Social Media Round-Up of 2013 SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference

This was our biggest and most extensive conference yet, and I've put together a social media round-up for those of you who missed the meeting or want to relieve some of your favorite moments. If you have highlights, pictures or comments about the 2013 SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference, but sure to link to them in the comments or tag them with #SCBWIMidAtlantic on twitter.

Blog

Conference Co-Chair Erin Teagan created a funny and fabulous list of Ten Things about the 2013 MidAtlantic SCBWI Fall Conference. Erin and Val Patterson did an amazing job coordinating this event, and Regional Advisor Ellen Braaf is just about the most welcoming host anyone could ask for.

*As a wonderful new addition to out chapter, Elizabeth Metz gave an illustrator's perspective on the meeting. This was also her first time attending an SCBWI conference, and her "notebook doodles" are both insightful and beautiful.

Twitter

You can still read all the tweets about the conference even if you didn't have the change to attend the meeting yourself. People shared words of wisdom, encouragement and networking opportunities.

Tweets about "#SCBWIMidAtlantic"

Facebook

Follow SCBWI Mid-Atlantic on Facebook! While the page administrator Anne Marie Pace wasn't able to attend this year's conference (she was speaking at her alma mater's homecoming), there are a lot of comments and highlights and questions about the conference going around. It's also a great place to find out about events and book releases for local SCBWI members throughout the year.

Pictures

I wasn't great about taking pictures or notes this year, but I do have a couple to share.

My friend Judy Egan makes her wish on Cynthia Lord's Newbery Honor plaque for her book Rules.

VCFA represents with Anne Westrick, author of Brotherhood, and Hannah Baranby, author of Wonder Show. Gigi Amateau, not a VCFA grad but still a wonderful and prolific author, also joined the panel.

*Added 10/29/13

SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Annual Fall Conference: Children's Publishing in 2013

I'm usually much better about posting information about the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic activities, but once again, I'm going to plead grad school. This is an amazing event for local children's writers and illustrators. Not only do you learn about writing for children and young adults, but it also connects you with an entire community of writers. This year, the event returns to the Holiday Inn Dulles on October 25-26. Registration is still open, though only one of the intensives on the 25th is still available.

The keynote speaker will be Cynthia Lord, author of the Newbery Honor book Rules. Featured speakers include picture book master (and VCFA faculty member) Mary Quattlebaum and Frances Gilbert, Associate Publishing Director of Random House, Golden Books, Doubleday Books for Young Readers. You can check out the full faculty list as well as the agenda on the conference website.

Click here for more information and to register for the event.

SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Annual Fall Conference: Children's Publishing in 2012

There are only a few more days to register for the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Annual Fall Conference on October 19-20, in Sterling, Virginia. The keynote speaker is Karen Cushman, author of Will Sparrow’s Road and the Newbery Award-winner The Midwife’s Apprentice. Other faculty includes Tracey Adams, Kwame Alexander, Mary Amato, Ellen R. Braaf, Cynthia Cotten, Kelley Cunningham, Lezlie Evans, Amanda Luedeke, Emily Meehan, Daniel Nayeri, Anne Marie Pace, Valerie O. Patterson, Mary Quattlebaum, Candice Ransom, Joan Waites, Tina Wexler and Carolyn P. Yoder.

Visit www.regonline.com/scbwimidatlanticconf for more information and to register.

Books, Brainstorming and Baseball

I can't believe it's June! Seriously, where did May go? Or for that matter, what happened to April?

My first writing assignment for grad school was due this week. I had to put together a 20-page submission for critique groups that I will participate in this summer. I was shocked by how difficult I found it to pick what to submit. This is the first exposure my classmates will have to my work, and perhaps more importantly, I'll be getting feedback from a wide variety of readers. That's a lot of pressure—to pick something that still needs work but isn't so rough that my fellow kidlit-lovers will think I'm a hack. I finally settled on a piece that I'd love to be working on but has taken a backseat to other projects.

VCFA also sent the lecture list for the coming semester and recommended I read at least some of the source books for the lectures. To get started, I read The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt. As some of you may remember, I heard Schmidt speak at the National Book Festival last year, and his words had a profound affect on me. And now that I've read one of his books, I respect Schmidt all the more. He made me laugh and cry by weaving Shakespeare, baseball and modern American history into a great story.

