15 Tips For Fellow Writers

1. Read.  Besides reading good literature, read "how to write" books to perfect your technique.

2. Join the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (www.scbwi.org) for bimonthly newsletters and conference information.

3. Form or join a manuscript group where you can critique each other's work and support one another.  It's a lonely world out there if you don't have writing buddies.

4. Set a goal such as, "I will write from 6:00 to 7:00 a.m. six mornings a week".  You'll be amazed at how much you'll accomplish.

5. The internet is a wonderful resource.  Everything from being able to e-mail fellow writers to checking out sites like "Ask An Expert" (www.askanexpert.com).  Also, we've created a link to America Writes for Kids.  Check them out, but be sure to come back.  We're not done with you yet.

6. Write from the place where your passion lies.  As an added benefit, you'll discover who you are.

7. Push the envelope.  Dare to be different.

8. Learn to be thick-skinned and take criticism.  Don't let anything stop your dream from becoming reality.

9. Become your main character.  As a writer I've been transformed into a twelve year old Lakota boy living out on the plains, a three inch human-like creature living in the woods, a wild horse enduring a drought, and a seventeen year old girl whose baby cousin was kidnapped.  Only cats with nine lives can compete with us.

10. Activate reader's senses:  touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight.

11. Make your reader feel.  Whether it's despair or joy, allow readers to experience emotion.

12. Don't tell stories.  Let characters show stories.

13. Read your work aloud.  You'll find what flows and what doesn't.

14. Have one great scene per chapter and let the tension build.

15. Believe in yourself.