by Melissa Stoller

We just passed the halfway mark on the calendar. It's time to take stock of your writing life and put into place some accountability systems. Here are a few ideas to try:

1) Take note of the stories you are currently working on, those you might want to place on the back burner, or those you might want to work on for the rest of the year. Write a list of your goals for the remaining months of 2022. Ask your critique partners to help prioritize your goals.

2) Be intentional with your kidlit reading. Jot down several books that you want to read and potentially use for comparative titles. Keep an active list on Goodreads or through your library's books on hold service. Check in with friends and online kidlit groups for the latest book suggestions in your genre and others. 

3) Access your idea files. Are you running low on potential ideas? Do you need to replenish with new ideas? Would it be helpful to mash together some ideas from your idea notebook? Check in with your writing pals and help each other prioritize ideas to work on for the rest of the year.

Stay accountable to yourself and to your writing partners during this month and throughout the year. Let me know how you are doing in the comments. Happy August and cheers to creativity.

By Sharon Giltrow

Emotions we all have them; we can’t deny them or quash them. But if we can’t deny and quash them, what can we do? Well as writers we can write about them. The books we write for children can provide a great opportunity to help them to identify and accept their feelings in a safe environment. Uber talented and emotional acceptance champion Kitty Black does just that in her emotional literacy series FOLLOW YOUR FEELINGS.

Kitty champions emotional acceptance through the use of big doses of humour and heart. Here are some of Kitty’s favourite spread from FOLLOW YOUR FEELINGS - LUCY AND SAD.

Next time you’re feeling like Sad or Worry try and remember how Lucy and Max accepted and followed their feelings.
 
See you in August with another great Aussie book.

GIVEAWAY
For a chance to win a copy of either LUCY AND SAD or MAX AND WORRY

1. Comment on this blog post
2. Share this blog post on social media
3. Follow Sharon on twitter
4. The winner will be announced on twitter on Monday 1st August
   

BIO:
Sharon Giltrow grew up in South Australia, the youngest of eight children, surrounded by pet sheep and fields of barley. She now lives in Perth, Western Australia with her husband, two children and a tiny dog. Sharon has taught for all of her career. Previously a teacher of children who are hearing impaired and Deaf-Blind, she now teaches young children with Developmental Language Disorder. Her humorous debut PB, BEDTIME DADDY! released May 2020 through EK books. Sharon’s humorous follow up PB, GET READY, MAMA! released through EK books in April, 2022. Her third PB, LET’S GO SHOPPING, GRANDMA! is due to be released through Dixi Books in 2023. SAMARA RUBIN AND THE UTILITY BELT, book one in Sharon’s early MG series – THE UTILITY BELT, will be released in 2023 through Clear Fork Publishing.  With book two TOBY KING AND THE UTILITY BELT to follow.
 
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by Bryan Patrick Avery

Recently, I was asked what I use to conduct research for my non-fiction books like BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE. I thought I’d take a moment and share my three favorite resources.

Resource #1: Newspapers.com
Newspapers.com is, hands down, one of my favorite resources. If you’re not familiar with it, it is a website that provides access to more than 700 million pages from over 21,000 newspapers dating back to the 1700s. I’ve used newspapers.com to research my picture book, THE FREEMAN FIELD PHOTOGRAPH and to find articles about several of the subjects in BLACK MEN IN SCIENCE. If you’re looking for information on a subject for biography, or information in a moment in history, check out Newspapers.com.
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Note: A subscription is required but my local library provides subscriptions for free to all library card members. Check to see if your library does the same.

Resource #2: Ancestry.com
IF you’ve ever done any genealogy research, you’re likely familiar with Ancestry.com, on of the leading genealogy research sites. The cool thing about Ancestry.com is that you can use it to research other people a well (within reason, of course). You can search census results, military records, birth and death certificates, and so on. I’ve used it to verify birth dates, spouses names, and even find family photographs of some of my subjects to get some context on their lives. If, like me, you enjoy research, Ancestry.com is an endless source of research opportunities.
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Note: A subscription is required but, like Newspapers.com above, some libraries provide free access. Check with your local library.

Resource #3: Libraries
Speaking of your local library, libraries are one of my favorite sources of information when I’m doing research. I know, that seems pretty obvious. Look beyond your local library. Many libraries have collections on important figures, groups, or events. For example, I found a collection of Dr. Leonidas Berry’s papers and artifacts in the Chicago Public Library. These documents, which included letters from political leaders and fellow doctors documenting his contributions to the medical field. Check with libraries in the vicinity of your subject matter to see what information they can share.
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Well, that’s all for this month. Happy writing, and have a magical month.

​By Melissa Stoller
 
This month, let’s set our timers and get some words onto the page! It’s amazing what we can accomplish in one, two, and three minutes of brainstorming. Try this exercise for some July writing fun:
 

​Revisit this exercise as often as you can to help you develop ideas and stories this month. Let me know in the comments if this process is useful to you. 
 
Happy writing, happy creating, and happy summer!
 

Any new change can be overwhelming. I was leaving a 33 year structured classroom life for an
open day, every day. I needed to fill it with quality writing related activities. Some things that
have helped tremendously are a weekly/monthly wall planner and pocket planner. One I can see
every time I am working and the other travels with me wherever I go. Sunday afternoons I spend
time organizing my week. There are so many great choices and styles to choose from. Check out
a few examples below:

Wall Planner: https://www.amazon.com/Brands-Magnetic-Erase-Calendar-
Inches/dp/B072C8XRVH/ref=sr_1_29?crid=2X97ZM77UAGD&keywords=dry%2Berase%2Bgl ass%2Bboard%2Bmonth&qid=1655995225&s=office- products&sprefix=dry%2Berase%2Bglass%2Bboard%2Bmonth%2Coffice-
products%2C94&sr=1-29&th=1

Planners: There are so many varieties thankfully, and some may even select a digital
planner. Take a look:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=planners+for+authors%2Fwriters&crid=2LXEGQQ2NUNHW&sprefix=planners+for+authors%2Fwriters%2Caps%2C99&ref=nb_sb_noss .c. 

The last big area to tackle was the HOW… I never sat as a teacher, now I sit all day. The ice
cream and coffee scream at me for visits all day long! Kidding, but I had to grow into this for
sure. I find it is best to set the microwave timer every 50 minutes to get up and walk around. I
leave my phone in the car so it is no where near me. Some terrific suggestions are offered in
these articles: https://authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/five-ways-to-eliminate-distractions-
during-your-writing-sessions/ and https://www.inandoutorganizing.ca/post/less-distraction-
working-from-home

An award-winning teacher for 33 years, Tina was privileged to share her love of books with many students.
She released her first picture book, WALKOUT, with Clear Fork Publishing in 2020. Set to release in 2022,
is Tina’s chapter book, CANINES UNLEASHED. Tina is a Co-Assistant Regional Advisor with SCBWI’s
West/Central Upstate Region, an active member of 12×12, and a Rate Your Story judge. Now you can find
her writing full-time, at all times of the day with coffee, chocolate, and her fluffy dogs nearby. When Tina,
a winter enthusiast, isn’t writing, she enjoys Central New York and the Catskills with her husband,
daughter, and two Akitas, one snowstorm at a time. Find her online at www.tinashepardson.com.