likely to succeed could also be the most likely
to choke under pressure.

Those who are blessed with brains and what scientists call a high
working-memory capacity are expected to do well on tests, but a study from
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and Michigan State University in East
Lansing finds that these same people often crack under pressure and do
much worse on simple exams than when they are allowed to work with no
constraints, report LiveScience and HealthDayNews.

Why? It's internal pressure--that feeling of, "I can't mess up!" These
thoughts reside in the same area of the brain as the high
working-memory and they actually compete for the same space, limiting the person's
ability to do the task at hand. "When they begin to worry, then they're
in trouble," Sian Beilock, assistant professor of psychology at Miami
and co-researcher along with Thomas Carr of Michigan State, told
LiveScience. "People with lower working-memory capacities are not using that
capacity to begin with, so they're not affected by pressure."

Also called short-term memory, working memory allows us to hold
information in our brain that is relevant to performance and ensures that we
focus on the task at hand. It is because of working memory that we can
remember and retrieve information for a long task, such as long
division. "In these math problems students have to perform subtraction and
division, and if you're trying to hold information in your memory and you
start worrying about performance, then you can't use your entire mental
capacity to do the math," Beilock told LiveScience.

In this study, 93 Michigan State students were divided into two groups
based on their working memory capacity. Both groups were given the same
test, a 24-problem math exam, in a low-pressure environment. The
students with high working memory substantially outperformed those with low
working memory. But when the pressure was put on--students were told not
only that they were part of a team and an improved score would earn a
cash reward, but also that their performance was being judged by math
professors--the group with the high working memory choked. Their score
dropped to that of the group with the low working memory, whose
performance was not affected by the increased pressure.

Working memory is a critical component to getting a high score on
important standardized tests, such as the SAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT. And this
is why being a genius does not guarantee a perfect score on the SAT.

Take heart, brainiacs. All is not lost. Jeremy Gray, an assistant
professor of psychology at Yale University, told HealthDayNews that smart
people can regain their natural advantage by rehearsing the test in an
equally pressure-filled environment. "You can really do a lot through
practice and training to improve," he said.

The research findings were published in the journal Psychological
Science.

To learn how to get past writer's block go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com/writer_block.html

How to Tame Your Inner Critic

2005-04-06T12:41:00.000-07:00

How to Tame Your Critic

In the tale of Pinnochio, Pinnochio had a little voice that told him right from wrong. Writers also have an inner voice but ours tends to resound with negativity. It says things like:

You can’t do that.

Who do you think you are?

You will never be good enough.

You might as well burn it right now - before someone sees it.

The next time this irritating little voice pops into your head, I want you to listen to it. Yes, you heard me listen to it. Who’s voice is it? In most cases the voice is your own or the voice of someone closest to you.

The good news is that this voice is trapped in YOUR head. It is trapped in there, along with your imagination. Why is that good news? Because it means that you can use your incredible imagination to change it.

Change the tone.

Change the tempo.

Change the pitch.

My inner critic used to sound like my own but with a whiny tinge. Since I took charge, I changed it to sound more like Donald Duck trying to be sexy. I get this mental picture in my head of Donald sashaying his little tail, and using this sexy quacky voice. By the time I am done laughing, I can’t even tell what nonsense he was spouting.

Try it. Pick a cartoon character or make one up. Make the voice ultra sexy or so hysterically funny that you have to laugh at your own fears. When you can do that, nothing will keep you away from your computer, notepad or typewriter. And the best part is that you can use the funny images your mind will create in your work.

Say bye bye to Mr. Critic and hello to a bright, funny, creative way of tackling any project.

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing tips go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Writing Childrens Books that Sell

2005-04-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Writing Childrens Books that Sell

Writing a childrens book is the easy part. Writing one that sells is where things can get tricky. Fortunately there is a way to prescreen your idea before you put a single word on paper.

1) Go to the bookstore and see what the subject of the top books is.

2) Review writing magazines to see what editors are scouting for right now.

3) Get the Writers Market Book and see if there are editors out there interested in your subject.

