As a writer and parent, I’ve faced down a few challenges. Furiously typing words during nap time, relying on the Wild Kratts to keep kids occupied while I write, and running off to the coffee shop while someone else feeds them lunch have all been tools in my toolbox. But I’ve recently come up against a new parenting wall: teenagers! Even though I write and … Continue reading Help! There are Teens in My House!
The Winged Pen is 2 ¼ years old! We may not have served a cake with two lit candles when the big day came around, but we did make a wish. We wanted a new website. After publishing 2-4 posts a week every week for two years, we realized we had a lot of info in our archives that new readers never saw. Since I … Continue reading A New Look and More – The Content You Need Is Now Easier to Find on the New Winged Pen Website
Several Winged Pen members loved Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli. A couple of us saw the movie adaptation last weekend. We’ve been fangirling behind the scenes and thought it would be fun to chat about the book/movie here and to invite our readers to join the conversation. We’ve never tried a post like this, but we thought we’d give it a … Continue reading Fangirl Report: LOVE, SIMON
Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss writing a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last year, we walked you through every step from getting the big idea through polishing your finished novel. Last time, we discussed the Dreaded Synopsis. This week we’ll help you get organized as you research agents. Finding an agent is just as much about you as … Continue reading MYC: Researching Agents
It’s my pleasure to introduce you lovely blog readers to Don Bosco. Last year at AFCC, one of Singapore’s writing festivals geared to children’s content, I was volunteering and was lucky enough to bump into Don and get to know him– that is, after I mistakenly assumed he was a moderator for the session he was actually co-leading…. Oops! But he was wonderfully kind and has … Continue reading Introducing Don Bosco! (All the way from Singapore)
Today I’m excited to talk with Sera Rivers. Sera is Co-Director of the 2018 New England SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Conference, along with Loretta Kapinos. The New England conference is the largest regional SCBWI conference with over 650 attendees annually. Sera’s also an editor and YA author, and winner of the 2016 PEN New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery … Continue reading Behinds the Scenes with Sera Rivers – Co-Director of the New England SCBWI Conference
Happy Valentine’s Day! The true origins of Valentine’s Day are unknown – in 496, it signified the start of spring. It was also believed Valentine was a person who gave love to the world. Similar to what we now know as Cupid? Whichever story is true, both represent joy and happiness. At The Winged Pen, we help spread happiness by talking about our love of … Continue reading The Literary Couples We Love
WriteOnCon is near and dear to our hearts at the Winged Pen because it’s where a lot of us first connected. I’ll be attending this year and I hope you will be too! If you haven’t before, here’s some tips on making the most of it. What is WriteOnCon? WriteOnCon is an online writing conference. No pricey registration fees. No hotel rooms required. No extended … Continue reading Get Ready for WriteOnCon!
Back in July, just before my daughters headed back to school, I decided to try something new. A position had opened up at our local independent book store for a part-time bookseller. What booklover hasn’t dreamed of working at an indie bookstore, at least for a day? My expectations for being hired were low. I hadn’t held a “real” job since I’d stopped working as … Continue reading Indie Bookstores (The Lifeblood of Our Communities), Jumping Into Black Holes, and New Picture Books
The other day, several of us Pennies realized that it is now, in fact, 2018. Where did 2017 go?!? If you’re also wondering just what happened to 2017, welcome to our club! And to help you reorient yourself, we thought we’d revisit some of the Winged Pen 2017 highlights. If you missed a post last year, this one’s for you. (And feel free to sign … Continue reading ICYMI: Winged Pen Highlights from 2017
For the last couple of years, every time one of my writer pals would ask me what I was working on, the answer was the same breezy, “Oh, I’m still plugging away on that rockstar mom book I told you about ages ago.” I’m pretty sure that more than a few of them wondered if I shouldn’t just give it up and move on to … Continue reading How to Survive Your Toughest Draft
The new year is here. What does that mean? Resolutions! We all make them and unfortunately about one third of us break them. I’m sad to say I am in that group. Let me give you some examples from my life. Resolution 1: Cut out frivilous spending. Reality: This beautiful journal with the sun and stars cover will make me a better writer. I need it. Resolution … Continue reading New Goals + New Approach = New Opportunities
