I am a hopelessly slow writer. I set aside three to four hours each morning for writing and on a good day, I have one and a half typed pages to show for it. On a bad day, I can have two paragraphs. I never sit and stare into space. My fingers are always on… [Read More]
Work in Progress #5: A Masterpiece! (Or…Not)
July 22, 2013 By
Last Friday I came to the halfway point of my young adult biography. I finished chapter 5. I decided to go back and read the whole thing from the beginning. After focusing on words, sentences, and paragraphs for so long, it seemed like a good time to take a look at the Work as a… [Read More]
Work in Progress #4: Elizabeth Gilbert to the Rescue
July 2, 2013 By
Writers, like all who create, suffer mightily. We wonder if we will ever write anything “worthy” and, if we do come up with something that gets noticed, we wonder if we will ever be a second act. I’m told that the great Dr. Suess (a.k.a. Theodore Geisel) felt the Cat in the Hat constantly taunting… [Read More]
Work in Progress #3: Writing and Then Really Writing
June 24, 2013 By
Confession: I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Translation to my nonfiction writing life: I have trouble keeping piles of research straight while trying to write a decent story. Writing is often about solving problems of this sort and here’s an idea I’m trying that seems to be helping with this particular… [Read More]
Work in Progress #2: To Write or Not to Write
June 10, 2013 By
I mentioned in my last blog that I would talk about when to stop researching and start writing. The truth is, I’ve already started writing…but only sort of. I’ve found it really helps to get the first three chapters of a piece down as quickly as possible. So, as soon as I’ve read four or five key books on my… [Read More]
Work in Progress #1: Drowning!
May 30, 2013 By
I’m hard at work on a new young adult biography and drowning in research! Before I attempted my first longer biography (The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton) research for shorter pieces was a simple task consisting of three steps: create a list of the books and articles I needed to read, find the books and… [Read More]
Writing Nonfiction (Two Views!)
April 15, 2013 By
It would seem that, when you do something as solitary as writing, you probably never meet other writers. But that’s not true. We writers meet each other all the time at book events, presentations, online…somehow we find one another. I’ve known children’s writer Andrea Cheng for quite a few years and when she asked me to… [Read More]
Win a Complimentary Manuscript Critique by Connie!
February 27, 2013 By
I’m offering a free manuscript critique of a picture book or up to 3,000 words of a book for older readers. To be eligible to win this opportunity, simply sign up to receive my enewsletter and very occasional communications for writers and readers. Please share this opportunity with writers that you know! A winner to… [Read More]
Anatomy of Nonfiction
February 27, 2013 By
If you click on the “Resources” tab on the home page of my website, you’ll find all kinds of helpful information I’ve gathered (and continue to gather!) for writers, readers, and educators. The most recent addition is a blog by Peggy Thomas called Anatomy of Nonfiction: Writing True Stories for Children. A wonderful nonfiction writer herself, Peggy is… [Read More]
What Writers Do Right
January 14, 2013 By
My eighth-grade English teacher was named Mrs. Crisick. She seemed like any old teacher way back then but I know, in remembering bits and pieces from her class, that she was extraordinary. Once, when we were assigned to write a story, she stood in front of the class with mine in her hand and said she wanted… [Read More]