

Rate Your Story Cooking Up Culture Contest Winners...Coming Soon!
Anyone who participated can grab your Participant Badge above! Winners will be announced in the June issue of the Rate Your Story Newsletter! If you have not yet signed up for this, sign up now at www.tinyurl.com/GetRYSNews


Pre-Researching: The Key to Quickly Landing on Marketable NF Ideas
By Mary Boone I have a favorite running shirt that says: If it was easy, everyone would do it. True about marathoning – and true about writing books for kids. Most of us know that feeling of excitement when you stumble upon a nugget of an idea you think might be “the one.” For nonfiction authors, it is easy to allow that enthusiasm to suck you into the research vortex. A few hours of research can turn into days of research, which often turns into months or years. Before you k


Meet DIANA MURRAY, May Guest Guru
[From November 2020 - Pro Newsletter] RATE YOUR STORY: Welcome, Diana! As you are, notably, one who defies the idea that writing in rhyme is a Kidlit crime, please share a little bit about your background. Are you trained in writing in verse? If not, how did you hone this particular talent? And how did you come to write rhyming children’s books? DM: Lynne! We go so way back! And I’m glad we got to meet in person at my first SCBWI conference. Thanks for having me. I am not for