Category Archives: process

Articles or discussion of the process of writing or of making art.

Royalty Survey Results

Recently I wrote a two-part article on royalty paradigms for a critique group blog called Writers’ Rumpus. In Part II I summarized the results of a survey showing responses by people who have current published books. It was an attempt at getting a pulse on the type of contract deals children’s authors are receiving. You […]

Also posted in children's books, survey, Writing today | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Publisher-Author Payment Survey

What earnings can writers and illustrators of books for children today expect to receive from a publisher? The range of payment options has widened, sometimes not in your favor. If you would like to see whether the basics of the deal you now have is comparable to what others receive and help your colleagues too, […]

Also posted in children's books, previously published, survey, Writing today | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Revealed: Outdoor Sculpture at Maudslay

During a Community Residency in at Fowler Dune Shack on the Cape Cod National Seashore, Deb Carey pointed out this survivor organism to me. When the dune eroded, most of this high bush blueberry’s roots were exposed, yet it survived and bears fruit. I was impressed. Bookmark

Also posted in sculpture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Discovering Vinland

As part of my research for a historical novel about Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir, we went in search of one of the places she traveled to in the early 1,000s. It was more than intriguing. Leif Eiriksson discovered something big around 1,000 A.D. You can still see the footprints of his longhouses at L’Anse aux Meadows on […]

Also posted in children's books, creative living, life in general, Norse, Writing today | Tagged , , , , | 2 Responses

Advice from a kid: Miranda, age nine

Miranda and I went for a walk. She told me what she thinks about books.  Here’s what she said. Topics that some kids like (kids that I know): Fluffy kitty cat books (I hate them completely) Books with some scary moments and action (I personally like these best :) Craft books like how to decorate […]

Also posted in children's books, creative living, life in general, Writing today | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Critique Groups are Empowering

You work alone developing something that has never before existed in the world. You see it from a unique perspective, but what about the rest of the world? Is this newly created entity ready for exposure? Is it balanced and complete? Does it say what you think it says? What you need is a good […]

Also posted in children's books, sculpture, Writing today | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Responses

Cheryl Klein: An Editor with Second Sight

Cheryl Klein, Senior Editor at Arthur A. Levine Books, hopped on a train from NYC to Andover, MA to give an informative talk recently to our children’s book writers’ critique group. She fielded questions we had previously submitted. She also read and gave Bookmark

Also posted in children's books, Writing today | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

NYT: Shorter E-Books for Smaller Devices

Have you been wondering how anyone could possibly read an entire book on an IPhone? On such a lilliputian screen, that’s like reading, say, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” while looking at it through a keyhole. Wouldn’t it make sense to provide narratives chosen with the scale of the device in mind? After all, […]

Also posted in creative living, e-books, Writing today | Tagged , | Leave a comment

About Translations

Currently I am working on a young adult novel based on an intriguing character and events set in 999 AD, Vikng era Iceland, Greenland and Vinland. It is based on two of the Icelandic sagas: The Greenlanders and Eirik the Red’s Saga. I had been using an anthology given to me by my son Eric […]

Also posted in children's books, Norse | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wendy Klemperer: gestures of life

  My sculptures use the body language of animals to express a feeling or state of being, with motion conveying emotion. – Wendy Klemperer How did you arrive at your very expressive signature method of drawing in space with previously used rebar? Over the years I have experimented with many sculptural materials, and also painted […]

Also posted in creative living, Interviews, sculpture | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

NaNoWriMo over

Like many other writers, I committed myself to the National Novel Writing Month website’s competition on November 2 and started a new young adult manuscript now titled What else is there?. The goal for each of the thousands of writers who also took the plunge was to write a 50,000 word novel between Nov. 1 […]

Also posted in children's books, creative living, Norse | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dale Rogers: a wild man with a plan

Large scale sculpture is expensive to make, a challenge to move and difficult to sell, none of which deters Dale Rogers. His business acumen and energy level have propelled his career as a successful sculptor, allowing him to make an excellent income doing the work he loves. His work has been purchased by sculpture parks […]

Also posted in creative living, Interviews, reviews, sculpture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

NaNoWriMo reminder

Monday, November 1, 12:01 a.m. it starts. Smoking keyboards. Tsunamis of words. Bloodshot eyes. Yes, it is National Novel Writing Month and the annual ritual of writers worldwide trying to complete their 50,000 word novels before November 30th. There are some interesting statistics (including a list of whose books were published). Are you going to […]

Also posted in children's books | Tagged | Leave a comment

Quackenstein: Sudipta’s guest post

By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen: Recently, the New York Times declared that picture books are essentially dead. Really? Take a look at this: Does that look dead to you? As a primarily-picture-book-author like me, the idea that picture books are done for is a terrifying prospect. But rather than cringe on a corner of my bed and […]

Also posted in children's books | Tagged , , , , | 13 Responses

David Davies outdoors

Permanent outdoor sculpture is big and expensive, so how do artists show new work without spending a fortune? This may not be an issue once your reputation and client list are golden, but meanwhile most artists make small maquettes for proposals. David Davies has been working on another solution. His two pieces in a recent […]

Also posted in reviews, sculpture | Tagged , , , | 1 Response

POD or traditional publisher?

Friday night Egils and I went to an opening reception at an art gallery where I became involved in an intriguing conversation with William Sargent, the author of a number of books for adults about the seashore and its organisms and other science and nature-related topics. He was excited about a number of children’s books […]

Posted in process | Tagged , , | 2 Responses

Constructions

As I begin “Constructions” I’ve chosen a title that encompasses all forms of creative endeavor regardless of genre. While there are those who may feel that a person cannot expect to succeed in such dissimilar areas as children’s literature and sculpture, I take the opposite view: how can a truly creative person expend an entire […]

Posted in process | Tagged , | 5 Responses