I love writing about people. Every story I was assigned to cover in my 35 years as a correspondent and reporter for the Lancaster Sunday News turned out to be interesting because of the people I met.
Writing so long for a newspaper strengthened my “writing muscles,” besides which, being a reporter is like having a license to be nosy! I can’t think of a better way to tune into the human condition than with the pursuit of non-fiction. Both fiction and non-fiction have the same Number One Rule: don’t be boring.
The best place for any children’s writer to get serious about their craft (while meeting fun people) is the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Here are links to articles I wrote about writing:
- Where do writers come from?
- You Know You’re a Children’s Writer When . . .
- Things to Throw Into the Pot to Make the Stew Thicken
So that’s my own advice.
But, anyone looking for writing advice should really turn to the world’s greatest writers.
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- “It’s our job, as artists, to chase the inspiration that doesn’t let you go.” – Linn Manuel-Miranda, who took seven years to write Pulitzer and Tony-winning musical, “Hamilton.”
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- “The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent reading; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” – Samuel Johnson, author of “A Dictionary of the English Language,” 1755
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- “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.” – Ernest Hemingway
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- “Beware of advice – even this.” – Carl Sandburg
I’m currently working on the story of a lowly cookhouse turnspit dog in 1599, England, as well as another story about a boy and dog caught in the November 1863 battle for Chattanooga, Tennessee (Currier & Ives print). There always seem to be more ideas than time to get them written. But it’s fun to try!