On Wednesday I attended another lecture for the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum's First Amendment Center. This was a panel on religious freedom and the press in Iran. Wow, what a powerful subject. At some point I'd like to write a more detailed blog post of some of my thoughts and highlights of this event, but in general, it made me realize how woefully undereducated I am on this subject.

October might seem like a long way off, but planning for the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Annual Fall Conference is in full swing. And I still can't get over the fact that I'll get to meet Karen freakin' Cushman. That's right, the award-winning author of Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice will be our keynote speaker. The fangirl in me is already squealing. I just hope I don't embarrass myself in front of one of my childhood idles. Honestly, there's not a chance that I will get through this meeting with any semblance of dignity and grace.

I was supposed to attend last night's baseball game between the Nationals and the Braves, but a severe thunderstorm put an end to the game before it even started. Instead, my friends and I stood in the pouring rain, sharing our favorite baseball stories. The rain delay also meant I got to listen to an awesome win by the White Sox. I still can't get over how lucky I am to have my hometown team be in first place in the American League Central and my adopted hometown team be in first place in the National League East. Can you imagine what I mess I'll be if they face off at the World Series? I know it's bad luck to speculate about these types of things, but I can't seem to help myself.

But today? Today I claimed my own little piece of sunshine and soaked in the rays with a good book (Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore in case you don't recognize the cover). My desk might be a mess and my laundry might remain in a pile, but I can't think of a better way to spend my day.

A Pep Talk in Richmond

I love SCBWI events, so when my friend Julie Phend asked if I wanted to go to Richmond with her for Everything I Needed to Know: Paths to Success in Writing for Children, it didn't take too much arm twisting to get me to agree to make the two-hour drive. Mostly I wanted to have some time to spend with Julie as she lives about an hour and a half away, and seeing a good friend twice a month just isn't enough.

Castle in the Swamp

The first panel was specifically geared towards picture book authors/illustrators. While I love picture books, I don't have any interest in writing them myself—at least not at this point. But if there's one thing I've learned from SCBWI, it's that you can't discount advice just because you don't think it was meant for you. Hazel Buys, Brian Rock, Carol Cole and Kim Norman all spoke of the importance of perseverances and looking outside of traditional means to accomplish your goals. But Brian's use of Monty Python to illustrate his point was what really resonated with me. (Only the first minute of this clip is what Brian referred to.)

"If insanity is doing something over and over again expecting different results, than success is insanity squared... You have to assume that someone out there is going to say 'Yes!'"

—Brian Rock
author of Don't Play With Your Food and Piggies

Backyard Chat

The lovely Lana Krumwiede spoke with her agent Molly Jaffa about the process from manuscript to publication. I was excited to see Lana and Molly on the agenda as I first met them at an SCBWI event back in 2010, right after Lana got her book deal. It was wonderful to catch up with both of them and see how their careers have really taken off over the past two years. And that success is mostly due to their amazing writer–agent relationship.

"Decide what you're looking for and what you have, and then hit the internet hard searching for what you need [in an agent]."

—Lana Krumwiede
author of Freakling

"I think it's important to do what's best for your career, not necessarily what's most convenient for the agent... There's a lot of crying in children's literature—it's not at all like baseball."

—Molly Jaffa
agent at Folio Literary Management

If only Molly had watched the Chicago White Sox game quickly followed by the Washington Nationals game that evening, she would have realized there's plenty of crying in baseball, too.

Friday Five: Five Weeks in Five Pictures

The past five weeks have been a little crazy, but it's been one of those crazy wonderful months. I know that I posted a couple of these pictures, but they kind of bear repeating. So here are the five best things that happened to me in the past five week.

Chicago Trip

When you get to spend an entire week with your family and best friend, you'd be thinking about it and smiling about it a month later as well. I wish we could be together everyday, but I'll just have to be content with fond memories and plans for another trip soon.

Uncle Ron's Visit

I love when people visit me in DC, but I especially love seeing my family. So when my uncle came to town, we had an amazing few days touring the monuments—especially seeing MLK Memorial for the first time— and spending a morning at the National Arboretum—my uncle's a master gardener, which made this visit especially fun.

SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference

I know, I can't say enough about how wonderful this conference was. I net so many wonderful people there that I hope to keep in touch with for years to come. Joining and then volunteering with SCBWI was the best decision I've ever made.

Meeting in the Berkshires

I was asked to speak at a conference in Massachusetts, and despite the early snow, I had a wonderful time. Hopefully the attendees found my presentation worthwhile (I spoke about building relationships with local media) because I know it was lovely to meet all of them.

