the site of middle grade author Jackie Yeager
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
Dreaming is good. Doing is better. If you want to reach your dream of getting your book published, then it’s time to get back to work on your manuscript. Last week I talked about characters—making your reader care about them by making them relatable, and making their goals crystal clear with high stakes. But those… Continue reading Dialogue: Did the Right Person Say It?
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
swirl and spark 