SCBWI Los Angeles 2013 - Inspirational Moments

This past weekend I attended my 5th year of Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Los Angels Conference, filled with encouragement, inspiration and craft.  Woven between each keynote speech and workshop session were unforgettable moments with friends.  We laughed. We cried. We learned from one another. But most of all, we reminded each other that we are not alone.

It's not a surprise that I gleamed from the talent and love for our craft that was oozing from the California Ballroom stage and throughout the Century Plaza conference rooms all weekend. From the moment SCBWI founders, Steve Mooser and Lin Oliver welcomed us, I listened and watched and learned from authors, illustrators, publishers and agents. Here are just a few moments that inspired me.

FRIDAY

Your job is to defend, protect, and celebrate childhood. - Laurie Halse Anderson





















Don't put kids to sleep, for God's sake. Wake'em up. - Jon Scieszka



Do the unexpected. - Deborah Halverson

We hold a mirror to [our readers], but behind them is a world of fiction. - Peter Lerangis

Look right into the eyes of your audience; children. Know what they are going through and what inspires and excites them. - Michelle Markel

SATURDAY



Editors Panel, moderated by Lin Oliver, with
Nami Tripahi, Andrea Pinkney, Donna Bray, Claudia Gabel, Allyn Johnston, Melissa Manlove
This was the best editors panel I've ever heard. Everyone spoke candidly and was full of heart.




The story about Nico and his whale. - Mac Barnett

Read every line you write, out loud, standing up. - Richard Peck

Enjoy your writing. Don't worry about perfection. - Carolyn Mackler

You just have to sit down and work or nothing's ever going to happen. - David Wiesner

SUNDAY

Agents panel, moderated by Lee Wind

 The bar has been raised for all of us. - Steve Malk

Keep trying. Don't let rejection hold you back. - Jenny Bent

Publishers want to put out a personality. - Mela Bolinao

You can't force yourself to be a different person. - Ginger Clark

Know the market. Read books. Know what others are doing. - Joanne Volpe

If the story deviates from the image, ditch the image and follow that story! - David Wiesner

We are in an age where we compete with media. We need genre breakers. Attention grabbers. - Andrea Pinkney, author and editor at Scholastic

The craft of writing is getting your brain to bleed directly onto a blank page. - Richard Peck



















History is cool. Nonfiction is a way to remember truth. - Jeri Chase Ferris, Golden Kite Winner for Nonfiction

We live in a world where awful things happen, but sometimes there are things that are so atrocious that happen to kids and

we can't fix them. We create magic, wonder, escape.

- Jarrett Krosoczka, author of the Lunch Lady book series

Fellow writers, Meg Lentz and Bridget Casey, building characters through improve
in our intensive workshop with Henry Winkler

Don't overthink. It's all in your mind. You need to let it out.

- Henry Winkler

And a few more fun moments...


Joanne Rocklin, Golden Kite Winner for fiction



Mo Willems won the Sid Fleishman Award for humor, but unfortunately
he was tied up and couldn't be at the awards luncheon.

 


Meg and I enjoyed laughing with Marla Frazee at the book signing on Sunday



After Mike Jung signed a copy of his new book for my son, a lucky few of us
had the opportunity to enjoy our own personal concert as Mike played
the ukulele and sang with Arthur Levine.



You never know who you're going to spot in line at Starbucks. 

Meg and I met Jarrett Krosoczka on Monday.

Having a blast at the Black and White Gala with Lori Degman and the "checkered people"
(I later found out that they were Jessica Freeburg and Jay Asher)



This photo truly summarizes the weekend for me. Hanging out with my peeps. My tribe. My family.
I don't know what I'd do without the friends who help me through the ups and downs of this crazy literary journey.
I have a heart filled with gratitude to be a small part of the best organization in the world,
including many of you who were unable to attend the conference this year.

 I love you SCBWI!!!

Please be aware that the inspirational moments in this post were taken from my conference notes and may deviate from the speakers exact quotes.
All photos are copyrighted material and may only be used with direct permission.
(But, I'm pretty cool, so just ask.)


SCBWI-LA Writer's Day 2013

Me with my friend, Paula Yoo

I had the privilege of attending the SCBWI Los Angeles Writers Day 2013 on March 9-10 and the theme was Diversity.  It was a great time connecting with friends, learning about writing, and being inspired.

