P.S. McFadden: Children’s Writer

Well, I’m no longer a news reporter. Informify is a great site, but also a start-up company running on a shoestring, and the shoestring just snapped. So, it’s back to focusing on writing for children for me. What are some of the things that I learned during my brief sojourn in the world of journalism?

• Use lots of bullets when writing for the web.
• There is no such thing as unbiased reporting. The news is a slippery fish; the same facts can be presented in any number of ways.
• Things are not always what they seem and well-being predominates, no matter what the “facts” may appear to indicate.
• It’s good to have a writing schedule and stick to it.

What’s next for me? Well, let’s see . . .

• My picture book is being sent to reviewers even as I write, and I should be getting my advance copies from Starbright Books in the next week or two.
• I just got a copy of Wild Ink, a book on writing for teens by my friend, Victoria Hanley, in which I am a featured writer.
• I’m making progress on a major rewrite of my YA historical novel and will be able to go much faster now that I’m not doing news articles.
• Schools will be starting up soon so I need to start lining up some author visits.
• I’ve signed up to do some tutoring with the local community school and may also have a chance to teach a college course or two.

To paraphrase Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, “When the Universe closes a door, somewhere It opens an infinite number of windows.”

Happy writing!