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I still laugh about my first SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s & Illustrators) experience. It was a workshop in the winter of 2000 and the topic was rejection letters. We sat in a circle and the facilitator had a pile of rejection letters on her lap. Seriously, I thought, you’re going to read “real” rejection letters? Afterward, I met another first-timer, Rondi Frieder, and we laughed about “nothing like getting depressed” as we both begin to write picture books. We exchanged contact information and started meeting monthly to critique each other’s work and eventually, share rejection letters!

Fast-forward to 2016. We’re now The Story Spinners, a SCBWI critique group of seven kidlit writers that meet monthly and support each other way beyond our meetings. It’s hard to explain. They’re always there. We email hope, advice, ideas, frustrations, big news, baby steps, rejections, and the list goes on. Story Spinners amaze me and give me confidence to keep going in this crazy business. We nudge each other and perhaps most important, I think we hold a safe space for everyone to show up and be vulnerable.

In August, I emailed them my big news (no, I didn’t get an agent!): my husband Ken accepted a temporary work assignment in England and “I’m going with him.” I reported that we would be living in Harrogate, a spa town about four hours from London, and that I was trying to connect with members of SCBWI-British Isles. We joked about me Skyping for our Denver meetings. Story Spinners have taught me that being in a critique group is a huge commitment; it’s hard work with an endless learning curve.

I never dreamt that I would tap into the international part of SCBWI. First, I emailed several British Isles board members to inquire if there were members/groups in or near Harrogate. I received an enthusiastic email from Marie Basting, Networks Coordinator for SCBWI-British Isles, in which she explained the critique group “map” and referred me to Maureen Lynas, Networks Organizer for SCBWI-British Isles North East. Next, Marie and Maureen connected me with members, or as they say, “Scoobies,” in Harrogate and York. Marie made it possible for me to join SCBWI-North East closed Facebook group, so I could introduce myself, start meeting Scoobies and find events. Wow! I started FB’ing with Scoobies and had access to a daily stream of articles, thought-provoking discussions, workshops, etc. I felt like I was already there! The best: I connected with authors Rebecca Colby and Morag Caunt (aka Morag Macrae), who invited me to their weekly meeting in Harrogate. Rebecca wrote, “Harrogate is a lovely place to stay…the happiest place in Britain three years running.” Morag mentioned that they like to meet at Baltzersen’s, a café just three blocks from our future apartment.

We conversed via FB about our current writing projects and they connected me to York Scoobies. My hope-goal was to continue revising my YA and immerse myself in all things writing. As I packed for this dream-come-true adventure, I was a kid getting ready for my first day of school. I carefully chose my notebooks and tucked two flash drives in a zipped billfold.

In September, after we moved into our apartment, I checked my email and FB and was overwhelmed by all the messages from Scoobies welcoming me and telling me “what’s on”, offering to pick me up at train stations, asking about my writing projects, and envying our close proximity to Betty’s (a top tourist attraction).

Three days later, I met Rebecca and Morag and they treated me to coffee and a heavenly apricot crunch bar. We gabbed for over two hours, laughing about Brit-English and our time spent on roads less traveled, and of course, we covered the universal topics that writers love to pore over – taking hours to craft just a few sentences, sinking in research quicksand, trying new writing rituals, and rewarding ourselves with chocolate! I felt right at home with these clever, accomplished writers. Like Story Spinners, they were unassuming, curious, and 110% committed to their writing and to supporting other writers.

They taught me Brit coffeehouse etiquette (no refills!) and recommended restaurants and must-see sights for our weekend jaunts to Scotland and around England. I learned of Morag’s self-publishing journey, which resulted in her collection of short stories for youth, titled The Zone. I was inspired by her fierce determination to work with schools and prisons to reach reluctant readers and struggling youth and, give them a chance to perform her stories. I was sparked by Rebecca’s stories of the challenge of writing rhyme and how she landed a publisher for her newest picture book, It’s Raining Bats & Frogs. She put her whole self into school visits and talks, including donning her handmade witch shoes and hat.