Grad School App

That's right, my very first graduate school application is complete (except for one promised letter of recommendation that hasn't been submitted yet). I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have the first one in—now the other two don't seem like such insurmountable obstacles. My decision to go to graduate school is seeming more and more real and getting more and more exciting.

Dream Big, or Highlights from the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference

This was my first official year on the SCBWI Fall Conference Planning Committee, and boy was it crazy hard work. I don't know how these women (and sometimes men) do this year after year after year. But all the hard work totally paid off this weekend. Children's book industry professionals all came together just outside the Beltway to inspire, teach and even sometimes admonish the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI community.

We all know I'm a sucker for both baseball and books, so Brian Lies didn't have to work all that hard to get me rooting for him. But when he showed up at the conference hotel around 11 p.m. while I was setting up the AV equipment, he proceeded to spend the next hour making sure his presentation worked with our system and even let me be a fangirl for a little while. Then bright an early the next morning, Brian gave an amazing opening address.

He framed his speech around his marketing plan for his books, including advice on brainstorming (nothing is off the table), going beyond what the publisher is willing to do (his family wraps their van in art for every book) and the most important meal of the day (breakfast, of course). While much of his concepts directly translate into promotional ideas for published authors, the underlying message was clearly for everyone: Investing in yourself will give you the best returns.

"If you believe—if you imagine the wacky stuff—it can happen... Success really does breed success, but you have to keep the ball rolling."

—Brian Lies
author of Bats at the Ballgame and Bats at the Beach

Brian was followed by a panel of literary agents who talked about what they do and what they're looking for in clients. This is also where I get to insert a plug for my friend Megan Sheperd, whose book The Madman's Daughter comes out from HarperCollins in 2013, in large part thanks for her agent, Quinlan Lee. And after hearing Quinlan speak and talking to her after the conference, I can understand why Megan speaks so highly of Quinlan. Both her and Jennifer's dedication to their clients and the children's book industry was clear in their advice.

"If you send to everyone at one time, you lose the opportunity to revise and resubmit."

—Jennifer Rofé
agent with Andrea Brown Literary Agency

"One book, two hands, countless reasons we do what we do."

—Quinlan Lee
agent with Adams Literary

Next up as editor extraordinar Chelsea Eberly talking about "The Hook for Your Book". While I missed the first part of her talk because of other conference responsibilities, she gave wonderful insight into why you need to know what about your novel will hook the reader. In knowing what makes your novel strong and unique, you are able not only to pitch it to industry professionals but also fix a lot of problems in your writing before you begin submitting.

"Think about the book industry, which means doing your homework... If you don’t know what you’ve written, you’ve kind of handed us an easy rejection."

—Chelsea Eberly
editor at Random House

National Book Award-winner Han Nolan gave the keynote address. She is both talented and insightful as well as humble and kind. I have never heard a speaker expose herself so fully to an audience, and it nearly broke my heart. She spoke about some of her most embarrassing moments as a writing and why she keeps writing despite the challenges.

"We don’t need more junk, and the young people we’re writing for don’t need more junk. They need to be inspired and invigorated... Powerful art can change you, it can change the world."

—Han Nolan
author of Pregnant Pause and Dancing on the Edge

Time management is a huge issue for authors and aspiring writers alike, and the local author panel addressed how to accomplish your writing goals without sacrificing the rest of you life. And these woman—who are writers, mothers, teachers, friends—understand what it takes to be a Renaissance Woman.

"It is fair to ask yourself what you’re trading your writing time for."

—Wendy Shang
author of The Great Wall Of Lucy Wu

"You can expect kind things to come your way, and you should extend kind things to others as well."

—Meg Medina
author of The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind and Milagros: Girl from Away

"At some point you have to say, okay, this is when I’m going to write and this is when I’m going to take care of business... We all get the same 24 hours in a day."

—Anne Marie Pace
author of Vampirina Ballerina and Never Ever Talk to Strangers

"You have to compartmentalize yourself...but you also need a break."

—Amy Brecount White
author of Forget-Her-Nots

The day finished off with an the editor panel discussing how voice influences plot and character development. With both practical and theoretical advice on how to develop a unique, believable voice in writing, these editors proved why they are so trusted and respected in the children's book industry.

