Hello, WFCAT fans,

The pooch crew has been hard at work on an update of the Crash Course that started it all! Strap on your helmet. Buckle up! Writing for Children and Teens: A Crash Course has been updated in 2022. Please note: this link is an Amazon affiliate link and all proceeds go toward the crew’s kibble.

For those of you who are new to the site or know someone who needs to learn the ins and out of how this works, please share this great news with them.

Yup, you heard it. Jump on my email list here if you want to be the first to be notified when Cynthea, the pooches and her hungry and slightly fishy crew are ready to gnaw on your manuscript. All major event notices for this event will go out by email so everyone can stay in the game and play. Also this event will be celebrating something very special to Cynthea, so you know that this will be SUPER FUN, SLIGHTLY STRESSFUL, BUT WILL ALSO BENEFIT HUMANITY.

If you’re looking for feedback on  your latest children’s and YA manuscript, hop on over to Starts With Us and check out the #LMAA challenge!

Happy subbing,

Cynthea

For those of you with big writing goals this year, I congratulate you on challenging yourself to such a feat. Me too! I’m also running a few one-on-one-coaching courses this year that I hope to roll out in 2018. If you would like to learn more about how to sign-up, please sign up for my paid critique list at bit.ly/wfcatlist as the first notice will go out there.

Hello everyone – both newcomers and long-time fans, I am about to make you an offer you can’t refuse via my free-tique and paid-tique email lists. PLEASE, sign up for the email list if you have not already, as this opp is first-come, first-serve. You will not want to be slow to pull the trigger on this one. An all-important email will go out later today via the email lists with instructions on what to do.

Hello Anglers,

Without further ado, the crew has cast their votes, the judges have judged, and we have our official #HLS2017 Results. We decided we would separate out the CB category from MG so those could be judged separately, so we will be awarding 4, instead of 3 winners.

Hello Anglers,

After a bubbly debate, the judges were able to narrow down finalists in each category but it was impossible to agree upon a clear winner based upon 250 words and one line. Therefore, the crew has decided to put our finalists up for the ultimate challenge: Sudden Catch! If your entry was selected for this round, you must now submit the first 2500 words of your work (if novel) or your complete ms (if PB) before the deadline listed in the headline of this post.

Existing Anglers who passed the last round, please read the Official Rules about how to make your next submission.

This round will close at the date and time (CENTRAL) listed in the title of this post.

New anglers can enter anytime as long as the entire challenge is still going, even if you miss this round. READ THE OFFICIAL RULES before you cast your first line! Failure to follow the rules could result in an automatic sinking of your ship.

Dear Anglers:

• If your entry got the boot at 250 words, chances are, your passage did not make the cut when compared to other anglers with work in the same category. Think of it like the semi-finals before you go to the live show. In previous rounds, the judges looked at the work on its own, without comparison to other entries. But at 250 words, it starts to become more apparent to the fish which works are stronger than others.
  

A few notes before we get to the results: You may notice that the judges gave a number of submissions the boot this round. Here are some reasons why: many of our anglers are onto 125 words.

Existing Anglers who passed the last round, please read the Official Rules about how to make your next submission.

This round will close at the date and time (CENTRAL) listed in the title of this post.

New anglers can enter anytime as long as the entire challenge is still going, even if you miss this round. READ THE OFFICIAL RULES before you cast your first line! Failure to follow the rules could result in an automatic sinking of your ship.

Today’s the day–my last vlog! Click below to learn more about Theme and Content.

In this video, Cynthea Liu discusses Theme and Content as it relates to multiple formats withing the children and teens genre.

Cynthea discusses:
1. What is theme and what to consider when it comes to your target format.
2. How do determine if content is appropriate for your format.

The Table of Contents for the video series:

1.

 

Today’s vlog post: How to Fit Your Writing Style to Different Formats!

In this video, Cynthea Liu goes over the main ideas when it comes to fitting an author’s writing style with different formats of children’s books.

Cynthea’s main points:
1. Examine comparables.
2. Use of dialogue and descriptive
3. Showing and Telling – when are things shown versus just told
4. Transitions from scene to scene.
5.

 

Today’s topic on Writing for Children and Teens is about Structure for Different Formats!

In this video, Cynthea Liu discusses the different structures for different formats and age groups.
In the video Cynthea covers these topics:
1. Structure matters, how a book is organized
2. PBs: length, page count and page turns, storyboarding and story arc.
3. Board Book: length, page count, and page turns, story-boarding and story arc.
4.

For today’s topic on Writing for Children and Teens, I’m going to discuss the Complexity in Different Formats.

In this video by Cynthea Liu, she discusses how to approach complexity when dabbling in multiple formats.

Cynthea’s main points:
1. Word Count matters and how to figure out guidelines.
2. Complexity of plotting and how that varies from board book to YA.

The Table of Contents for the video series:

1.

Today’s vlog post will help YOU figure out what age your main character should be.

In this installment, Cynthea Liu advises writers on how to determine the age of their main character. Cynthea discusses the main points of how to decide which age your main character should be based on which format you’re writing in.

The Table of Contents for the video series:

1. Writing for Multiple Formats: Introduction
2.

Today’s vlog post is about HOW to write for multiple formats click here to view it

Cynthea Liu on how to write for multiple formats when it comes to children’s publishing. She discusses what differences mark the variations of the formats.

The Table of Contents for the video series:

1. Writing for Multiple Formats: Introduction
2. What You Should Remember When Hearing Advice about this Topic: Disclaimers
3. Writing for Multiple Formats: The Benefits
4.

