SCBWI Winter Conference Recap (Part 3)

After much deliberation, my girlfriends and I devised a plan to arrive at the hotel on Sunday as early as possible to ensure seats close to the stage.  Afterall, Sunday's line-up packed quite a punch.

So I arrived first and threw my coat and scarf and bag and bagel on about 6 seats in the 4th row center and awaited what promised to be a fangirl's kidlit dream.

We now bring you the conclusion of my recap....

SUNDAY

• Award Presentations  What better way to start out the morning than to recognize those among us who have exemplified the field.  The winners of the Tomie dePaola Award, the Emerging Voices Award, the Art Showcase winners and the Jan Yolen Mid-List Author Grant winners were announced.  (For a full list and to see the winners' work go to the SCBWI Official Conference Blog.)  But, perhaps selfishly, I was awaiting the announcement of the winners of the annual Joke Contest.  For those of you who have never attended conference, each year they pose a scenario and ask us funny people to submit jokes.  This year I was pretty proud of my entry.  The scenario was that you walk into a NYC bar where all of the characters of Children's Literature gather and you approach a character with an opening line/pick up line.  What would you say and to who?  My joke was directed to Charlotte and I would say, "I am so excited to meet you.  I have read everything you have published on the web!"  Needless to say I did not win.  Oh well...there is always next year.

• Keynote:  "Tell Me a Story"--Margaret Peterson Haddix  "Its the stories that matter much more than the devices kids read them on," says Margaret and therefore we need not worry too much about the changing climate of books, but focus on writing the best stories we can write.  Margaret used to tell her daughter stories, reminiscing, and telling her events from her own childhood. During one rambling story, her daughter became quite angry with her and yelled at her mom to get to, "and then one day."It took Margaret a while to realize what her daughter was screaming for was plot.  When Margaret starts to think she's going on too long in a scene, she asks herself if what she's writing matters, and her internal editor starts telling her to get to the and then one day.  And perhaps the best bit of advice I took away from Margaret's keynote:  "Fail big if you have to, but go down trying."  My theater teacher in high school used to always say this.  "Fail big."  Thank you, Margaret, for the reminder. 

• Keynote:  "It Takes Two" The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Writing a Series--Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton  Alright it was time for my inner fangirl to freak out.  All weekend I had joked that Julie Andrews must be some sort of diva to have such strict rules on photographs and autographing.  Our conference bulletin had bolded notes about legality issues such as these.  Howeve, when they announced Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton and I immediately started to tear up.  As the crowd stood to applaud their entrance, I became that little 6 year old girl who knew every word to Mary Poppins and who spun around in her living room as if on that hilltop in the Sound of Music.  This was Julie Andrews!!!  Ok...so let's not forget that Julie and Emma are also wonderful writers.  They were a delight.  Although I have no inclination at this time to write a series, their talk was informative, touching on the 6 things they pay great attention to when writing their picture book series (Dumpy the Dump Truck and The Very Fairy Princess).  These 6 items were:  character, consistency, flexibility, surprise, satisfaction, and perspective.  For a little more insight into these items, visit http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com/2013/02/julie-andrews-and-emma-walton-hamilton.html.  They closed with talking about their mandate: a celebrated sense of wonder.  Wow.  Julie Andrews a diva?  If so, own it Julie.  You are a true inspiration.

• Closing Keynote: "Writing in 3 Easy Steps, 3 Somewhat Less Easy Steps, 2 Pretty Difficult Steps, and 1 Impossible Step"--Mo Willems  Its not easy to follow Mary Poppins, but Mo was certainly the man for the job.  Of course, digital devices flashed and clicked throughout the ballroom as the iconic writer took the stage, yet Mo yelled "You are writers which means you are filters, not spigots! So turn off the devices!  Live in the moment!"  I loved him already.  His keynote was hilarious and peppered with some fabulous advice as well as timeless questions such as "In Frog & Toad, which one is Frog?  The one with the pants?!  I don't have a biology degree!"  LOL!  Of course, he had a point in saying this...although I was really laughing too hard to pay attention!  But it was something about reading the BEST and then finding the holes.  To him, the hole in Frog & Toad is that they are not different enough and it is confusing, hence Elephant and Piggie.  "No one ever asks which one is Elephant."  If you want a breakdown of his 9 Steps check out http://mowillemsdoodles.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-write-in-4-easy-steps-4-kinda.html.  And remember, as picture book writers "We're not trying to make stories that are going to be read, we're trying to make stories that are going to be read a milliondy billiondy times." 