"It’s so easy to forget to look through your character’s eyes and [instead] look through our own eyes because they’re more familiar... Ask yourself: What would I do if I were the character in this scenario?"

—Abby Ranger
editor at Disney-Hyperion

"There are no absolutes in writing, so clearly all of the rules we give you you are free to break."

—Chelsea Eberly
editor at Random House

"Figure out what your character is most afraid of and then make them do it... When the internal and external conflicts interlace, it makes for a very nuanced story."

—Caroline Abbey
editor at Bloomsbury

It's pretty obvious why I enjoyed this conference so much. Every SCBWI event I attend gets me excited to do more with and be better at what I feel such a deep passion to do. If you aren't a member of SCBWI, join now. And if you already are a member, it was great to see you at the conference, and I look forward to seeing you again next year!

SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference Professional Panels

Just in case you aren't excited enough about this year's SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference, check out the publishing professionals we've got lined up.

Agents Panel: Behind the Scenes at a Literary Agency
Jennifer Rofé is an agent with the Andrea Brown Agency where she handles children’s fiction projects. Some of her clients include Laurie David, Cambria Gordon, Crystal Allen, Kathryn Fitzmaurice, Denise Doyen, Cynthea Liu, Barry Wolverton and Lauren Strasnick. She is also the co-author of the picture book Piggies in the Pumpkin Patch. Jennifer earned a BA in English from UC Davis.

Quinlan Lee has been in the children’s publishing industry for the past ten years as both a writer and an agent. She is currently an agent with Adams Literary. She has published over thirty books, including licensed projects for Clifford’s Puppy Days, Dora the Explorer and the Planet Earth series. A graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, Quinlan is a member of SCBWI and a founding board member of the Women’s National Book Association chapter in Charlotte, NC.

Editors Panel: Inside Publishing Today
Chelsea Eberly is an assistant editor with Random House Books for Young Readers. An alum of the Columbia Publishing Course, she is the editor of The Project by Brian Falkner, the Fairy Godmother Academy series by Jan Bozarth and It’s Milking Time by Phyllis Alsdurf. She also edits the paperback line of the Magic Tree House series and is working on the graphic novel adaptation of Tamora Pierce’s First Test.

Caroline Abbey is an editor at Bloomsbury where her current projects include Melissa Walker’s Small Town Sinners, The A Circuit by Georgina Bloomberg, Catherine Hapka, Villain School: Good Curses Evil by Stephanie S. Sanders and the middle grade mythology-inspired Pandora series by Carolyn Hennesy. Caroline also manages the Bloomsbury paperback list. She was previously with Simon Pulse.

Abby Ranger is an editor at Disney-Hyperion Books. She has worked with Cinda Williams Chima, Melissa Kantor, Katie Alender, and newcomers like Victoria Schwab and Kiera Stewart. She was born in Colorado, grew up in British Columbia and now lives in Brooklyn.

Ellen Braaf (moderator), columnist and feature writer for ASK magazine, has published fiction, nonfiction, and humor for children and adults. Her six-book Science Detectives series, written under the name Ellen René, was published by PowerKids Press. Ellen teaches for The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, MD, and serves as SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Regional Advisor.

So join us Oct. 22 at the Holiday Inn Dulles in Sterling, Virginia. It will be an event you don't want to miss!

If you haven't gotten the information in the mail, here's a link to the registration form and another for the full conference flyer. If you would like to post the widget for the conference on your blog or website, let me know and I'll email you the html code.

Find out more about the conference's featured speakers here. You can also see what local authors will be at the conference here.

SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference Local Author Panel

Just in case you aren't excited enough about this year's SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference, check out these local authors--all of whom are guaranteed to keep you in stitches--who will be participating in a panel discussion.

Author Panel: Publishing Postpartum: Highs, lows and expectations after your book is released
Meg Medina has written for adults and children for over fifteen years. Her stories and poems have appeared in numerous literary magazines. Milagros: Girl from Away is her first novel for young readers. Meg is also the author of the picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car and the forthcoming young adult novel The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind.

Anne Marie Pace is the author of Never Ever Talk to Strangers and A Teacher for Bear, both published by Scholastic Book Clubs. Her third book, Vampirina Ballerina, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, will be published by Disney-Hyperion in 2012. With other children’s writers, she publishes The 4:00 Book Hook, a free monthly enewsletter for adults who share books with kids.