In Cynthea’s  second video in an 8 part series, she discusses the benefits of writing for multiple formats in children’s literature. There are many benefits to writing in multiple formats, and Cynthea discusses them all.

If you enjoyed Writing for Multiple Formats, click  to find out the benefits of multiple formats.

Cynthea Liu covers two main points in this video about the benefits of writing for multiple formats:
1. The challenge
2.

In this video, Cynthea Liu gives disclaimers for her next videos in this series.

She states,

1. Apply your own thoughts to advice you get from anyone. I only speak from my perspective and not others. Do not cling on to hard-and-fast rules that will send you down rabbit-holes.
2.

In a series of videos for WriteOnCon, Cynthea Liu begins an 8 part campaign on writing for children and teens. For my first blog post I am going to be discussing how and why you should write in multiple formats.

In the first video of the series, Cynthea Liu introduces herself, and begins to expand on the idea of writing for multiple formats in children and teen publishing.

Sit back and relax in this 9-part video series about how to write picture books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, and much much more. I will discuss theme, content, style, structure, and other major differences to help you navigate which format or formats may be “write” up your alley!

Here’s the list of what these nine videos will be about:

1. Writing for Multiple Formats: Introduction
2.

Last week, I spoke for the SCBWI-IL Chicago network along with Savy Leiser.  We had a lovely group who were interested in my sharing the slides from that talk. From Craft to Career: How to Make A Financial Life as a Children’s Book Writer and take note: as a busy writer, you don’t HAVE to waste your precious time formatting PPT presentations.  Spend that time on what you’re actually saying and the content of your talk.

Hello everyone,

Today is a flagship day as Kissy and I announce our latest challenge for those of you who are looking for some feedback on your manuscript. It’s RLGL on steroids and maybe just maybe we can help you get your book published too!  If you’d like Kissy to sniff at your manuscript and the editorial team at Starts With Us, take the Code 7 Challenge and get crackin’!

 

 

Looking for a chance to connect and share with fellow professionals and experts in children’s publishing? Network, explore and learn at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in Singapore! The festival runs from May 17th-21st, 2017 and will feature a wide variety of illustrators, authors, publishing professionals, and early literacy experts – and one of them could be you! The AFCC Call for Papers is open now.

Thank you to all of the authors who participated in RLGL this year!. Kissy loved digging through all of your submissions, and he found stories with intriguing characters, snappy dialogue, and imagery that were almost as good as bacon!

After weeks of searching, Kissy has found a manuscript in the Longer Works category that he really wants to sink his teeth into.

Round 8 for this year’s Red Light, Green Light contest is OPEN for submissions! Remember, this is only for longer works; we are no longer accepting entries for picture books. New entrants to the longer works category may enter at any time so long as the round is open. Woof!

To expedite our review process, and given the volume of entries we are receiving, we are reinstating feedback codes to deliver your results.

Round 7 for this year’s Red Light, Green Light contest is OPEN for submissions! Remember, this is only for longer works; we are no longer accepting entries for picture books. New entrants to the longer works category may enter at any time so long as the round is open. Woof!

To expedite our review process, and given the volume of entries we are receiving, we are reinstating feedback codes to deliver your results.

Round 6 for this year’s Red Light, Green Light contest is OPEN for submissions! Remember, this is only for longer works; we are no longer accepting entries for picture books. New entrants to the longer works category may enter at any time so long as the round is open. Woof!!

To expedite our review process, and given the volume of entries we are receiving, we are reinstating feedback codes to deliver your results.

Thank you to all of the Picture Book/Early Reader authors who participated in RLGL. Kissy loved digging through all of your submissions.

Hello, everyone! We swear we’re not trying to torture all of you lovely folks waiting for your RLGL Round 4 feedback, but between Cynthea’s recent 2016 Oklahoma Book Award win for Bike On, Bear!, her radio appearance this last Monday,an upcoming school visit, and training some new interns on how to give proper belly rubs, Kissy has been extremely busy. Now that things have calmed down a little, Kissy will be digging through your submissions over the next few days.

****Pardon for the pooch’s clerical error! We are so busy over here we didn’t update the post and the round on Submittable! Due to unforeseen circumstances, Cynthea has been called away to deal with some things that required her immediate attention so …. Kissy decided to give everyone a free pass to the next round, unless the submitter was on their last page in which case he and Cynthea weighed in to determine if there was a winner.  Sooo, don’t relax yet.

*I want to thank you all for your patience with receiving feedback! I’ve got so much to munch on. I’m extending the round until March 1st (11:59pm CST) so that everyone can get their Round 3 submissions in. Keep an eye on your inboxes! Feedback is on the way! Woof!!

Round 3 for this year’s Red Light, Green Light contest is open for submissions! New entrants may enter at any time so long as the round is open.

The second Round for this year’s Red Light, Green Light contest is open for submissions!

*Update posted 2/24 at 5:30PM CST: All Round 1 results have been given. If you didn’t hear anything on your ROUND 1 submission, let us know. Round 2 closes tonight so get your next page in if you passed.

Some stats to give you some idea of where you stand:

Chances of publication among the general populous in real life: <1%, roughly.

BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING, look at our Rules and Regulations.

Once you’ve got that all figured out, click that submit button at the bottom of this post.

Round 1 will be closing submissions on Saturday (2/20/16) @ 11:59 CST so get those manuscripts in!

New entrants can enter anytime though, even if you miss Round 1.

Anything can happen in this game, so get in when a round is open.

Interested in learning how to write a children’s book? Look no further for all the nitty-gritty details of what you need to know to become a children’s book author, written by an active writer in the industry today.

Visit the Crash Course and get started!