Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Write Short Fiction for Children


Have you ever wondered how some writer's are able to write such great stories for children? Especially short fiction. Children's short stories are fiction stories that are usually under 100 pages long.

Ideas for Children's short stories can range from animals, fairy tales, scary, or funny. Learning to write short stories deals with the same elements of long stories. The writer still needs to have a POV and most importantly a beginning, middle and end. However, children's short stories are not condensed stories from a larger version. Confused? The best way to learn how to write a short fiction story for children is to join the Children's Writer's Coaching Club now this week. During the month of September all CWCC members will be able to work on a short fiction story and have it critiqued before submitting. Does this sound like your cup of tea? Don't hesitate. Click on the logo below and sign up today.


Write it down,
Carma

Monday, September 1, 2008

Monday Writing Links for "In the Know" Children Writers


Welcome to Monday Links everyone and Happy Labor Day!

Writers are always on the lookout for relevant sources that will benefit a writing project. There are literally thousands of sources to check out and it can be overwhelming when you don't know where to click. One terrific site for children and Young Adult authors and publishers is Harold Underdown's The Purple Crayon. Here are a few links to groups of articles covering the basics of how to get started in publishing and detailed information articles that address specific subjects and specialties.

Basic Information Articles

Specific Information Articles

Also Harold Underdown is the author of the revised and updated "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books," third edition.

This link http://underdown.org/cig.htm will take you to The Complete Idiot's Guide page where you can access Chapter 3 The World of Children's Literature and Chapter 17 I Need an Agent! In addition you will be able to find some third edition FAQs and where to buy this book.

Write it down,
Carma

Friday, August 29, 2008

kira - kira: Book Review


Title: kira - kira
Author: Cynthia Kadohata
Age Level: Ages 9 - 12
Hardcover: 244 pages
Publisher: Aladdin (December 26, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0689856407
ISBN-13: 978-0689856402

This 2005 Newbery Medal award winner, kira - kira (meaning glitter and light) by Cynthia Kadohata is written very well but the subject of death and dying may not be the best for ages younger than ten. However, the approach Kadohata uses is one of love, understanding and family unity. Kadohata tells the story through Katie Takeshima as narrator beginning when Katie is in kindergarten. Katie's voice is about ten or twelve as the narrator but reflects on events happening from kindergarten to middle school. Her recollection is realistic and poignant.

Still the novel is funny and sad. Set in the mid 1950's the story is about a Japanese-American family who lost their grocery business in Iowa and were forced to move from their home to a new life and new jobs. Katie's Uncle Katsuhisa told her parents they could get good jobs in Georgia working for the chicken hatcheries. Katie's Dad was a sexer which was specialty work. Sexers had to separate male chicks from female chicks very quickly while the chicks were still warm. Katie's mom worked in the clean room where she prepared chickens for packaging. The hours and conditions were horrendous. The 1950's were not kind to Japanese-Americans or non-union workers.

Katie Takeshima loves her sister Lynn more than anything in the world. they are inseparable. She will do anything Lynn asks. Lynn's outlook on life is kira-kira. She gives Katie advice on everything from the sky to the ocean and people's eyes. the two sisters give up buying candy with their daily allowance to fulfill their dream to buy their parents a house some day. Katie says "Our favorite book was Silas Marner. We were quite capitalistic and liked the idea of Silas keeping all that gold underneath the floorboards."


When Lynn becomes ill, Katie never doubts that Lynn will get better and they will all be able to live by the ocean. This is Lynn's favorite place. But as the well times become shorter for Lynn over the years, Katie begins to wonder what is going on but her parents never talk to her about Lynn's illness. They just tell her Lynn has anemia. Katie looks it up in the dictionary and figures it is not serious so she is not that concerned.

About the Author: Cynthia Kadohata has been writing since 1982. When she was 25 and completely directionless, she took a Greyhound bus trip up the West Coast, and then down through the South and Southwest. She met people she never would have met otherwise. It was during that bus trip which lasted a month that she rediscovered in the landscape the magic she's known as a child. though she had never considered writing fiction before, the next year she decided to begin. She sent one story out every month, and about forty-eight stories later, The New Yorker took one. She now lives in California.

Write it down,
Carma

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Muse Online Writer's Conference - 2008



Registrations are now open for the Muse Online Writer's FREE Conference

To Be Held October 13 - 19 2008

This unique online writer's conference is aimed to you, the writer, to offer opportunities and resources that will enhance and better your craft. Also, this conference will offer you opportunity to make contacts that will help get you to the next level that all writers seek and that is to be published.

The Muse Online Conference offers writers a chance to come out and attend a writing conference without leaving the comfort of their home. Sometimes conferences are too far away or it is too difficult to travel. The internet makes anything possible.

To register go here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2008MuseConference/

Write it down,
Carma

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Learn How to Write Children's Books and Sell Them!


All of us have special stories inside of us that are just begging to be told. Children love stories. They live in a world controlled by adults and don't have a whole lot of say so. The best we as adults can do for all children is to give them quality stories, truth or fiction and write children's books. This is the best reason to join the Children's Writer's Coaching Club.

Every week, members of the Children's Writer's Coaching Club are invited to an informative and fun teleclass that helps them with some aspect of writing and publishing for children. This week's teleclass will take place Thursday evening, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. central time. The teleclass will be recorded and club members only will be given a link to the recorded class in case they were unable to attend the live call.

BREAKING NEWS!

The Children's Writer's Coaching Club just announced their Back-to-School-Special.

Back-to-School time means more writing time for mom, grandma or dad. To celebrate check out this exciting offer . Join the Children's Writer's Coaching Club to receive an email invitation to the August 28th event. Author, Rita Milios will deal out the scoop on how to write query letters and cover letters.

BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE!

Join the Club before September 1 and receive SHOW ME THE MONEY: Writing Biographies for Young Readers - a CD from author and CWCC instructor, Lila Guzman, FREE (a $19.97 value) with your membership! No coupon or code necessary. Your CD will be shipped to the mailing list submitted with your membership.

You can't go wrong. Don't delay. Sign up now. Just click on the Children's Writer's logo below and fill out the form and you will be on your way to writing children's books before you know it.



Write it Down,
Carma

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Children's Article Writer's Need Challenges Too


The Lieurance-King summer 2008 article challenge is winding down. This challenge has been…ahem…a challenge. This is my second time around and I have learned a lot from the working writer’s coach Suzanne Lieurance. However, I am behind ten articles. Ya think I can reach the finish line and win the gold? In the meantime please visit my bio page at Ezine articles. I hope you visit it and give me some feedback.

Also feel free to use any of my articles on your blog or website with my resource box at the bottom. Thank You.

I will let you know after September 1 if I make it or not.


Write it down,

Carma

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