Well, that's all folks!  My heart is full, my brain exploding with ideas.  I headed home that evening with my signed copy of Knufflebunny and a Julie Andrews song in my heart. 
Thank you to my Tribe, SCBWI, and everyone that made this conference an utter blast!  Til August.  Til LA!

SCBWI Winter Conference Recap (Part 2)

 

The alarm went off a little earlier than I would have wanted it to for a chilly Saturday, however, the camaraderie the night before at Kid Lit Drink Night (and the countless Gin and Gingers, with one added Guinness) made it all worthwile.  Friendships were discovered, laughter erupted and memories made.

You see, the toughtest thing about having the conference in NYC, for me...is that I don't stay at the hotel.  I have to venture home to Brooklyn on the train.  I much prefer hanging out til all hours, stumbling into the hotel elevator at the break of dawn and then rolling out of bed in the morning, steps from the conference.  But alas, I have to wait til NJ's conference in June for that experience.  AND the LA conference in August, which I am totally planning on attending.

Anyway....my recap continues...

SATURDAY

• Welcome and Introduction  The morning was kicked off by the beloved Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser--who informed us that not only was today Groundhog's Day, BUT it was Lin's birthday!  What a wonderful way to celebrate, surrounded by 999 kidlitters.  I think I will start to send out invites now and maybe they will all celebrate my birthday in April.  :)

• Keynote:  "So When Are You Going to Write a Real Book, You Know, For Adults?" --Meg Rosoff  I have very little notes from Meg's speech, probably because I was soooo moved and taken by everything she had to say.  But haven't we all been asked this very question?  In fact, I sometimes feel it doubly because I don't even write children's NOVELS.  I write picture books.  Most people think ANYONE can do that.  Ugh.  Anyway, Meg's response "Haven't you ever read the Velveteen Rabbit?" is perfection.
   “Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'" - The Velveteen Rabbit
  The official SCBWI Conference blog writes: When asked by students about the best book she's ever read, Meg replies that the best books she's read were read before her twenties. Because as a teenager, she was at the exact right age to have her life changed by books. Meg read from an email that she received from a reader, and it's the reason she writes for teenagers. 
  Some people think of young readers as lesser versions of adults. They don't get it. As an author, you must write truthfully. You shouldn't apologize for writing for teens or children! You're writing about the emerging people your readers will become. And you're changing lives.
  Now I don't know any better validation than that!  Thank you, Meg!  If you ever have a chance to hear this amazing fireball speak, run don't walk!

• Keynote: Booksellers Panel:  What's Selling  This was an interesting panel, as I know that many of us have been worries about the state of the indie bookstore in these changing times.  Mary Brown (owner Books, Bytes and Beyond in Glen Rock, NJ) says that her market has changed.  There is little foot traffic into the store and the bulk of their sales are now schools and libraries who want paperbacks and titles with Common Core tie-ins for educational use.  Robert Brown (Scholastic Book Fairs) is upbeat about the children's book publishing industry. The biggest challenge is to get kids to read more. The book fairs provide unfettered access for kids to be in direct contact with new books, not only the bestseller listers, but wonderful midlist titles as well. In addition, it's a community event, families come to the fairs and the events continue to be well attended, with robust sales and enthusiasm on all sides. Finally, I thought it was such a wonderful idea to invite Jon Fine (Director of Author & Publisher Relations, Amazon.com).  So often in our circles we talk about Amazon.com being the big bully to independent bookstores and writers, alike.  However, he talked about a growing appreciation and understanding of the importance of the community around books and how the digital age features in that through Skype, ebooks and transmedia.  Thank you, Jon for attending this panel and allowing me to see that bottom-line we all want the same thing...for great stories to be told and read by the masses.