4) Talk to children's librarians and ask them what books are the most popular right now. Use these ideas and shape your next book around a proven market instead of writing your book and trying to hunt down one after the fact.

Need even more help writing childrens books? Click here

http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Writing Excercize for You - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2005-04-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

Writing Excercize for You - A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

There is an expression that says a picture is worth a thousand

words.

That phrase triggered off a writing jag for me last night and I

believe that it can help you, as well. Last night as I attempted to

use my new rowing machine, I glanced up at my bedroom wall. There

is a picture that has been sitting there for ages that I barely

noticed. It is a dusty European city at the break of day. Horses

and carriages were slowly clopping along and men and women milled,

chatting and beginning their day's work.

The more I studied this picture the more details my mind filled

in. I had the approximate time of day, the setting of an older

European town, the approximate time period. Those were obvious but

then my mind filled in the aroma of dust and dawn, possible bread

being baked for those venturing out. With the horse and carriage, I

imagined that there was a class system. In the very background

there appeared to be a castle.

Then my imagination filled in my main character - a young boy,

racing down the street. His feet sped determinedly and he appeared

focused, neither looking left or right. This told me that he was

familiar with the area. He could have just as easily been glancing

around in fear and nervousness but no his footsteps were firm and

he had a sense of purpose.

This sparked the question of "Where is he going?, How long has he

lived there? Does he have siblings? Do his parents know he is out

this early? Is it normal?" By viewing one single picture I had the

beginning of a story and you can too.

Go online and scan museum sites or your favorite artists or even

pictures of your favorite cities. Or go to a museum or even a park.

Practice observing. Let yourself sink into the scene.

What would your character hear?

What would he see?

Is there a scent that he notices or is he there so often it is

commonplace?

Who is he with?

Who is he meeting?

Is he up to mischief or helping out a friend?

Drill down until the scene and your character seem as real to you

as your own family. Allow your imagination to give life to your

characters and stories.

Learn How to Write a Children's Book

Tap Into Your Creative Genius

2005-04-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Writing Excercize -

How to Tap into Your Creative Genius

Here is an excerize that should spark your imagination. I call it the Inventor's Laboratory.

Imagine a child genius, boy or girl. He or she has gotten into a childhood scrape that he needs to get out of fast.

Perhaps he dropped his mother's wedding band down the sink or between the grates of a sewer. Or maybe he needs to think of an extraordinary way to get back his school mascot from the opposing team before it affects his team's morale.

He or she only has a limited number of tools at his disposal. Ex. Some peanut butter, paint, string and gum.

Your job is to brainstorm ideas of using these unusual tools to help our hero or heroin through this situation. This is just one scenario you can come up with. The object of this excercize is to get your brain pumping with fresh ideas.

Let your imagination go. Try some free association. Write down even your goofiest ideas. Who knows you may come up with your best story yet!

Learn How to Write a Children's Book

Persuasive Writing 101

2005-03-31T08:01:00.003-08:00

Persuasive Writing that will Have Your Readers Chomping for More

If you write from the heart, people will automatically love your book. Yeah right and tiny elves will also sneak into your house at night and clean it for you, if you wish hard enough. If that were the only criteria, poets would be millionaires.

Whether you are writing a children's book or sci fi novel or romantic adventure, as a writer you have one job. You must grab your readers attention and emotions and keep it focused on the world that you create. The reader doesn't know or care about your motivation or the countless hours you spent writing your book and probably never will, until your last name ends in Rowling or Tolkien. If your first line doesn't grab them, your book will go right back on the shelf.

Persuasive Writing 101

So how do we write a killer first line, paragraph and page?

1) Action baby. Ex. Your main character is racing away from the class bully, will he make it home in time?

2) Keep the details to a minimum. Do not spend half the page describing every facet of your character's eyes, hair and delectable or horrendous body. These details can be laced throughout the book.

3) Grab their emotions on this first page and keep them. Get them anxious about your character, curious, intrigued, laughing at their predicament. Draw them into your character's world and until they feel compelled to find out what happens next.

