Welcome to
Rate Your Story
 Kidlit Craft, Community, Feedback and Opportunity.

We'd like to thank everyone who participated in the fourth annual Rate Your Story Awesome Openers Writing Contest. Our judges have spent...

Long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away (it really does feel like another galaxy), I was given a writing assignment in my eighth grade...

Rhyme. Everyone says, “Don’t do it.” “No one will buy it.” “No one will rep it.” And yet many writers are lured in by soothing rhythm of...

Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of...

It's August and we're officially kicking off our annual Awesome Openers Writing Contest! A portion of the proceeds is going to benefit...

When you first announce a pregnancy or a new birth, the first question most people ask: “Is it a boy or a girl?” This seemingly innocuous...

Everyone’s writing journey is unique. For many of us, publication is the end goal. Still, there are many ways to reach it. I think it’s...

TIPS & TRICKS FOR ASSEMBLING YOUR OWN #BOOKCREW This Spring I debuted two new books, both with briny, beachy, boaty themes. LUCY LOVES...

Like many people who write I was first an insatiable reader. This hunger for stories led me to study French literature in college. Right...

While RYS members have many opportunities to get excellent writing advice at a reasonable cost, there’s another path to consider when...

When you start writing children’s books, among the most important things you can learn are elements of craft that can power your story....

I usually write picture books. I’ve taken classes, joined 12x12, and found a critique group. So when I got an idea that felt too big for...

When I began writing for children, I was an eager author. I started with one picture book and then focused on that manuscript far longer...

In this age of Marie Kondo’s book The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, I am worried that the pressure to keep your house neat and clean...

Some children dream of becoming an astronaut, a world-famous singer, or perhaps a ninja/doctor (that last one was my son). My dream to...

My parents divorced when I was only two. As I got older I missed my father so very much. I lived in California and he lived in New York,...

So you’ve decided to write a trilogy. Maybe a longer series than that. Seriously? You know that you’re on the hook for at least three...

What’s your first thought when you hear that question? I’ll bet it’s one of two things: connected to the internet, OR connected to...

Waiting is a big part of the writing life. You wait for inspiration, for editors and agents to respond, for your book to sell, and...

With so many beloved holiday titles out there, many released year after year, it can be a challenge to get your holiday book published....