When done well, rhyming picture books are snappy, quotable, and fun to read. Children retain the words more easily and begin to identify patterns and sounds: a real treat. The problem? Writing a good rhyming picture book is much trickier than it looks.

We want our readers to connect emotionally to our characters and to feel their pains and struggles—but it can be tricky to know how to describe emotion to create that connection. Here are some effective ways to describe emotion.

Once the manuscript has been completed, submitted, and accepted, writers can feel like the bulk of their work is done. It would seem only small corrections should need to be made. Until the agent/editor feedback comes. Use these strategies to incorporate it for stronger work.

Once you’ve finished the first draft of your story, it’s time to tackle chapter one revision. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether your first impression energizes the reader to demand the full story.

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is an intense time for writers who participate. I hope it was everything you were looking for. But the end is near. What’s next?

Picture books are so fun to read aloud! Readers can play with the volume, pitch, and inflection of their voices to give the verses maximum effect.

If you've received vague revision instructions like “go deeper," we have some specific revision techniques that'll help you take your work to the next level.

There’s an important difference between editing and revising, although writers tend to use “editing” and “revising” as interchangeable terms to mean anything other than drafting. You’ll need to do both, so it’s helpful to understand the difference.

Rewriting a book may seem like a daunting task, but it’s worth it. Not only will rewriting develop your narrative, but it’ll make you a better writer. Here’s how.

Dialogue tags are invisible and useful when done well, but they can kick a reader out of a story so quickly when they aren’t. Let's talk about which ones work, and which are less effective.

How is a writing buddy different from a critique partner or writing partner? The terms are often used interchangeably, but I happen to think that a “writing buddy” is friendlier. So here’s how to be a good one, and boost your own critique and writing skills at the same time.

How long can a picture book manuscript be? What if mine’s much longer? Or much shorter? Will I be automatically rejected by an agent? What if my story needs those words? Are there different lengths for different types of picture book manuscripts?

Let’s answer these questions.

An active protagonist drives the story. Meaning? Your main character should want specific outcomes and fight for them. That’s where the conflict in the story comes from: everything that fights back. For tips on activating the hero of your story, read on.

Raising the stakes is a great way to sew tension in your story, and fear of failure is something everyone can relate to. The constant battle between running toward the goal while running away from the alternative will keep readers engaged and invested in your characters. Know how to identify your stakes and when to make them bigger.

Tips for how to be a good critique partner and how to contribute to your writing community. Learn how to give writing critique here.

Winter is the perfect season to establish your writing resolutions and form the habits that will lead to better productivity. There is so much you could accomplish in the year ahead! Read on for tips on how to develop—and crush!—your writing resolutions.

Many writers struggle with how to deal with negative criticism. Not all writing feedback you receive in your lifetime will be “constructive criticism”. Some of it may feel like straight-up criticism criticism, or worse, destructive criticism. Ouch! Here are some thoughts on bouncing back from a devastating writing critique, and what to do next.

Dust motes swirling in the gloom are enchanting, but do you really need to describe them in detail? Let’s look at some guidelines for writing descriptions so you can quench your thirst for gorgeous imagery without sacrificing the pacing of your story.

There is a lot of controversy in the writing world about sensitivity readers, so what is a sensitivity reader? What does a sensitivity reader do? Learn more about this specializing writing and editing role here.

As writers, we know we should try to avoid clichés and stereotypes. But you might not think of unique imagery as you’re writing your first draft, so you drop in a cliché as a placeholder. When revisiting a manuscript to self-edit, though, many writers often overlook the cliché that’s right in front of them: the clichéd image.

If you’re interested in writing a children’s picture book that uses fantasy elements to engage readers in a meaningful way, then you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we provide four tips on how to write original, highly engaging fantasy picture books that stand out!

Setting writing critique expectations is important, especially when a writer starts out getting writing feedback. A lot of writers are in a good headspace when they approach critique. Nervous, maybe. Vulnerable, of course. But eager to learn and give back to a fellow writer.

If you’re an author/illustrator in the picture book business, you probably feel like you’re at an advantage. While there is value in being able to create an entire work on your own, I’d like you to imagine not using your words. What does it look like to create wordless picture books?

Now that you have a complete manuscript, you have some exciting decisions to make about what you want to do next. Whether Camp NaNoWriMo was a fun personal project or your first step on the path to publication, now is a great time to use your momentum to take your writing to new heights.

The trends are in: wordiness in picture books is out. It’s time to tighten up that manuscript and align with your market.

Few of us change overnight. We might wake up one morning and realize we’ve changed, but when we look back we can see it was the result of a million little things, day after day, that brought us to our current state. How do we build a character arc like this—showing gradual, compelling, believable change?

Negative feedback can be confusing and hard to hear. Turn what feels like “no” into a mission to “go”!

With only 600 words to work with, there’s not much space for picture book description. Let’s make every word count and bring your story to life.

You’ve typed ‘The End’ on your manuscript, and now you’re ready to get published. Not yet! First, finding critique partners will help you polish your work for submission.