• Breakout Session #1--What Hooks Me: Jennifer Besser, GP Putman's Sons, Penguin Young Readers Group  Now, when it comes to the Breakout Sessions at an SCBWI Conference, I think it is fair to say that one of the bonuses of attendance is being able to make a connection with editors and agents who might not otherwise be open to submissions, but make an exception for attendees.  For that very reason, I am not going to go into great detail about what Jennifer Besser is looking for or how to submit to her (which is what the bulk of her presentation is about).  However, some of the highlights are 1)  make an emotional investment in your work as an author so that you are selling your heart, 2) read often and everything, even if it is not in the genre you write, and 3) when it comes to picture books, understand page turns.

LUNCH BREAK

• Breakout Session #2--What Hooks Me: Kate Fletcher, Candlewick Press  Again, just a few highlights...but I have to say that Candlewick is such an amazing publishing house.  They are independently owned (the employees and authors own the stock shares) and they publish children's books exclusively.  They are definitely a press worth learning more about.  When it comes to picture books, Kate says she is loves text that gives good material for illustrators. A good book, for her, has heart, humor, originality and great writing.  Easy, right?  :)

• Keynote: "Internal Migrations"--Shaun Tan  There is a really good reason why Shaun's books sold out at the conference bookstore minutes after he concluded his address.  And why he trended on Twitter that evening.  And why he basically was the star of the conference (sorry, Julie Andrews).  The fact is, Shaun is brilliant.  He is funny, poignant, intelligent, humble and indescribable.  I almost did not offer to write a recap of the conference this year because I know that everyone will be wanting to hear all about Shaun's speech...and to tell you the truth, I am unsure I can put it into words and do it justice.  But, according to his own quote, "I know a story is good when I can't entirely explain what it's about" Shaun's story was a brilliant one.  It was captivating.  What I do recommend is to sit down with one of his stories, perhaps "Eric"--the story of a foreign exchange student in a curious world.  Sit, read, explore and you too will be absorbed into Shaun Tan's world of the unknown and the quizzical.  And then walk into your own world and look at the ordinary in an extraordinary way....that is what Shaun gave me through his address.  Thank you, Shaun.

What a packed day!  With equal parts inspiration and exhaustion, I met up with some friends at the Cocktail gala and then headed home with a flutter in my heart and a smile on my face. 

Join me tomorrow, as I recap Sunday's Conference of keynotes from Emma Walton Hamilton and Julie Andrew, Margaret Peterson Haddix and the fabulously funny, Mo Willems.

  

SCBWI Winter Conference Recap (Part 1)

If you have never attended an SCBWI Conference before...what are you waiting for??  Seriously.  I am still blown away by this past weekend and although I am going to try and put my experience into writing...it is times like this that words fail me. 

But here ya go...

THE STATS

On a cold blustery morning in NYC, 999 kidlit writers and illustrators gathered at the Hyatt Grand Central for a weekend of celebration, dedication, inspiration and aspiration.

These kidlitters were made up of 796 women, 138 men and 65 undeclared!  Perhaps some of our anthropomorphic friends were there, as well.  :)

They came from the far reaches of Earth:  17 different countries (including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, and Canada--our proud and ruckus neighbors to the North) AND 46 States with the greatest numbers coming from NY, MA, CA, NJ, CT and PA (no show states were WY, ND, MT, HI and MS).

And they were in for the conference of their lives!

FRIDAY WRITERS' ROUNDTABLE INTENSIVE

I figured that if I was going to attend the conference this year I was going to go all out!  And so I registered for the optional Friday Writers' Roundtable Intensive.  And yes, it was intense.  Here are my take-aways

• Editor Panel:"Five Traps to Avoid in Your Writing"  Tara Weikum from HarperCollins Children's Books talked about the need for each writer to decipher what is good advice and what is bad advice.  How brilliant is that?  Simply said, but so true.  The ability to both handle opinions and filter feedback is priceless for a writer.  And remembering that critiques are just that--opinions!  Stay true to your heart and write the story that you need to tell. 

