author:
Kristi Wright
by Kristi Wright We’ve mentioned Cheryl B. Klein before. She’s the insightful mind behind THE MAGIC WORDS: WRITING GREAT BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS. Last March our Middle Grade Lunch Break Book Club had the pleasure of spending time with Cheryl–via video chat. It’s been a few months now, but here are my top […]
craft review by Kristi Wright A few months back, while chatting with fellow authors, I proposed that when writing a mystery, it was important to keep the tension going till the bitter end about “whodunit!” I quickly realized that this isn’t a hard and fast rule—we all have beloved mysteries that reveal the identity of […]
complied by Becky Levine and Kristi Wright This year’s Spring Spirit–a one-day SCBWI conference sponsored by the California: North/Central Region–was, as usual, a wonderful day. There is always so much energy in the air. People are excited to attend the sessions, but they’re also greeting old friends and making new ones. Going to writing conferences […]
compiled by Kristi Wright In early March, many of us migrate like butterflies to our regional SCBWI conference at Asilomar conference center near Monterey, CA. This conference never fails to deliver inspiration, craft insights, and best of all, friendship and community. Every year, we are convinced that this year was the best year ever, and […]
craft review by Kristi Wright In See You in the Cosmos, author Jack Cheng introduces us to the protagonist, Alex Petroski, who is in the middle of creating a Golden iPod that he is determined to rocket into space to teach aliens about humanity. From beginning to end, the novel is a transcript of the […]
compiled by Kristi Wright In October, many of our members attended the SCBWI San Francisco North/East Bay Oktoberfest Conference. We came away filled with inspiration. We’ve compiled some nuggets from the conference that we hope will inspire you in your own writing! Regarding our readers, Martha Brockenbrough and Clelia Gore said, “People read books again […]
compiled by Kristi Wright In August, many of our members attended our regional SCBWI Agents Day in the San Francisco Bay Area. We came away with many ideas about craft and nuggets wisdom. We’ve compiled some of our insights from the conference for you here. We hope they inspire you in your own writing! From […]
As follow-up to our craft review of Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible KidLit, the author herself graciously agreed to answer some of our burning questions. Welcome, Mary! KidLit Craft: Let’s dive right in. How did your craft book come about? Mary Kole: I learn by talking about things. Sometimes too much. Ask my husband. Probably not […]
craft review by Kristi Wright Often when I read writing craft books, I’ll treat them like a buffet, read a little here, read a little there, stuff myself silly with the tastiest craft ideas and leave less interesting fare untasted on my metaphorical plate. With Mary Kole’s Writing Irresistible Kidlit, I read voraciously from the […]
We had the pleasure of having Kate Hannigan, author of The Detective’s Assistant, join our group by Skype from Chicago for our April in-person middle grade discussion. We got to ask all our pressing questions about her writing process and incorporating research–and even how she keeps all her research organized! She graciously agreed to share […]
