Here you’ll find my TOP FIVE easy ways to set your creativity ABLAZE. These ideas can be used by anyone—even if you (mistakenly) think you’re not creative. We’re all creative. It’s part of what it means to be human, but we each express our creativity in our own uniquely wonderful ways. Download the full list to find out more!

I first started thinking about tension when I heard Donald Maass speak at a conference some years ago. He described how the simple scene of a man looking at his watch while waiting for a bus can go from bland to Bang in a matter of words. Since then I have often noticed the varying levels of tension, both in books I have enjoyed and in those I haven’t. Here I'll discuss the ten levels of tension, and what they mean to the writer.

13 Must-Have Mobile Apps for Writers. Writing has changed since the days of typewriter and correction fluid (remember the little bottle of white-out with the brush, remember how strong it smelled, how fast it dried, how fun it was?). Pen and paper have been replaced in many fields by smartphones, mobile devices and laptops. But until recently it never occurred to me that more than just writing could be aided by technology.

"Anybody can come up with one right answer." The key is to look for the next right answer ...

It’s a common confusion – how on earth do I punctuate dialog? Punctuating dialog is the same as punctuating any sentence, isn't it? You put the end punctuation at the end of a sentence? Except with dialog, even if it’s not the end of a sentence, you still might put in end punctuation, but then you need more end punctuation, and ... it’s a confusing mess. The key is this...

I started the first semester of graduate school knowing just a little more about picture books than I do about worms. Children love them, they come out on rainy days, and if you cut them in half, they really do die. Here I’ll share what I discovered about creating picture books with meaning and beauty.

The 3 Act structure provides a perfect framework for any genre of picture book, about any subject. Plus thinking of it in terms of the grid we drew together, it can help immeasurable with pacing and troubleshooting a story that just isn’t working.

I believe four key elements unite the best of the best rhyming picture book texts: Structure, Speech, Surprise, and Story. Books that fail will be lacking in one (or more) of these key areas; those that succeed will demonstrate at least passing-grade competence in all four. Now to examine these elements more closely.

Making a book trailer can be as easy or as complicated as you want. I’ve made all of mine with nothing but iMovie, photo editing software, and an internet connection. I’m not a video expert by any means, but here’s a brain-dump of everything I know about creating a video trailer yourself, for free!

How *I* promoted my first book, which may not be how you (or anyone else) will want to tackle book promotion, but just in case you're an author with a book releases looming and you're thinking, "What the heck do I do?" you can glean inspiration from me. I’ll share what I did, what I made, what I purchased and I’ll tell you what worked … and what didn’t!

I did a lot of googling, considering, wondering before I decided to make postcards to go along with my first book's release. I needed to think about time it would take to design, expense to print, ultimate usefulness. Ultimately I decided in favor of postcards, and I'm glad I did. Below discover why!

I’m going to tell you exactly how I made Halloween Good Night’s promo trailer. I promise, this will be a thoroughly unhelpful tutorial—unless you know: Photoshop, iMovie, and scriptwriting—or are willing to learn a lot … fast. It also helps if Google is your BFF. Ready? Let’s begin!

Welcome to the Obsessiblog:  Was it only two weeks ago? Just two weeks? The brilliant thought struck: I want continuity, simplicity, everything with one design in one place. I should move my little Blogger blog over to Squarespace where my website is hosted. Oh, to be so young and naïve...