• Critique Session #1  I had the honor of sitting at the table with 8 other kidlitters and the wonderful agent, Jenny Bent of The Bent Agency.  And although Jenny does not handle picture books, she has agents at her agency who do.  I have to admit, I was extremely nervous and anxious.  The process was that each one of us had 15 minutes to read the first 500 words aloud to the table and then receive feedback.  Its like speed-dating for your manuscript.  And yes, 15 minutes is plenty of time...although it doesn't seem like it.  I had read my piece aloud to people before, but somehow this hearkened back to the days of theatre audtioning and I was nervous!  However, I was thankfully the second to last person to go and the nerves had subsided a bit by my turn.  It was actually fun and I received great comments from Jenny and the others at the table.  It felt supportive and not critical...but of course, that is the spirit of SCBWI and one of the reason why I just adore the community!

LUNCH BREAK!

• Critique Session #2  After lunch we had yet another critique session, this time of course I felt like a veteran.  I was so confident and excited to share my 486 word Picture Book.  I was sat at the same table as Kate Sullivan, and editor at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.  Again, the comments were helpful.  I felt built up as a writer.  Perhaps, it is this great experience that helped paint the rest of my conference weekend in such amazing light. 

• Agent Panel: The Market Place and What it Needs Now  With the stress of critiquing behind us, the closing of the day was a panel, scheduled from 4-5pm.  I won't lie...I was tapped.  We had spent the past 7 hours in the same hotel ballroom (not including lunch) and my eyes were getting heavy.  It was hard to focus on the panel and I felt a little sorry for Ed Necarsulmer, Ginger Clark and Jenny Bent.  Looking back on my skimpy notes on the panel, I did however have one takeaway.  Ed Necarsulmer said, "It is a great time to be a picture book author.  Each house is publishing less titles, but they are more focused on the titles they do publish."  Thank you, Ed.  I admit, I perked up at that.  :)

It was off to dinner with 3 of my beloved kidlit girls and then Kid Lit Drink Night to follow.  Yes, it was a long day...but conference is about your Tribe.  Its about breaking out of your solitude and finding connection with like-minded souls.  I was determined to drink it all up!

Join me tomorrow, as I recap Saturday's Conference jam-packed with keynotes from Meg Rosoff and Shaun Tan, as well as panels and breakout sessions from some of the most influential people in the business.

My 5 Tips for Attending Conference

 

 

I have to say, I am quite excited about the SCBWI Winter Conference this coming weekend.  The funny thing is that I was very close to NOT attending this year.  I had reasons...mostly financial.  But now that it is only days away, I am so happy I decided to go.  (It helps, of course, that it is right in my backyard!)

If you have never been to an SCBWI conference, I recommend going at least once.  Many regions put on fabulous conferences...in fact, I am HOOKED on the NJ chapter's.  Its amazing. 

But before you go, here are a few of my tips....

• Find your Tribe. One of the MAIN reasons for attending conference is to mix and mingle with others who share the same passions as you.  Therefore, make sure to create opportunities to meet people.  Its really not that difficult.  Conference is filled with such opportunities.  So take advantage of them!  You might be a "in your pajamas and in bed by 9pm" person, but for this one weekend....embrace the fun! I met some of my bestest kidlit gals when I wandered into the hotel bar after a Critique Session instead of heading to bed.  It was 11pm, but I have never regretted it.  Be bold and have a blast!
• Bring business cards.  You are going to meet a lot of people and when you get back to your writing cave on Monday you are going to want to find them on Facebook, subscribe to their blogs or shoot them an email.  So, business card swapping is HUGE at conferences.  I designed mine (with my picture....because its easiest to remember my hair than my name) on Vistaprint. 
• Be realistically open-minded.  You are about to rub elbows with some of the best and soon-to-be best.  And although you might be one of them, you might also have a lot to learn.  Ask questions.  Take criticism.  Its part of the journey. 
• Practice your pitch.  A question I was not prepared to be asked at conference last year was, "What are you working on?"  My answer was "picture books"....until I realized that I was actually being asked to pitch my manuscript.  You are going to be asked...so practice.
• Take notes to share with others afterward.  You are going to be listening a lot and be given a lot of little nuggets of wisdom, tips, etc.  And by Monday it might all seem to run together and you might not be able to remember any of it.  So, do yourself a favor, and take notes.  What helps me is then to blog about a particular session or write up notes for my critique group.  That way I don't just stick my notes in my desk drawer and forget about them.  In retelling and summarizing for others I am actually making sense of the info for myself.

