Monday, August 25, 2008

Monday Links: Children's Writer's Resources and More!


Welcome to Monday Links at Carma’s Window. I brought you three today and they are full of rich information. It may take days to sort through it all. However, you can do what I do. Bookmark these links and go back to them later. Please do a brief read through.


Carol Hurst’s Children’s Literature site is a collection of reviews of great books for kids, ideas of ways to use them in the classroom and more. This website is beneficial to writers, teachers and parents. My favorite section of the site is the Featured Children’s Books because it gives you a list of activities to do at home and in class with children and links to other sources.


Jane Yolen's site for childrens writers is full of good tips, humor and practical axioms. Her long list of FAQ’s is worth the visit. Here is a sample:

Question: "Can I publish on the Internet?"

Answer: "Of course you can. The word "publish" simply means to make public. And by putting it there, you will be published. But will you be edited? Will you be read? Will you get paid for your work? No, possibly, and not much. Also, once something is on the Internet, the piece may not be of interest to a print publisher. So the decision is yours."


I highly recommend this site. One of Yolen's random thoughts on writing and childrens books is:

Now, I am one of those people who makes a distinction between being a writer and being an author. A writer puts words on a page. An author lives in story. A writer is conversant with the keyboard, the author with character.
Roland Barthes has said: "The author performs a function; the writer an activity." We are talking here about the difference between desire and obsession; between hobby and life. But in either case, I suggest you learn to write not with blood and fear, but with joy.


The Word Pool another great resource with all kinds of Q & A’s sections and writing resource materials.


Write it down,

Carma