the team-building site of middle grade author Jackie Yeager
Hey writing friends! Please tell me you’ve stocked up on pencils, notebooks, and folders. Assure me that you’re ready to take on September with fresh stacks of index cards and post-its. Nothing says, I’m ready to get back into a writing routine, like old school back-to-school supplies. Even if you write in Scrivener. Even if you write… Continue reading Unleash Your Inner Student: Kickstart Your Writing Goals This September
The last time I checked in with you, I promised a few bookish updates and more creative team-building tasks. The last couple of weeks have been more of a whirlwind than I expected though so those posts aren't ready yet. In the meantime, I thought I'd share an interview I recently did for the Rochester… Continue reading Interview: Rochester Area Children’s Writers & Illustrators
Since we’re well into Spring, I think we better talk about spring cleaning our manuscripts. Do you have Spring Fever too? Cleaning our manuscripts? Yes! It’s time to get rid of all those dirty words. You know the ones. Filler words. Words like: that, just, really, and very. They weaken your writing and bog down… Continue reading Spring Cleaning your Manuscript
There’s nothing like getting your character names right. But assigning the right names can be tricky. When done well, they’ll fit each character like a cashmere sweater or a favorite pair of jeans. When done not so well, they’ll feel forced or like an afterthought—and no one wants their brainchild to feel like an afterthought.… Continue reading Name Your Characters with Intention
As much as many writers working toward publication would love to quit their day jobs so they can work on their own writing full time, for most that’s not financially possible. And for some, working at another job is something they want to do anyway. Either way, if you work at another job or are… Continue reading Writing Jobs for Writers
We all want our readers to connect with our stories. We want them to feel something, whether that’s suspense, hope, fear, motivation, sadness, encouragement, despair, love, happiness…any number of emotions that humans are able to feel. And through the course of your novel, readers are bound to feel many different and probably opposing emotions as… Continue reading In Search of a Story’s Emotional Center
Hey guys! We’re nearing the end of the month and I thought it would be good to check in with those you who are drafting a new manuscript or determined to finish a draft you’ve already started. Because I know what January can be like. For the first few weeks of the month, you’re filled… Continue reading Foolproof Way to Get your Draft Done
Hey there! Sorry for the aggressive title today but I think many of you can use that reminder. I actually need it myself sometimes too! On the blog last week, I said that publishing is just crazy sometimes. It’s slow. It’s fickle. It’s unpredictable. But really, what business isn’t? And we all need to remember… Continue reading Get to Work! Make me Care about your MC
So, I was sitting in the snack bar at the hockey rink last Saturday, waiting for my son’s game to begin. Normally I would be catching up with the other hockey moms, or hanging out with my daughter. But my daughter was off doing teenager-y stuff and my hockey mom-friends were, I guess, running late.… Continue reading Permission to Read
I have a secret weapon. I store it inside my revision tool box. It’s called my Sophistication Scrubber. Really. That’s what I call it. 🙂 I pull out my Sophistication Scrubber when I’m revising my story for polish. More specifically, I use it when I want my manuscript to sound more sophisticated. Like a professional writer!Here… Continue reading Scrub Your Story