2020-01-01 The Writer

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FEATURES

January 2020
Contents Volu m e 133 Nu m be r 1

18

DEPARTMENTS

8 From the Front Lines

Choose your own

narrator

When should an author

write in the second

person?

BY YI SHUN LAI

10 Freelance Success

The survivor: An inter-

view with Pat Jordan

The legendary magazine

writer and A False Spring

author has written for

himself since 1970 – and

he’s having more fun

than ever.

BY PETE CROATTO

12 Writer at Work

The importance of

sensitivity readers

Are you writing kidlit

outside of a lived experi-

ence? Here’s why hiring

an expert to read your

manuscript is essential.

BY TONYA ABARI

38 Literary Spotlight

Your Teen for Parents

BY MELISSA HART

40 Conference Insider

Big Sur Children’s

Writing Workshop

BY MELISSA HART

IN EVERY ISSUE

2 From the Editor

4 Take Note

42 Markets

47 Classified advertising

48 How I Write

14 Back to the future
YA author Marie Lu returns to the
futuristic dystopia that landed
her on the bestseller list – and
digs through the past for tomor-
row’s stories.
BY LAUREN PUCKETT

18 Dream team
Collaborations help kidlit authors
find new readers, bust creative
blocks, better their craft, and in-
crease accountability – plus snag
a paycheck for spending time with
a fellow writer. What’s not to love?
BY SUSAN JOHNSTON TAYLOR

24 Easy as 1-2-
How to structure your picture
books for success.
BY RYAN G. VAN CLEAVE

26 The In-Betweeners

Bridging the gap between middle

grade and YA.

BY HEIDI RUBY MILLER

30 Rekindle the flame

Ah, writing prompts – the forgot-

ten fire starter for your writing

practice. Spark blank pages into

endless possibilities with these

eight creativity-boosting exercises.

BY HOPE LYDA

34 Taming the squirrel

Banish distractions and increase

writing productivity with these

focus-boosting tips.

BY VALERIE E. POLICHAR