Kerpoof is one of my new favorite sites for budding authors. The Disney-owned site is surprisingly non-commercial, and it's really and truly FREE to use. The registration process requires a parent's email but in my experience, I can honestly say I haven't noticed any spam as a result of our use.
Why I like it: the storybook feature gives kids a chance to create their own illustrated books online, and as a bonus, they're getting great keyboard practice at the same time.
If you need to take your kid to the office this summer, I highly recommend sitting them at the keyboard and sending them to Kerpoof. Then, make sure you take a break to read what they're writing. You just might find you've got a talented writer in the family, and the next thing you know, you'll be sending out query letters and learning all about the publishing industry.
Hey, worse things could happen. :D
Showing posts with label children's writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children's writing. Show all posts
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Curriculum Resource for Children's Writers
Readers of my reading blog know I love The Why Files, now here's a reason for writers to love it too: the awesome science team at University of Wisconsin-Madison recently highlighted its Classroom Activity Pages in its newsletter, and what a line-up! From amoebas to tsunamis, children's writers are sure to find those pages an excellent resource.
_______________________
Link not working? Here's the URL:
http://whyfiles.org/category/cap/?orderby=rand
_______________________
Link not working? Here's the URL:
http://whyfiles.org/category/cap/?orderby=rand
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Children's Writer Poetry Contest
If you think you're as smart as Shel Silverstein
And your writing skills are really keen,
Go ahead and prove it -
But you better move it:
The deadline is Halloween!
And there you have it. You can enter this children's poetry writing contest with absolutely nothing to fear from me.
About the contest:
Sponsored by Children's Writer*
Free for subscribers, $15 entry fee for non-subscribers (which includes a one-year subscription to the newsletter)
Poems may be on any subject, up to 300 words, and must appeal to children
Top prize is $500 and publication
Deadline for entries: October 31, 2011
Good luck!
*Children's Writer is a newsletter of writing and publishing trends. Since I've been a subscriber, I've been impressed with its very practical advice. (Not that my children's books are winning any awards - oh wait, that's because I don't have any published children's books...yet. Well anyway, good luck!)
And your writing skills are really keen,
Go ahead and prove it -
But you better move it:
The deadline is Halloween!
And there you have it. You can enter this children's poetry writing contest with absolutely nothing to fear from me.
About the contest:
Sponsored by Children's Writer*
Free for subscribers, $15 entry fee for non-subscribers (which includes a one-year subscription to the newsletter)
Poems may be on any subject, up to 300 words, and must appeal to children
Top prize is $500 and publication
Deadline for entries: October 31, 2011
Good luck!
*Children's Writer is a newsletter of writing and publishing trends. Since I've been a subscriber, I've been impressed with its very practical advice. (Not that my children's books are winning any awards - oh wait, that's because I don't have any published children's books...yet. Well anyway, good luck!)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Philosophical look at plot, fiction, and real life
The Highlights Foundation published a mini-interview with editor Stephen Roxburgh (who has edited the works of Madeline L'Engle, among others) and I found this little ditty particularly interesting:
~~~~~~~ hmmmm; not unlike real life ~~~~~~~~
Roxburgh continues, "you can't know where a plot begins unless you know where it ends, and unless you know the beginning and ending, you can't know what must come in between." The analogy fails here, of course; we cannot rewrite our own lives. We can, I think, revise them. As Roxburgh sees it, the key is "'re-vision,' seeing what you have written in a new way."
Can you revise your life story? I think so. Can you revise that novel you have in a drawer? Not until you take it out of the drawer! If you're a philosopher, consider your 2011 re-vision carefully ;) and if you're a writer with a plot stuck in a drawer (or your head) consider the Highlights Foundation's pricey-but-possibly-worth-it workshop, Plotting Your Novel. The registration deadline is January 31.
Highlights Foundation: How critical is a strong plot to the sale of a novel? ...
Roxburgh: ... A strong protagonist won't exist without a coherent plot: what happens and why it happens (i.e., the plot) makes the protagonist strong. Plot is the crucible in which character is formed.
~~~~~~~ hmmmm; not unlike real life ~~~~~~~~
Roxburgh continues, "you can't know where a plot begins unless you know where it ends, and unless you know the beginning and ending, you can't know what must come in between." The analogy fails here, of course; we cannot rewrite our own lives. We can, I think, revise them. As Roxburgh sees it, the key is "'re-vision,' seeing what you have written in a new way."
Can you revise your life story? I think so. Can you revise that novel you have in a drawer? Not until you take it out of the drawer! If you're a philosopher, consider your 2011 re-vision carefully ;) and if you're a writer with a plot stuck in a drawer (or your head) consider the Highlights Foundation's pricey-but-possibly-worth-it workshop, Plotting Your Novel. The registration deadline is January 31.