Here are a few highlights that resonated with me as a writer.



Steven Mooser greets the audience

 Author and SCBWI-LA Co-Regional Advisor, Lee Wind, began the weekend with a talk about our world of diversity and what that means for the characters you create. "What are the things that make your characters complex?"

Adriana Dominguez with Full Circle Literary Agency spoke about the market for diverse literature including challenges and opportunities. She spoke about the importance of children seeing themselves in literature. "Good literature seeks to bring as many readers as possible and is universal."

Author and 2012 Crystal Kite Winner Eugene Yelchin

After lunch the 2012 Crystal Kite Award winner, Eugene Yelchin, delivered a moving keynote about his thoughts on emotional writing for children. "The only way to make it easier for readers is to make it terribly hard for us, the writer. Our courage will help them feel less frightened and less alone."

Young Adult Author, Melinda Lo discussed cultural intersections and how she came to write what she does. "It took me a long time to believe in myself." Melinda added, "I wonder what it would have been like if I read about people like me [when I was growing up]."

Daniel Nayeri, Digital Editorial Director for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group spoke to us about what diversity isn't.  He spoke to us about censorship and encouraged society to have healthy disagreements, adding, "Whatever your opinion, there will always be a group that wants to silence [it]."

Me with the talented poet and author,
Nikki Grimes

Finally, one of my favorite poets and authors and Coretta Scott King Award Winner, Nikki Grimes, shared her keynote, The Poetry of Patience: How to Create a Classic.  Nikki told us about how powerful words are on the page and how our work as writers is sacred. Nikki closed telling each of us to bring that energizing power, presence and authority out into the world through our stories. "There are children who need it. All around."

A few of us returned on Sunday for the master class intensives offered by each of the guest speakers. I, along with my talented friends Paula Yoo and Claudia Harrington,   was honored to have the opportunity to attend Nikki's poetry intensive.  She shared an array of poetry styles. I have to say, it was quite mesmerizing to hear her read from a select few poems, some of which were from her books.

We brought our pre-intensive developed characters (pre-class homework) and worked independently on writing our own poems for both a picture book and a teen novel in verse.  It was illuminating to hear Nikki's writing process as she broke things down in a simple doable way. I walked away with what I think is a seed beginning of a novel in verse for tweens. 

Overall, the weekend left me emotionally spent and creatively encouraged to be more diverse in my writing.

On a similar note, I visited the library last week and checked out several books on poetry. One of my favorite poets is Langston Hughes, who I heard about from the awe-inspiring Ashley Bryan at the 2010 SCBWI Summer Conference when he delivered a stunning recital of Hughes' poem, My People.  I gave an example to my family of how different poetry is when it's read with real emotion by reading My People twice. First, quietly, almost monotoned with very little emotion. Then with gut wrenching emotion, volume, and passion (as closely to Ashley Bryan's delivery as I could muster up). It was pretty cool to see their reaction.  And for the first time, I think they got a glimpse of why I love poetry so much.

And the Winner Is....

I am so very honored and excited to share some fantastic news. I attended the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators Summer Conference in August, which has truly been the highlight of my year for four years now.  It's a time to meet up with my beloved writer friends, make new friends, share stories and nuggets of gold, meet the awe inspiring publishers, editors and agents that help make this kidlit machine run so beautifully, and a time to learn more about this amazing craft of writing and the business side of being an author.

This year I submitted my manuscript, STARRY KALAHARI, for a consultation and I WON the MOST PROMISING PICTURE BOOK AWARD!!!! Words honestly can not explain how blessed and honored I feel.  The fact that this is the very first year for the award is truly an award all within itself.

SQUEEEEEE!

P.S. A HUGE congratulations to the winner of the 2012 Sue Alexander Award, Kat Yeh!!!

SCBWI Summer Conference Budget

Hello Kidlit Peeps! I have LOTS of amazing news to share very soon, but first…

If you know anything about SCBWI, you know that the rockin’est party of the year is the Summer Conference, which takes place in July or August each year in Los Angeles, CA. That’s right… Ain’t no party like a KID LIT PARTY ‘cause the KID LIT PARTY don’t stoooooooop!