I’m SO grateful for Rebecca and Morag. Our time was lovely. THANK YOU!! Your openness and questions kindled the two new projects that I drafted, revised and “carried” home on my flash drives – a draft of a new picture book and a complete redo of the picture book that I was working on when I met Rondi (and filed away after many rejections). Since I’ve returned home, our email exchange across the miles is an incredible gift. However, I muchly miss conversing in person over Baltzersen’s rich coffee and sweets! I have yet to fulfill their request for a photo of Colorado’s snow-capped mountains. I’m proud that my revising (and writing this blog) has taken precedence – and I can picture them grinning right now!

I also send mega thanks to Marie Basting, Maureen Lynas, Deborah Court, Sally Blewett, Clare O’Brien and every Scoobie who took time to welcome me and tell me “what’s on”. Your thoughtfulness (and Ken’s!) motivated me to go for it and attend the Ilkley Literature Festival, writing workshops at the Harrogate History Festival (including one with author Emma Darwin, great-great granddaughter of Charles Darwin, and getting to hear Michael Morpurgo), online classes, Books Are My Bag, The Big Draw…

What more could I ask for? Well, two things: take a moment to meet Rebecca and Morag:

Morag – http://www.wordsandpics.org/2014/02/more-than-words-on-page.html

Rebecca – http://www.wordsandpics.org/2015/02/the-debut-author-series-rebecca-colby.html

And, enjoy these resources:

Rebecca Colby’s Website & Blog:

http://www.rebeccacolbybooks.com/

Morag Caunt: On Self-Publishing

http://completelynovel.com/readers/morag-caunt

Emma Darwin’s Blog:

http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/

An Interview With Michael Morpurgo

https://www.outube.com/watch?v=C9zTeC464

Article: How I Got My Agent and What Nearly Stopped Me

http://spacekidsbooks.com/how-i-got-my-agent-and-what-nearly-stopped-me/

From The Manchester Literature Festival

http://www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/awritersmanifestobyjoanneharristhenationalconversation.aspx

An Author and Agent Discuss the Art of Revision

http://www.notesfromtheslushpile.com/2013/05/slushpile-chat-author-and-agent-discuss.html

On our last night in Harrogate, we did what we loved: walked up and down the charming hilly streets. “Bittersweet,” we agreed. This happy town had really fired up our creative juices (Ken’s photos are stunning!). I know it sounds trite, but from the moment we arrived in Harrogate, I felt connected to something pretty special. It’s hard to explain. You Scoobies were always there, and always will be. SCBWI at home and across the pond is my rock. So lovely! Well, get ready! I’ll be emailing all of you about my next rejection and you’ll be the first to know about my agent! Till next time, cheerio!

“What we need is not the will to believe, but the wish to find out.” —William Wordsworth

By Rondi Sokoloff Frieder

“Writing is slow. If you want fast, bake a cake.”   Linda Sue Park

Crafting a book takes a very long time. As writers, we agonize over word choice and sentence structure, delete paragraphs, (and put them back in), change points of view, flesh out characters, and do tons of research. We write and revise, get feedback from fellow writers, revise again, submit to editors and agents, and revise some more. We spend weeks, months, even years doing this with no promise of publication. To quote Karla Kuskin, “It’s not so much about the writing as it is about the rewriting.”

For the past three years, this is exactly what I’ve been doing with my two middle grade novels. I’ve been intensely focused on the “re’s”: rereading, rewriting, researching, revising, repeat. And although I enjoy this part of the writing process, I desperately needed a break from the slow sculpting of my stories. I wanted to race, to fly, to write non-stop with sheer abandon. And so, in November, I took the plunge and signed up for that world famous writing marathon, NaNoWriMo– National Novel Writing Month. Its challenge: 30 days, 50,000 words, No excuses. It was time to hunker down, leave the laundry to pile up, and crawl into the speed-writing cave.

