Keeping up with a Contest: Abilene Writers Guild
I like to participate in contests. It ties in nicely with my need for immediate gratification. Not that I always win. But at least I find out the contest results in a semi-timely manner. (When you freelance, sending out articles and stories that float around for MONTHS, sometimes YEARS, immediate gratification becomes an issue.) The Abilene Writers Guild sponsors an annual contest with a very reasonable entry fee ($5.00 for shorts, $10.00 for novel entries) and lots of categories. But the one that will interest readers here at F & K  is the “Children’s Stories for readers ages 3 to 8.” You have 1,000 words to wow the judges (though you may not nee

Peek-A-Book: The Secret of the Sacred Scarab
If your powers of deduction are good, then you probably have a good idea what today’s Peek-a-Book is all about! Author Fiona Ingram’s first book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, takes place in Egypt, and the adventure is packed with fascinating bits about that ancient part of the world. When I was a kid, I thought the pharaohs and pyramids were exciting and even a little scary. What a perfect backdrop for a mystery! Fiona Ingram was a bookworm k

Finding Writing Rules from a Ghost
I’m not sure if Mark Twain’s ghost still writes in his old haunts, but I’m sure that many a writer has been haunted by Twain’s rules for writing.  And it being that spooky time of the year, I thought it might be fun to raise his words from the dead so to speak, so that you, the children’s writer (or any writer) might benefit from his wisdom. Especially since a few noted rules relate, in an uncanny way, to the dead. To wit: Rule Number

Keeping the Light on to Read
I don’t have little guys reading in the Hall house these days, but I write for little guys. So, I like to keep up with what guys read. (I keep up with what girls read, too. Nothing sexist to see here, folks.) I check out books from the local library (I’m very big on supporting my local library with tons of overdue fines), and peruse booklists to see what the kiddies are reading. And I get to read books when I host a blog tour. In fact, I’ve got a great 8 to 12 year old read coming up November 3rd. It’s called Secret of the Sacred Scarab (you may have noticed it on Keeping the Light On to Read). It’s

Finding an Exquisite Corpse (Not as Icky as You Think)
Now, here’s a great idea, brought to you by the Center for the Book and the National Children’s Book and  Literacy Alliance! First of all, I have to explain that Exquisite Corpse is an old parlor game. I think it started with the concept of passing around a paper, having each participant add a body part, until at last you had yourself an “Exquisite Corpse.” It evolved into a game where a line would be written, and added upon, until the story traveled through the room of players, and you had yourself a funny tale.