Let's Ask - Question # 9

This week's Let's Ask question was for the marvelous Beth Stilborn.

My question for Beth:

For those of us who are struggling on the path of being a published children’s book author can you share 3 or 4 resources you found most beneficial for growth as a writer that supply answers, writing challenges, incentives and inspiration?

     Thank you, Jennifer for inviting me to be a part of this series, and thank you for asking me to share resources! As anyone who knows me (whether online or in person) can attest, I love to find and share resources – with no formal training in education or librarianship, I find I have spent my life teaching and finding just the right resource to suit the situation.

Limiting myself to 3 or 4 resources is tricky, so I’m cheating. (Does it count as cheating if one freely admits to doing it?)

1.   Emma Walton Hamilton. Emma is an author, educator, freelance editor, and the driving force behind three of the resources I most want to share with all emerging writers.

a)  The Children’s Book Hub http://www.childrensbookhub.com

     The Hub is a subscription-based resource and virtual salon for writers and illustrators, emerging and established. It offers a myriad of resources to members. There is an online forum where members can form community, sharing and learning from each other.

Above all, there are monthly Expert Interviews in which members are able to listen in online to an interview conducted by Emma, with interviewees such as picture book author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds, middle grade author Kate McMullan, YA author Patricia McCormick, editor Emma Dryden, marketing consultant Susan Raab – the list goes on.

Two weeks later, every month, there is a Question and Answer session with Emma alone, exploring the topic of the month more deeply. Members submit questions for both these teleseminars, and so the information gleaned from them is just what people need at the time.

Four Hub members (including myself) who attended SCBWI LA last year found that many of the break-out sessions intended for emerging writers were too elementary for us, as we had learned so much from Emma’s teleseminars.

I know that money is tight for a lot of people, but I strongly urge you to invest in your writing career by coming up with the $19.95 per month that it costs to belong to the Children’s Book Hub.

The Hub’s Facebook presence: I also must include a plug for the Children’s Book Hub Facebook Group, which Emma and I co-administer. It’s free of charge, and is a gathering place for children’s writers, illustrators and editors to share resources and encouragement. You can request to become a member of our Facebook Group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/childrensbookhub/

b)  Just Write for Kids http://www.justwriteforkids.com

     This is an online/home study course in writing picture books that Emma developed a few years ago and recently revamped. I have taken this course, and can vouch for its efficacy in teaching me how to write a picture book. I return to the lessons again and again as I work on new picture book projects, as well as other writing projects.

Over the course of eight weeks, lessons arrive in your email inbox, but you can proceed at your own pace. There is opportunity for questions, interaction, and feedback on the website. I found Emma’s knowledge to be solidly grounded, and her boundless enthusiasm was immensely encouraging. It was well worth the cost, in my opinion.

c)   Emma’s blog http://www.emmawaltonhamilton.com

     Emma’s blog is a treasure trove of information for emerging writers. I particularly recommend her series of posts on writing picture books, especially if you cannot afford the Just Write for Kids course. This series formed the basis of JWFK although, of course, JWFK goes into much more depth. The series begins with the post “Who’s Your Hero?” and the other posts in the series are listed in a box along the right side of the post. http://www.emmawaltonhamilton.com/q-whose-your-hero-a-your-reader/

     To learn more about Emma and her work, please see the interview posted on my blog on June 6, 2012: http://www.bethstilborn.com/emma_walton_hamilton_interview/

     By my count I’ve only shared one resource so far, so I get to share a couple more. (I stopped believing in math in second grade, so my counting is creative, to say the least.)

2.   Cheryl Reifsnyder’s blog  http://www.cherylreif.com/

    Cheryl Reif Writes: How to Thrive on the Writer’s Road is an inspiring, information-filled, fun blog. The information about herself on her blog indicates that she writes “fun science stuff for children and adults” but she also blogs knowledgeably about writing, marketing, and the plethora of other issues that come up as a writer tries to learn all that is required in the complex world of authorship.

3.   The book Second Sight: an editor’s talks on writing, revising & publishing books for children and young adults by Cheryl B. Klein

Through a series of talks given at various conferences and other venues, the author gives practical advice, useful examples, workable exercises on nearly every topic that could occur to an emerging writer – writing in various genres; creating query letters; character, plot and voice; revision techniques – all written in an easily accessible style.

I also recommend her website and blog. Both can be found at http://cherylklein.com/

     I could go on and on listing resources, but I’ll stop at just “three.”

Bio: Beth Stilborn lives, writes, blogs and searches for resources in her aerie on the prairie (one floor below the pigeons’ penthouse). She writes picture books, chapter books, middle grade fiction and adult fiction, but all too frequently forgets to write grocery lists. While publication in any of these genres, including grocery lists, is still in the future, Beth believes wholeheartedly that the possibility of publication is far closer thanks to the wonderful resources and opportunities listed above, and also thanks to the support of the incredible kidlit community.

You may find Beth

(when she’s not functioning as a scare-pigeon on her balcony)

at the links below:

Her blog: http://www.bethstilborn.com

Her facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bethstilbornwrites

Her twitter presence: https://twitter.com/#!/bethstilborn

Thanks for all your help today Beth!