Blog – Page 3 – Writer and the Wolf Editorial

Want to read more YA horror? Start here! 2024 edition

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Want-to-read-more-YA-horror.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=g 15/07/2024 24/07/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

It’s time for an updated dive into the YA horror landscape and how you can track down some of the best, most talked about titles around right now. If you’re an author writing YA horror and want to update your knowledge or you’re thinking about stepping into that world and have no idea where to start, these are some great books to kick things off. And even better, each book can lead you down a whole new rabbit hole of books if you investigate the author, the publisher, the acknowledgements…

If you loved: The Chronicles of Narnia

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/If-you-loved-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=g 08/07/2024 24/07/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

A blog series hunting out modern middle grade and YA fiction for authors who need to update their knowledge of the kidlit market but aren’t sure how to move beyond the traditional ‘classic’ cannon and their own childhood favourites. Because children and their books aren’t the same as they used to be! Title: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Author: C.S. Lewis | Published: 1950 | Genre: Fantasy A book that crops up at least once a month in my author questionnaires is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first…

Newsletter round-up for children’s book writers: June

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Kidlit-newsletter-roundup-June.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=g 02/07/2024 24/07/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

A round-up of the best advice, resources and links for middle grade and YA authors from all the (many, many) writing newsletters in my inbox each month. Find somebody’s tips or links useful or interesting? Sign up to their newsletter! StoryGodmother Newsletter by Amy Sparkes Read the StoryGodmother newsletter here. Amy says you should ‘check in with every single one of your characters as you write’, asking what they want as the book moves along. Even if you don’t plan out your story in advance, understanding character motivation means the…

How to write a scary doll in children’s and YA horror

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Siobhan%E2%80%93Blog%E2%80%93Base-Images-1280x720px%E2%80%93V1C2.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=g 01/07/2024 31/01/2025

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

As I write this, my Chucky doll sits silently on my windowsill, staring at me and contemplating how he will murder me in my sleep tonight. If I don’t make it to the end of this post, tell my son I love him. It’s no surprise that dolls have been a stalwart of horror films and novels since time immemorial, not just for children but adults, too. Taking something that’s meant to be cute and playful, a symbol of childhood fun and innocence, and giving it deadly intentions is just creepy…

My schedule for YALC 2024!

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/My-YALC-schedule-2024.webp?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=g 24/06/2024 24/07/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

I’m really excited about heading back to YALC – the Young Adult Literature Convention at London Comic Con – in November! I’ve been for the last two years and it’s absolutely my favourite publishing event ever, with so many fascinating panels and workshops. Any authors who write YA will get absolutely loads of value from this convention so if you’re in town, grab a ticket if you can. As always, the schedule is jam-packed so I need to plan my days carefully! Timings haven’t been announced yet so the chances…

Flavours of Fear: Writing Scary Scenes

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-4.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=g 14/06/2024 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Today I’m going to be diving into Rayne Hall’s craft book, Writing Scary Scenes. Scary scenes aren’t solely the domain of horror stories – any character can feel fear or dread at some point in a novel without it dictating the book’s entire genre. So what’s the difference between a deliberately scary book and a non-scary book with a scary bit in it? There’s tons of discussion about what makes something ‘horror’ and everybody has different perspectives on the genre (just to make things harder for you!). For me, there…

If you loved: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/e13fe604611de8ab95f8fa1e5862d0115e805367dd2bb462c28ba4013cebfee7?s=96&d=mm&r=g 15/05/2024 30/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

If you’ve ever worked with me or read a few posts on this blog, you’ll know I like to harp on about the importance of reading recently published books in order to understand the current kidlit market. If you hope to be successful as a middle grade or YA author, it’s crucial that you immerse yourself in novels that are being published and read today so that you get a feel for what children and teenagers actually want now, rather than a decade ago. When I ask new clients what books they’ve…

Reading for pleasure? Start here

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-13.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 16/02/2024 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

What is ‘reading for pleasure?’ It’s a fact that reading for pleasure is one of the key indicators of success for children. In other words, children who enjoy reading and choose to do so (as opposed to just being made to read the assigned texts at school) will typically do better academically, which then filters through to the rest of their lives. That’s why supporting and encouraging children and teenagers to love reading and to find books or comics that speak to them and get them fired up is an…

The monster guide to writing a children’s book: middle grade edition

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-12.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 15/12/2023 31/01/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Hi, awesome writer! I’m so glad you’re here. Writing for children is the best job (or hobby) in the world but it’s absolute not the easy option! Children deserve to read and see themselves in the very best books, written by people who care passionately about making brilliant stories for their young audience. Writing for children should never be an afterthought or last resort because other types of books haven’t worked out for you. It needs to be something you put everything into – because children can tell the difference! There’s…

Birthday flash sale! 39% off everything

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Copy-of-Blog-post-template-1-5.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 21/11/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Happy birthday to me! I turn 39 this week and I wanted to celebrate by giving YOU lovely people a little present because I love you so. From Wednesday 22nd November until Sunday 26th November (midnight GMT), you can get a whopping 39% off all editing services and courses at Writer and the Wolf, from the £9 Become an Expert in Your Genre mini course all the way up to the £9,999 Fairy Godmother package! >> Use the code BIRTHDAY39 << A few things to bear in mind: If you’re…

What’s a comic and what’s a graphic novel?

