Never forget how important freedom is to children. As a kidlit author you must consider this every time you write.
One thing that’s often missing in children’s stories
Stop Looking at Me, Oprah! Or, Why Settings Are So Important to Your Stories
This time last year, (it was winter, I remember it well ), I went down to Melbourne for the weekend. I was catching up with family, having dinner with my publisher, doing a spot of shopping. All the nice things. Instead of staying in a hotel, I decided I try an air bnb, city stay, …
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The Secret Language of Rejection
We had an amazing thread going in the Duck Pond, last week. We were talking about ‘quiet’ books. You know the type. Gentle, nuanced, often deep. The kind of books that leave a mark, make you think. Perhaps even make you clever… Manuscripts (whether adult fiction or kidlit) often get rejected on the grounds …
Why Did My Story Get Rejected?
It's the big question, isn't it? The big, sad, sorry question. Sigh. I have of late been working on the sales page for the Scribbles Academy. If you run an online biz you'll know that writing a decent sales page is a massive job. If you don't run an online biz let me tell you …
Invitation to a LIVE call. Plus, Scribbles Academy update and inside our latest photoshoot
Super quick post because ALL THE PLATFORMS, right?? I'll be LIVE in the Duck Pond, our private Facebook group, tomorrow. That's: Friday, July 3, 11.15am AEST. The Scribbles Academy opens later this month (July) for its ONLY intake for 2020 and I want to talk about that! I'll also be chatting about my own creative …
The Cavewoman and the Crone: A Preherstoric Allegory
The Cavewoman and the Crone: A Preherstoric Allegory written and illustrated by Jen Storer Once there was a cavewoman. She was a busy cavewoman. She got a lot of shit done. She could slit a deer’s throat and skin it in under an hour. She stuffed wild ducks and roasted them with hazelnuts, yams …
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The Scribbles Creative Writing Awards Shortlist!
Hello, dear reader! Today is Shortlist Day! So, what’s the big deal about a shortlist? Lordy lord! A shortlist groups together the best. It acknowledges the most accomplished in a huge collection of entries. It’s how we make literary awards (such as the Scribbles Creative Writing Awards), manageable — both for the judges and …
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My Failed Romance
Dear reader, If you're in The Scribbles Academy you might be familiar with my confession. If not... Have I ever told you about the time I wrote a romance story? OMG. I still groan with embarrassment. It was the mid 1980s and the Australian Women’s Weekly in conjunction with Mills and Boon, was running a …
Word counts! Let’s nail ’em!
Hey sugar! Missed Q and Q Friday last week? Doh! We talked about loads of stuff from hand-lettering in picture books (divine and tricky!), to the submission quirks of some publishers, to how long is a middle grade novel? No. Really. How long??? Plus, I had me a little rant. I want as many kidlit …
How to make your reader feel seen
In the world of girl and duck, I get this often: Jen, I feel like I've known you for years. I always feel like you're talking to me, personally. This doesn't happen by accident. When I decided to take girl and duck online, I knew I had a lot to learn. Especially about marketing. I …