Native American Literature for Young Readers
Happy Indigenous People’s Day! As the wind turns from humid to crisp and the leaves begin to change colors, we can’t help but think about Thanksgiving and our mixed feelings about this celebration. My education about Native Americans as a child was woefully inadequate and wrong for the most part. Understanding that our childhood views of colonialism were misrepresented is important to our history, our … Continue reading Native American Literature for Young Readers
October Four on 400 Contest Window is Now Open!
Q: What is Four on 400? A monthly contest that provides ONE LUCKY MG or YA WRITER with feedback on their opening 400 WORDS! As part of our ongoing mission to support writers, we’ll give a MG or YA writer feedback on their work from four of The Winged Pen’s contributors. Q: Sounds exciting! How do I enter? To enter, simply comment at the bottom of this post! At 4pm (EST) … Continue reading October Four on 400 Contest Window is Now Open!
MYC: Playing with Language
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 continued our series on revision with a look at first and last pages. This week, we’re diving into making your language shine. After the long slog of drafting and re-drafting and revising and editing, it can be hard to remember what … Continue reading MYC: Playing with Language
Fall Releases on Our Radar!
Fall makes me long for crisply cool, slightly overcast days. Why? On days like this, I enjoy exerting myself in the yard, cleaning up my summer gardens and preparing the cool season garden, and then hopping in the hammock with a book. Here are a few new releases for fall that have caught my attention. Picture Books Miguel’s Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream … Continue reading Fall Releases on Our Radar!
Dear Anne of Green Gables
Welcome to a brand new series on The Winged Pen! Here, we write love letters to our favorite books—the ones that shaped us, as writers and as people. First up is the book that inspired me to start this series: Anne of Green Gables! In case you haven’t read it, L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables is the story of an orphan girl who, after … Continue reading Dear Anne of Green Gables
MYC: The Importance of First and Last Pages
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 continued our series on revision with Writing “Other” with Sensitivity. This week, we’re diving into the importance of first and last pages. My introduction to writing first pages came early in my career at an SCBWI conference. I listened as a … Continue reading MYC: The Importance of First and Last Pages
Monster Picture Books are Monstrously Good for You!
“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”– G.K. Chesterton As I’m partial to monster picture books, I think they should be enjoyed year-round, but as it’s Halloween, it’s time to get into full-on monster picture book mode! After all, monster picture books feature so many hideously fantastic monsters! There … Continue reading Monster Picture Books are Monstrously Good for You!
Twitter 101 for Writers: Building Your Twitter Writing Community
Back in February, I wrote my first post in the Twitter 101 for Writers series. That post covered the Twitter Writing Community hashtags writers can use to find resources for every stage of the writing journey, from getting words on the page to finding a literary agent. At that point, I had the idea that Twitter 101 could be a series, but wasn’t sure what … Continue reading Twitter 101 for Writers: Building Your Twitter Writing Community
Interview with Melissa Roske Author of KAT GREENE COMES CLEAN
Melissa Roske is the author of KAT GREENE COMES CLEAN. She completely embodies the MG writing community because she’s about the friendliest and most supportive person you will meet. Before I talk to Melissa, here’s more about her book: Eleven-year-old Kat Greene has a lot on her pre-rinsed plate, thanks to her divorced mom’s obsession with cleaning. When Mom isn’t scrubbing every inch of their Greenwich Village apartment, … Continue reading Interview with Melissa Roske Author of KAT GREENE COMES CLEAN
MYC: Writing “Other” with Sensitivity
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 the Power of Metaphor. This week, we’ll discuss writing “other” characters. What is writing “Other”? It simply means writing characters that are not like yourself. Some writers are terrified to try this. If you’ve ever witnessed arguments about … Continue reading MYC: Writing “Other” with Sensitivity
Meet Jada Jones! New chapter books by Kelly Starling Lyons
Happy Birthday to Jada Jones! She’s a “rock” star and a good citizen in two new chapter books released September 19th by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley Newton. Goodreads: Rock Star … Continue reading Meet Jada Jones! New chapter books by Kelly Starling Lyons
A New Writing Podcast! MOM WRITES: THE DIRTY LAUNDRY ABOUT WRITING WITH KIDS
I subscribe to Jennie Nash’s newsletter and read her blog posts. She’s an instructor at the UCLA Extension Writing Program; the founder of Author Accelerator, a book coaching company; and generally a smart lady. So when I read that she was involved in a new writing podcast I wanted it to know what it was about. Mom Writes: The Dirty Laundry about Writing with Kids … Continue reading A New Writing Podcast! MOM WRITES: THE DIRTY LAUNDRY ABOUT WRITING WITH KIDS