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

All Posts


AN AUTHOR'S JOURNEY
I’ve taken many leaps throughout my career, confident that at the right moment, the net will appear. I started my career as a radio news...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20205 min read


THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
As a child, I was one of Mister Rogers’ television neighbors. He was a companion and a storyteller. He made a point to illuminate the...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


THE JOURNEY
Enter the Rafflecopter above for your chance to win a copy of Rebecca's debut, After The Rain. *Winner must be located in the US. On June...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20206 min read


FINDING HOPE + Critique Giveaway!
When I first signed up to write this blog post six months ago, I was expecting I’d write about something totally different. I thought I’d...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20204 min read


MAKE TIME FOR RHYME
I grew up with nursery rhymes, and although many see them as outdated, they are helpful for language acquisition and encourage children’s...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


Beautiful Shades of Brown
When you’re sitting alone with a piece of paper or a computer screen, writing can seem like a solitary business. But while the act of...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20204 min read


Literay Agent Interview & Giveaway with Mary Cummings
We are thrilled to be hosting literary agent Mary Cummings of Betsy Amster Lit on our blog this month. Scroll down for Mary's interview...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20204 min read


RE-VISION LESSONS FROM LIZZIE
In January, 2015, I started researching and working on the story of Elizabeth Jennings’ rejection from the streetcar in 1854. I’d found...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20204 min read


FAILURE IS FUN
For twenty-five years I’ve been an Early Childhood teacher, teaching children from pre-k to third grade in the public schools of...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20204 min read


Share Your Passion In Writing
YOUR NEXT GREAT BOOK TOPIC You’ve probably heard the common writer’s adage, “Write about what you know.” Which is often a good idea. But...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


Illustrating Beyond The Manuscript
For the past year, my critique group, The Broad Strokes has set aside the first half hour of every meeting to share our favorite new...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20204 min read


2019 Contest Winners
We'd like to thank everyone who participated in the fourth annual Rate Your Story Awesome Openers Writing Contest. Our judges have spent...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


BACK TO SCHOOL
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...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


Better Get Your Meter Right or You'll Look Like a Neophyte
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...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20204 min read


Time for a Q&A with Author Lynne Marie!
Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20205 min read


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

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


REFRAMING THE IDEA OF "GIRL BOOKS", "BOY BOOKS", AND GENDER EXPECTATIONS
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...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20205 min read


HAVING AN AUTHENTIC WRITING JOURNEY
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...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


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

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20203 min read


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

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 17, 20205 min read
bottom of page