by jdsmeaton | Sep 7, 2022 | Storytelling, Writing
I was obsessed with Gi Joe toys when I was a kid. One of the things I loved was the file cards on the back of the toy packaging. Each character had a bio with basic information, code name, real name, birthplace, military rank, and specialty. It would also include a...
by jdsmeaton | Aug 2, 2022 | How To, Storytelling, Writing
Publishing graphic novels at the middle-grade level has grown dramatically over the last ten years, and editors are looking for quality stories. Most are looking for new and unique voices but here’s the rub, if you are new and unique they don’t really know...
by jdsmeaton | May 4, 2022 | How To, Storytelling, Writing
In television writers’ rooms, there is a practice called “beat the joke.” The idea is that there’s a joke written for a scene but can it be better? So the writers will all pitch variations or new jokes. Sometimes the original joke ends up staying but more often than...
by jdsmeaton | Mar 2, 2022 | How To, Storytelling, Writing
So you want to know the secret to writing a best-selling middle-grade graphic novel. I’ll tell you now, the answer is not satisfying. It’s like the question, “how do you make a viral video?” This is the formula for a viral video. Make video Release video Tap into...
by jdsmeaton | Feb 1, 2022 | Storytelling, Writing
You may have noticed the different banner above. I changed focus a few months back from writing about random things of interest to focusing on the craft of writing middle-grade fiction. So I have rebranded from The Newsletter of Awesomeness to The Middle-Grade...
by jdsmeaton | Jan 5, 2022 | Recommendations, Storytelling, Writing
Stupid, inbred, cro-magnon, idiot, loser, jock, punks. That was a line I had a character say when some jock gatekeepers wouldn’t let him into a party. I was in a writing class years ago and brought in the piece that had that line in it. The writing teacher called it...