Craft Articles

Join us in exploring others’ craft and building our own.

Here you will find explorations of mentor texts – articles that dive into specific craft elements in published books, interviews with authors, and tips on growing and improving as a writer.

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The challenge of depicting positive friendships in middle grade books
Middle Grade Guest Contributor Middle Grade Guest Contributor

The challenge of depicting positive friendships in middle grade books

Three of the top sources of depression and anxiety are loneliness, feelings of isolation and a lack of connection. I also learned that increased screen time combined with separation during the pandemic made it harder for kids to know how to interact with others in person. That cemented my decision to show how friendships can hold together even when interests change.

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It’s Not Just Letters Anymore: Modern Epistolary in Carrie Firestone’s The First Rule of Climate Club
Middle Grade Cathy Petter Middle Grade Cathy Petter

It’s Not Just Letters Anymore: Modern Epistolary in Carrie Firestone’s The First Rule of Climate Club

In First Rule of Climate Club, Fisher Middle School’s new eighth graders get the opportunity to participate in a science class pilot program devoted to climate change. Firestone tells their story through protagonist Mary Kate’s eyes, but uses a slew of different types of communication that creates room for other points of view.

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Using a Small Thing to Big Effect: The Wreath in Linda Urban's Talk Santa to Me
Middle Grade, Young Adult Erin Nuttall Middle Grade, Young Adult Erin Nuttall

Using a Small Thing to Big Effect: The Wreath in Linda Urban's Talk Santa to Me

Linda Urban’s stories are studded with angst, anguish, and hope, as well as problems, pathos, and humor. She is stellar at structuring stories so that something small, seemingly insignificant, becomes the integral to the climax and the protagonist’s understanding of the situation. In Talk Santa To Me, surprisingly, it’s a gaudy silver Christmas wreath that takes this hefty role.

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Mapping Change in Character Relationships in Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp
Middle Grade Erin Nuttall Middle Grade Erin Nuttall

Mapping Change in Character Relationships in Three Strike Summer by Skyler Schrempp

It can be argued that Skyler Schrempp’s debut novel, Three Strike Summer, is about baseball. Or poverty. Or migrants. Or summer. Or families trying their best to get by. Or unions. Or friendship. Or finding joy even in the hardships of life. And it is. It’s about all of these things, but my favorite part of the story is the story of sisters. Of Gloria and Jessamyn. Schrempp gives voice to a frustrating, loving, complicated relationship that grows, changes, and strengthens throughout the story.

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Bridging the Gap Between Reader and History: A Q&A with Skyler Schrempp, author of Three Strike Summer
Author Interview, Middle Grade Erin Nuttall Author Interview, Middle Grade Erin Nuttall

Bridging the Gap Between Reader and History: A Q&A with Skyler Schrempp, author of Three Strike Summer

Skyler Schrempp: “I once read that George R. R. Martin talks about writers as “architects” or “gardeners”. Architects plan everything out before building and gardeners plant a bunch of things and see what grows well. I guess I see myself as more of a gardener than a panster! Pantser implies you’re really winging it, but I feel very intentional when I write…and it’s slow…like gardening.”

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Establishing Shots: How Tim McCanna Sets Up Peach and Plum, Here We Come! for Success
Middle Grade, Picture Books Anne-Marie Strohman Middle Grade, Picture Books Anne-Marie Strohman

Establishing Shots: How Tim McCanna Sets Up Peach and Plum, Here We Come! for Success

In order to get early readers on board, Tim had to draw readers in from the very first page and show them what to expect from the book. His 38-word, two-spread introduction to the book is a master establishing shot that covers not just setting, but all the elements readers need to be pulled into a story.

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On the Road with Louise Hawes, a Q&A
Author Interview, Middle Grade, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman Author Interview, Middle Grade, Young Adult Anne-Marie Strohman

On the Road with Louise Hawes, a Q&A

Louise Hawes: I often spend months (sometimes years) filling a notebook with my character's responses and thoughts before I begin writing an actual draft. That notebook is all in long-hand, as you know, and I don't stop to edit or erase anything. My characters' letters are in the first person, and result from a fluid, bodily connection from my heart to my hand to the page. In contrast, my draft will be typed on a laptop, the far less spontaneous product of me thinking and feeling my way into a story that features the character whose voice has already filled my notebook.

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Striving for Unfiltered Vulnerability: A Q&A with Misa Sugiura
Author Interview, Middle Grade, Young Adult Kristi Wright Author Interview, Middle Grade, Young Adult Kristi Wright

Striving for Unfiltered Vulnerability: A Q&A with Misa Sugiura

"I create my characters’ flaws, misconceptions, and spiritual wounds around a theme or a question that interests me, and then I give them a personal conflict that directly challenges those flaws, misconceptions, and wounds. After that, it’s a matter of developing broader challenges, events, relationships, and conflicts that can revolve around the same theme." ~ Misa Sugiura

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