I’m pleased to announce the culmination of two year’s work with the publication of our fun, new children’s book, Molly Builds a Theme Park! It turned out to be a much bigger project than we expected, but I think it was worth it. When the circus packs up for the season, the animals quickly grow bored. But…
Category: Topics
Literary Agents Representing Young Adult Fiction
Are you writing a Young Adult novel? Have you finished a Young Adult novel, and are now looking for an agent to secure a book deal and get that manuscript on to shelves? Webook.com’s AgentInbox has agents that specialize in Young Adult/Juvenile fiction. Go here to see the full list of the agents on AgentInbox. Here are a few of…
The Man Behind the Curtain: L. Frank Baum and the Wizard of Oz
by Linda McGovern L. Frank Baum Chances are you have seen the 1939 MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz, at one point or another in your lifetime. But the chances maybe even greater that you do not associate it with L. Frank Baum, the author of the book on which the film was based. In fact, most…
Themes in Young Adult Novels
Other people may be more like us than we imagine. (The Borrowers) Memories of friendship can last forever. (Bridge to Terabithia) Defending a country requires loyality and sacrifice. (Camp X) Every child is special to his or her family. (The Canada Geese Quilt) Imagination can be a powerful weapon. (Cougar) Jealousy can be destroying. (The Fairest) The power of knowledge. (From the…
How to Write a One-Page Synopsis
An important selling tool is the synopsis. For novels these can sometimes run many pages, but it’s also useful to have a shorter, one-page version, and it’s the primary selling tool if you are writing a screenplay. Try to aim for about 500 words. A good rule of thumb is to only name three characters…
Developing Subplots
This article, from Laura Backes, originally appeared in the February 2010 issue of the Children’s Book Insider newsletter and is reprinted here in its entirety with the CBI’s permission. While the CBI newsletter is primarily aimed at authors of children’s books, the advice given here is applicable to any work of fiction. If you’re writing a…
Scene and Sequel in Romance
In the plotting and storyline process of writing, often times the term, ‘Scene and Sequel’ is brought into play. This is a very important aspect of the writing process, as the entire structure of your story rests on the way you compose each of these elements in your work. The scene and the sequel are…
Query Letters and Literary Agents
This is a quick description of the query process for beginning authors. Why write a query letter? Unless you already know a literary agent, book publisher, famous author, or are extremely lucky, a query letter is your best chance to get your foot into the publishing business. What is a query letter? A query letter…
Brief Discussion on Inductive/Deductive Profiling
by Dr. Maurice Godwin As a result of the vexing opinions concerning exactly what deductive and inductive profiling entails, I felt that it was necessary to address some important issues surrounding the use of these terms. Deductive reasoning was first developed by Thales, Pyuthagoras, Aristotle, and other Greeks of the Classical Period (600 to 300…
An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge
by Ambrose Bierce I A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below. The man’s hands were behind his back, the wrists bound with a cord. A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head and the slack…