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7 Secrets For Children’s Book Writing

7 SECRETS FOR CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING

While there are potentially 1000 tips for children’s book writing, here are my 7 Secrets for Children’s Book Writing.  I used these secrets to write my award winning children’s book, Saltwater Taffy.  And remember when taking advice from other writers about writing…find what works for you and apply it to your writing, but never lose sight of YOUR writing.  More and more, people are writing to satisfy either the marketplace or their agents.  What does that leave?  A bland and boring piece of writing.

 

1. MAKE IT FUN – Kids want adventure.  Kids want action.  I once heard a kid say: “If it’s not fun, I don’t want to read it.”  With fractured attention spans and our culture of ADD and ADHD, you have to grab your reader on page 1 with an awesome opening!

2. CHARACTERS AGE – Once you determine your target audience, tack on a few years to your main characters.  Kids like to read what it’s like to ‘be older.’

3. PACE IS EVERYTHING – On Law & Order, we had one rule; if the scene doesn’t move the story, cut it.  This speaks to TIP #1.  Kids want the story to read stories that are fun and cook! Read more

CHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING

Children's Book WritingCHILDREN’S BOOK WRITING

Children’s Book Writing can be a difficult task, but from the minute we sit down to write something without an assignment from a teacher, we are officially writers.

The minute we have a desire to create something out of nothing, we are writers.  The minute we answer a story call from the deepest parts of our souls, we are writers and we are at our very best.

After 7 seasons of Law & Order, 2 seasons on The Big Easy for USA Networks, writing and directing a nightmare job for Lions Gate Films (Venice Underground), adapting a NY Times best seller for 2oth Century Fox Read more

Read Across America GIVEAWAY

Read Across AmericaA SAWEET READ ACROSS AMERICA GIVEAWAY

Read Across America 2012.  In honor of the man, the non-myth self-publishing writer, and a true legend, Dr. Seuss, I am going to be reading Saltwater Taffyto Los Angeles area kids during READ ACROSS AMERICA day.

I will also be giving away 2 signed copies of Saltwater Taffy, along with bookmarks, stickers and even one of the super cool Saltwater Taffy baseball hats!  How do you enter?

1.FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER and TWEET THE CONTEST LINK:

  • TWEET: Read Across America GIVEAWAY http://tinyurl.com/4vuepnl

2. JOIN THE FACEBOOK FAN PAGE AND POST THE LINK ON YOUR PAGE

  • POST: Read Across America GIVEAWAY http://tinyurl.com/4vuepnl

3. LINK TO US: Post the www.whatagreatbook.com in your blog or website!

4. POST A COMMENT anywhere on the Saltwater Taffy website.

* Contest ends FRIDAY March 4, 2011 @ 11 am PST.

**  SAWEET SECRET TIP: Do all 4 above and yes, you’re entered 4 times the fun!!!!

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: It Bled and it Led…Bhaaaaa

middle grade fiction

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION

At the start of our middle grade fiction tour, something happened that is a testament of our society.  In a moment of ‘sureality,’ which is my new word for a surreal reality, I flew home to Las Vegas for two speaking engagements with Saltwater Taffy at Cannon Jr. High School on Tuesday.  What made this visit surreal is the full-page story about Saltwater Taffy on the front page of the R-Jeneration Section.

Having prepared for the trip for a good month or so, we gained interest from ABC News, Channel 13 as a community interest story of ‘home town boy makes good.’  While they couldn’t book us on their morning shows, they did want to come out and tape an interview for the evening news as I presented to 150 middle school children.

As a speaker, the Middle School audience can be the most intimidating audience there is.  Speaking to adults is easy, but Read more

SNOWBALL EXPRESS GIVEAWAY

GarySNOWBALL EXPRESS GIVEAWAY WITH GARY SINISE

The Snowball Express is an amazing event for children every holiday season.  Today we loaded up 1000 copies of Saltwater Taffy onto a plane for the children of fallen American heros in the war.  This wonderful program came through our friend Gary Sinese from CSI: New York.  I think each and every one of us has had a bad day here or there, but can you imagine what it must feel like to learn that you’ve lost a parent in the war?  Hopefully this holiday season, Saltwater Taffy will bring a smile to the 1000 children in Dallas tonight for the Snowball Express Gala.  Please visit their site and help however you can.