Wendy Shang is the author of The Great Wall of Lucy Wu. An earlier version of Lucy received an SCBWI Work-in-Progress grant. Wendy is currently at work on a second book while running writing workshops at Title I schools as a Strauss Fellow, funded by the Arts Council of Fairfax County.

Amy Brecount White has played with words for most of her life. Her novel, Forget-Her-Nots, is about the language of flowers come magically to life. She has appeared at the Philadelphia Flower Show and the U.S. Botanic Garden. More than 80 of her essays and articles have been published in The Washington Post, and she also writes for the new Arlington magazine.

Tami Lewis Brown (moderator) left a career as a trial lawyer to pursue an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and write books for young people. She grew up in Kentucky, the setting for her new middle grade novel, The Map of Me, and now lives with her family in one of the oldest houses in Washington, DC. Tami blogs at www.ThroughTheTollbooth.com and www.FromTheMixedUpFiles.com.

So join us Oct. 22 at the Holiday Inn Dulles in Sterling, Virginia. It will be an event you don't want to miss!

If you haven't gotten the information in the mail, here's a link to the registration form and another for the full conference flyer. If you would like to post the widget for the conference on your blog or website, let me know and I'll email you the html code.

Find out more about the conference's featured speakers here. You can also see what publishing professionals will be at the conference here.

SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Conference Information

I can officially give details on the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference 2011! If you haven't gotten the information in the mail, here's a link to the registration form and another for the full conference flyer. If you would like to post the widget for the conference on your blog or website, let me know and I'll email you the html code.

Speaker: Sell Your Book without Selling Your Soul
Brian Lies is the author/illustrator of Bats at the Ballgame. He received his degree from Brown University and studied drawing and painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In 1989, he illustrated his first book, Flatfoot Fox and the Case of the Missing Eye. Since then, he’s illustrated over twenty books—including five he also wrote. Brian lives in Massachusetts with his wife, daughter, two cats and a hamster.

Speaker: The Hook for Your Book
Chelsea Eberly is an assistant editor with Random House Books for Young Readers. An alum of the Columbia Publishing Course, she is the editor of The Project by Brian Falkner, the Fairy Godmother Academy series by Jan Bozarth and It’s Milking Time by Phyllis Alsdurf. She also edits the paperback line of the Magic Tree House series and is working on the graphic novel adaptation of Tamora Pierce’s First Test.

Speaker: Keynote Address
Han Nolan is the award-winning author of eight young adult novels, including National Book Award winner Dancing on the Edge and National Book Award finalist Send Me Down a Miracle. She completed an MFA in dance from Ohio State University but returned to writing full time after she and her husband adopted three children. She also has taught in the graduate program in children’s literature at Hollins University. Born in Alabama, Han lives on Cape Cod with her husband. Her newest book, Pregnant Pause, comes out this fall.

So join us Oct. 22 at the Holiday Inn Dulles in Sterling, Virginia. It will be an event you don't want to miss!

2x SCBWI WIP LoM

I'm feeling the love from the acronyms/initialisms. For those of you who need a translation, this means I receives my second Letter of Merit from the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators' Amazon.com Work-In-Progress Grant Committee. (Note that while WIP is an acronym because it's pronounceable, SCBWI is an initialisms, 2x is shorthand, and LoM is just made up for my own amusement.) That's right, I've got two times the merit.

Two years ago I received a LoM for my middle grade historical fiction novel, and this year I was recognized for my YA contemporary novel in verse. And for someone who claimed not to be a poet, I'm totally flummoxed.

This year, I really need to thank my (one and only) creative writing teacher Steven Stewart who encouraged me to write the poem that inspired this novel, even though it got cut from the manuscript. And although she probably doesn't even remember reading it, Maggie Stiefvater read my first ten pages and helped give my idea direction. But most importantly, the women in my writers' group read draft after draft until it sounded good enough to submit for the grant, and then they had the tedious job of reading the grant proposal. Those women are rock stars.

Honoring SCBWI Keynote Speakers

Usually after I return from a conference, I write a couple of posts about what I learned and things that I want to work on. I had ever intention of doing that this week as well. Then I decided the best thing I could do was take what Sara Zarr and Linda Sue Park both said in their keynote addresses.

So I'm shutting off the internet this week, possibly even this month. I'll still be posting on facebook and twitter, because let's face it, I'm from the tech generation and would probably never talk to many of my friends if I totally ignore technology. But I'm going to try to limit my internet use, and my blog is officially going into hiatus so I can re-focus on writing.