So here's to giggling cocktails with my kidlit chicks and fangirl moments with Mo Willems and Julie Andrews...in addition to loads and loads of knowledge.  Hope to see you there!  And of course I will be blogging my highlights next week.  :)

The "Morning After": One Conference Attendee's Struggle

For an SCBWI conference attendee, the "morning after" can pack a lot of emotion.  And believe me, I felt them all during today's coffee time, reflecting back on this past weekend's NJ SCBWI Craft Weekend.

T. Lazar, J, Hedlund, me, A. Raynor and P. Nozell
at the NJ SCBWI conference in June 2012

Happiness that I have such wonderful, talented friends in my life and that we are pursuing the BEST career ever!

Sadness that I have to wait til the next conference to see some of them.

Excitement to get back to work and revise, write, repeat!

Exhaustion from the constant amazing information shared.

And even some doubt. 

Yes, doubt.

Although I try to be realistic, there is always that hope that somehow I will wow an agent and editor and become the buzz at the conference.  There is that hope that this conference will be "the one" when my career will REALLY start. 

And then on the way home, with my folder full of notes and critiques I start to doubt that I even have what it takes to do anything more than party with writers.  I want to be on those bookshelves beside them.  I want  to talk about promoting books and what my school visits have been like.

I start to doubt myself.  My writing.

Pursuing a career as a writer is a struggle.  But what does that mean, exactly?

I heard a report on NPR this morning about the differences between how the East view struggle versus how the West views struggle.  I found it very interesting.

Within this report, Jim Stigler, Professor of Psychology at UCLA states,"I think that from very early ages we [in America] see struggle as an indicator that you're just not very smart," Stigler says. "It's a sign of low ability — people who are smart don't struggle, they just naturally get it, that's our folk theory. Whereas in Asian cultures they tend to see struggle more as an opportunity."

 

In Eastern cultures, Stigler says, it's just assumed that struggle is a predictable part of the learning process. Everyone is expected to struggle in the process of learning, and so struggling becomes a chance to show that you, the student, have what it takes emotionally to resolve the problem by persisting through that struggle. 

 

To read the entire transcript or listen to the story, click here.  It really is a fascinating report.

 

But back to my "morning after".  My doubt.

 

Today I choose to embrace my struggle.  To persist.  To look for the joy in the sweat and the hardwork.  To celebrate the process.  To learn from the disappointment and doubt.

 

I might not be a superstar after attending my event this past weekend but I am one step closer.  One day closer. 

SCBWI Winter Conference Recap Part 3: The Breakouts

Well, today I conclude my SCBWI Winter Conference Recap with a look at the Breakout Sessions that I attended.  I should start by saying, however, that the Breakout Sessions were based mostly on Genre at this conference.  One could choose to go to Thrillers or Fantasy or Fiction or eBooks and Apps.  For someone who was looking to learn more about a certain genre to see if they were interested in trying their own hand at it it was a nice offering.  Personally, I was a little disappointed.  As a "picture book only" writer (at least at this time in my life), I felt like the offerings left a little to be desired.  But more on that later.

Here are some basic notes from the 3 sessions I attended:

********************
Breakout #1 ~ Making Your Picture Book Stand Out (presented by Martha Rago, Executive Art Director, Harper Collins)

Martha Rago focused on her "4 Tent Poles of a Successful Picture Book)

1)  Characterization

• emotional connection between character and reader
• character needs to be likeable and appealing
• character must seem real and relevant

2)  The Narrative

• each image is a simple dynamic scene and sometimes tell more than text
• attention paid to pacing and Point of View
• page turns are thoughtfully considered
• rhythmic
• reader is "moved along"

3)  Voice

• fresh
• unique
• solid and stylistic
• this comes from trusting and loving your own work

4)  Skill

• whatever you write, do it well
• write with objectivity and discipline

Rago also added that in addition to these 4 Tent Poles, one should consider humor, universal appeal/resonance and form.  Bottomline, she said, was to be honest and "create from the heart"!

