Category Archives: Children’s/YA

Shimmer of Time: Cover Reveal

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Jennifer Jensen

I have two new shiny things to distract you today!  Well, make that one shiny and one a bit dingy.  And if you get this in your email, you’ll have to click the title – the pictures only show up on the blog. The best new shiny is the official cover reveal for Through the Shimmer of Time.  I’m thrilled with it, and with my cover designer, Melinda VanLone, of Book Cover Corner. The cover design comes with its own story.  Because I wanted my cover characters to be the right age, and because of the 1830s period (the Civil War era would have been much easier), stock photography sites didn’t have anything we could use.  So guess who turned photographer? I found two awesome young people who were very willing to be part of my book journey, set my trustworthy old Canon on “sport” so the shutter speed was … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's/YA, WIP, WRITING | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Turn a Childhood Memory into Fiction

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Jennifer Jensen

Many of us started out writing stories based on childhood happenings:  being picked on by a bully, feeling left out, falling off a rope swing, getting a pony, getting bucked off a pony.  (Hey, there’s got to be someone else out there that got bucked off a bazillion times, too.) The problem comes when the story gets stuck in our past and doesn’t gain a life of its own. The process tends to work something like this: Think of a fun or traumatic incident. Write it in story form. Fictionalize it by changing names, places, how many siblings, etc. Try to make the opening more exciting. Realize it’s lacking something. Try to add conflict.  Maybe even add a friend or sibling who wasn’t actually there. Take a bigger chance and change the dialogue or action to what you wish you said or did, instead of what actually happened. Give it … Continue reading →

Posted in Characterization, Children's/YA, Editing, Plot | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Weekly Blog Mashup for Writers

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Jennifer Jensen

As I browse blogs each week, I’ll post a mash-up of the best ones here.  Some have great writing tips, some are focused on publishing, and some are just plain fun.  Enjoy! First, some awesome advice from Joanna Penn:  Writer’s Block: The 12-Step Cure Jane Friedman has a great post over on Writer Unboxed about shifting our normal writers’ attitudes about query letters and blog headlines. If you’re interested in finding like-minded people on Twitter, with some Twitter etiquette thrown in, try Kristen Lamb’s excellent post here. Children’s and YA writers know that the kids need to solve their story conflicts themselves, not have parents or teachers step in for them.  But does that mean parents shouldn’t show up at all?  Kait Nolan has some great advice. And last but not least, have a little fun with I Write Like….  You enter several paragraphs (or more) of your own writing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog Mashups, Children's/YA, Editing, Writer's Life | Tagged , , , , , , | 7 Comments