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A Writing Tip or Two

August 8, 2010 by still a dreamer

That’s one thing you can find plenty of online and in books … writing tips. But every now and then we stumble across some especially useful ones – or perhaps ones that particularly resonate with where we are at the moment.

Awhile back I found some I really liked when Kathy Temean, RA of NJ SCBWI, posted on her blog 20 Tips for Writers which Jane Yolen gave at the end of the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC. Some very basic, some common sense, all good advice and a great post from Kathy.

I also found some tips  in a short, but very useful article as I was thumbing through my 2009 CWIM (Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market). Entitled 6 Reasons to Stop Writing (and One Reason You Shouldn’t) by Donna Gephart, each section addresses the various reasons why we all, from time to time, feel like giving up – we’re not good enough, there’s never enough time, fear of failure, etc. And of course, she tells us why they really should be ignored! At that exact moment – almost as if I knew that help was in that 2009 edition – I really needed to hear some of what she wrote. She also includes some amazing rejection stories, including Anne Frank’s Diary of A Young Girl, rejected 15 times to finally be accepted by Doubleday. Over 30 million copies are in print.

I couldn’t find this online for a link, so you’ll have to check the 2009 CWIM, but take heart – there are lots of wonderful tips out there to pull us along when our feet are dragging!

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Posted in Children's Books, Creativity, Writing | 4 Comments

4 Responses

  1. on August 8, 2010 at 8:59 pm A.M. Kuska

    I just clicked on this cause of the Frenchie there, but I’m glad I did! These links are way helpful, and I can’t wait to use them. 🙂

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    • on August 9, 2010 at 9:31 am stilladreamer

      Glad to be of help. I wish the Donna Gephart article was online; it was so encouraging.
      Jeanne

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  2. on August 9, 2010 at 12:11 am The Alchemist

    Your mention of Anne Frank’s Diary being rejected so many times really gives me hope. I also heard that Margaret Mitchell’s Gone with Wind and J.K Rowling were rejected so many times (to be verified).
    So, well, there is hope for people like me.

    I think Kathy Temean’s link is broken(the one you have linked, I found out article you were mentioning though). Just check it…

    Yes,we need to keep heart when one gets dragged down.

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    • on August 9, 2010 at 9:29 am stilladreamer

      Yes, there is hope for you, me, and so many others! J.K. Rowling did also experience many rejections, and she is one of the greatest modern success stories around.
      Thanks for noticing the link, too – I fixed it!
      Jeanne

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