revision

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October 15, 2021

What Successful Children’s Authors Know About Writing, Rejection, and Creativity

Writing is often portrayed as a magical process fueled by inspiration and creativity. In reality, most authors spend far more time wrestling with self-doubt, revising imperfect drafts, managing rejection, and learning how to stay consistent when motivation fades. To better understand the realities of the writing life, six accomplished children's authors share insights into their creative process, writing habits, challenges, sources of encouragement, and proudest career moments. Their answers reveal common themes about persistence, creativity, community, and the mindset required to build a sustainable writing career. Whether you're an aspiring writer, a published author, or simply curious about the creative process, these lessons offer a valuable behind-the-scenes look at what it truly means to be an author.

December 3, 2019

Behind Grama’s Hug: Amy Nielander on Writing, Illustration, and Persistence

Creating a picture book often looks simple from the outside. A reader sees a finished story, beautiful illustrations, and a book on a shelf. What they rarely see are the years of revisions, rejected drafts, critique sessions, conference feedback, and creative persistence required to bring that book into existence. Many successful children's books spend years evolving before finding the right publisher and audience. In this interview, author-illustrator Amy Nielander and editor Courtney Burke share the journey behind Grama's Hug, a picture book that took nearly seven years to develop from its original concept into a published book. Their conversation offers valuable insights into revision, resilience, author-illustrator careers, and the collaborative process that transforms an idea into a finished picture book.

August 21, 2019

What to Do When You Think Everything You Write Is Bad

You've been there. Maybe you're there now. Everything you write is horrible. Terrible. It's the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad writing (day). Welcome to the club. Stay awhile. While you're here, you should know something. Everything you write probably isn't that bad. And even if it is sort of bad, that's OK because good writing comes from bad writing.

June 18, 2018

How to Become a Better Writer: The Two Habits That Matter Most

Writers are constantly searching for better techniques, better routines, and better strategies to improve their work. But most writing improvement comes back to two simple habits: writing consistently and reading intentionally. No shortcut replaces either one. If you want to become a stronger writer over time, these are the two skills that matter most.

August 27, 2017

Stop Perfecting Every Sentence – Just Share Your Story

It's been said every sentence is a persuasive argument that succeeds or fails in convincing the reader to read the next. Agree or disagree?

Frankly, I don't agree (completely) because the reader is complex, having a multi-dimensional purpose for reading. One aspect may be truly that each good sentence does cause the reader to continue on. But at the same time, the reader, once personally invested through time, money, promise, or any other act of will may continue reading not for that purposes alone. I listen to audio books during my commute. I have literally finished books only to be able to say I finished them, not because they provided some revolutionary insight or emotional experience. I simply wanted to finish what I started.