Thank you all for joining another #kidlitchat (a perfect warm-up for the rest of your week). We'll see you here again next Tuesday, I hope!

I would make myself a cup of coffee every time I sit back down to write, but at a certain point that would be... jittery. But the writing day starts with that little ritual (even if the cup is an hour before I sit down to write!) #kidlitchat

For a long time I warmed up by writing poetry for a bit. Then it was Fibonacci poetry - the constraints made my brain start up, the brevity made me think about each word... each syllable. I still do this sometimes, actually. #kidlitchat

TOPIC: Do you have warm-up exercises you do before you work? Fast writing? Drawing from a prompt? Reading something? Do you have a startup routine (that involves anything other than eating pie, which is a given when possible)? #kidlitchat

You know what sounds nice? Having a #kidlitchat at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific here on Bluesky. We #kidlit lovers can chat for an hour… enjoy community… maybe share desserts. Yes, let’s do this. See you then!

Thank you all for the great ideas. Will you see one in action next week at #kidlitchat? Will we pull out a shocking surprise? Will we talk about how to keep your readers in suspense? I guess you'll find out next week.... See ya then!

We should prefaced this with the fact that we have done many, many hundreds of #kidlitchat and topics, so this doesn't have to be something we've never done. If it sounds fresh to you, it might well be time for us to revisit, even if we have visited in the past.

Also, #kidlitchat is designed in a way that it moves freely among topics no matter what we toss out. This is not a flaw. So we've covered tons of things and will continue to do so. But the point is, we're open to ideas now or whenever. And folks can also use tonight to discuss...whatever!

TOPIC: It's Spring here (allegedly), the time of new growth and new ideas. So, what are YOUR ideas for new topics you'd like to suggest for #kidlitchat?

Tuesday! #kidlitchat! 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific! Come chat for an hour with your #kidlit friends! Discuss my use of exclamation points! No matter the actual topic is, I hope to see you right here on Bluesky later today....

Exciting news! My Spring 2026 online author visits are now available. Bring a special poetry experience to your students – perfect for #PoetryMonth prep! #AuthorVisits kennn.com/2LqOef

Thank you all for joining in another #kidlitchat (a weekly gentle deadline in a way) and sharing ideas. I look forward to seeing you here next week or at a conference or wherever else our paths cross!

TOPIC: Do you use contests, conferences or challenges to help you move forward with your work? What makes that kind of external motivation helpful--and are there any you would particularly recommend? #kidlitchat

Did you know there will be a #kidlitchat today at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific here on Bluesky? Come on by and cool off or warm up or stay dry with your #kidlit friends from every weather zone around. Plus there might be pie! See ya soon….

Thank you all for joining in another fine, bold, wild #kidlitchat. I'm glad you're here! And we'll see you again next week....

For the record, Bonnie and I removed my suggestion in the original topic "have you ever turned your third person present tense manuscript into one that's second person pluperfect subjunctive?" But I share that here as a bold option! #kidlitchat

TOPIC: What’s the biggest, boldest, or wildest thing you’ve done for or to one of your stories? Think theme, characters, setting, format . . . Or if there's something you *want* to try, but haven't, WHY HAVEN'T YOU? #kidlitchat

It seems like a great day to put everything aside for an hour (specifically starting at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific) and have a #kidlitchat, doesn’t it? Or, you know, multitask while talking #kidlit for a bit. Whatever works! Hope to see you chatting….

Thanks for bringing us up to date here at #kidlitchat. So much has happened! And we look forward to hearing whatever else happens this year, too. See you next Tuesday!

Hey #KidLitChat! If you're working on getting a submission package ready for pitching, @middlegradehub.bsky.social has a great series of critique events coming up you should definitely check out. They're going to be doing workshops for pitches, queries, first pages, and more!

TOPIC: Guess what? It's time for another quarterly check-in . . . already! Share what you've accomplished in the past three months: baby steps, or giant leaps, full landings or near misses . . . celebrate whatever has carried you FORWARD. #kidlitchat

Another #kidlitchat is coming your way at the top of the hour (9E/6P). We can count on you being there . . . right? See you soon!

It is another Tuesday so there shall be another #kidlitchat (at 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific) right here on Bluesky. If you're thinking "gosh, it'd be swell to talk with other #kidlit fans and creators for an hour"... 1) you'd be right and 2) you should join us! See you soon!

#KidLit friends, I am hearing rumblings that the desire for middle grade is slowly inching up again. Your moment may be closer than you think, so maybe it's time to consider dusting off that manuscript you've been too afraid to even think about.

