Making Things Worse by Making Them Better

Writers talk a lot about provoking characters to transform by making things worse and worse for them until they’re exhausted, and are left with no choice but to change. That’s what stories are usually about in a nutshell: transformation in the face of adversity. It’s the old “hurt the hero” game. As Star Trek and […]

The Chicken Sees: How Stories Change the World

For nine years, authors I admire have shared their thoughts about writing and the environment on the A4ED (Authors for Earth Day) blog, including such incredible (and Newbery Winning) folks like Bruce Colville, Sy Montgomery, Debbie Dadey, Eliot Schrefer, Jack Gantos, Jane Yolen, Jeff Kinney, Linda Sue Park, Kathi Appelt, Wendy Mass, Brooke Bessesen, Sara Pennypacker […]

Create a Comic Book in 10 (simple?) Steps

Comics and other graphic texts are one of the fastest growing areas of publishing, and they seem to be getting stronger each year. If you haven’t considered getting graphic, you might want to.  This post is for creators, especially writers, who are interested in graphic story-telling. Even if your art skills are limited to crooked, one-armed stick figures, […]