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

All Posts


Writing Impactful Picture Books
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,...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20203 min read


Thinking in Threes: Tips and Tricks for Writing a MG Trilogy
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...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20205 min read


Are You Connected?
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...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20203 min read


Building a Writing Career—While You're Waiting for Your First Contract
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...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20202 min read


WRITING FOR THE HOLIDAYS: WILL IT BE TRICK OR TREAT? HO-HUM OR HO, HO, HO?
With so many beloved holiday titles out there, many released year after year, it can be a challenge to get your holiday book published....

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20204 min read


2018 CONTEST WINNERS
Announcing the 2018 Rate Your Story Awesome Openers Writing Contest Winners! Novels First Place: Dragon Blood by Mary Jolley Second...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20201 min read


Inspiring Young Readers with Facts and Fiction
Rudyard Kipling is perhaps best known for his JUST SO STORIES, a compilation of delightful fictional explanations for why many animals...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20204 min read


Interview with Sarah Rockett, editor at Sleeping Bear Press
I'm excited to share this exclusive interview with Sarah Rockett from Sleeping Bear Press. I can speak from personal experience and say...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20203 min read


Bringing Your Faith to Life Through Picture Books: Five Tips
We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20204 min read


STOCKPILING STORIES THAT GRAB AN EDITOR’S EYE: A 12-STEP PLAN
I’m always ready to cheer when book deals are announced, especially if I know the author and/or illustrator. But honestly, I wouldn’t be...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20207 min read


WIELDING THE RIGHT WORDS
WIELDING THE RIGHT WORDS (And the Right Journals.) by Shutta Crum Okay, you’ve slogged through a difficult—even hellish—first draft (or...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20204 min read


TIPS & TRICKS FOR WRITING A PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHY
1) PICK A PERSON YOU LOVE Whoever you pick is someone who is going to be part of your life for a long time. You will be spending time...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20204 min read


PUTTING YOUR HEART ON PAPER
“You gotta have heart. Miles 'n miles ‘n miles of heart,” or so sang the team in the musical Damn Yankees. If you’re a ball player,...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20206 min read


HOW TO BOOST YOUR AUTHOR CAREER & TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES
When it comes to getting that elusive publishing contract, we all obviously have to spend a lot of “butt in chair” time writing and...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20204 min read


GEARING UP FOR SUCCESS IN 2018
Writing is full of ups and downs—the adrenaline rush of getting something published may be followed by months of rejections, sluggish...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20203 min read


HOW I GOT MY AGENT - DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
After banging my head on my computer for more than five years of trying to entice an agent into representing me, I finally got one....

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20206 min read


ENJOY THE JOURNEY
When I first decided to venture into the world of writing for children, I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought it would be...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20203 min read


Truth Above All in Young Adult Novels
Many of us are painfully aware that truth, one of the ultimate values that makes us human, is being eroded in this day of fake news and...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20202 min read
2017 WRITING CONTEST WINNERS
After much deliberation and multiple rounds of judging, we are excited to announce the results of our 2017 Awesome Openers Writing...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20201 min read


WRITING CREATIVE NON-FICTION FOR KIDS: TIPS AND TRICKS
It seems one of the buzz words around the kid-lit hive these days is “Creative Non-Fiction”. Creative non-fiction provides a great...

rateyourstoryweb
Nov 18, 20204 min read
bottom of page