Children’s Writing Web Journal

• Fun rant re: how not to write a novel: http://is.gd/mUmf Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Your daily book porn: uber-cool bookcases: http://snipr.com/dlpex Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Great site re: copyright & publishing law: http://publaw.com/ Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Current NYTimes bestseller lists: http://is.gd/mUcV Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Resource to find college writing programs & workshops: http://short.to/241x Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• S.E. Hinton fan? You’l enjoy this: http://www.sehinton.com Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• The Big list ‘o Adjectives! http://short.to/23g4 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Write to fit your personality type. Interesting: http://jijr.com/E0Z Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• 7 Ways To Beat Writer’s Block- http://short.to/241r Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Research Sources for Writers - http://short.to/23g0 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Come Join the Fightin’ Bookworms! #

• How to revise a novel: http://jijr.com/DuC Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• New @ the Clubhouse: Where To Find Free Lists of Children’s Book Publishers — http://cbiclubhouse.com, Where Children’s Writers Meet #
• Creative writing worksheets to download: http://snipr.com/cxjpi Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Children’s Writers’ Community #
• 40 Inspiring Writing Blogs: http://short.to/20wo Jon, http://short.to/20wp , Where Children’s Writers Meet #
• Fightin’ Bookworms get a free book plug in our 44,000 reader e-zine. If u r a member, DM me. If not, go to http://cbiclubhouse.com & join! #
• Annual Writer’s Digest Competition: http://jijr.com/Du7 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Children’s Writers’ Community #
• List of sci-fi & fantasy book publishers http://short.to/1yr8 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com , Where Children’s Writers Meet #
• Still not a Fightin’ Bookworm? You’re missing all the fun! Stop in & check it out: http://cbiclubhouse.com #
• 100 Fun & Useful Search Engines for Writers http://snipurl.com/b8yux Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Children’s Writers’ Community #
• Negativity kills writing careers. Stop right now, read this & stay on track to success: http://jijr.com/mVR Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com #
• No health insurance? This info can help: http://snipurl.com/bs2i3 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Children’s Writers’ Community #
• new video @ the Clubhouse: Laura Backes on “Is it OK to change points of view mid-story?” http://cbiclubhouse.com #
• My new fave quote: “Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday” Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Free ebook: Getting Started Writing Picture Books http://snipr.com/ck93u Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #
• Need a writing spark? Try this cool site: http://www.foundmagazine.com/ Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com , Where Children’s Writers Meet #
• Only 10 away from my 2000th follower. Oh the suspense! I feel like Jerry Lewis at the end of the Telethon. Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com #
• Writers tell best advice they’ve ever received: http://short.to/20w6 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Check out this bookstore’s archway entrance: http://is.gd/mJG1 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #
• Folks - If you think I add value to your network, do drop me a recommendation at http://mrtweet.net/jonbard?gr Much appreciated! Jon #
• Today’s Library Porn: St.Gallen, Switzerland: http://snipr.com/dj605 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com, Where Children’s Writers Meet #
• Five things you didn’t know about Dr. Seuss: http://short.to/20vp Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #

• Nice video of author Peter Reynolds school visit: http://snipurl.com/dhezt Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com Children’s Writing Community #
• 13-year-old boy tells what teens want in a book: http://short.to/1w92 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• take a virtual tour of a spectacular library: http://jijr.com/Cmo Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #
• Classic books get beautiful new covers: http://snipr.com/dgkjr Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Interview w/illustrator Linda Bleck http://short.to/1wxp on, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #
• Very clever: The 57 Rules for Writers http://is.gd/myFF Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com , Where Children’s Writers Meet #
• New @the Clubhouse: March’s Money $aving $ecrets: 5 little known freebies for writers! http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #
• The impact of “Wimpy Kid” http://short.to/1w8t Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #
• Chart of common freelance rates for editing, writing, etc: http://short.to/1w8s Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #
• Now @the Clubhouse: exclusive podcast w/NYTimes Bestselling author Jay Asher! http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #
• From Cynsations, a good interview w/a YA editor: http://snipr.com/dgjmv Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com , Where Children’s Writers Meet #
• Nice intensive on building characters: http://is.gd/myzX Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! #

Picture books aren’t read, they’re performed.

The very act of reading a story out loud to a child forces the reader to add inflection, dramatic pauses, and even ad-lib some commentary. Where the pages are turned can add (or detract) as much from the experience as the quality of the story itself.

Picture books are almost always 32 pages long. There is no mysterious artistic reason for this; it’s simply how the printing presses work. If the book is longer, it will go up in 8-page increments, but most publishers don’t risk this added expense on new authors. The 32 pages includes the endpages (the white or decorated pages at the beginning and end of the book), the title page, and the copyright/dedication page. So the author has an average of 26 pages to tell the story. In general, the first page of text is a righthand page, and the last page of text is on the left.

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• Last day for Charter member pricing @ The Clubhouse! http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community #

• Body Language - A Writer’s Secret Weapon
  Posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 in writing tips - Comments: (1)
  We’ve all heard “show, don’t tell”.  It’s pretty much the first piece of advice a new writer hears.  But how best to make that truism come to life?One way is to give your characters a vivid body language.  How we move, manipulate our facial muscles, even cross our legs tells a great deal about our inner dialogue.  As a writer, the more you understand about body language, the more you can avoid telling, and really begin showing.
• Jon’s Twitter Updates for 2009-02-03
  Posted on Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009 in Uncategorized - Comments: (0)
  Orwell’s 6 Rules of Writing: http://is.gd/i8Y6 Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writing community # It’s Love a KidLit Author Month. Isn’t every month? http://snipr.com/b6hzh Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writing community # Schools becoming ‘anti-reading’ zones, claims author: http://is.gd/i8Vi Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writing community # Lee & Low New Voices winner announced: http://twurl.
• Jon’s Twitter Updates for 2009-02-04
  Posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 in Uncategorized - Comments: (0)
  Current children’s book reviews from PW: http://jijr.com/l8U Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writing community # Get up to speed on kids’ pop culture here: http://kids.yahoo.com/ Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writing community # 100 Fun & Useful Search Engines for Writers http://snipurl.com/b8yux Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writing community # New @ the Clubhouse: Four free software programs for writers.
• Jon’s Twitter Updates for 2009-02-10
  Posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 in Uncategorized - Comments: (1)
  Fascinating exhibit: Kid’s Books of the Soviet Era: http://budurl.com/zq4p Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! # Librarian Action Figures! http://budurl.com/t2km Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com - Home of the Fightin’ Bookworms! # Cool 19th century children’s books, scanned in full color. http://fleck.com/pSK5h Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writing community # New @ The Clubhouse: “Backstory: Giving Readers More Than Meets the Eye” Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.
• Jon’s Twitter Updates for 2009-02-25
  Posted on Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 in Uncategorized - Comments: (1)
  ¡qǝʍ ǝɥʇ ɹoɟ ʇxǝʇ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝʇɐǝɹɔ http://flipmytext.com/ Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com children’s writers’ community # Need an agent? Here’s where to find one: http://www.agentquery.com/ Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com , Where Children’s Writers Meet # Jen Robinson’s weekly kidlit roundup. Always a must read: http://jijr.com/s2G Jon, http://cbiclubhouse.com , Where Children’s Writers Meet # How to find writing contests: http://short.