Hello Friends! Welcome to #MSWL Day 2026! 🎉 This is our second ever #MSWL Day on Bluesky. We’re happy you’re here! You can, as of TODAY, search Bluesky and ManuscriptWishList.com posts at once: manuscriptwishlist.com/smart-search. All posts are verified by a human who works in publishing. ☕

Thank you all for joining in another #kidlitchat. I celebrate all of you and the fact that we get to come together each week for this. (And I celebrate desserts, but that's a given). See you all next week!

This is worth celebrating! #kidlitchat

TOPIC: What are you celebrating of a #kidlit nature these days on an industry level, a personal level, a reading level, a creating level, or any other level you want to go to? #kidlitchat

The #kidlitchat engine is revving up! See you in just a few.

Heck yes, there’s a #kidlitchat tonight at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific. And heck yes, I hope you’ll join us #kidlit folks for an hour of chatting, community, cookies, cake, camaraderie, comedy, and chicanery (aka “the seven C’s”). See ya there!

Hurray, I'M BUSY by @michaelianblack.bsky.social and me launches today from @simonkids.bsky.social! Educators: Help us celebrate & I'll record a special video msg just for your students. More: debbieohi.com/2026/02/imbu... #KidLit #BookBirthday #Edusky #LibrarySky

Thank you all for joining in another #kidlitchat. Your chatters have names I'm always happy to see, gotta say. And I will see you all next week!

How many of you have ever come up with a title that then led you to a full on idea? <raises hand? #kidlitchat

The Olympics or other sporting events can also be a great source of name inspiration. #kidlitchat

I love coming up with titles. I don't mind place names. So I'm not sure why the character name thing is harder for me. But I also use baby naming books in a pinch... #kidlitchat

I have been known to steal last names from people I know - reusing them as first names or with different first names. I am NOT one who loves coming up with character names, though, to be honest. #kidlitchat

TOPIC: Let's talk names. We're #kidlitchat, which seemed spot on. But how do you come up with your character names? Place names? Or even... <gasp>... project names (aka titles!)?

Ya know there’s a #kidlitchat at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific today, don’t ya? Good. Next up is clearing the time on your schedule to join us #kidlit folk for an hour of chatting. Or stop by for five minutes. It’s all good! Hope to see you there!

As our ticking clock hits zero, I bid you a happy official end to #kidlitchat. But as always, I encourage you to keep chatting and connecting and having dessert (as appropriate). And I'll see you back here next week... or will I (I say, trying to add drama!)?

(I am curious if anyone else is not seeing their #Kidlitchat tagged tweets in the stream tonight?)

So often, a manuscript's concept leads to natural drama - a final thing that we wonder if the character will do/not do/get to/not get to and the like. But a lot of stories don't have that built in from the start. At the end, it will feel like they did, though.... #kidlitchat

I am a big Olympics and sports in general fan and love to use the natural dramas of a game or a qualifying heat or a season goal to help give my stories some natural momentum. Which doesn't work in stories with no sports in them, of course.... #kidlitchat

TOPIC: The Olympics are full of plots/drama: ticking clocks, one-on-one competition, team competition, changing weather, too much available pasta, and more. So, how do you think about and add plot drama to your work? As a reader, what dramatic events hook you in and carry you along? #kidlitchat

Two minutes to get yourself ready for #kidlitchat. You can do it. I believe in you!

I hope you'll join us tonight for #kidlitchat here on Bluesky at 9PM Eastern/6PM Pacific. It's an hour of chatting with your #Kidlit community pals and, of course, and a path to Olympic gold! Or at least a fun hour.... See you then!

Thank you all for joining in on #kidlitchat (just as this same bunch has done every Groundhog Day week forever!). We'll see you next week for the best type of do-over: a new chat! See ya then....

I should add that I'm quite sure that the fact I give myself permission to fix things later is why my first drafts are ALWAYS perfect and do not need revision. I am sure this is true for you, too. Yes? :-) #kidlitchat

I like certain aspects of revision and dislike others, but one thing i find freeing in my first draft is telling myself “don’t worry about perfect. You can fix it later.” #kidlitchat

Just like last year on this same week, I arrive 22 minutes late! A re-do! #kidlitchat

Tuesday brings #kidlitchat at 9pm Eastern/6pm Pacific here on Bluesky. We’re as regular as the tides, I tell ya (if they only happened weekly and always at the same time, natch, and had a few millenia less regularity). Come join us for an hour of chatting with #kidlit community friends! See ya soon.