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-11.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 21/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

What’s the difference between a comic and a graphic novel? Are they the same thing? Can children’s books be graphic novels? Comics as an art form In the first post in my series exploring Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics I discussed definitions of ‘comics’ as an art form, ultimately settling on McCloud’s label of ‘juxtaposed pictorial and other images in deliberate sequence, intended to convey information and/or to produce an aesthetic response in the viewer’. But what about comics as physical objects? What are they and how do they differ from graphic…

My schedule for MCM London Comic Con 2023!

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-10.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 17/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Hands up if you’ve been to any comic conventions this year? I try and go to as many as I can, partly because I love comics – as do my husband and son – and partly because I edit comics (so the tickets are a deductible expense 😅). This year we’re off to MCM London Comic Con again and I’ve been busy putting my schedule together so I don’t miss any gems while I’m there. The observant amongst you may notice that it’s not really possible for me to see…

What are comics?: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud Part 1

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-9.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 13/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

About 13 years ago I discovered Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, part how-to, part comic, part history book, part academic text. I was gearing up to write my MA dissertation about representations of colour in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and needed to level up my visual literacy and I’d heard that McCloud’s book was the best way to learn about the way pictures and text can work together. I’m SO glad I picked it up because it’s utterly fantastic: a really immersive, compelling read and full of McCloud’s expertise and passion.

I started putting together a blog post discussing definitions of comics and graphic novels and picked up Understanding Comics from my shelf to remind myself of how McCloud uses these terms. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop! So I decided to treat myself and revisit the entire book, and I’m going to discuss it here as I read.

Things to do with children in the library without a library card

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-8.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 10/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Found yourself in a library but you either don’t have a library card for this particular library don’t have a library card at all do have a library card but it’s blocked because you’ve got fines or overdue books (I’ve been there 😬)? Fear not! You can still have a lovely time even if you’re not able to load up on books. Just being in the library is a fabulous way to encourage children to read for pleasure. Being surrounded by books and other passionate readers reminds them there’s a…

What themes and topics should YA focus on?

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-7.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 06/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Next up in the YA Fundamentals series is themes and topics. The most important thing to consider when writing YA fiction is whether your teen reader will feel as though the book has really been written for them. The difference between YA and adult novels isn’t just the ages of the characters or how much sex and violence you can get away with. In fact those factors are pretty insignificant compared to the real distinction: YA fiction needs to reflect the feelings and experiences of teenagers on every single page, with…

Discovering children’s books in the library as a parent or teacher (when you don’t know what you’re looking for)

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-6.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 06/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog post called Discovering middle grade and YA books in the library when you don’t know what you’re looking for and it was really popular. That post was specifically aimed at writers who were trying to immerse themselves in children’s and YA fiction and get to know the market better and now I’ve written a new version aimed at parents and teachers who want to explore the children’s book space. If you’re a parent helping your child to find books they’ll love…

Surrounding your child with books in the home for free

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-5.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 04/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

I posted recently about my experience of raising my son as a passionate reader. One of the things I did to help foster that love of reading was surround him with books as much as possible from the day he was born (okay, I was a zombie the day he was born so maybe, like, a week later?). But I know that not everybody can afford to fill their home with stories. Books aren’t cheap (understandably – a heck of a lot of work goes into them!) and buying just…

Raising a reader: my experience as a bookish mum so far!

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Copy-of-Blog-post-template-1-4.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1 1024 576 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 02/10/2023 21/06/2024

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

As an editor who adores books, raising a reader is really important to me and I’m super lucky that my six year old, Caeden, loves books. But it’s not really down to luck – it’s because I’ve put the hours in! Since the day he was born I’ve been sure to surround Caeden with books as an absolute priority because seeing him grow up to be passionate about language and stories was hugely important (and exciting!) to me. There are so many reasons why a love of reading gives children a…

How to write a spooky forest in middle grade or YA

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-4.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 29/09/2023 29/09/2023

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

Hey – what was that noise? It sounded like a twig breaking but there’s nobody else around here, right? Must’ve been my imagination. Okay, stop – did you hear that? No, it wasn’t an owl. I’m telling you I heard a voice. I think they’re laughing. We’ve got to get out of here. Which way’s home again? Hello, authors! Welcome to another guide to writing a spooky setting in a novel for children or teenagers. Way back in 2020, this blog post on writing a creepy graveyard scene became my most…

Club Ed Conversations: Editing Horror, Middle Grade and YA

https://i0.wp.com/www.writerandthewolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Copy-of-Blog-Post-Header-With-Frame-3.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024 683 Siobhan O'Brien Holmes Siobhan O'Brien Holmes https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/39fc235b946f2874676669fe699ef65257619391fdd39b50c7f96b9a63cbc019?s=96&d=mm&r=g 31/07/2023 13/07/2023

By: Siobhan O'Brien Holmes

The year before last, the wonderful Jennifer Lawler invited me to speak to her students about editing horror for children and teenagers and of course I jumped at the chance! I love talking about children’s books, I love talking about horror and I love talking about editing – it’s truly my dream job – so I was delighted to be asked. Jennifer kindly sent me the transcript from the conversation to share here, so if you’re an aspiring children’s book editor with an interest in horror, read on! Club Ed…