"My child hates writing – what can I do?" "How do I get my kid to love writing?" Getting kids to write – and to love writing – can be a battle for parents. We know this because these questions (and many more just like them) are posed to authors over and over again. So...
One of the surprising side-effects of becoming a published author is that you find yourself being interviewed. In fact, sometimes you find yourself being interviewed a lot. And yes, it's a surprise, even for someone who is used to being on the other side of questions...
As this blog approaches its 11th birthday, I can see a certain pattern in my posts. Each year at around this time, in response to reader enquiries, I write a 'how to achieve your writing goals this year'. I particularly liked this one, which is now five years old but...
With publications closing and book review sections of newspapers and magazines getting smaller and smaller, authors need to work very hard to find publicity opportunities for their books these days. Whether traditionally- or indie-published, authors must seek out new...
As the NSW school term begins, and we look down the barrel of potentially weeks and weeks of trying to keep kids engaged with and on top of their school work, I know that many parents are tearing their hair out. With two high school-aged boys, I'm lucky that the...
In the latest addition to the Writing For Kids series, Claire Saxby looks at setting stories in the past. Claire's latest novel Haywire is set in 1939 in the NSW town of Hay. It's about 14-year-old Tom, whose family runs the local bakery, and Max Gruber, nearly 14,...
Is it your dream to write for kids? Are you imagining a picture book, novel or chapter book with your name on it? Are you finding it difficult to 'break in'? Then let me ask you one more question: have you considered writing nonfiction for kids? One of the things that...
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of reading Kate Simpson's new picture book, Anzac Girl: The War Diaries Of Alice Ross-King. And if you follow any of my social media platforms, you'll know it was a real pleasure – I shared it everywhere! It's a very beautiful book,...
Last year, I wrote my first-ever funny story for publication in Total Quack Up Again, an anthology of funny stories in support of Dymock's Children's Charities. Regular readers might remember this post about the experience. One of the editors of the anthology was...