I know it sounds crazy. Why would someone like me, a total “planner,” not a “pantser,” spend an entire month spewing out words that might be twisted, tweaked, and possibly eliminated in the revision process? Why take my carefully plotted, five-page, single-spaced, 27-chapter outline and punch out a first draft in only 30 days? Hmm… why not?

Let’s face it; first drafts are messy. Whether it takes 300 days or 30 days, all manuscripts morph and change. But first, you must get that story out of your head and onto your computer screen (or on paper if you’re more old-school). So why not opt for the 30 day version? After all, it’s only ONE month of your long, slow life as a writer. What do you have to lose?

Many of my fellow writers think this manic activity is pure lunacy. But I say, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. (I’ve never run  a marathon, but I think the NaNoWriMo adrenaline rush might be just as satisfying.)

Okay, so now that I’ve convinced you to give this thing a try (maybe), here are a few helpful tips:

1. Go to the  www.nanowrimo.org website and look around. Watch out, there are graphs!

2. Read the pep talks. They are INSPIRATIONAL AND HILARIOUS.

3. Find some brave writing souls to join you in this madness (I mean writing endeavor).

4. Have a story somewhere in your brain that is screaming to get out.

5. Have a general idea of your book’s beginning, middle, and end. (Remember my 27-chapter outline?) And have a problem for your main character to solve (this may change).

6. Make plans to attend a “Write-In” near your house (or virtually) to meet other wild and wacky NaNos.

7. Do some timed word sprints to get into the speed-writing mode. My favorite is 40 minutes, timed on my phone, which actually gets me to crank out 1000 words!

This is what happened to me and might happen to you if you do this:

1. I was totally immersed in my story, night and day, for all 30 days.

2. My characters came to life and led me to surprising and unplanned places.

3. Everything in my story was more emotional than I had anticipated. I laughed, gasped, and even shed a few tears along the way.

4. The laundry  got done.

And here’s the best part. Because I finished before midnight on November 30, I am a WINNER! A group of NaNos even sent me a congratulatory video. (I also bought the tee shirt.) So now what? What am I going to do with this 50,000 word-ramble about worries, dream journals and friend problems? Go back to my “re” life, of course. I will reread, revise, research, and repeat. NaNo On!!

by E. E. Duncan

Many years ago, I began my first novel about a medieval stonemason. I planned to send this fervent, soulful youth on a long journey to Paris to help build Notre Dame Cathedral.

In the first paragraph, Christophe picked up his… thing that cut stone… and climbed aboard his… wagon or whatever they called it… and said goodbye… au revoir or did they say something else so long ago… to his mother…Mama?  Mere? Maman?… and headed toward… the hills or mountains or fields or maybe vineyards… toward Paris.

Poor Christophe never got to Paris or even out of the first paragraph. I, on the other hand, spent the next year researching. The next iteration of my first paragraph read like a Wikipedia article on medieval France. Christophe didn’t even make an appearance. Whatever story I had imagined was buried by an avalanche of highly accurate information at the expense of any characterization or plot.

This, I realized, was harder than I thought it would be.

To tell any story requires a strong sense of time and place. In historical fiction for young readers, accurate details about the time period paint the backdrop for the story to unfold. We are exposing our readers to a narrative through the lens of history and creating a vivid sense of the unique circumstances that surround our characters. It is important the character is a product of the historical setting and that the characters interact with historical details.

But, the story itself must shine through. We are not writing a textbook, we are writing fiction. Readers love historical fiction because it makes history interesting and personal. The best part of writing historical fiction is taking your readers on a trip back in time. Readers need to feel they have been entertained with a compelling story and that they have learned something as well.

How does an author balance historical accuracy with a compelling story?

• Writers must feel comfortable with the time period through reading and research. The author must have an inexhaustible curiosity about the time period and a mission to get the facts right.

