Many years ago, I attended a writing class with the incomparable Melanie Crowder that completely changed the way I wrote. That class opened my eyes to an entire new world, and at the time it was so far over my head—and was so brilliant—that I knew I was getting graduate-level craft techniques when my writing … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: Just the Right Word
Category: On Writing
Building Writerly Resources: KidLit Nonfiction Awards
By Susan Wroble This past summer, my planned presentation on award-winning nonfiction books took a tangent. I realized that instead of award-winning books, what I really wanted to learn about was the nonfiction awards themselves. I knew about the Sibert Awards from the American Library Association but had no idea if there were any other … Continue reading Building Writerly Resources: KidLit Nonfiction Awards
On Writing: Stepping UP
By Susan Wroble, August 2021 I love the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). I’ve been a member for a very long time (since 2004), but for most of the first decade and a half, I would attend the regional conferences, and write and file. It was only … Continue reading On Writing: Stepping UP
Picture Books: The Path to Submission
I put this flowchart together for the Denver South Connect & Critique Group of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of SCBWI that I co-lead with the amazing author Judy Rose Robbins (author of Look Both Ways in the Barrio Blanco). I hope you find it helpful.
The thing about jellyfish
By Susan Wroble Ali Benjamin’s book The thing about jellyfish has rightly won well over a dozen awards, from National Book Award Finalist to National Public Radio’s “Great Read of the Year” list. I loved the story, with its themes of friendship and grief, and its sections neatly divided by the parts of the scientific method. … Continue reading The thing about jellyfish
Finding the Time…
For the past two decades or so, I’ve struggled with that all-too-familiar question: How to find the time to write? I’ve pretty much tried all the tricks: scheduling writing on the calendar, going on retreats, the 15-minutes a day plan, writing at night when the kids went to sleep… They all failed, but that last … Continue reading Finding the Time…
Cocoon!
I was born with a hip that didn’t fit quite right, so I always knew I was going to be a candidate for an early hip replacement. The past few years gave a steady decrease in the things I was able to do. When I stopped being able to ride my bike around the neighborhood, … Continue reading Cocoon!
On Writing: What Makes a Great Book?
By Susan Wroble I picked up Leila Sales’ amazing book Once Was a Time at the library last week. Immediately, I was engrossed in its themes of history and time travel and, above all, friendship. It made me start thinking about what makes a book great. I know what I do when I read what I think is a … Continue reading On Writing: What Makes a Great Book?
Susan Wroble 