Writer

Book Giveaway & Author’s Note!

~ The Spinning Pen ~ 1 Comment
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READERS:
WHO WOULD LIKE TO WIN A CRAZY AWESOME PETER PAN RETELLING?

You? Your daughter? Your best friend whose birthday is coming up? Your long lost cousin in Brazil? Your sister who is driving you crazy during lockdown?

 

Fantastic! You’re in the right spot! The SP is partnering with YA Author Kara Swanson to do a GIVEAWAY for her upcoming book, DUST!

*Intriguing summary below!*

The truth about Neverland is far more dangerous than a fairy tale.

Claire Kenton believes the world is too dark for magic to be real–since her twin brother was stolen away as a child. Now Claire’s desperate search points to London… and a boy who shouldn’t exist.

Peter Pan is having a beastly time getting back to Neverland. Grounded in London and hunted by his own Lost Boys, Peter searches for the last hope of restoring his crumbling island: a lass with magic in her veins.

The girl who fears her own destiny is on a collision course with the boy who never wanted to grow up. The truth behind this fairy tale is about to unravel everything Claire thought she knew about Peter Pan–and herself.

TO WIN:

Who is your favorite Peter Pan character? Comment & share –here on this post OR on your social media, use the hashtag, #SPDustgiveaway and you will be entered twice!

We will monitor this post on Twitter, Instagram, and here.

Winners announced FRIDAY on an IG live with Kara! Good luck! Continue reading →

How to be a Writer and a Mom

~ The Spinning Pen ~ Leave a comment

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Ok, you just did something really hard. You might be getting back on your feet after having a baby or after stepping on a race car that your precious child left on the kitchen floor. Either way, your responsibilities and the calls for your attention just increased enormously, but for the sake of yourself and of your family, you are striving to keep doing what you love.

Session Goals, Space, and a Set Time are the elements that can help you keep writing even as your life is being turned upside down. What makes these things important is that they all clear the way for you to be able to get down to writing. If you’re looking for tips on content, check out our Character Development, Plot Development, and World Building sections on the menu above.

Continue reading →

Human First, Writer Second: Having the Right Mindset for Setbacks and Shortcomings

~ The Spinning Pen ~ Leave a comment

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It’s 11:00 P.M., and you’re staring at the blinking vertical line on your screen. Your word count has changed by only 50 words since you sat down fifteen minutes ago, and that’s only from deleting the previous sentence because its sounded like something you would read out of a book titled “Clichés 101.” You sigh, shut the laptop a bit harder than you probably should, then head to bed, feeling exhausted and guilty for not having accomplished any of your writing goals. Continue reading →

New SP Contributor: Caleb Robinson

~ The Spinning Pen ~ Leave a comment

Pen Friends ~ We are super pleased to announce that we have a new contributor at the Spinning Pen–Caleb Robinson, a very talented Middle Grade & YA writer, has joined us! 

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Welcome Caleb! Tell us about yourself…

Caleb: At a deeply secretive college in an unknown location between a floating mountain and a cloud city, I study the shadowy and dark arts of… Chemistry. Well, at least I do until my writing decides to turn itself into a full-time job that actually pays (opposed to just being my full-time hobby that doesn’t). Until that time, I am content studying tiny things we can’t see (chemistry), playing basketball, reading (shocking), being an RA, and just hanging out with other humans or other creatures. I have been writing stories since the day I learned to form sentences with crayons.

Glad to be here! Ask me about anything–writing, chemistry, books, magic…Go.

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To learn more about Caleb, click this link to his last post: Obsessed Writers, which for convenience also links to his other posts, also be sure to find him on his Instagram -a widely popular writing account- and his twitter! Look for his posts in the future!

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Nova, signing off.

 

 

 

Meet Dana, Our New Staff Contributor

~ The Spinning Pen ~ 2 Comments

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Pen Friends,

Meet Dana Black! She’s our newest Staff Contributor and will be our Book Review Guru! If you’ve got a YA book you want to share with the world, send your review to Dana through our contact page!

WE give you….

Hey! I’m Dana, and I’m in love with Story.
Why does that sound like a confession? It’s not—it’s a proud declaration.
This love story began as a child of around four, when I first set foot in Narnia alongside my dad and older brother. I haven’t looked back since.

Continue reading →