• The story needs to provide ways for the character to struggle with both the historical circumstances that the setting provides, as well as internal issues that constitute characterization.

• Because we are writing historical fiction, we have the freedom to stray beyond what is known. It takes a leap of imagination to recreate the past, as well as poetic license to keep our readers interest in the past alive.

• It’s okay to make mistakes. The author cannot know everything and will inevitably make errors. We should strive for accuracy, but sometimes we need to make our best-informed guess and move on.

• We don’t have to include everything we know in the book. Some fascinating details or related events may need to be left in your notes, because they are important to the time, but not to your story.

I have read that the historical fiction writer needs to find the “story” in history. We are called to transform information into an exciting true-to-period story. We want the people, places and events of the part to fascinate our young readers and we owe it to our readers to get the story right.

By Carrie Seidel

While attempting to revamp a flat, secondary character, I had a conversation with him that went something like this:

Me:     “So, what do you look like?”

Secondary Character: “I have, uh, salt-and-pepper hair, and … um … gray eyes.”

Me:     “Really? That’s all you have to offer? Lame.”

SC:      “How about … oh, I don’t know … maybe a cool scar across my face?”

Me:     “I’m liking this. Keep going.”

SC:      “And it’s a sexy scar!”

Me:     “But you’re old!”

SC:      “I’m changing my hair, too. Let’s go with sandy-brown. And scrap the gray eyes—too creepy. I’m young, hot, and dangerous! Google me under ‘sexy facial scars.’”

Me:     *eye roll*

           *types*

SC:      “There. That’s me!”

Me:     “That’s Bradley Cooper.”

SC:      *relaxes against tree, hooks thumbs casually into belt-loops of tight-fitting jeans. Winks.*

“Not anymore, babe. Now it’s me.”

This revelation forever changed the dynamics of my novel, and more importantly, brought descriptive depth to my characters, settings, and all things visual—down to the most incidental props.

After discovering the true identity of SC, I unearthed photos for every character in my book, scouring internet sites, magazines … and photos from personal scrapbook albums. That’s when the “ah-ha” moment happened. Scrapbooking!

Novel scrapbooks come in handy from early beginnings to final revisions. By referencing full-color character pages, I’ve discovered deep wrinkles, droopy socks, and eyebrow shapes I wouldn’t have thought to describe. Not to mention background details. I’ve even scanned an exit sign and a bra. Plus, the characters’ unique voices stay on track with a page glance: spotting the gleam in their eye, the curve of their lips.

If you’re not into stickers, colored papers, and delightful trips to the craft store, collect pictures in computer folders—adequate, but not as accessible. For everyone else, break out the paper cutter!

Find a blank journal or photo album, perhaps one that suits the mood of the novel. Gather photos, memorabilia, clipart, stickers, craft paper, scissors, writing utensils, and tape. Next, utilize Google. Example: Type “middle school dance” in search bar. Click “images.” There’s the setting, dresses, and even awkward moments! Right click “save image as” and bingo! Instant scrapbook photos.

There’s no wrong way to organize your novel scrapbook. Mine starts with a decorated title page. A main character headshot fills page two. Page three displays her name, a head-to-toe photo, a slice of pizza, a soccer ball, and a ticket stub—stuff that’s important to her. But let’s say your setting is vitally important. Consider kicking off with pictures, drawings, or maps of your world.

Give all characters equal attention. Focus on detail! You may have to patchwork a character together for the desired result. Find close-ups of eyes and pictures of clothing. Leave blank pages between character profiles in case you need to add or change something. You can always rip them out later.

And what to do with the craft paper and stickers? Decorate! Frame photos. Add color to white spaces with paper scraps. Place kissy-lips stickers on a love interest, and “BFF” stickers on the friend’s page. Your character loves horses? There’s a sticker for that! Journaling and notes only enhance your project.

The end result is a tangible scrapbook to reference and admire, a window into what makes your novel tick.

