Four on 400 in bold red on a background of text

Four on 400: January Feedback

Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s Four on 400 contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. Below, we’ve posted the first 400 words from this month’s winner, along with feedback from at least four of our members. We also encourage our readers to share their (constructive) suggestions and encouragement in the comments section below. AMBASSADOR OF … Continue reading Four on 400: January Feedback

Richelle MorganJanuary 14, 2017June 2, 20192 Comments

Writer's Life

Want to Make More Progress in 2017? Write Down Your Writing Goals

It’s the New Year – new calendars, new notebooks, a new start! I am a New Year junkie. I love the reminders to reflect on the previous year and lay out plans for the year to come. But as a staunch list-maker, I don’t just noodle on my goals for the year, I write them down. At the end of each year, I pull up … Continue reading Want to Make More Progress in 2017? Write Down Your Writing Goals

Richelle MorganJanuary 6, 2017December 15, 201611 Comments

Creativity and Craft

Ready… Set… WRITE!

If you read Julie’s post, you know it’s National Novel Writing Month again, which means a whole bunch of us are sweating through each day trying to write 50,000-ish words by the end of November. While I’m not participating this year, I am still trying to keep up my own momentum on my current WIP. But time has been so very tight for me this … Continue reading Ready… Set… WRITE!

Richelle MorganNovember 4, 2016November 2, 20162 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

Going Dark: How Do You Tune Out Online “Noise”?

After being almost completely disconnected for ten days this summer, I found it a bit jarring once I returned to my normal online-heavy life. I’m deep into drafting at the moment, and all that “noise” has been wreaking havoc with my ability to focus. Hearing about others’ progress, chasing the link to yet another craft article or agent’s wishlist, or just keeping up with the … Continue reading Going Dark: How Do You Tune Out Online “Noise”?

Richelle MorganSeptember 14, 2016September 12, 20161 Comment

Creativity and Craft

Feeding Your Inner Artist

Some of my earliest memories are of going to the art museum with my father. Later, when I started playing violin, my parents took us to the symphony. We read widely, went to plays and art festivals and were generally immersed in the arts. Before I started my family, I spent years attending live music, traveling to some of the world’s best museums, and grabbing … Continue reading Feeding Your Inner Artist

Richelle MorganAugust 17, 2016August 11, 20164 Comments

Conferences & writing retreats

Fear, Fan-girling and Flambé: SCBWI Oregon Conference Recap

Recently, two of our Winged Pen members attended the SCBWI Oregon Conference. We sat down with them to talk about what they learned. What was the most inspirational moment of the conference for you? Richelle: Lately, I’ve been focusing on the joy of following my own quirky path – in writing and in life. So I was very inspired by Victoria Jamieson’s keynote, which was … Continue reading Fear, Fan-girling and Flambé: SCBWI Oregon Conference Recap

Richelle MorganJuly 13, 2016July 8, 20165 Comments

Eight on Eight

8 on Eight: July Contest Feedback

Thank you to all the brave souls who entered this month’s 8 on Eight contest! Sharing your writing takes courage, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for our contest. If your name wasn’t drawn from the Triwizard cup this time around, keep an eye out for when our next contest window opens at 8 PM on July 31st. Below, we’ve posted the first 8 lines from this month’s winner, along … Continue reading 8 on Eight: July Contest Feedback

Richelle MorganJuly 8, 2016July 7, 20164 Comments

Creativity and Craft, Writer's Life

Keeping the Words Flowing

Back when we were the age of the kids we write for, summer used to mean long, hot, lazy days filled with reading, outdoor fun, and friends. But for writers, summer can be a huge time of distraction. Schedule changes like vacations and having kids home from school for the summer months can really eat into my writing time. So I asked my fellow Winged … Continue reading Keeping the Words Flowing

Richelle MorganJuly 6, 2016July 5, 20162 Comments

Creativity and Craft

Where Do You Write?

One of the great things about writing is that there’s no wrong way to do it…as long as words are getting logged somewhere. Anywhere. On a laptop, in a notebook, on thick, creamy paper, or in a recording on a cell phone to be transcribed later. But with all these options, we all have our own comfortable patterns we fall into. Two members of The … Continue reading Where Do You Write?

Richelle MorganJune 27, 2016June 26, 20164 Comments

Book Recommendations, Creativity and Craft

Untangling Your Characters

I love character motivation! When done right, it gives stories depth and texture and makes the characters seem like real people. I also hate character motivation! Sometimes I just want to get my characters from point A to point B in my story without having to worry about why. But if you want to write books with characters that people hate to part with, then … Continue reading Untangling Your Characters

Richelle MorganJune 20, 2016June 12, 20163 Comments

News

Kids Talk Back: The Book Police

Last week, author Kate Messner wrote about being disinvited to a school talk in Vermont because the content of her book THE SEVENTH WISH — a story dealing with the impacts of drug addiction on a family — was deemed too difficult to discuss with the students. In an update on her blog, Messner reports getting an email from a school librarian who canceled the school’s … Continue reading Kids Talk Back: The Book Police

Richelle MorganJune 14, 2016June 13, 2016Leave a comment

Book Recommendations

Rooting for the Bad Guys

It’s been a long, rainy winter-turned-spring here in the Pacific Northwest. And I’m sick of it. Every day when I bundle up in my increasingly leaky raincoat to walk the dog, I try to remind myself that rain today means a glorious green summer. Three months from now. (Humph.) Yeah, I’m cranky. Which might be why I’ve been so delighted to stumble across two books … Continue reading Rooting for the Bad Guys

Richelle MorganMarch 28, 2016March 18, 20164 Comments