4) Target your character's problem. Make it something that the reader can relate to. Ex. ( excerpt from Tales of the Romantically Challenged by Caterina Christakos)

Have you ever been totally and completely in love? Love so intense that your hands shake, your heart pounds and you can feel cold sweat trickle from your armpits down your sides, as you pray that there are no accompanying odors? I have and for me it was like watching a really gory horror flick, from between widely spread fingers. A part of me was completely repulsed, yet at the same time, felt compelled to follow through to it's bloody end.

5) Know thy reader.

Go online to the chat boards that host your genre of writing. Ask other writers what has been successful. More importantly, ask readers what their favorite books are and why? This information is invaluable and better yet won't cost you the price of hiring a research assistant or firm. Test opening lines on them. Most people are more than willing to give you feedback. Take the constructive feedback and throw out the rest. These are just a few techniques for persuasive writing.

For more tips or personalized help, from Caterina Christakos, in writing or marketing your book go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Persuasive Writing 101

2005-03-31T08:01:00.002-08:00

Persuasive Writing that will Have Your Readers Chomping for More

Persuasive Writing 101

So how do we write a killer first line, paragraph and page?

1) Action baby. Ex. Your main character is racing away from the class bully, will he make it home in time?

4) Target your character's problem. Make it something that the reader can relate to. Ex. ( excerpt from Tales of the Romantically Challenged by Caterina Christakos)

5) Know thy reader.

For more tips or personalized help, from Caterina Christakos, in writing or marketing your book go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Persuasive Writing 101

2005-03-31T08:01:00.001-08:00

Persuasive Writing that will Have Your Readers Chomping for More

Persuasive Writing 101

So how do we write a killer first line, paragraph and page?

1) Action baby. Ex. Your main character is racing away from the class bully, will he make it home in time?

2005-03-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

Character Development for Writers

Who's voice is it anyway?

(c)2004 Caterina Christakos

When writing your stories, many of you have written to me asking how to keep your character's from sounding wooden or alike.

Here is a simple method that I have developed.

1) Create a written or artistic sketch of each character. Imagine exactly what they will look like, sound like and which emotions really resound within them.

Post each character sketch on a board by your computer.

2) While writing your story look up every half hour and see if what you have written is true to your characters.

3) After you are done writing divide up the dialogue into seperate pages for each character. This is a bit of a process but thanks to the cut and paste features on your computer it will still take you half the time, it normally would have.

4) Does the dialogue for each character match up? Would your character say that, react that way?

5) Compare the dialogue of your characters. Do any two sound too much alike?

6) Revise accordingly.

http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

Writing Childrens Books that Sell

2005-03-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

Writing Childrens Books that Sell Writing a childrens book is the easy part. Writing one that sells is where things can get tricky. Fortunately there is a way to prescreen your idea before you put a single word on paper.

1) Go to the bookstore and see what the subject of the top books is.

2) Review writing magazines to see what editors are scouting for right now.

3) Get the Writers Market Book and see if there are editors out there interested in your subject.

Need even more help writing childrens books? Click here

http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

How to Spark Your Creative Genius

2005-03-14T12:20:00.000-08:00

Writing Excercize - How to Tap into Your Creative Genius

Here is an excerize that should spark your imagination. I call it the Inventor's Laboratory.

Imagine a child genius, boy or girl. He or she has gotten into a childhood scrape that he needs to get out of fast.

Perhaps he dropped his mother's wedding band down the sink or between the grates of a sewer.

Or maybe he needs to think of an extraordinary way to get back his school mascot from the opposing team before it affects his team's morale.

He or she only has a limited number of tools at his disposal. Ex. Some peanut butter, paint, string and gum.

Your job is to brainstorm ideas of using these unusual tools to help our hero or heroin through this situation.

This is just one scenario you can come up with. The object of this excercize is to get your brain pumping with fresh ideas.

Let your imagination go.

Try some free association.

Write down even your goofiest ideas.

