MaryLou Driedger
Celebrate with our published grad MaryLou Driedger and her published book LOST ON THE PRAIRIE.
Published Graduate
Sarah Richard
Today we are celebrating Sarah Richard!
She is a graduate of our Writing for Children and Teens course and Beyond the Basics Advanced Course.
Let’s learn more about her books and articles.
What is the name of your books?
How I Taught My Kids to Read Book, publisher: Blurb
“Embracing English as a Second Language“ Article, published by English EFL
“Student Motivation“ Article, published by English Club
“Successful Strategies“ Article, published by English EFL
“Level Up the Reading Skills“ Article, published by New Orleans Mom
“The Causeway“ Short Story, Microfiction Monday, 134th Edition
“Try Again“ Short Story, Microfiction Monday, 135th Edition
“Relly and Rolo“ Short Story, Short Kids Stories
Give us a short summary of your work.
The book and three articles are supplemental reading resources to help kids succeed.
Tell us a bit about your path to publishing, from idea to submission to publication.
I usually write out an outline and then expand the outline out to keep the focus.
How long have you been writing?
I have been writing since I could hold a pencil.
What’s your favorite genre to write and why?
Educational writing has been most successful.
Which ICL or IFW courses have you taken?
Writing for Children and Teens
How has taking our courses helped your writing and/or career?
POV— I had a bad habit of head hopping.
Using different words, such as since or when. I would repeat the same words over and over and needed better word choices.
Alright is all right, but it seems alright is accepted these days.
Concise writing—making writing more specific and to the point.
Have any of your class assignments been published?
I was published with DiskUs Publishing, Positive Teens magazine and Organic Family magazine after finishing your courses.
Do you have a favorite writing tip you’d like to share?
I’m grateful for the little bit of feedback I got with some submissions. Whether it was subjective or not, I always tried to be mindful of it with my next submissions to other places.
If you could travel back in time and give yourself one piece of writing advice, what would it be?
People told me that the internet was not a place to market.
Just wait.
What inspires your writing the most?
My cat Rolo gives me lots of content.
What’s the most valuable thing you learned from your experience with the Institute of Children’s Literature?
Formatting and doing research. I accidentally submitted a children’s story with a descriptive paragraph about the dinner to a vegetarian magazine. The dinner had meat in it. I felt really bad.
After teaching for ten years, Sarah used humor to engage her students. She took her own advice to students and went into a STEM field. She has been working as a data analyst for two years, and her 20-year-old twins graduate college this year. Rolo is her grandcat.
Recent Published Graduates
Linda Sue Svoboda
Celebrate with our published grad Linda Sue Svoboda and her published book A GIFT FOR ALIA.