SC:      “You know the photo you Googled for my page? That awesome leather jacket?”

*gazes expectantly with cerulean-blue eyes*

Me:     “What about it?”

SC:      *lifts an eyebrow—a thin scar that cuts into thick, sandy-brown hair nearly disappears*

“You want tangible? eBay has the real jacket for sale. Just one quick click …”

By Karen Deger McChesney

Time: 8pm on a Tuesday

Place: Whole Foods

Characters: My critique group

It was my turn. I placed on the table – 5 pens rubber-banded together and a pile of 7 spiral notebooks. I didn’t need to say a word. My critique group knew exactly what this was: My handwritten first draft of my YA novel. I announced, “60,574 words” and showed them the fun that I had – from pages filled with cursive in different colors of ink to pages containing a labyrinth of printing. I’ll remember this moment forever, because they were the ones that nudged me to write longhand when I mentioned that it was my inclination.

Flashback:

Over 15-some years, I did all my writing at home on a big computer on a desk. I constantly tried to quench my desire to wander, move around, daydream, doodle… I started sessions with prompts from Natalie Goldberg’s Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life. I tested different chairs – an office chair, a kitchen chair, an exercise ball. I tried different lamps. I wore sweats, sipped chamomile tea, taped inspiring quotes on the wall, did Downward Dog… Everything I tried felt the same: not me. BUT, I kept thinking, this is what I should do.

Two years ago, I surprised myself when I sat in our comfy-cushy Adirondack chair in our living room with my laptop on my lap and wrote…and wrote….and wrote. This WAS different. I completely disappeared. It’s hard to describe. I felt at home.

Today:

My writer home is my Adirondack chair, surrounded by notebooks filled with longhand drafts and notes. They’re my confidence. When I pause, I see shelves of books and musical instruments. They’re my confidence. As I write, I feel perfectly fresh air through the windows and hear birds and squirrels chatter. I’m completely at home. I wander and write outside by our garden, or in my studio by my camera lights and art, or, I lay on the floor with paper and markers to draw my way through a plot point, characters, etc. I’m energized.

Every day, I light a candle before I sit in my chair. Once the candle is lit, I can’t walk away. It calls me, it’s the doorway to my writer home.

(By the way, I drafted this blog longhand using two different pens and then I wrote on my laptop outside and in my chair.)

By Rondi Sokoloff Frieder

As writers, we often live in the imaginary worlds of our books. Our stories are so compelling, we find ourselves daydreaming about them as we walk the dog, luxuriate in the shower, or gaze out a window. We agonize over every word and make sure to create unique characters, intriguing settings, and twisty plots. But will our readers get it? Will they feel what we feel, see what we see? Maybe – but maybe not. This is why all writers, especially those who write for children, must enlist the help of others.

There are MANY times when I think I am being perfectly clear in my writing. I am absolutely positive that I’ve given my reader important information, crafted witty dialogue, and conveyed emotion in a way that will captivate my audience. But after sending my work out to my critique group, a brilliant bunch of children’s writers who are well-read and experienced, I almost always discover that this is not the case. Not only will they suggest I rework my plot, deepen my characters’ emotional responses, and make my ending more satisfying, they are confused and have lots of questions. The truth is, we lose perspective as we revise, cut, and polish. I don’t always agree with everything my group says, but they do make me think  about my writing. And more often than not, by integrating their suggestions into my work, my story will improve.

This is why I strongly recommend that you find a group of dedicated writers to help you. Before you ever send a cover letter, query, or manuscript to an agent or editor, or enter it in a writing contest, you must revise with feedback. You can find this type of support in the form of a critique group, a trusted and experienced writer who knows your genre, a  mentor, a published author, a writing coach, or an editor. Many of the professionals will charge a fee, but it is well worth the investment. There are resources online for these services, and if you write for children, the SCBWI website: www.scbwi.org is a good place to start. If you want to join a critique group, author Hilari Bell recommends a group of 6-8 members. This ensures that you get a wide variety of opinions so you can hone in on common threads. For example, if three or four people think your main character is unlikeable or you don’t tie up loose ends, it’s probably something that should be addressed. The other advantage of a larger group is that there will always be a critical mass at your meetings (online or in person) when life gets in the way (sick children, vacations, other job obligations, etc.).

