If you’ve been wanting to write but wasn’t sure where to begin, this post on the top ten best writing books is a great place to start. One of my personal favorites is Stephn King On Writing. Happy reading and writing!
Source: Top Ten Best Writing Books ‹ Kathrin Lake’s Blog ‹ Reader — WordPress.com
As a writer I am often looking for new topics and ideas to write about. I make sure to get out of my comfort zone and seek out interesting people and places. My guest author is Carol Carter. She hadn’t planned on writing a book about drag racing until she got out of her comfort zone and asked a professional drag racer to tell her what it’s like to travel a quarter of a mile in seven seconds at 200 miles per hour. Carol has stopped by to tell us about her writing journey.
TNW: How long have you been writing?
CJ: I majored in journalism at the University of Missouri, so I’ve been writing since forever. I’ve worked for magazines and newspapers my entire career, plus I’ve written a couple nonfiction books.
TNW: Have you always written for children?
CJ: “Junior Dragster Dreams” is my first novel and so also my first children’s novel though I did write plays for fifth graders during a brief period when I taught school.
TNW: What drives and motivates your writing?
CJ: If I’m “into” the story, then that drives and motivates me. That makes it fun.
TNW: Do you feel it’s important for writers to use social media?
CJ: I think the jury is still out on how helpful social media is, but I certainly use it for promoting my book. I write a blog nearly every day, I have a Facebook page for my book, and I Tweet.
TNW: Who are some of your favorite authors and why?
CJ: Hands-down fave: Tom Robbins. He makes me laugh.
TNW: What writing books would you recommend to new writers?
CJ: Anne Lamott’s “Bird by Bird.”
What advice do you have for new writers?
CJ: The best way to learn to write is to write. (And rewrite.)
TNW: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
CJ: I’ll probably be writing or editing. That’s what I do.
About the Author:
C.J. Carter, a journalist, is a native of Sikeston, Mo. She is an alumnus of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. In 1978, shewas a founding staff member of Atlanta Business Chronicle where she worked for 18 years, serving as editor of the Chronicle and seven Chronicle special publications.
Carter is author of the 125-year history of Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta. She was an on-air reporter in Atlanta for WXIA-TV’s Noonday show for two years. She was editor of It’s For You: Thirty-One Years of Our Life on the Georgia Tech Campus, a book produced in conjunction with the Georgia Tech Foundation.
Blog: http://juniordragsterdreams.com
Facebook: The Read for Speed — http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Read-for-Speed/226191994077640
Thanks C. J. Carter for stopping by. You can learn more about C.J. at Kristi’s Book Nook.
I love promoting authors and their books. I love it even more when a book can teach a child a very important lesson in life. Karin Lefranc has done this with her book “A Quest For Good Manners.” This is a story kids will have fun with while they learn valuable life lessons. Teachers and parents will appreciate the lesson young readers will learn. Karin also shares some insight on her favorite books, authors and writing tips. Please help me in welcoming author Karin Lefranc. Feel free to leave a comment.
TNW: How long have you been writing?
KL: I have been writing since my first job, which was as a reporter for a local newspaper.
TNW: Have you always written for children?
KL: I went from writing for the local newspaper to working as an assistant editor at Virgin Books in London. There I wrote a lot of press releases and book blurbs. I didn’t start writing for children until about five years ago.
TNW: What drives and motivates your writing?
KL: I first excited about a story idea. I am fueled by the creative process, and then I just love to write.
TNW: Do you feel it’s important for writers to use social media? How?
KL: Oh my, I do feel it is important. That’s not to say I am very good at it. Social media is a powerful platform and as writers we have an advantage to use it well. Marketing ourselves and our books is so important and facebook, blogs, twitter are incredibly useful tools.
TNW: Who are some of your favorite authors and why?
TNW: What writing books would you recommend to new writers?
KL: I just finished Stephen King’s On Writing and that was great. Today, I bought Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, which is on everyone’s list of best books on writing. One that isn’t on everyone’s list and is wonderfully inspiring is If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland. It was originally published in the 1938 and it is a real treasure.
KL: Read, write, join SCBWI and a critique group and then read and write some more.
TNW: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
KL: With four kids ages 10 and under it’s sometimes hard to find time to write. I hope in five years, I will have more time to write. In addition to more picture books, I would love to write a middle grade novel.
Title: A Quest For Good Manners
Author: Karin Lefranc
Illustrator: Hannah Neale
Publisher: Beluga Press
ISBN: 9780983045908
Review:
Teaching children good manners is a required item on any parents “to do” list. Children can learn to be respectful and courteous at a very young age. Instead of making learning manners a cumberson task, teach them how with a fun, easy to read story that has a princess, a dragon, a fairy and a wizard. It might even be fun for you to send your little ones on a quest of their own for good manners.
Princess Rosalind and her trusty friend Sparkler, a big green dragon, are the slurppiest, sloppiest and drippiest eaters at the Queens table. These two friends over-stuff their mouths with food and then talk while they chew. As a result, food spews and splatters everywhere. The Queen will not stand for this ill-mannered behavior any longer. Of course, Rosalind argues that they really don’t need manners and dragons don’t really know any better. The Queen gives Rosalind and Sparkler three days to find good manners or she will banish Sparkler forever from the kingdom. Rosalind and Sparkler begin their quest to find Percival, an all knowing wizard, for help and guidance.
Rosalind’s first task is to pull a golden fork with a ruby embellished handle from a stone. Rosalind pulls and tugs at the fork until her hands hurt. With the help of Percival she soon realizes its not strength that will release the fork, but knowing how to hold a fork. Once she achieves that goal the fork will glow and be her guide to her next quest. As Rosalind and Sparkle learn more about good manners and what is expected, the two also makes some really nice friends along the way.
Teaching manners can be tricky. Lefranc has done an excellent job of showing young readers how to say please and thank you. This quest can also open up dialogue between parents and children no matter what age. Teachers can also use this as a tool for students in preschool or kindergarten during snack time. Bright and cheery digital illustrations invite readers into the world of the princess and her dragon. Visual expressions of these hilarious characters will bring smiles to all who turn the pages.
Thanks so much Karin for sharing with us today. To learn more about Karin please visit Kristi’s Book Nook and participate in the awesome book giveaway.
We are on day 4 of the blogathon, and it has been quite the challenge for me to post daily. But, who doesn’t love a challenge. In this post I will list 5 books on writing. It’s a tough choice for me because there are so many helpful books on my shelves. So here goes!
My top 5 writing books are:
“Bird by Bird– Some Instructions on Writing and Life” by Anne Lamott
“Writing Down the Bones – Freeing the Writer Within” by Natalie Goldberg
“On Writing – A Memoir Of The Craft” by Stephen King
“The Artist’s Way – A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity” by Julia Cameron
“How to Write A Book Proposal” by Michael Larsen, AAR
If you don’t have these books in your collection already I suggest you visit your local indie bookseller or stop by My Amazon page to order them online and have them shipped right to your doorstep. Happy Writing & Reading.
The Neophyte Writer 