JD Lester is the author of Mommy Calls Me Monkeypants
and Daddy Calls Me Doodlebug
along with the forthcoming Grandma Calls Me Gigglepie
.A thorough portfolio entry on JD Lester would include following up on the research her handout recommended, e.g., SCBWI, and finding the appropriate association that fits for your genre (if it isn't children's literature). Then join it. Review some of the industry sites she recommended, e.g., "Preditors and Editors."
How did she stress the role of research, and how can you apply that to your writing path and writing career (or writing hobby, if that's the route you're planning). Discuss the role of writing within a Community, and how you plan to develop that community for yourself.
Todd Wright, whose new book is The Self-Improvement Book Club Murder
reminded us that all readers will ask, "why am I reading this," and we should be able to answer that in the first sentence, the first paragraph, and the first page. For his eighth novel (first published novel), he chose a format that he would understand and that readers would understand: the Murder Mystery. It is not an experimental format.
A thorough portfolio entry will examine many of the topics he introduced:
How did he apply Anthony Burgess's theory of two plots?
How are you applying Vonnegut's advice (Read. Write.)
What did you think of Wendell Berry's assessment that computers make you write too much?
What is the role of an MFA program for writing, and what are some alternative paths?
How might the Borders bankruptcy (and others) impact authors, and booksellers?
Explore his "how-to publish" directions. Go to Amazon's CreateSpace -- sketch out a theoretical budget and marketing plan if you were using this route.
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