Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “The Story Detective (Where do Story Ideas Come From?)” by James R. Hannibal

With the mystery and magic of The Lost Property Office now revealed, I’m starting to see a lot of questions from young writers. Probably the most common is “Where do your ideas come from?” I’m often tempted to respond, “Why, the stork, of course.” But the truth is, ideas don’t come to writers out of […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Stepping into the Past (Researching and Writing Middle Grade Historical Fiction )” by Yona McDonough

Even as a kid, I loved stories set in the past (Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess and A Tree Grow in Brooklyn were all favorites) and when I grew up to become a children’s book author, I gravitated naturally to creating historical fiction set in long-ago times.  So when I was tapped by […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Showing Children Our World (Good and Bad) Through Books” by Donna Galanti

As a mother, nothing comes close to my primitive urge to protect my child. So, I thought it ironic to visit a playground in North Carolina with a warning sign of alligators nearby. This sign hit me with the realization that while we can provide our children with the resources to defend themselves and make […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Self-Published to Small-Press Published” by Stacy Barnett Mozer

When my middle grade novel, The Sweet Spot, launched last June I was sure that I had made the final and best decision on how I was going to put it out into the world. The book had previously found an agent, gone through rounds of revision and rejection and revision – and not sold. […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Seeing All Sides Of The Apple” by Barbara Dee

Whenever I run a creative writing workshop with middle schoolers, I always bring a blank sheet of paper and an apple. First I hold up the paper. I tell the kids that it represents a  flat character–someone who’s the same way all the time, from the first page on. “Paper” characters have no secrets, no […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Screenwriting vs Prose Writing” by Dale Kutzera

Having written quite a few screenplays and teleplays, I looked forward to trying my hand at prose. I hadn’t written a short story or novel in years and thought it would be a snap compared to the minimalist haiku of screenwriting.  Best of all, I’d have the final word (well words) on the story, without […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Sailing Takes Me Away To Where I’ve Always Written It Could Be” by Tom McCarthy

I think of myself as a sailor, though I do far less actual sailing than I’d like. Some of my favorite sailing trips include sailing on the Indian Ocean, right near where the Runnymeade crashed. Luckily we encountered no terrible weather or man-eating islanders. I’ve also sailed near Hong Kong in the South China Sea […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Researching to build worlds and add realism to fantasy” by C.A. Hartley

The inspiration for my middle-grade fantasy series, “The Plight of the Plexus,” came ten years ago when I took a break from my corporate career to spend time with my two-year-old son. During his naps, I often spent time reading about ancient history, art, and physics (all hobbies from my college days). I had just […]

Middle Grade Ninja: GUEST POST: “Researching for Truth in a Tale of Fiction” by Charlotte Bennardo

Have a great idea for a middle grade novel? Why not just slap those words down, polish it a bit, and send it off? Wait, have you done your research?          Just because you’re writing a fantasy/animal/adventure/whatever story doesn’t mean there’s no research. If anything, you have an unspoken obligation to be […]