But not all critique is created equally. Award-winning author and  fabulous mentor, Claudia Mills, has said that it takes a village to write a book. In working with her, I learned that getting professional help is invaluable. But in her blog, “How much critique is too much?” she also advises against too much feedback. “It’s so easy for a writer to feel despair at the volume of negative comments on one little book.” In other words, a discouraging critique that deflates you, rather than spurring you on to improving your manuscript, can be counterproductive.

It’s also important to differentiate between negative comments and constructive criticism. There may be times when your critique group says things that might require you to do a tremendous amount of revision. That’s when you have to choose the comments that resonate with you. Some feedback may seem bizarre and you can’t even conceive of implementing the changes. But, rather than discount the feedback immediately (especially if you usually trust and respect the critiquer’s opinion), let the suggestions sink in for a few days before ruling them out.

It is also crucial that you reciprocate by spending time critiquing others. Not only will your colleagues appreciate it, you will learn a great deal about your own writing along the way. In our group, we use the “add comment” feature in Word, which gives the writer very specific notes alongside the manuscript. A written page of general comments is also helpful. Start with positive reactions and things you loved about the story. Follow with constructive criticism; citing specific places that need work and why. And third, lavish the writer with encouragement. An important role of a writing group is to provide support. We must be cheerleaders for our peers and celebrate their process! Oh, and I almost forgot… my critique group, The Story Spinners, highly recommends combining critique sessions with weekend sleepovers that include going on long walks, watching silly videos, eating amazing food, and drinking lots of wine.

Clipart by Moini on Creative Commons.

I once laughed at the thought of writing anything but picture books. It was early in my teaching career when I taught first grade and I found myself immersed in them. During my day, I incorporated them into lessons, picked favorites for read alouds, and helped recommend a good story during library times. Finding timeless picture books became like a quest for me.

Naturally, when I sat down to write, the stories I crafted were picture books. The talented authors; Kevin Henke, Jan Brett, Maurice Sendak, Eric Carle, and countless others created stories so rich and lively, it was a joy to read and reread them. How hard could it be to do the same thing?

Unfortunately, I soon found out, you can’t sit down and whip up a children’s book like you would a cake. There is an art to building a character arc, creating relatable characters, and rhythmic dialogue, rhyme, or prose that leaves children begging to hear the story one more time.

While I never gave up on picture books, I decided to try something longer, a chapter book. This stretched beyond what I was familiar with. After spending months drafting my story, I knew I needed help. A writer friend told me about her experience with a writing coach, and I followed in her footsteps.

Working alongside an expert in the field, gave me tools and wisdom I couldn’t gain working alone. When we toiled all the way through my story and finished, I had one more hour of time remaining with her. What can you do with that?

Determined to keep going, I turned to writing a magazine article. Again, I found myself embarking on a new adventure. As it turned out, my coach taught magazine writing. With that one hour of time, she showed me the essentials for writing an eye-catching article.

I submitted my article she coached me through and got a nibble. This sparked an interest in me. I submitted other articles and one day received an email with the response I longed to hear. An editor wanted to acquire my work. Success! And in a place I least expected to find it.

When I first started my writing journey, writing for magazines never crossed my mind. Neither had writing a novel. But never, say never.

