My Favorite KidLit Writing Resources
As 2025 is drawing to a close, I’m reflecting a lot on my writing journey and how thankful I am to have come this far. I’ve already detailed the ups and downs I’ve experienced throughout the years of writing, but I realized I haven’t taken time to share some of the things that I found helpful along the way.
The wonderful thing about writing is that there are SO MANY resources available. Not everything is free, and I realize that it can be hard to know what is worth your time (and money!) and what is not. But since we do not gatekeep, I wanted to share my favorite resources in the hopes that they help you grow and advance in your writing career as well. Because I write middle grade and picture books, these are all links for those that are writing for children. And granted, some of them are incredibly well-known. But if you are just starting out, this is for you.
12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge
It must be said that I might be one of the worst members of 12 x 12 in recent years. Between being incredibly busy with my kids’ activities and focusing what little time I had on middle grade, I have not been an active participant lately. I even downgraded from Gold to Silver membership because I knew I was not taking advantage of the perks. That being said, especially when you are first starting out, this is the single best group you can join as a writer of picture books. It is a true community, complete with forums where you can ask questions, learn everything you need to know about every facet of picture book writing and publishing, and even post your stories for critique. At $199 for new Silver members (can be split into two payments) it is honestly an amazing deal for the amount of webinars, interviews, and other resources available to you. After you have participated for a year, you have the opportunity to raffle in for a Gold membership, which includes submission opportunities every month. I can’t adequately express how I learned in the years I have participated. I will continue at the Silver level since I am now agented, and hope to get back into the picture book groove in 2026!
Every January, Tara Lazar hosts a month-long story brainstorming event on her blog. She has guest bloggers all month that will inspire you so that you leave January with at least 31 new ideas for picture books! (Then I would suggest taking those 31 ideas over to the 12 x 12 Challenge and boom – you are already set to write all year!) This is a free event, and signing up ensures that you receive daily emails of each post. There are lots of giveaways and encouragement, and a fun atmosphere of community in the comments each day. It’s a great free way to start your year off on the right foot!
Admittedly, since starting to listen to audiobooks almost constantly I have not been the consumer of podcasts I once was. So when I went back to include my favorites, many of them are not producing episodes anymore. But I when I was first starting to write, I LOVED a good podcast while I was cleaning, or driving, or wherever else I could fit them in. (Actually now that I think of it, there was a good six months after our kitchen flooded that we didn’t have a dishwasher and I got a lot of quality listening in during that time.) The Children’s Book Podcast from Matthew C. Winner was one of my favorites and I was so happy to see it is thriving more than ever. This is a practice I plan to return to in 2026 as well. Part of writing in any genre is knowing the market and the landscape and having really great examples of best practice. This podcast is a PERFECT resource for that! And hey – another FREE resource!
Bonus Links that I Recommend:
This outline template (FREE) from The Good Story Company
Basics of Plot Structure from Middle Grade Minded:
This Guide to Writing Picture Books from Josh Funk
These are just a few of the resources that really helped me throughout my writing career so far. I’d love to hear what has been helpful for you – especially newer ideas. Building a strong writing community is immensely helpful to always be growing and learning!