DISCLOSURE: I am NOT advertising or recommending Highlights Foundation. This is not a paid promotion of any sort, just a mention that the opportunity is nigh.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Put a Bow on It (Grammar is Part of the Packaging)
Packaging fascinates me, from the myriad marketing issues (eye-catching strange shape or practical box for easy shelving?) to the technical considerations of shrink wrap. Let me be clear: on the style v. substance question, I pick substance every time. BUT.
Packaging problems can kill products.
And grammar, my friends, is part of the package. Consider this, from a help-wanted post:
"[name omitted] is one of the largest book publishers in the world. It's subsidiary [name omitted] publishes [blah-blah-blah]..."
Did you catch it? When it jumped off the screen at me, I promptly prepared to send in my offer to help this world-famous publisher PROOFREAD ITS OWN AD COPY.
Maybe I'm a little extra-sensitive these days, what with the holiday parties and all. Every seasonal gathering seems to require one of those "so what do you do?" conversations, and when I say, "I'm a writer" nine times out of ten, I hear "Oh really? Sometimes I think about being a writer..." and honest, I try to smile kindly. Because [dripping sarcasm] yeah, it's true, everybody can be a writer.
Now, before you give it a go, do me (and other poor unsuspecting readers out there) a favor: do a good job. Use the right word. Clean up the punctuation. Proofread for errors. And before you offer your gift of writing to the world, put a bow on it.
By that I mean, don't print, publish, or mail anything until it's your best stuff. The words you choose to describe your business, services, and products are your packaging, as much as cellophane or cardboard.
What kind of presentation are you making?
Packaging problems can kill products.
And grammar, my friends, is part of the package. Consider this, from a help-wanted post:
"[name omitted] is one of the largest book publishers in the world. It's subsidiary [name omitted] publishes [blah-blah-blah]..."
Did you catch it? When it jumped off the screen at me, I promptly prepared to send in my offer to help this world-famous publisher PROOFREAD ITS OWN AD COPY.
Maybe I'm a little extra-sensitive these days, what with the holiday parties and all. Every seasonal gathering seems to require one of those "so what do you do?" conversations, and when I say, "I'm a writer" nine times out of ten, I hear "Oh really? Sometimes I think about being a writer..." and honest, I try to smile kindly. Because [dripping sarcasm] yeah, it's true, everybody can be a writer.
Now, before you give it a go, do me (and other poor unsuspecting readers out there) a favor: do a good job. Use the right word. Clean up the punctuation. Proofread for errors. And before you offer your gift of writing to the world, put a bow on it.
By that I mean, don't print, publish, or mail anything until it's your best stuff. The words you choose to describe your business, services, and products are your packaging, as much as cellophane or cardboard.
What kind of presentation are you making?
Friday, July 3, 2009
Rhyming in Children's Books
Should you or shouldn't you? Oft-heard advice says 1- don't, unless you really are next Dr. Seuss and 2- don't ever, ever, ever say you're Seusslike in a cover letter directed to a publisher. Supposed to be a surefire way to land on the slushpile, pronto.
The latest issue of Children's Writer* is more encouraging. The article Fly High, Immersed in Verse (by Judy Bradbury) reminds us what's at stake:
Carl Sandburg sees it from a child's perspective:
Joan Hyman, Associate Editor at Wordsong, the poetry imprint at Boyds Mill Press, reminds hopeful poets to - well, write well. "Though there is always room for light, fun verse, the best poets - and the best writers - know how to push the reader to think while keeping him or her entertained," she told Bradbury.
Good advice. Here's some more: you're not the next Dr. Seuss, and you probably don't want to be. Read, write, join SCBWI, and you too just might inspire the next generation of readers (and writers)!
*if you aspire to be one, subscribe to and read Children's Writer thoroughly
The latest issue of Children's Writer* is more encouraging. The article Fly High, Immersed in Verse (by Judy Bradbury) reminds us what's at stake:
"It is the poet's privilege to help man endure by lifing up his heart." --William Faulkner
Carl Sandburg sees it from a child's perspective:
"Poetry is the journal of a sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the sky."
Joan Hyman, Associate Editor at Wordsong, the poetry imprint at Boyds Mill Press, reminds hopeful poets to - well, write well. "Though there is always room for light, fun verse, the best poets - and the best writers - know how to push the reader to think while keeping him or her entertained," she told Bradbury.
Good advice. Here's some more: you're not the next Dr. Seuss, and you probably don't want to be. Read, write, join SCBWI, and you too just might inspire the next generation of readers (and writers)!
*if you aspire to be one, subscribe to and read Children's Writer thoroughly
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