Who knows you may come up with your best story yet!

Learn How to Write a Children's Book

Learn to Write Like a Pro

2004-08-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

Many writers write for the experience. Others
dream of having a number one best seller. Both
are wonderful reasons for writing. What many fail
to realize is that these two do not have to be
mutually exclusive. With a little research, you
can enjoy writing incredible stories and see to
it that they generate a profit.

The first thing that is needed is a business like
attitude toward the process. From day one you
must:

1) Know your niche.

Research which books are popular in your genre.
Go to bookstores and start reading popular
authors in your field. Also pick up writing
magazines and see what publishers are looking for
today.

2) Know your audience. If you are writing for
children, for example, know the developmental
stage that a child reading your book needs to be
and cater to them.

Ex. A five year old would not be a good candidate
for a chapter book.

You can also talk to your future readers and find
out what really sparks their interest.

Ex. If you are a sci-fi writer, you can go into
sci-fi chat rooms and ask what books are the most
popular and why. Also ask what they feel is
missing in this field. Do they want a return to
some of the earlier styles of sci-fi books are an
even more futuristic approach?

3) Write from this knowledge.

Once you know what your audience wants, create
your story and characters around that theme. Give
them what they want, what they crave and you have
a better chance of creating a book that they and
publishers will love.

4) Pre - market. If you are self-publishing, you
can give away a free chapter of your book on
hundreds of sites to spark an interest and get
feedback. You can also send out press releases
right before your book is about to be releases.
Prweb.com is a great place to send out free press
releases.

Those are just a few examples of pre - marketing.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other
free ways to gather interest and get feed back.
The more information that you have before you
write, before you market and before you go to
press, will determine your chances of creating an
enjoyable and profitable book. Remember you can
be creative and profitable. Just start from a
place of knowledge and the rest will follow.

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write
a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more
writing tips and articles go to:
http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

How to Come Up with Fresh Story Ideas

2004-08-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

Many of us love to write yet have this belief
that only one writer in a million will make
money. If we use conventional standards of
writing perhaps this is partly true. There are
dozens of way to turn your skill as a writer into
cash though. Below you will find seven strategies
to turn your words into cash.

1) Write about something that you love. Write a
book about your favorite hobby, skill or any
subject that you know more about than the average
Joe. Create a pdf ebook using Adobe 5.0 and post
it on every ebook site on the web. In most cases
you can make up to 80% of the profits over and
over again 24 hours a day, every time someone
buys and downloads your ebook.

2) Use print on demand services like
iUniverse.com to publish your book yourself. Then
submit a sample chapter to every writing site on
the web. Give away this chapter with a link to
where they can buy your whole book. You will be
able to make up to 30% of the profits using this
system 24 hours a day.

3) If you have a product or service that you are
promoting and haven’t been able to traffic to
your site, write free articles on a subject
related to your product or service. Give your
article away to web masters through sites like
ideamarketers.com. They get content for their
ezines and newsletters and you get a paragraph at
the bottom promoting your product or service. You
also get a link to your website where they can
buy it. More traffic to your site equals more
sales.

4) Write ebooks for other people. Not everyone is
a skilled writer. Your service would be
invaluable to them. Charge a reasonable fee and
have a referral program. When one of your clients
refers someone to you, give them a percentage of
your profits. This will help build your business
in no time.

5) Write articles for other businesses. Again,
not all businesses owners have this skill. You
can write for cash or trade for advertisements in
their newsletters and ezines.

6) Write the copy for web sites. Anyone can build
a website. Not everyone can articulate well
enough to get their customers excited. Scan the
web for web sites that could use a little
polishing. Politely offer your services.

7) Use your writing to create brochures, sales
letters and advertisements for your own products
and the products and services of your clients. A
well written sales letter can bring in hundreds,
thousands and even millions of dollars.

These are just a few ways that you can turn your
words into wealth. Start with these and be
prepared to be amazed at how quickly your
business will grow.

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write
a Children’s Book in 30 Days or Less. For more
writing tips go to:
http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com