Craft Articles

Join us in exploring others’ craft and building our own.

Here you will find explorations of mentor texts – articles that dive into specific craft elements in published books, interviews with authors, and tips on growing and improving as a writer.

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Kristi Wright 10/27/25 Kristi Wright 10/27/25

Charlotte Cheng: Put Yourself Out There

“Put yourself out there, because you never know when the timing and preparation will finally coincide for your book. Sometimes, your story has been refined and is ready for publication, but the timing of the children’s book market isn’t quite right. You never know unless you keep revising and submitting.”

Kristi Wright 5/12/25 Kristi Wright 5/12/25

Gwen Lee: Stories are Life-Changing

“Stories are life-changing. If my books even make a difference in one person's life, then it would make all the hard work worthwhile.”

Guest Contributor 4/30/25 Guest Contributor 4/30/25

Writing Based on Real Life: How to Fictionalize Successfully

Converting my story from a personal one to a piece of fiction was the best choice. Not only did it strengthen the story I wanted to tell, but it reminded me that sometimes fiction is the best way to discover the truths of our lives.

Anne-Marie Strohman 3/10/25 Anne-Marie Strohman 3/10/25

Cindy Chang: Playing with the Past

“Writing about a lived experience, especially a difficult one, can be challenging. As much as you may want to share exactly how the events unfolded in reality, it’s okay to take some creative liberties. Ultimately it’s more about figuring out the story and focusing on communicating the wants, conflicts, and lessons learned through your lived experience. And in doing so, you may find yourself feeling a little freer from the past.”

Guest Contributor 2/5/25 Guest Contributor 2/5/25

Writing Engaging Young Adult Mysteries That Tackle Emotional Health Issues

“Mysteries are natural places to explore issues of emotional health, because the behavior of people who harm others can generally be traced back to their own emotional problems and issues, and of course their actions have a huge impact on the protagonists of our stories.”

Kristi Wright 1/21/25 Kristi Wright 1/21/25

Seina Wedlick: Deconstructing Story Structures

“Traditional publishing is often a slow process...There are occasionally books that get snapped up and released really quickly, but, more often than not, it’s a much longer wait . . . It’s so important for writers to plug into a community of other writers they can share this journey with and to use the ‘waiting period’ to work on something new or hone-in on their craft.”