It's time to go to work.

My Metro Cards

I have my two Metro cards tucked in my wallet--one for the city I'm leaving behind and the other for the city I'm heading for. I'm trading monuments and the Potomac for skyscrapers and the Hudson. At least for a little while.

The SCBWI 2011 Winter Conference is almost here. In the next few days I'll get to see old friends from all over the country who share my passion for Children's lit. My days will be filled with bookstores and book talks and book signings. I get to learn about picture books and making kids laugh and market trends and writing technique.

Those two Metro cards I keep close at hand give me access to so much more than public transportation. They connect me to the the literary world I love.

Prepping for SCBWI Conference(s)

Conferences are a great way to learn about the craft, hear about new publishing trends and bask in the comfort of like-minded writers. Most importantly, they get me excited to work a little harder and do a little better. I'm getting really excited about the SCBWI Winter Conference in NYC, mostly because I keep reading interviews with authors I can't wait to hear speak over at Alice Pope's blog. I've also been contacting some old friends to see if they'll be there so we can meet up and chat--it's been a long time since of seen many of them who are still out in Illinois and Utah and a few who have moved away from D.C.

This conference, there are a few issues I'm planning to talk to people about:

1. The Master's Debate: Would an MA or MFA be beneficial to my career and help me develop as a writer? Are there other ways I can accomplish the same type of development? Is it a fiscally responsible endeavor? What kind of scholarships/grants/fellowships are available?
2. Anything But a Novel: What are other forms of writing I can break into? With lagging print sales, are there still opportunities in magazine writing? Ghost writing and series writing seems like a great idea, but how does might it affect my personal writing?
3. Writers' (Support) Groups: How can I most effectively utilize my writers' group? What kinds of questions should we be asking each other, and how can we help encourage group members while still giving an effective critique? Is there such a thing as too much work-shopping?

I figure if I'm going to be standing in a room with some of the greatest minds in children's publishing, I'd better have something to talk to them about. Whether it acts as an ice-breaker when I find myself sitting at a lunch table with a NYT best-selling author or an agent opens the floor for questions after a presentation, I want to have something to talk to them about. Of course, I'll probably end up talking to them about audiobooks or Matt Damon. Not that those weren't some great conversations. There are also a few people whom I consider friends and mentors who will be there, and I want their feedback, especially on the master's issue.

My part in planning for the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference has also crept up on me. It's not until the fall, but I have my first planning meeting this weekend. Yes, six months before our regional conference we are having a planning meeting, not about speakers or caterers or manuscript critiques, which people have been working on for a year or more now, but about setting up technology (e.g. projector, microphones). I cannot believe the kind of effort that goes into these meetings. My respect for the people who do this year after year just like tripled.

Back to the Big Apple

I was finally about to register for the SCBWI Winter Conference, and I can't wait to hear Sara Zarr and Lois Lowry and Linda Sue Park speak. And knowing the great Mo Willems and Jane Yolen will be participating in panel discussions is just icing on the cake. It also doesn't hurt that I'm spending an extra day in NYC to go by The Strand and Books of Wonder.

A year ago, I had never been to a writing conference, but there's something magical that happens when a bunch of writers get in the same space like this. It inspires you. It encourages you. It makes you realize how much work you have to do.

Finding my tribe, or highlights from the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference

I love when authors talk about the heart of the craft. I think this is especially important in children's lit. As the New York Times likes to remind us, the industry is constantly changing, and you can't open a copy of Publishers Weekly without hearing about lagging book sales. Writers don't write to make money, they do it because they have to. Because the story's too important not to be heard.

"We do it even though we fail…And you have to wonder why, but we do it because we care."

-Kathryn Erskine

(Kathryn Erskine, author of Mockingbird, reenacts what it felt like to be nominated for the National Book Award.)

Yet good writers have more than heart. They also have mad technical skills. Think of your favorite book. You know the one that has the cracked spin and crinkled corners from rereading your favorite passages so many times. The one you've had to buy three copies of because it fell apart or it's too full of notes in the margins or you loan it out so often you need an extra copy just for you. Yeah, that one. Do you ever find yourself analyzing the writing style or going over a passage twice because of confusing syntax or getting frustrated by typos? No! That's because the writing's so good you stop noticing the individual words and only see the story.

"'Said' is like punctuation to us. We don’t notice it when we read it...Readers shouldn’t have to think about it."

