Stories in Children's Toys

How to Create a Fact Manual for a Book Series {Peek into My Next Story}

I started my current story, Ideal Lies, last year, and this time, I decided to make it a trilogy. This story is a mix between dystopian and utopian. Living in the idealistic northern Ideal States of America, two teenagers are caught believing in an imperfect religion and go on the run as criminals to rescue their stolen family. How I managed to keep this to myself until now, I'm not sure : ) Writing a series of any kind was something I'd never done before. I quickly found out that I needed a way to keep track of all the facts. I tried memory. My memory failed. I tried little notes. I lost them. I tried computer files. It took me too long to find what I needed. So, with nothing else to do ... I created a fact manual. I spent hours gleaning the information from my memory, notes, and files. I created new documents and organized facts so I could put it all together in one cohesive notebook. I documented everything that had happened so far in my boo

Interview with Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson {and a giveaway}

I would like to welcome Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson to my blog today! I am so excited that they took the time to do an interview with me. Here is a little bit about them: Stephanie Morrill and Jill Williamson have written a combined two dozen speculative and contemporary novels for teens. They also blog obsessively at www.goteenwriters.com . When not writing or blogging, they can be found at the teen table at writer's conferences or wherever chocolate is being given away. Come hang out with Stephanie at www.stephaniemorrill.com and Jill at www.jillwilliamson.com . Why did you choose the genre that you did? Stephanie: I feel like “contemporary young adult” chose me, honestly. I wanted to write deep, serious books that might get studied in English classes … but I never had any ideas for deep, serious books, so that flopped. My ideas, even after high school, were always for stories about girls and the boys they liked and the complica

10 Weird Things Writers Do ... And Are Perfectly Okay

No writer will ever claim to be a normal human being. We process information differently, we observe life differently, and we feel emotions differently. If you're a writer reading this, be encouraged. Yes, you are weird, and there is no avoiding it. But, there are many writers that can relate to a smidgen of what your life is like as a writer. If you are not a writer reading this, be understanding. We know we're weird, and it would be so awesome if you could just nod, smile, and say, "I'm glad you enjoy writing." It's okay to be weird. Personally, I think it's even cooler if you're weird and a writer at the same time. 1. We may stare at you without realizing it. Sometimes, we see something that reminds us of characters and zone out for a bit. 2. We may also stare blankly at flowers or rainbows, also thinking of something entirely different. (this was to counteract the slight creepiness of that first point.) 3. We may

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