Your Friendly May Mid-Grade Madness Reminder

Are you ready for the May Mid-Grade Madness?

Despite my initial reservations that Laura chronicled oh-so-well, I’m really looking forward to this challenge. Some of my happiest childhood memories were of the time I spent reading my favorite books…over and over again. There were so many, but three really stand out after all this time (we’re talking decades here, friends). I didn’t know  they were classics or Newberry Books. I just knew I was transported to a different place with some fabulous young heroines:

Boy, Harriet was awesome! To say that she was resourceful is an understatement. I’m pretty sure I kept a notebook just like hers and had an affinity for tomato sandwiches.

We all need to channel our inner Pippi!

Kit was the quintessential romantic heroine – strong, smart, and not afraid to fly in the face of convention.

These great books are my inspiration. Not that I will be writing about a colorful headstrong girl living in colonial Connecticut who has a penchant for solving mysteries. But, they do make me want to create a book that maybe someday a child will get lost in.

So, what is your inspiration?

To help bring that inspiration to the keyboard and paper, Laura found some terrific resources.

First up is a valuable video from Martha Alderson, also known as the “Plot Whisperer.”

Next is another video, this one by Mary Carroll Moore, which she calls Your Book Starts Here – Storyboarding for Writers.

You also might be interested in using the popular Snowflake Method. Laura and I both love it. Pam Smallcomb, author of the picture books I’M NOT and EARTH TO CLUNK (as well as many middle-grade books) also swears by it.

And to round out the above resources, here are a couple of useful articles: “How to Write a Book in Three Days” and the fun “How to Write a Book in Three Days (aka How to Gain Weight & Alienate People)” by blogger/author Lori Dyan.

Okay fellow writers, time to get plotting, storyboarding and snowflaking. Store up those creative-boosting snacks and give ample warning to your loved ones.

Get pumped!!

May Mid-Grade Madness is a week away!!