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Middle Grade Made Easy(er) | Kidlit Writing Craft Podcast
Middle Grade Made Easy(er) brings you actionable writing craft advice on how to outline, write and revise a middle-grade novel for 8 to 12-year-old readers.
Tune in twice a month to join developmental editor and author, Lou Piccolo, and learn the art of writing middle grade without the overwhelm.
Whether you're trying to find a way into your novel, are stuck somewhere in the middle, need to revise but don’t know how, or are looking for tips to stay motivated to finish your novel, each episode offers practical guidance you can apply to your work in progress.
Middle Grade Made Easy(er) is the right podcast for you if you have read all the craft books but need someone to guide you through the practical process of:
→ outlining a middle-grade novel
→ plotting your story
→ creating engaging characters
→ writing authentic dialogue
→ staying the course to finish your novel
Here’s something I tell all my clients:
Start here, start now, just start. Tomorrow’s you will be grateful that today’s you did.
Episodes
23 episodes
#21 Should You Write Your Middle-Grade Novel in Scenes or Chapters?
If you spend a lot of time worrying about how to write the perfect opening chapter for your middle-grade novel or whether you should end your chapters on a cliffhanger, then you're going to love writing in scenes!In this episode, we'll c...
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#20 Does Word Count Matter in Your Middle-Grade Novel?
Word count may seem like the least of your concerns when you're thinking about writing a middle-grade novel. You've got story type, plot, theme, character development, pacing, and who knows what else to consider, right?But here's the thi...
#19 Middle-Grade Mindset: Why You’re Stuck and What To Do About It
You may have taken all the writing classes and read all the craft books on writing, and you may theoretically know everything you need to know to write your middle-grade novel, but if you have only managed the theory of writi...
#18 3 Ways to Find Your Middle-Grade Novel's Theme
Books help kids make sense of the world through story, but they can only do that if the books they read have an underlying meaning to them.That's where theme comes in. In this episode, we're going ...
#17 The #1 Reason Agents Reject Your Middle-Grade Novel
What's more important for your novel: great language or great story? If you answered 'great story', you've got it right! While great language is important too, it won't carry your story idea t...
#16 Use Story Type to Unlock Your Middle-Grade Novel
You have a great story idea but you don't know how to turn it into a fully developed middle-grade novel that publishers want to buy and readers will love.What to do?This episode on the ten universal story types wi...
Bonus: Get to Know Your Ideal Reader with Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie
In this bonus episode, I will take the eight key questions we looked at in the last episode on how to get to know the ideal middle-grade reader for your novel, and apply them to Kate DiCamillo's middle-grade novel ...
#15 Getting to Know Your Ideal Middle-Grade Reader
If you want to be the type of middle-grade writer who creates books with characters who feel like real people, and transports kids out of their own world into the imaginary one you have created in such a way that they lose themselves and...
#14 Writing Middle Grade: How Do I Start?
So, you want to write a middle-grade novel. Maybe you have an idea that just won't let you be. Or maybe you've spent years writing picture books, and you'd like to try something different?But when you sit dow...
#13 How to Nail Middle-Grade Voice
Strong voice is important in all fiction, but it's vital in middle grade. Why? Because kids between 8 and 12, who are almost ready to leave early childhood behind and embark on big adventures, need a safe ...
#12 What is Middle Grade Anyway?
If you want to write middle-grade novels, you need to know what they are before you can put pen to paper. Knowing the guidelines will help you plot your story and write your book, and it will also increase your chances of being published.
#11 How Can I Grow My Author Newsletter?
You've worked hard at creating an author newsletter, and you have some subscribers, but now the time has come to grow that list. How do you do that? How do you let more people know what you have to offer?This episode takes a look at ten...
#10 Should I Offer a Freebie with My Author Newsletter?
In simple terms, a freebie is a bonus that subscribers get from you when they sign up to your author newsletter. Should you offer one or doesn't it matter?In this episode, we'll look at: three reasons why it’s a good id...
#9 Creating an Opt-In for Your Author Newsletter
The world is a busy place in which we're constantly bombarded by text messages, voice messages, phone calls, social media notifications and emails. There's only so much stimulation a nervous system can take! Many people are filterin...
#8 How Often Should I Send My Author Newsletter?
"When should I send out my author newsletter?"That's one of the most frequently asked questions my children's authors ask. How do you know how often is too often and how much is not enough? In this episode, we'll answer tho...
#7 Voice and Tone in Your Author Newsletter
Your voice is particular to you. It's a natural part of who you are. But a lot of authors find it difficult to access their voice and to decide on tone when writing their newsletter. In this episode, we'll be taking a peek at:<...
#6 What Do I Talk About in My Author Newsletter?
If you're not sure what you're meant to be talking about in your children's author newsletter, you're not alone! This is the most common problem all newsletter writers struggle with when they're starting out. In this episode, we br...
#5 Nurturing Your Author Newsletter Mindset
The most important investment you can make in your career as a children's author is to spend time nurturing your author newsletter mindset.If you’re thinking of a newsletter as something gimmicky or sales-y, this episode will help you s...
#4 Starting an Author Newsletter
As a children's or young adult author, you need a newsletter. While you may feel that you don't have time to write a newsletter or even enjoying reading them, a newsletter will help you create deeper connections with readers which has a greater...
#3 How Marketing Kidlit Is Different
As a children's or young adult author, you need to connect with both your ideal customer and your ideal reader who are not the same people. This is how marketing for children and young adults is different to authors of other genres.
#2 How Do I Start with Book Marketing?
In this episode, we take a look at the foundation of your children's or young adult book marketing strategy which consists of three elements:defining your target audiencechoosing your social media platformsetti...
#1 What is Marketing Anyway?
Most authors and creatives love the work they do and they want to be left alone to do it. What they don't want is to have to market themselves or their work. Marketing feels like something shameful that shady authors do, and they don't want to ...