September 1843 – London, England Hannah Brown knocked gently on her mistress’ parlor door as she opened it and peeped around, a slight smile hovering on her lips. “He’s here, Miss Angela.” Hannah had been Miss Angela Burdett-Coutts’ governess, then paid companion for many years, and shared a sense of fun and generosity with her…
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The Greatest Blogpost Ever Posted
So this is going to be the last RMFW blog post that I’m doing for a bit. I told Patricia Stoltey and Julie Kazimer that I’m stepping down. I just can’t juggle it all. So I promised Ms. Kazimer thatI would write the greatest blogpost ever. I thought about calling it “The Greatest Story Ever…
The Dos and Don’ts of Writing for Children … by Rachel Craft
When writers first venture into the realm of middle grade and young adult fiction, they often bring with them some bad habits and unhelpful misconceptions. Leave your baggage at the door, and follow these guidelines to start off on the right foot. DO capture the MG/YA voice Children don’t think the way adults do. They…
Knowing What You Don’t Know (or Not Knowing What You Do Know)
Putting together the Western Slope workshops has allowed me to meet a lot of new writers. Just this last weekend we had two dozen writers attend, and nearly all of them were new faces. It’s amazing to know how many writers are around me when before I joined RMFW I thought I was the lone…
Give Your Characters a Sense of #Humor … by Rainey Hall
Just like a well-delivered one-liner, writers must have great timing and dynamics when their characters produce a sentence—or word—meant to be funny. timing noun the ability to select the precise moment for doing something for optimum effect Don’t forget—to show your character’s sense of humor—readers need to know the character’s usual personality, and/or the situation,…