********************
Breakout #2 ~ Picture Books (presented by Samantha McFerrin, Editor at Harcourt)

Samantha McFerrin focused mainly on what a writer needs to know in order to make their pb viable in today's market.  She said writers need to know a) their audience, b) competition and c) the current pb market. 

In addition, she spent time talking about what an editor looks for...mainly, promotability of the book.  In doing so, she says that editors ask themselves 4 questions.
1)  Do I love it?
2)  Is it fresh?
3)  Will I want to keep reading over and over again?
4)  Does this story need to be told?

********************
Breakout Session #3 ~ Narrative Fiction (presented by Alvina Ling, Editorial Director at Little Brown)

Alvina Ling chose to base her talk on Narrative Fiction by focusing on a work's voice, structure and plot.  What was perhaps the most interesting here was the time spent on Structure. 

When talking about Structure, Ms. Ling told those present to be adventurous!  Be creative!  So many examples in today's market take structure to a whole new level and break away from the conventional novel format. 
Examples:

• "ttyl" by Lauren Myracle which is told completely in instant text messaging lingo.
• "Falling for Hamlet" by Michelle Ray which is partially told in a tv talk show format.
• "Chopsticks" by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral which is told in photographs, pictures, words and even a youtube.com link.

It was refreshing to see how many alternate ways stories are being told in today's market.  We are artists.  So let's not limit ourselves to the conventional way.

********************

As I said at the start, I don't think these sessions were anymore than an overview of the business through genre.  Perhaps nothing earth-shatteringly new was shared.  But it is always good to refresh the basics. 

All in all, the conference was a win for me.  The people I met, the connections that were made, the inspiration garnered, the time spent being treated as a writer...it was ALL PRICELESS!

Therefore, continue to join me on Fridays as we look at conferences worldwide and how to get YOU there!  Stay tuned.

Have a wonderful weekend.  And as always, Happy Writing!

SCBWI Winter Conference: One Writer's Recap Part 2

I had another topic all lined up for today, but I gotta give the people what they want...and they want more recaps of the SCBWI Winter Conference which took place last weekend.  :)

On Friday, I recapped with Part One...Saturday's events.  Today I move on to the shorter Sunday's events and on this coming Friday I will give my little recapped of the three Breakout Sessions I attended.

But, as promised...here's Sunday!

I have to be totally honest, I was exhausted from a chock-full Saturday and took my sweet time getting to the conference from Brooklyn on Sunday morning.  So I do not have a recap of the Tomie dePaola Award and Art Showcast Winners.  I apologize.  However, you can read about the winners and see their work by clicking here and here.

When I did arrive at the conference, I found time to grab a bagel and a cup of coffee, and be in the Ballroom to hear Jane Yolen's surprise announcement...which was NOT the fact that she says she still gets rejection letters...although that was a total surprise, and actually, depressing to me.  If Jane Yolen still gets rejected what does that mean for little ol' me??  Anyway, Jane's actual announcement was about her new Mid-List Author Grant that she is launching.  Again, I am not Jane Yolen...so click here to hear Jane, herself, tell us about it.

So, onto the next Panel entitled "Methods to the Madness:The Process of Making Picture Books featuring the Bookmaker's Dozen and moderated by Laurent Linn".  First let me say that this panel was made up of some true stars!  Of course, it was exciting to see one of this year's Caldecott Honor winners, John Rocco. As well as others such as John Bemelmans Marciano who took over the Madeleine franchise from his father.  True talent!  And the little bits of wisdom and peeks into their processes were just as golden as the talent they were!

Perhape the most inspiring part of the panel was when each of the Bookmaker's Dozen was asked to finish the following, "If you only knew then what you know now..."

Sophie Blackall responded with the need of community and making connections.  She said that moving into a studio she shares with 4 other artists has been fun.

Peter Brown talked about how the hardknocks are part of creative growth.  Learning the hard way can be so important in  moving you to the next step forward.

Brett Helquist spoke of a need to have a "broad sense of the world".  He said that when he was younger he was so focused on art classes, but he wished he had a broader education.

David Gordon waxed philosophical with "success is proportionate to the ability to take rejection."

And Sean Qualls said to embrace people who embrace your work.  They see the raw talent.

