Author/Illustrator Nina Laden (and fellow SCBWI WWA member) had a recent post on her blog called Writing Tools for Your Head: My 4 R's.Here's a little tidbit from the post-We writers are all guilty of this at some point or another: we write something and we are so excited that we send it off to... Continue Reading →
Great Blog Post on Writing Prompts
It's so wonderful to be part of SCBWI! We have so many great members nationally & of course in our own fabulous region! Fellow SCBWI WWA member Helen Landalf just wrote a great blog post on "The Joy of...Writing Prompts". It's a fantastic post to check out (and she mentions one of my favorite writing... Continue Reading →
Writing Vs. Storytelling
Thanks to Liz Mills for sending this post written by Nathan Bransford (author and ex-literary agent) on Writing vs. Storytelling. Here's a little preview of the post:And let's also get one thing clear up front: there absolutely has to be a certain level of writing for a book to work, and I personally think the... Continue Reading →
Monthly Question (and November’s Member Answers!!)
Thanks to everyone who answered November's Monthly Question! We asked all our SCBWI Western Washington members, and Chinook Update readers to answer this question: "I like to write at _______, because ______." Check out the answers your fellow writers posted, right after December's Monthly Question. December's Question: Favorite CharactersIf you could be any fictional character... Continue Reading →
We want to know about YOU!
Attention all SCBWI Western Washington members, and Chinook Update readers. The Chinook Update will be featuring a monthly question for YOU to answer! We'll post a question at the beginning of each month, and ask that you leave us a comment with your answer. We'll be posting your answers at the end of the month.We... Continue Reading →
Discussion Board Opportunity
Author Wendy Wahman's friend and ex-coworker from the Seattle P-I, Maren Hunt, is looking for children's book authors and/or author/illustrators to sit on a discussion board for a conference January 29, 2011. She would like five people (Wendy will be on the board). The conference is aimed at library school master's students, but many professional... Continue Reading →
Need Inspiration? Empathy? A Good Laugh?
The writing life has long been documented on film, and Christina and Jason Katz have compiled a list of Movies About Writers, and The Writing Life. It currently features 228 films listed in chronological order (there is a link to contact them to add movies left out). For more information about Christina, check out her... Continue Reading →
Writing “Edgy” Fiction
Thanks to Liz Mills, for sending this link to Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog. Cynthia interviews Ricki Thompson, author of CITY OF CANNIBALS, who gives her thoughts and process on writing "edgy" fiction.As an artist, I have a responsibility to speak the truth. And the truth is, teenagers live in an “edgy” place. What could be... Continue Reading →
Writing-In-Tandem
This month Stasia Kehoe's blog, Writer on the Side, explores the theme WRITING-IN-TANDEM and interviewing the following author teams. Some are offering fun give-aways! Monday, August 9: Suzanne Williams & Joan Holub, GODDESS GIRLS series (with a give-away!)Monday, August 23: Lisa & Laura Roecker, LIAR SOCIETY, which comes out March 2011 (with a give-away!).Monday, August... Continue Reading →
5 tips for success from the San Francisco Writers Conference
Here are the first couple, which come from Jane Friedman's blog on Writer's Digest:I took my first trip to San Francisco to speak and attend the San Francisco Writers Conference. It was a fabulous event, and I covered as much as I could on Twitter.Thanks to the work of Jeanne V. Bowerman (Writer's Digest's favorite... Continue Reading →