I was slow to jump on the word-of-the-year bandwagon. A lot of my friends love the idea but setting concrete goals and plans has always worked well for me – I didn’t see the point. Last year I gave it a whirl just to see what the fuss is about. That’s when I realized …
The old blog has been a bit quieter than usual. That’s because I was gone almost the whole month of September on a road trip. 6000 miles. With a dog, two kids, two adults, and one not-so-large camper. We passed through numerous national parks, stopped in mega metroplises to visit friends and eat pastries, and …
Road trip! Or: How I Wrote Nothing for a Month and It Improved My Writing Read More »
I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for a long time to share how I use bullet journaling to help me write my middle grade novels. I’m in the middle of writing a new novel right now, so it’s the perfect time for me share. It’s also nearly NaNoWriMo time! If you’re not …
Bullet Journaling for Writers: Part 4 Writing a Novel Read More »
A few days ago, my daughter leaned over my shoulder and asked what I was reading on my phone. It was a blog post about writing villains, so I told her it was about how to write a better story. Which led her to say: “But you already know how to write.” Yes and no. …
Last night I got back from a jam-packed weekend in Las Vegas. I was there for the Nevada SCBWI Pitch Perfect Conference and to kick off my mentorship program with Jim Averbeck. View this post on Instagram I got in to the Nevada SCBWI mentorship program! I'm honestly shocked. I entered this really not …
Welcome to my blog series on how children’s books are actually made. Last time, I explained illustration from the author’s perspective. This time, we’ll look at how the illustrator does their job. I’m not an illustrator, so I’m going to let them speak for themselves. I’ve gathered together videos and blog posts of different illustrators explaining …
How a Children’s Book is Made: Part 2. The Illustrator’s Speak Read More »
Being an author is a funny thing: everyone has heard of your job. (Unlike my husband – a systems architect.) But people don’t know what it is I actually do. (My husband and I have that one in common.) Whether you’re a writer hoping to publish a book or a kidlit lover who is curious …
How a Children’s Book is Made: Part 1. The Truth About Illustrations Read More »
It’s nearly the end of 2018, folks. It’s been a great year for me writing-wise. Looking Back at 2018 2018 in Writing I published my second board book, I Pray Today, and I had my first-ever blog tour. I revised my novel and got two new work for hire picture book contracts – …
Right now I’m participating in the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge for Writers. Each day there’s a small reflection. Yesterday I shared the Day 2 reflection on Instagram. View this post on Instagram Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas Challenge for writer's by @juliefhedlund is about what surprised you in the past year. …
2018 Successes – And Why Writers Sometimes Need to Brag Read More »
Today I excited to share the third part of my series on bullet journaling: collections to add to your writing bullet journal. But before we jump in, if you aren’t familiar with Bullet Journaling read part 1. I’ll wait. Ok, ready to rock your bullet journal? Here we go! What is a Collection? Just …
Bullet Journaling for Writers: Part 3 Collections Read More »