Next up was another panel, perhaps not so light-hearted.  "The Current Market for Your Work: Four Agent's Views".  Bottomline, they all agreed that in order to sell these days, a book needs to have a clearly defined “hook.” As Ken Wright of Writers House observed, an agent can no longer “acquire a book just because you like it. You need to know where it will fit in the marketplace.” Knowing how your book will be positioned means you need to research what's currently in the marketplace and who your audience is.  Also, it is important that a writer research agents to find who is best to represent their work.  Regina Brooks, founder of Serendipity Agency, got both chuckles and smiles from the audience in saying that there is an agent out there who is our “soul mate,” and we just need to do the work to find him/her.  Personally, I would LOVE to believe that!  In any case, writers are advised to always do their homework before approaching agents, and to show that they’ve done their homework. No agent wants a submission that’s not appropriate for him or her or to be a work's first reader.

Closing out the conference, Kathryn Erskine gave a wonderful keynote on "What is Your Focus?"  This was an excellent way to help all in attendance be inspired and look for ways to apply all that they learned over the weekend in their hectic lives at home.

She used FOCUS as an acronym to bring home the following ideas....

Freedom: believe in yourself; put all your daily tasks and other distractions into a waiting room, and tell them you’ll get to them when you’re done working; “think about that one kid out there that needs you.”
Organization (again with the tech stuff!): make electronic folders for each aspect of your work: business, marketing, works in progress, etc.
Creativity: take care of yourself; daydream; if you get stuck, try techniques like sitting down and interviewing your character, or eavesdrop on him/her.
Understanding: what is it you’re trying to say with your book? Get out and do research. As much as you can, literally experience your story. Do the things your characters do, and go where they go.
Sharing: let your baby out into the world, but make sure it’s well-prepared when you do. And start connecting to your readers before you send your baby out. Make a book trailer to generate excitement. Do school visits, book signings.

Her final words...DON'T GIVE UP!

So...with all of that, I boarded the F Train back to Brooklyn with a fist full of business cards and a heart full of inspiration and sense of community. 

Thank you to SCBWI for a wonderful conference.  It was a great introduction into this amazing community.  As a first-timer it was exactly what I needed.

In June I will be attending the NJ SCBWI conference in Princeton, which doesn't seem as "overview like" of the business and will help make even more industry connections.  However, I am so happy I had this experience. 

Tune in Wednesday for Writers Weigh In and then on Friday I will recap the 3 Breakouts I attended.

And as always, Happy Writing!

SCBWI Winter Conference: One Writer's Recap Part 1

A week has passed since the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC…which was also my first conference with SCBWI.  I admit, like many other fellow attendees, to have been a little overwhelmed and brain-dead this past week.  It has taken awhile to gather my thoughts and reflect on the experience.  I’m not even quite sure I have been able to do that, yet.  But as promised, I am blogging a brief overview today.  Bear with me…it’s not an easy task.  J

(Today, in the spirit of keeping things as brief as possible,  I want to focus only on the events of Saturday, January 28, 2012.  Sunday will come next week.)

At 7:45am I joined the crowd, made up from 20 different countries including the US (49 of the 50 states were represented…Lin Oliver couldn’t remember what the one absent state was).  Its always a little scary to enter such an event alone, but in only minutes I was chatting away and swapping business cards at the coffee table.  It is totally true what others have said about SCBWI…they are the NICEST people!  But more on that later.

Chris Crutcher was the keynote speaker and a great way to kick off the weekend.  His address inspired his audience to “tell the best truth in the language it needs to be told.”  Crutcher, himself, has been banned often because his books are deemed inappropriate.  However, he refuses to write to the censors.  He encouraged us to write for the audience, despite the censors which have gotten so loud as of late.  He said, “You can ban books, but then you ban those kids.  You tell them their lives don’t matter.”  Through excerpts from his own books, as well as personal anecdotes, Crutcher set the tone for the rest of the weekend for me…writer empowerment…believe in your own work…write what you have to.

