• Home
  • About
  • #KT250 Contest Info
  • #KTIllustrates
  • #KTChat Event Info
  • Submissions

Kite Tales

Kite Tales

Tag Archives: tools

#KTWriteOn with Newbery Winner Christian McKay Heidicker: THE DESPERATE AUTHOR (Getting Good with Low Time and Resources)

01 Wednesday Jul 2020

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in #KTWriteOn, Author's Perspective, Tips and Tools

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Author Tips, Christian McKay Heidicker, tips, tools, writing, writing tips

Welcome to the Kite Tales Writing Challenge: #KTWriteOn. Each writing challenge is crafted by a kid-lit publishing professional to help spark ideas, creative energy, and get your work moving out into the world.

This exercise was created by Christian McKay Heidicker, the author of the Newbery Honor-winning Scary Stories for Young Foxes, Thieves of Weirdwood, Cure for the Common Universe, and Attack of the 50 Foot Wallflower. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he reads and writes and drinks tea. Between his demon-hunting cat and his fiddling, red-headed fiancée, he feels completely protected from evil spirits. He wasn’t always an award-winning author. Read on for Christian’s excellent advice and exercises:

THE DESPERATE AUTHOR (Getting Good with Low Time and Resources)

By Christian McKay Heidicker

It took me twelve years to get my first book published. So in the interest of your sanity and my conscience, I’m going to tell you how to get better at this writing thing no matter what your obstacles are. Don’t have time? Don’t have money? Blessed with the attention span of a fruit fly? I experienced that in spades, my friend. And I’ve got some workarounds. All you need is a little window of time every day, a handful of unique shortcuts, and maybe some heartbreak. (That last one certainly helped me.)

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

All the Ways You Can Be Featured On KITE TALES

08 Wednesday Jan 2020

Posted by Farrha Khan in Contests & Grants, PAL, Tips and Tools

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

community, illustrating, inspiration, tools, writing

nick-morrison-325805-unsplashA week into 2020, are you still working on your goals for the year? If your goals include things like sharing your work/personal successes, being more active in the SCBWI community, increasing your online presence, or helping fellow writers/illustrators by sharing your expertise – then you should consider submitting to Kite Tales!

Here are some of the key ways you can be featured on Kite Tales. Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Social Media for Writers & Artists

14 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Tips and Tools

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

authors, community, Facebook, how-to, illustrators, Instagram, LinkedIn, networking, social media, tips, tools, Twitter

socialmedia1At conferences, one of the things I hear many writers and artists talk about is that their biggest fear/worry/stumbling block/insecurity (besides their craft – because hey, we all know how that is), is how to use social media. I’m writing this quick article with some tips because while I’m not officially a paid social media person, I’m really good at it. Really. Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Kid Lit, Day Jobs, and Paying the Bills

14 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Tips and Tools

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

how-to, illustrator tips, illustrators, publishing, tools, writer, writing tips

17121706878_0b0d1e7a11_zI’ve always wondered how artists and illustrators pay their bills and still have time to create. Some artists like myself, who need extra income, have little information on finding art and writing jobs other than by asking other artists/writers and checking newspaper job listings for part-time paid positions or freelance jobs. But the Internet is such a wonderful vehicle to use when you need to find information or even jobs that you wouldn’t be able to find locally, so the Kite Tales team and I decided to do some research.

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

LitMingle Minute: Hollywood

24 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in LitMingles!

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

authors, community, critiques, illustrators, middle grade, mingles, picture books, publishing, query letters, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, tools, volunteers, writer, writing tips, YA, young adult

June_2016_discussing_plot

Minglers discussing plot.

The SCBWI L.A. Hollywood LitMingle started humbly. For the past three years, Deborah Blum and Jean Perry (that’s me) have taken the mingle from a living room to the meeting space at the Hollywood Fairfax Library. It’s absolutely delicious to meet with other children’s writers. We who gather on those special Thursdays “get” each other. We find friends whose eyes don’t glaze over at the mention of plot and inciting incident. When we talk about crisis and climax, we can ask which is which. Picture book, middle grade, young adult, and new adult writers are welcomed to this free event every month. We usually start out full group, and then break into small groups based on genre, to get the specific support we need. Mingles are open to the public.

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Lori Nichols: Illustrator’s Perspective

10 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Illustrator's Perspective

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

illustrator tips, illustrators, Lori Nichols, picture books, tools

MapleLori Nichols is the author and illustrator of the award-winning picture book Maple and the Maple series. Her illustrated work can also be seen in the This Orq books by David Elliott, No, No, Kitten! by Shelley Moore Thomas, and Go Sleep In Your Own Bed by Candace Fleming (2017). In this “Illustrator’s Perspective,” Lori shares where she gets her ideas, how her process works, and ideas to keep your own ideas flowing.

