This is a collection of links to helpful organizations, resources I have had a hand in creating, and assorted stuff I have found helpful as a writer. I hope they will help you too!
From my own pen:
6 Ways to Get Unstuck in Your First Draft
Have Swag Will Travel: Planning Library Visits, Webinars, and Other Outreach (Dawn Babb Prochovnic and Small Talk Learning)
Storytime Magic for Picture Book School and Library Visits (Webinar recording; 90 minutes)
Oh, The Places Your Mind Can Go! Episode 3 at CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth (Literary Magazine Writing Prompt Video Series)
15 Picture Books That Demonstrate “Show, Don’t Tell”
Working with Public Libraries: A Guide for Authors, Part 1 (at PubCrawl)
Working with Public Libraries: A Guide for Authors, Part 2 (at PubCrawl)
10 Things Writers Need to Know About American Sign Language and Deaf Culture
Women in the Business Panel Podcast (from Balticon 51, May 2017)
Assorted Blog Posts About the Writing Process
Other resources:
Kathy’s List of Best Books for Writers
Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
Educational Markets for Children’s Writers by Evelyn B. Christensen
Pencil Tips: Writing Workshop Strategies from Children’s Authors and Illustrators
A Launch Party Primer by Carrie Firestone (on the Sweet Sixteens blog)
Jane Friedman (see especially The Complete Guide to Query Letters)
Helping Writers Become Authors (K.M. Weiland)
How to Find Compelling Comps for Your Book by Star Wuerdemann
Publishers That Accept Unagented Submissions by Bitsy Kemper
Word Counts
Wordcount Dracula by Jennifer Laughran
Picture Book Word Count, and Other Rules That Are Meant to be Broken by Miranda Paul
Writing a Synopsis
How to Write a 1-Page Synopsis by Susan Dennard
Taming the Synopsis: 4 Steps for Perfecting One-Page and Long-Form Synopses by Ammi-Joan Paquette
How to Write a Novel Synopsis by Jane Friedman
Picture Books
The Ultimate Guide on How to Write a Children’s Picture Book (Journey to Kidlit)
Creating Picture Books: A Resource by Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Picture Book Structure by Mary Kole
The Shape of a Story by Sarah Wones Tomp
Narrative Structure In Children’s Books by
How to Write a Picture Book Query Letter (Template and Example) by Tracy C. Gold
How to Craft a Picture Book Dummy by Lisa Cinelli
Plot and Character
Heart First, Brain Later: Why Your Character’s Emotional Arc Matters More Than Your Perfect Plot by Dr. Finnian Burnett
How to Write Your Novel Using the Save the Cat Beat Sheet by Jessica Brody
Interiority
Series by Rebecca Makkai:
- Part 1: Interior(ity) Design Fails: How NOT to Get In a Character’s Head
- Part 2: Go Deep!
- Part 3: More Cake, More Interiority!: Examples from Edward P. Jones and Alice Munro
Stories By Hand with Kathy MacMillan 