Next up was a panel on “Children’s Books: Today and Tomorrow: Four Expert Impressions”.  What a powerhouse of a panel!  Lin Oliver referred to those on the panel as “the minds behind the modern Golden Age of Children’s Literature”…and that was evident!  The star-studded panel was made up of Jean Feiwel, Barbara Marcus, Nancy Paulsen and Rubin Pfeffer.  I am not going to go into their bios here, as they are way too extensive, but I highly suggest looking them up! 

The highlight of this panel for me was the through line that although publishing houses are acquiring a smaller amount of titles, they are taking the time to truly choose the BEST titles and invest in them.  This is huge.  As Barbara Marcus made a point of saying that before the houses had beautiful books but no commitment to market them.  Now the houses have fewer titles on their lists, so more thought is placed on how to successfully position each book.  The cream is definitely rising to the top…and I plan to be that cream!  J  Of course, all four experts agreed that writers need to be more responsible these days.  We need to connect to our readers and build a community.  Jean Feiwel used the phrase, “it takes a village.”  In this day, it is truly a partnership between the publishing house and the author.  So, keep blogging, keep taking those marketing classes, keep researching how to build the best platform you can…

It was then time to go to our first Breakout Workshop.  I attended “Making Your Picture Book Stand Out”, presented by Martha Rago (Executive Art Director from Harper Collins).  I am not going to discuss this session at this time.  Instead I will focus on the large, full conference events.  However, I will blog about the Breakout workshops separately if you want me to. 

So next up, after the first Breakout, was a very compelling keynote by Cassandra Clare entitled “Love Triangles and Forbidden Love” Creating and Maintaining Romantic Tension in YA Literature”.  Clare stressed the fact that readers “go where tension is” and therefore writers need to make stakes high and create as many obstacles as possible.  “The bigger the obstacle, the bigger the love needed to overcome them”, she said.  She had me there.  I was with her.  As a picture book writer I know that stakes and obstacles have to be high…of course, for my audience, not having the toy you want to play with and having your arm chopped off are of equal magnitude…but she had me.  I got it.  And then she started to talk about ways to up the tension through 1) Forbidden Love and 2) Love Triangles.  She discussed good ol’ familial taboos like those in Romeo and Juliet.  She then went into great detail on societal taboos such as homosexuality, age difference, incest, teacher/student relationships, and dangerous love such as being in love with a serial killer.  I have to admit, my jaw dropped a tad onto the carpet.  Not sure I can use much of that in picture books…but it sure was interesting to listen to.  Her point was that sometimes authors have an idea but are scared to go all the way with it because they are scared they will scare off their readers.  Guess I will not be afraid to use burping and farting in my WIP…that’s about taboo as I have thought about getting.  J 

The second and third Breakouts were next.  First up for me was “Picture Books” presented by Samantha McFerrin from Harcourt.  Again, I won’t go into detail today…but I can tell you we didn’t talk about incest.  J  And then I went to Alvina Ling’s (Editorial Director, Little Brown) session on “Narrative Fiction”.

And that took me through til the end.  Whew!  What a day!  What a fabulous day!

I left the Hyatt in the evening with about 4 new friends and a spinning head…no, it wasn’t a door prize, my head was just spinning.  J

When I had blogged prior to the conference, looking for advice, it was evident that most people remember SCBWI conferences for the fabulous people in attendance.  At the time I felt like this was kinda a lame comment.  But after experiencing a conference, myself, I am in total agreement.  The like-minded people assembled in the Hyatt last weekend were some of the most encouraging, open, fun-loving and supportive people I have had the honor of meeting.  When I left the Hyatt for home, as cliché as it sounds, I was walking on Cloud 9.  I felt like a writer because everyone there treated me as such.  I was not isolated, I was not alone with my laptop, I was not looking for a community and connections…I had found it.  I belonged.  And that is why I could not want to return the next morning.

Stay tuned next week for my recap of Sunday’s events. 

Also…it is still in the early stages of development, however, I am challenging each one of you (especially those of you who have never been to an SCBWI conference before) to find a conference and go!  I am dedicating my Friday posts to conference and will discuss how to make that happen for you in 2012-2013, including tips on saving the money, etc.  So, keep following…and get others to, as well.  Because YOU belong!

Have a wonderful weekend…and, as always, Happy Writing!