sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author

Writing Children’s Poetry – a Useful Article

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As you’ll know, if you’ve been following my blog, I love to write poetry for children. From a quick rhyme to a verse novel, I love the way that poetry allows a depth of expression it’s harder to capture in prose. And kids like reading and listening to poetry, too.

I find that when I’m busy in my non-writing life, I can often catch ten minutes to write a first draft of a poem, wheras I may not have time to write something longer. Of coruse, whilst it sounds easy to use thsoe ten minutes to write a poem there is always a need to then take time later to revise and rework. No first draft is ever complete.

If you are trying to get your children’s poetry published, you may find this article useful. Whilst it does not focus on technique, it has good general advice about getting started and finding markets. Well worth a read.

Seven Answers to Seven Questions: Dotti Enderle

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Today we are joined by the delightful Dotti Enderle, who has dropped in to share her seven answers to my seven questions. Thanks for joing us, Dotti.

1. Tell us a little about your publication credits. If you have none, tell us about the genres you prefer to write, and your current projects.

Right now I have nineteen books in print, but I have eight more books coming out next fall – two picture books and a six-book chapter book series. I’m currently revising a YA novel for a major publisher.

2. How long have you been writing for children?

Since 1995. Back then I wrote for children’s magazines. I’ve had over 100 stories, poems, and articles published. But once my books were published I sort of abandoned the magazine field.

3. How much time do you spend each week writing and/or revising? And how much time on other writing-related tasks such as promotion, researching markets and so on?

I spend about only about three or four hours a day on all of the above. Sadly, I do more promoting than writing. Not that I don’t write a lot. But I’m not one of those people who has a rigid schedule and writes a certain amount each day regardless. That’s just not me.

4. How much time do you spend reading children’s books? And what are you reading right now?

I spend far more time reading children’s books than actually writing them. I rarely read adult novels anymore. At present I’m reading the National Book Award winner, What I Saw and How I Lied.

5. What advice would you give other would-be children’s writers, or share with other professional children’s writers?

Read! Read! Read! Both how-to books and the genre in which you wish to write. I once heard that you have to read 1000 books before you can write just one. That’s so true. My biggest lesson came when I took one of my favorite books, When Zachary Beaver Came To Town by Kimberly Willis Holt, and dissected it. I made note of when she used description within dialogue. What strong verbs she used. How she painted a scene so we could visualize it. This was when I began to see my own writing weaknesses. I don’t think a million how-to books could have taught me that.

6. What is your favourite online resource for children’s writers? Why?

Nothing beats Verla Kay’s blue board for networking and learning about new publishing possibilities. I also love Cynthia Leitich Smith’s website as well as Anastasia Suen’s. They both have excellent resources for writers. The links are:

http://www.verlakay.com
http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/
http://www.asuen.com/

7. Do you have a website or blog? What else do you do to promote your published works and/or your writing skills?

Yes! You can find out more about me at www.dottienderle,com. Most of my promoting is done through appearances at schools, libraries, and book events.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us, Dotti.
If YOU are a children’s writer, of any level of experience, and would like to be interviewed her, feel free to drop me a line at sally @ sallymurphy.net (remove the spaces) and I will send you the questions.

Writing Advice – A Useful Site

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One piece of advice I often give to new writers is to read books and articles about writing regularly. Of course, it would be easy to spend so much time studying such writing advice that one didn’t actually have time to write, but it is important to devote some time on a regular basis to hearing what works for other writers. No one can offer a formula that will exactly work for you, but at the same time, hearing what works for others helps you to evolve your own craft.

Anyway, as I said, this is advice I often give, but it’s not advice I always follow myself. I’m time-starved and sometimes feel resentful at the prospect of giving up work time to learn. But I have resolved this year to spend a little more time reading what others have to say, and today have been reading the opening ‘pages’ of Advice on Novel Writing by Crawford Kilian, which I came across online. So far I’ve only read the section on Efficient Work Habits, but as I read I found myself nodding my head at much of it – stuff I already knew but which I needed to be reminded about. His suggestion about writing letters to yourself as you write – much as an editor might write to you during the editing process – was a new one, but interesting.

Anyway, if you’re stuck for a little inspiration yourself, or just needing some good writing advice, this site may be worth browsing. As I come across others, I’ll post them here.

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