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For middle readers…and adults who never grew up: The Owl Motel
Climbing the Crazy Family Tree, work-in-progress
Lena: Wild Girl on the Prairie, the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder's cousin, work-in-progress
Chuck Mall
About Chuck
Author of middle-grade fiction. Former writer for men's fitness magazines. Author of Middle-Grade short story collection, The Owl Motel: And Other Places Where You Are Not Welcome. Avid cook and gardener who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Amazon author page: Chuck Mall on Amazon
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Category Archives: writing for children
A Dose of Encouragement
All of these scenarios about writers exist: * Someone wrote a first novel that sold well and made them famous. But after that success, none of his other books did well. * Someone wrote for 25 years, completing several manuscripts … Continue reading
Posted in MG fiction, Words, writing, Writing Angst, writing for children
Tagged encouragement, publishing, writers, writing
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Book Review
Oddball entry: my reviews are on Amazon and Goodreads, but this one deserves a place in my space. Hope is a Ferris Wheel by Robin Herrera I’m a bit late to the game on reading this 2014 MG novel, but … Continue reading
3 Hot Tips to Make Your Middle-Grade Novel Saleable
If you’ve been studying writing awhile, you’re well-versed on how to create a character, how to structure a plot, and how to find the novel’s “voice” (by far the hardest thing). But did you know these three extras that really … Continue reading
Posted in fiction, Words, writing, writing for children
Tagged #childrensbooks, #fiction, #kidlit, #middle grade, #writing
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Middle-Grade Book Know-How
Write Well, Learn the Genre, and Learn Advanced Techniques I can’t tell whether I’m writing a middle-grade book, a chapter book, or a YA. Have you ever thought about this? I’ve heard it at writers conferences and critique groups for … Continue reading
Posted in fiction, writing, writing for children, YA fiction
Tagged #childrensbooks, #fiction, #kidlit, #middle grade, #YA
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Rolling with Middle Grade Reading
Three “teaching” middle-grade books for writers After my last post I got emails and texts, asking me to talk about more middle-grade books I’ve read recently. So here are capsules of a few more. I don’t always read books in … Continue reading
Posted in fiction, Librarians, Library, writing, writing for children
Tagged #childrensbooks, #kidlit, #middle grade, #middle reader, #writers, #writing
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Middle-Grader Road Grading
Why are middle-grade books my chosen writing genre? I’ve written middle-grade and young-adult fiction, and picture books (which I’ve tried to write; but can’t do it well). Somehow middle-grade plots, characters, and ideas are what populate my mind. Perhaps it’s … Continue reading
Posted in fiction, writing for children
Tagged diversity, kidlit, middle school, writing
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The Useful Cage
How the Storytelling Format Can Limit a Fictional Narrative Strategically As a writer who has created almost all of his fiction in third person limited, using a standard narrative format, I’m always exploring how established novelists use or misuse format … Continue reading
Posted in fiction, Librarians, writing for children
Tagged beverly cleary, books, diary, kidlit, Librarians, Library, reading, writing
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