Now that we’ve established the importance of attending this fabulous party… errr…. conference each year, I’d like to touch on something that is not often talked about on discussion boards and blogs; budget.  For those of you who are new to writing or even those who are established writers but have never attended this conference, I’m sure money is an issue when considering a trek out to L.A.  So I’ve decided to dedicate this post to help you determine a monthly savings goal for the next 10 months that will help you attend the 2013 SCBWI Summer Conference. 

Ready?

Before we start, consider if you are on a low, medium, or high budget.  This will be determined by your actual monetary availability and your personal preferences (lodging priorities, what you eat and drink -- and how much, and if you are interested in the “extras” at the conference, like a manuscript or portfolio submission, or adding the extra day of intensives. Additionally, you might choose to check in on Thursday or Friday and check out on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. 

Everyone has their own wants and needs, so in order to generalize I’ve broken things down into three levels; Low Budget, Mid Budget, and the affectionately named “Party On” Budget.  Of course, these are only estimates, but they’re pretty close since they’re based on my experience attending the past 4 years.  The one line item that will be most “personal” will be the food/drinks. And to be honest, I’m not a big food/drinks person, so you may be better off determining how much you’ll spend each day and plug in your own numbers.  Also, I’ve included airfare (and estiate) and shuttle cost, so if you live locally, you can remove those from your total.

Keep in mind, the monthly savings goal is based on a 10 month plan (October through July) so you can start saving right now for next year. Of course, if you plan ahead or have some money throw into the pot to begin with, you can decrease your monthly savings amount if you base your plan on a 12 month cycle. Just take your total and divide by 12 instead of the 10 like I did.

Confused yet? OK. Here goes...

Oh, and remember, if you have any questions or comments at all please post them here.



By the way, don't forget to budget  extra money to buy some great books from the SCBWI Conference Bookstore!

I hope to see you there next year!

SCBWI Summer Conference 2011 - Saturday, Part 1

The Saturday line-up at the SCBWI Summer conference was AHHH-MAZE-ING!!!

Author Donna Jo Napoli kicked off our morning, getting right to business with a keynote titled, How Writing About Terrible Things Makes Your Reader a Better Person.  She talked about the difference between children who are protected (fed well, kept safe, listened to, etc.) and those who are not. When a child is unprotected, he feels alone and embarrassed and when he reads a book about a character going through the same thing, a perfectly good person, he realizes that bad things happen to good people.  This reminded me of the keynote by Richard Peck in 2009 when he discussed how important our "jobs" are as writers. We can not always save a hurting child, but what we can do is offer her a companion. Needless to say, I was a blubbering mess through Mr. Peck and Ms. Napoli's keynotes.

The next keynote has stayed with me since the moment I heard it. Author/Illustrator, David Small, began with a short film that was made as a trailer for his illustrated memoir, Stitches, that takes the reader through a journey of unimaginable abuse. After sharing with us about his writing, art, and how he grew up feel unloved, he closed his keynote singing, "How sweet it is to be loved by you," as he pointed to us, the audience, his family. The moment was unforgettable and when most of us had started to tear up in that moment, his wife joined him on the stage. They, together, danced a victory dance, and Mr. Small sang to her as they danced, "How sweet it is to be loved by you."  It was an unforgettable moment and I am honored that I was there to be a part of it.

As if we weren't emotional enough, Lin Oliver took the next keynote segment to interview the incredible Judy Blume.  Yes... That's right. JUDY BLUME!  I feverishly took five pages of gold-nugget filled notes. Here are a few if my favorites...

• Kid's concerns are the same.
• No matter what, get that first draft done!
• It never gets any easier.
• I hear them talking.  (re: writing dialogue.)
• Telling a story is a quest. It involves questioning.

When Lin and Judy closed, the California Ballroom erupted with applause and a much deserved standing ovation from all.

Stay tuned for Saturday, Part 2 with details of my breakout session with Libba Bray and Jenni Holm and keynotes from Jon Scieszka, Norton Juster and Mary Pope Osborne.

SCBWI Summer Conference 2011 - Friday

I'm still riding the "high" of the SCBWI 40th Anniversary Summer Conference. As usual, the air was thick with inspiration, encouragement and kid lit friends.  Here are a few of my favorite moments...

Friday

I carpooled with one of my local critique partners, Sherry Dargert, and arrived first thing Friday morning. I quickly registered and met up with two of my dear kid lit friends (and conference roomies), Lori Degman and Meg Fleming Lentz.  Lori and I have been critique partners for a while now, but this was the first time I'd met her or Meg face to face. Here we are at the Saturday night "Forty Winks" Gala with our other roomie, Heather Zenzen.

Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser greeted and welcomed us to the first ever sold out SCBWI Summer Conference event.  We learned that there were close to 1350 attendees from 49 U.S. states and 20 different countries.  We enjoyed the annual "introduction of the faculty" as everyone shared a sentence that included the word forty.

Prolific author, Bruce Coville, was our first keynote speaker. He gave us 13 pieces of advice, starting with "marry rich."  But one of the most inspiring things he said was simply put, "children are worth our best effort." 

2010 Caldecott Medal winner, Jerry Pinkney, shared his journey through slides. He suggested that we look at things in a different perspective and look over the shoulder of the main character.

Lin Oliver was moderator for our star-studded editor panel with Allyn Johnston, Julie Strauss-Gabel, Jennifer Hunt, Beverly Horowitz, and Debra Dorfman.  One of the things they addressed was how the ebook is changing the way the industry markets and how more is expected from the author regarding creating a buzz with school visits, social media and an overall online presence. 

It was great to see Libba Bray again as she took the podium as our evening speaker.  Libba also spoke at the SCBWI Writers Day LA conference in 2010, where my picture book manuscript, Starry Kalahari, won the writing contest in the nonfiction category.

(Sorry, I couldn't resist that plug opp... now, back to Libba...)

Libba's keynote was titled Writing It All Wrong: A Survival Manual. She explained how important it is to write that first draft, even though we think it's bad... really bad... I mean REALLY SUCKY bad.  She said you should not only acknowledge that it sucks, but you should "embrace the suck." Of course, the entire ballroom erupted with laughter again and again and again.  

Middle Grade and YA author extraordinaire, Laurie Halse Anderson, spoke at a breakout session titled The Nuts and Bolts of Crafting a Creative Life: Finding Lost Time and Reclaiming Creativity.  Nuggets of gold were scattered this way and that around that on-the-floor-in-front-of-her-podium-sitting-room-only room.  Laurie listed many myths that can hurt authors and gave us tons of tips on how to avoid the so-not-true, but very common saying, "I don't have time for writing."  I was in awe as she NAILED us on several time stealing activities and habits.   

Editor and consultant, Emma Dryden, was our Friday evening keynote speaker. Her presentation, Traveling Through the Digital Landscape: Where We've Been an Where We're Headed, was jam-packed with stats, reports and detailed industry info. She took us step by step through the digital age as she tapped into the real deal of what's happening with e-publishing today.

Friday ended with the PAL Book Sale & Cocktail Party and lots of visiting with friends. 

It was great seeing Paula Yoo, who is not only my favorite violin rock star, but also kidlit author and writer/producer of the SciFi show Eureka. By the way, she and I both agree the show should be called YOOreka... but whatever!  Paula and I met at her first National Picture Book Writing Week (NaPiBoWriWee) event in 2009.

 Here I am with picture book mastaaaahhhh, Tammi Sauer, and author/illustrator, Dan Santat. By the way, I had the opportunity to see Dan again this past weekend when he taught a group of kids about graphic novels, including my own three kiddos.  Stay tuned for a blog post about that exciting event soon.

Here I am again with Lori and Meg at the PAL party. "Don't go into the light!" 

Stay tuned for some more great recap action for Saturday and Sunday at the 2011 SCBWI Summer Conference.

SCBWI Summer Conference: 10 Tips (part 2)

The first keynote is less than 24 hours away. Your palms are sweating. Your heart is doing jumping jacks. Your mind is racing.  No worries... Here are 5 more tips to help you enjoy the SCBWI Summer conference. (Tips #1-5 are posted HERE.)

Tip #6: Say Hello!

If you haven’t figured it out yet, the kid lit community is like a family. If you find yourself alone, say hello to someone. It’s easy to make new friends connections, especially if you’re hanging out in the lobby each evening.  Likewise, don’t be afraid to approach an editor or agent and introduce yourself. Of course, always be professional and never corner someone in the bathroom with your manuscript in hand. Seriously, I’ve heard some nightmare stories.

Tip #7: Expense It!
Save receipts for everything you do. All your meals, hotel, airfare, and books are tax deductible.