 

I find my creative juices flow better when I have a fair amount of playtime. Right now, we are doing a kitchen renovation. Walls are being demolished and floors ripped up. My world has been turned upside down, so creative juices are not flowing– at least not until yesterday when I took a sharpie and started drawing on the exposed ceiling rafters and unfinished walls. That helped some.

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Stephanie Olivieri: Illustrator’s Gallery

29 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Illustrator's Gallery

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cintiq, digital illustration, how-to, illustrator tips, illustrators, Stephanie Olivieri, tools, Wacom

10Illustrator and animation artist, Stephanie Olivieri, takes us on her journey from pencil to pixel in this quarter’s “Illustrator’s Gallery.” Read on for tools, tips, and encouragement if you’re looking to switch from hand drawing to digital, are deciding if you should, or would just like to compare digital notes with another fantastic illustrator!

I made the transition from hand drawing to drawing on the computer officially in 2012. It was something that I fought against for years, saying that people still needed and loved traditional art, but now that I’m digital, I have found that it’s invaluable. I sometimes will do a mixed media piece, but the freedom that an artist has once on the computer is amazing. I find that with enough practice, an artist can mimic traditional illustration and painting, with the biggest difference being drying time and the ability to make changes easily. Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Bridget Smith: Agent’s Perspective

17 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Agent's Perspective, Tips and Tools

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

agent, Bridget Smith, Dunham Literary, query, tools, writing tips, YA, young adult

photo-BridgetSmith-leavesBridget Smith is more than an agent at Dunham Literary, Inc. She also studied anthropology and archaeology, worked as a radio DJ, fenced on the varsity team at Brown University, and helped design an experiment that she later performed in microgravity at NASA. So, she’s kind of awesome and you want her to represent your books.

Read on for Bridget’s insights into the kid lit community, how to include diversity in your books, and what happens after you get a full manuscript request.

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

John Nez: Illustrator Perspective

25 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Illustrator's Perspective

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

agents, authors, illustrator tips, illustrators, John Nez, picture books, publishing, tools, writing tips

books_4_children77Prolific illustrator John Nez shares with us about the tools he uses, why life as a working illustrator really is work, how to be your own best advocate, and how to keep that “little mouse of creative happiness” alive and thriving through it all. Read on for some great insight, tips, and illustrative goodness!

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

SCBWI Community Corner with Colleen Paeff

25 Friday Mar 2016

Posted by Sarah Parker-Lee in Community Corner

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

book clubs, picture books, published, publishing, SCBWI members, tools, writing tips

PBPubBookClub4CC

Top row: Colleen Paeff, Joseph Taylor, Phephe Rose, Frank Acosta, Anne-Marie Campbell; Bottom row: Eloise Freeman, Susan Burritt, Jill Tuckman, Jennifer O.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is a dynamic community of professionals and aspirings. Read on for a member’s story about how SCBWI has influenced their work and connected them to publishing professionals, life-long friends, and the tools they need to share their stories with children of all ages.

I’d been an on-again off-again SCBWI member for more than fifteen years when I decided to get serious about writing picture books. My son had recently moved out and I chose to fill my empty nest by digging into the world of children’s publishing. Naturally, I turned to the SCBWI.

Continue reading →

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...
← Older posts

Search This Blog!

  • View scbwilosangeles’s profile on Facebook
  • View SCBWISOCALLA’s profile on Twitter
  • View scbwila’s profile on Instagram

Enter your email to have new posts sent to your inbox!

Join 3,188 other followers

Resources, News, SCBWI Membership

SCBWI Membership


SCBWI-L.A. Events


SCBWI-CenCal


SCBWI-SoCal


LitMingle Calendar


Webinars


Critique Exchange


PAL Members

Blog Contents

My Tweets

What is SCBWI?

Founded in 1971 by a group of Los Angeles-based children's writers, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators is a non-profit, 501 (c)3 organization. There are currently more than 22,000 members worldwide, in over 70 regional chapters writing and illustrating in all genres for young readers, making it the largest children's writing organization in the world.

Member Benefits

Members of SCBWI receive exclusive access to tools, information, and industry professionals as well conferences, workshops, and critiques. Click HERE to find out more. Join us and take your writing to the next level!

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Kite Tales
    • Join 3,188 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Kite Tales
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: