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Rebus Stories

 A rebus story is written for the beginning reader using pictures to help decode the meaning of the words. Some magazines use the picture and the written word, some use only the picture in place of the written word. A good rebus story is constructed like a well-told joke, complete with punch line at the end. When planning a rebus story, you must think of a simple story with few characters and lots of picturable nouns. 1.      Focus on a small anecdote, one event. Don’t waste words on setting up the situation. You don’t have the luxury of describing the scene, what the characters look like, or giving background information.  Start your story where the problem or action begins. Example: “Mouse had the hiccups.”  In four words we have the main character and his problem. The rest of the story will be how his problem is solved. 2.      Tight writing is the key. Your story must have engaging characters, a “si...
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Good Analysis of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing

There's a lot to read here, but if you're set on self-publishing, it's worth the time to read all the way through and check out some of the links. It's noteworthy that the article cautions against the "self-publishing" imprints connected (however slightly) to traditional imprints like Simon & Schuster. Writer Beware! http://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/pod/
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It's Showtime!

Don’t you just love it when a writer makes you feel like you’re right inside the story? You are THERE, in the scene with the characters. Next time you read something that transports you, stop and take a look at how the writer practiced the skill of SHOW DON’T TELL. Telling, instead of showing, comes out flat. For example: It was a windy afternoon with a dark and threatening sky. The clouds were thick and grey over the canyon and soon it began to thunder. Showing makes it more alive: The wind roared up the canyon that afternoon, whipping dry cottonwood leaves into dancing whirls of yellow. Dark clouds rolled in soon after, bringing deeper and deeper rumbles of thunder.   Here are some ways to SDT (Show Don’t Tell): USE VIVID, ACTIVE VERBS: Notice in the second selection the verbs: roared, whipping, dancing, rolled. See how they replaced the weak use of the “to be” verbs? You can’t always avoid using ‘was,’ ‘were,’ ‘is’, ‘are,’ in your writing, but watch for...
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