Rejection, reviews, competition, disappointment, deadlines, and doubt. There is no shortage of adversity in the writing life, making the ability to bounce back one of the greatest skills a writer can foster. And it can be fostered.
Because resilience is not a genetic or personality trait, but a process which can be learned and practiced.
Continue Reading Guest Post: J. Albert Mann on Writer Resilience »
Laura with her cat, Milk
By Elisabeth Norton
for SCBWI Bologna 2016
and Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s Cynsations
Laura Stitzel is an independent artist in Melbourne, Australia. She has been working as an illustrator, designer and animator in Australia and Canada since 2007.
Working mainly for children’s television,
Continue Reading 2016 SCBWI Bologna Illustrator Interview: Laura Stitzel »
By Angela Cerrito
for SCBWI Bologna 2016
and Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s Cynsations
Lisa Anchin has been drawing since she could hold a pencil and making up stories since she could speak.
She grew up just outside of New York City,
Continue Reading 2016 SCBWI Bologna Illustrator Interview: Lisa Anchin »
By Elisabeth Norton
for SCBWI Bologna 2016
and Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s Cynsations
Providence-based illustrator Rongyuan Ma is originally from China. She is a graduate of the Children’s Book Illustration Certificate Program at Rhode Island School of Design,
Continue Reading 2016 SCBWI Bologna Illustrators’ Gallery Winner Interview: Rongyuan (Roya) Ma »
The Heart of It: Creating Children’s Books that Matter is an online course for aspiring and emerging children’s book writers and illustrators who want to create powerful books for kids while simultaneously coming more fully into their own power as storyteller and artist.
I combine my passion as an educator and activist along with 20 years of experience in creating award-winning multicultural children’s books to craft a course that is a journey of self as much as a practical guide to creating children’s books.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Maya Christina Gonzalez on The Heart of It & Write Now! Make Books »
By Elisabeth Norton
for SCBWI Bologna 2016
and Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s Cynsations
Elizabeth O. Dulemba is an award-winning children’s author-illustrator with more than two dozen titles to her credit, including her debut historical fiction, A Bird on Water Street (Little Pickle,
Continue Reading 2016 SCBWI Bologna Author-Illustrator Interview: Elizabeth O. Dulemba »
By Angela Cerrito
for SCBWI Bologna 2016
and Cynthia Leitich Smith‘s Cynsations
Rahele Jomepour was born in Mashhad, Iran. She moved to the United States in 2011 and graduated with MFA in Visual Arts from Iowa State University in 2015.
Continue Reading 2016 SCBWI Bologna Illustrator Interview: Rahele Jomepour »
On Agents Selling a First Novel Manuscript by Jennifer Laughran from Ask the Agent. Peek: “The people who tend to get lots of sales are the people who are flexible, who stay positive, who are always coming up with more material, and who are happy to revise/reimagine/put something away for a while.”
Congratulations on the release of The Opposite Zoo (Alfred A. Knopf, 2016). What was the initial spark for this picture book?
Thank you! I am so excited about this book.
Even though the concept of opposites has been on my wish list for a long time,
Continue Reading Author-Illustrator Interview: Il Sung Na on The Opposite Zoo »
After judging nearly a thousand entries for recent writing contests, I’m reminded once again of the importance and power of effective opening hooks.
Start out swinging, and readers can’t wait to read more. Meander around and readers will quickly lose interest.
The truth is, authors have mere seconds to capture an editor’s heart.
Continue Reading Guest Post: Lori Mortensen on Hooking Readers »
