Two Wildcats at the Tucson Festival of Books befriend Lynn on her way to author presentations. It’s always a fun and wild time at the TFOB!
I conclude my three-part series on the writing gems I discovered at the 2015 Tucson Festival of Books. Below are the final 10 morsels (again, in no particular order) of writing wisdom from successful children book authors:
21. Writing is not a career choice, but a soul choice.
22. If you have a story in your head, then you need to need to write it.
23. Authors need to have a presence on social media: Facebook, a blog, etc.
24. You need a “public face” even before you publish.
25. Read the kind of book you want to write.
26. Know your audience.
27. Research publishers and agents that are a good fit for your manuscript.
Make it the best you can.
28. Join SCBWI! (Society of Children’s Book Writer’s & Illustrators.) 
Attend SCBWI writing conferences and workshops.
29. Join or start a critique group.
30. Don’t write what you know, but what you imagine!
Your input: Which of these is most helpful to your writing process?
I count #28 as the best decision I ever made. I’ve also taken #24 to heart.
And #30 serves as a big inspiration to me. I hope to see you at the Tucson
Festival of Books next year!
