Writing Tips and Books on Craft

No matter what form of publishing writers strive for (traditional, self-publishing or hybrid) or what genre or age group you write for, you need to learn the craft of writing. This can be achieved through college and graduate level courses on writing and studying children's literature. 

But that is not practical advice for many writers. Many writers, I dare say most writers, take online writing workshops, local writing courses at their community college, attend writers' conferences, read writer blogs or read books on craft.

I also suggest joining twitter. There is an active writing community and it's a good source for locating writing workshops. Use the hashtags #WritingCommunity, #WritingConferences  #WritingWorkshops #WritingClasses

Spend time at the library reading, especially, if you are interested in writing board books, picture books, easy readers or early chapter books. I still recommend reading some craft books on picture books so you know what to pay attention to while studying the younger formats.  

For middle grade, young adult or adult, pay attention to the following: viewpoint, dialogue, pacing, rhythm, setting, sentence structure, descriptions, characters, chapter structure, escalating tension, climax, resolution and denouement.

By reading books on craft, in addition to explaining the different elements of writing, you’ll learn how to study picture books and novels with a critical eye.

My favorite craft books for novel writing are listed below:

WRITING IRRESISTIBLE KIDLIT by Mary Kole

STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron

DIALOGUE by Gloria Kempton

PLOT & STRUCTURE by James Scott Bell

CHARACTERS, EMOTION & VIEWPOINT by Nancy Kress

DESCRIPTION & SETTING by Ron Rozelle

SECOND SIGHT by Cheryl B. Klein

 My favorite books for picture book writing are the following:

WRITING PICTURE BOOKS by Ann Whitford Paul

SECOND SIGHT by Cheryl B. Klein. (Cheryl uses a clever device to explain and demonstrate how to write a picture book.)

My last reference book is THE FIRST FIVE PAGES by Noah Lukeman. This book lists the pitfalls and common mistakes on your first five pages. It’s important to note that whatever mistakes you made on your first five pages, you probably made throughout your manuscript.

Remember, writing is an apprentice program. You learn by doing. Read and write often. With patience, dedication, hard work and perseverance, you can become a writer and a published author.