Books That Scared the Bejeesus out of Us
Though I relish everything having to do with ghosts and monsters, I’m also the person who levitates off the sofa during every single jump scare in “Stranger Things,” much to the amusement of my son. Today is Halloween, a time when, it’s said, the veil between the living and the dead grows thin, and we’re allowed both to scare and be scared. It got me … Continue reading Books That Scared the Bejeesus out of Us
Twitter 101 for Writers: Etiquette
Abby Matthews asked: I’d like to see a post on Twitter etiquette for beginners. When is it OK to butt into a conversation with a total stranger and when is it just creepy? Because I feel like 99.95% of the time it’s just creepy. I’ll heart when illustrators post recent works (I LOVE that). But I rarely catch when someone posts something I think I … Continue reading Twitter 101 for Writers: Etiquette
Dear Skellig
This is the second love letter in the series we’re doing about books that shaped us, as individuals and as writers. Last month, I wrote about a book that formed me as a person. This month, it’s the book that inspired me to write middle grade. I discovered Skellig, by David Almond, as an adult. I fell into it by accident, intrigued by its strange … Continue reading Dear Skellig
Need Stronger Backstory for Your Characters? The Emotional Wound Thesaurus to the rescue!
At The Winged Pen, we’ve written about Angela Ackerman’s and Becca Puglisi’s wonderful writing books before. So we’re super excited to tell you about their newest one: The Emotional Wound Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Psychological Trauma. Yay!!!!! *shoots off rockets* A wound, in the writing world, is the hurt the main character carries around that keeps him or her holding onto a lie. A … Continue reading Need Stronger Backstory for Your Characters? The Emotional Wound Thesaurus to the rescue!
Tasting Your Words: Writing with Your 5 Senses
Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we talked about Ten Steps to Tightening. This week, we’ll discuss Tasting Your Words: Writing with Your 5 Senses. We are physical beings who experience life on this planet through our five senses. It’s true that our minds love to time-travel, … Continue reading Tasting Your Words: Writing with Your 5 Senses
Daughter 4254: A New Dystopian Series about fighting for the arts #D4254
The soon-to-be-released futuristic dystopian young adult novel Daughter 4254 started out as an ebook on Wattpad that received over ******1 million****** views. Impressed by the attention it had received, the publishers at Owl Hollow Press invited Leigh Statham to publish Daughter 4254 as a series of novels. The original story has been revised and enhanced, and the first novel in the trilogy … Continue reading Daughter 4254: A New Dystopian Series about fighting for the arts #D4254
Q&A with Middle Grade Author Julie Leung
Julie, congratulations on the release of your latest book, Mice of the Round Table (Voyage to Avalon) and welcome to The Winged Pen! Your cover is gorgeous––tell us about the story. Julie: Young mouse Calib Christopher has nearly completed his training to become a squire to the Knights of Camelot when news of a deadly plague reaches the castle. Soon all of Camelot is showing … Continue reading Q&A with Middle Grade Author Julie Leung
MYC: Tightening
Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we talked about Sentence, Paragraph, Chapter, and Story Length. This week, we’ll discuss Ten Steps to Tightening. One of the important steps in the revision process is tightening. This is a multi-level, multi-step process, but oh so important to make your … Continue reading MYC: Tightening
Nic Stone Interview: Dear Martin
Black Yale-bound graduating senior Justyce McAllister’s good life at his prestigious, mostly-white prep school takes on a new harsh reality after he’s falsely accused of crimes and roughed up by a policeman while innocently helping a friend. Meanwhile, daily news accounts of young black men being shot or arrested flood the airwaves, stirring up strong opinions among his classmates. As Justyce searches for answers to … Continue reading Nic Stone Interview: Dear Martin
Four on 400 October 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. Camp Chrysalis (Middle … Continue reading Four on 400 October Feedback
Meet Brock Shelley from What Book Hooked You? Podcast
The best people I know are people who start conversations and promote the creative things other people are doing. With my debut recently out in the world I owe so much to everyone who read, blogged, reviewed and posted about it. One way I want to reciprocate is by introducing you all to Brock Shelley. He’s the creator of the What Book Hooked You? … Continue reading Meet Brock Shelley from What Book Hooked You? Podcast
MYC: Make Your Story Fit Your Reader
Welcome to this week’s Master Your Craft post! Each Wednesday we’ll discuss prewriting and drafting a new book from the BIG IDEA to QUERYING. Last week, we talked about Creating Interesting Dialogue and Description. This week, we’ll discuss making sure the content and sentence, paragraph, chapter, and word count work for your reader. As you are revising, one important step in the process is to make sure … Continue reading MYC: Make Your Story Fit Your Reader