Tip #8: Remember It!
When someone gives you a business card, jot down a quick note of something that will help you remember them. You will most likely get A LOT of business cards. If you’re Facebook and/or Twitter savvy, friend and follow them when you get home to keep in touch. Another way to recall all the fun is to take pictures. Don’t forget your camera.

Tip #9: Post It!
If you have a blog, or are on Face Book, Twitter, or any other social networking site, post your experience. Remember not to post too much detail about the speeches though.

Tip #10: Relax, Be Yourself, Smile and HAVE FUN!

See you there!!!

SCBWI Summer Conference: 10 Tips (part 1)

The countdown is on... The SCBWI Summer Conference is only days away. If this is your first time attending, here are a few quick tips to help you along as you get ready for the best kid lit event of the year!

TIP #1: How to Dress
The summer conference is casual. Wear what you're most comfortable in, while presenting yourself professionally. Some wear jeans, some wear trendy styles, and some like to wear more corporate/casual attire.

Tip #2: Research
Look up each of the keynote speakers. If you're an avid reader, pick up some of the authors' books at the library or bookstore and find out what makes them the notable author they are.  Know ahead of time what each of the agents and editors are looking for and what their list looks like (prior books and/or authors they've worked with). You may end up having an opportunity to pitch your book to them.

Tip #3: The Pitch
Speaking of pitching your book, you'll want to have a 30 second pitch ready. Even if you don't have (or don't take advantage of) an opportunity to pitch to an agent or editor, you'll most likely hear "What do you write" a number of times from other writers.  30 seconds also happens to be the amount of time that it takes to ride the elevator and you never know who you'll see in there between sessions.

Tip #4: Taking Notes
I like to bring a new spiral bound notebook to keep all my keynotes and session notes in.  If you do this, consider skipping the first 1-3 pages so you can make a Table of Contents.  When crafting your query letters to the editors and/or agents that you've attended sessions with, you'll refer back to your notes many times.

Tip #5: Take Care of Yourself
In order to be your best, be sure to eat well and get lots of sleep the week before the conference.  This event is notably one of the most exhausting experiences of my year, both physically and emotionally.  If you're like me, you may not sleep well at the event, so prepare your body with extra sleep the few days before.  Eat well and hydrate yourself too.

Stay tuned for tips #6-10 soon.

Screenwriting Tips For Writers Workshop

I recently attended a workshop through the SCBWI titled, Screenwriting Tips for Children’s Book Authors, by Michael Mahin, M.D. He began explaining the simplicity of the Three Act Structure, which is the most commonly known structure for screenwriting.

• Act 1 (25%) – Pose the question.
• Act 2 (25-75%) – Deliberation
• Act 3 (75-100%) – Answer the question.

Then the lecture got really exciting when Dr. Mahin spoke in detail about Joseph Campbell’s Mythic Superstructure. I’d been studying Campbell’s writing structure for a couple of months prior to the workshop, so it was nice to have someone break it down in such easy-to-follow details. Overall, the structure has 6 parts.

• Set-UP (0-10%)
• New Situation/Debate (10-25%)
• Progress/Mid-Point (25-50%)
• Complications & Higher Stakes (50-75%)
• Final Push (75-90%)
• Aftermath/Finale (90-100%)

In addition to explaining each section and giving us lots of great examples, Dr. Mahin talked briefly about the Sequence Approach and Preparation by Contrast. We also had the opportunity to do a short writing exercise that allowed us to brainstorm our own writing scenarios.

For those who would like more info on this topic, there's a ton of info online. Two recommended books for those who really want to learn more are The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell and Screenwriting: The Sequence Approach, by Paul Joseph Gulino.

Stay tuned for more workshop recaps coming next week.

Workshop Report Coming Soon... Stay Tuned

I've been busy at work over the past several months attending workshops and discussion panels about writing. I look forward to reporting on those over the next few weeks.

Coming up...

• Screenwriting Tips for Wrters, lecture by Michael Mahin, M.D.
• SCBWI Writers Day L.A., including lectures by Margaret Miller, Bruce Coville, Susan Patron, Rachel Cohn, and Tony Johnston.
• L.A. Times Book Festival (discussion panels)
• SCBWI Agents Day, with Natalie Fisher, Edward Necarsulmer IV, Rosemary Stimola, Stefanie Von Borstel, and Ana Webman.

And finally, the SCBWI Summer Conference 2011.  Stay tuned!