Finally, our first blog post! Going forward, only one person will write, but for the “launch,” we decided to all chime in. At a critique group meeting, someone posed the question: “Why do you write for children?” Hmm, that took some pondering, especially when containing our musings to 150 words. Here are our responses:

E. E. Duncan

The place where history and individuals meet is what I explore in my biographies and historical fiction writing. As an elementary school teacher, I write to help young people understand the real human connection they have with the past. The writing process combines my interests in history, human nature and storytelling. Whether my characters are real or fictional, the process of placing people in a specific time and place allows me to discover their emotions and actions. As I examine a historical topic, I create characters whose personalities emerge given their specific set of historical and individual challenges. For me, my books provide the opportunity to link history and personal choices, through the use of a compelling and interesting story.

Rondi Sokoloff Frieder

I love stories. As a child, I told them, drew them, and listened to them with rapt attention. Whether it was Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, Charlotte’s Web, or Johnny Tremain, I was literally pulled into the lives of the characters and their worlds. When I became a reader and writer, my experience expanded. I kept journals, wrote songs and poems, and even illustrated my first book in fifth grade. Then, when it came time for a career, I chose teaching and reveled in the joy of reading and writing with my students. After many years in the classroom, my principal  pulled me aside and said, “When are you going to do something with your writing? It won’t be easy, but you should go for it.” So here I am, deep into the writing life, creating my own characters and worlds for others to discover.

Karen Deger McChesney

It’s my go-to.

Always.

In hundreds of spiral notebooks,

black ink cursive, blue Sharpie doodles.

Locked diary of secrets in my sock drawer,

lists of dreams.

Letter to my Dad after he died;

notes I tuck in my husband’s wallet,

journaled images of my stepson.

Receipts scribbled with observations.

Searching for one word to describe the sound of a dew drop slowly sliding from the tip of a leaf on to cement.

My prayers, my connection to a God-thing.

Revives me in a split second,

pumps me up,

returns me to the little girl picking green beans in Grandpa’s garden.

Permission to let loose, imagine whatever I want.

My best, worst, raw, pure self.

It’s my hand holding a pen,

my confidant, my empowerment.

Me mining deep riches.

Me.

Denise Schurr

At a point in my life when everywhere I looked my friends made time for special interests, I felt I had none. My girlfriends baked, sewed, or crafted. I tried it all. But after failed attempts at recipes, cross-stitch patterns, and DIY decorations, I threw in the towel.

Then, in a children’s literature course for my teaching certification, it happened. I read Newberry winners, fractured fairytales, a plethora of picture books, and finally found my passion, writing.

Learning to write was different than my other endeavors. When I finished my first draft, I didn’t toss it in the trash because it didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped. I met with other writers for critiques, took courses, read books, and returned to revise and make it better. I’ve made peace with knowing I’ll never be a Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart, but I’m proud that I am a writer.

Carrie Seidel

My dollhouse people didn’t cook and clean and put the baby to bed. Instead, they rode wild stallions, hunting down kidnappers who held baby hostage in a boat (stolen from my big brother) that was being tossed about in treacherous bathtub waves. I timed my playtime once: eight hours without a potty break. At ten years old, I was already being teased for playing dollhouse. By fourteen, I drew the shades and said all the dialogue in my head so no one would know. That same year, a magical thing happened. A brand-spanking new, 1984 Apple //e sat on my kitchen table. Suddenly it was okay to make up stories. Classmates now thought I was cool because I wrote novels. The thing they never realized was that I was still playing dollhouse. And I’ve never stopped.

Susan Wroble

In a high school English class, we were quizzed on our favorite book.  At the time, I was too embarrassed to admit the truth – that I loved children’s books but couldn’t stand adult ones. And for the past four decades, I’ve had one dream – to write children’s books. Life works to get in the way, but the dream hangs on. I write because I have stories that only I can tell, and I write because I want to share those stories. But mostly I write because, like a basketball player with a hot hand who is shooting in a zone where he can’t miss, the experience of weaving words together has sometimes been so perfect, so magical, that it is impossible to give up. 

Why do you write for children?  We would love to hear from you!

-The Story Spinners

The first Story Spinners’ blog post is coming soon. Come back and visit us again.