-Andrea Tompa

Writing is hard work, and it also takes sacrifice. Maybe it means the dishes don't get done right away or you can't take that long weekend with friends because you have to take a personal day to talk to that expert. Even without a family to care for, I feel the time crunch, so I can't imagine how moms and dads get it done. And often it happens despite people not understanding why you do it or even supporting your efforts.

"I am giving you all permission today to lower your standards."

-Lisa Yee

(Lisa Yee, author of Warp Speed, keeps the audience in stitches until she breaks their hearts reading from her upcoming book.)

Conferences are the best place to meet people who just get it. And it's not all about writing--it's about the industry. I love that I can sit at a table and have an hour-long conversation about the best audiobook production companies or the increased popularity of mix-medium picture books or the use of boarding schools as a literary device. People don't look at me funny when I say I've read 20 books this month (because they've read 25), and the understand what it feels like to cut your first chapter to move your initiating action forward (because they cut three last week). Everyone is in different stages of their careers, but we all share a love of the children's book industry.

As Lisa Yee says, this is my tribe. They don't judge, they don't laugh. They just get it.

The Changing Season, or How Rahm Emanuel and Sara Zarr Ended Up in the Same Post

There are so many things I've been thinking about and wanting to post about and wondering if I even have anything interesting to say about. Like:

• Registration opening for the SCBWI Winter Conference. Sara Zarr is one of the keynote speakers along with Louis Lowry and Linda Sue Park, and Jane Yolen and Mo Willams will take part in picture book panel discussions. I find inspiration in the writing of all of these authors, so hearing them all speak at one event would be... Well, words fail to describe the total awesomeness this event will be. Just do me a favor: no one register until I can save enough money to attend. I can't have the conference filling up before I can afford it.

• National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner. Last year I participated and laid the groundwork for a really solid novel. And while the experience was emotionally, physically and creatively exhausting, there's something magical about belonging to a community of writers like that. It pushes you to do more and work a little harder because you know that someone not to far away is doing the exact same thing.

• The simply amazing Laurie Halse Anderson's #speakloudly campaign  has got me thinking a lot about what we can do to increase public awareness of how books impact children and teens. I keep coming back to the concept of parents and children reading together. And I don't mean parents necessarily reading aloud to their children or reading books before they allow their children to read them. I simple mean reading about common topics/themes/genres and then talking about those topics/themes/genres together. (More on this in a later post that I'm still working out in my head.)

• I'm running into problems with the initiating action in a couple of my WIPs. I'm in the middle of rewriting one of the manuscripts I thought I was done with, and I need to fix the beginning of another before I can move forward. Lots of headaches and worries, but I'm hoping the hard work will pay off in the end.

• There are a ton of amazing books coming out in the next few months, and I'm dying to get my hands on them. The only problem? I already have a ton of books I need to read, and my October is turning out to be just as insane as my September. I need a professional time manager to come organize my life. And I might need a motivational speaker thrown into the package to help me follow through.

• On a lighter note, Dancing with the Stars is finally getting interesting. I find myself almost charmed by The Situation (and I promised myself I would forever feel indifference towards the cast of Jersey Shore) with his surprising work ethic and self-deprecating humor. And in a positive turn of events, the dancers I like the least have all been voted off, 1, 2, 3. Now if only Glee would stop over digitizing their music so I could watch an episode without wincing...

See, a lot to write about, but nothing that actually makes an entire post. This is what happens when I have too much to think about--nothing comes out fully formed. I've also been thinking a lot about The Trevor Project and how important it is to show love for people despite (or maybe because of) their differences. And then there's Rahm Emanuel leaving the White House and the upcoming holiday weekend and the changing seasons and the end of baseball season. Fall is a season of transition, and I guess my brain just needs to wrap around all the changes going on.

Back to School

I loved school. I loved being a student. I loved the learning process and meeting fascinating people and being introduced to unexpectedly exciting subject material and accessing to library databases and having an excuse to stay up late, eat junk food and not brush my hair for days on end.

But  the thing I love most about school? Graduating--knowing that I never have to go back again. So to all of you who are still trudging along through too expensive textbooks or being forced into class by state mandates, I wish you luck and hope you find joy in the learning process.

As for me, I will happily attend classes only on subject matter I'm interested in and learn about fascinating subject matter from people I randomly meet on the street. Call me a non-traditional student, but I don't have any plans on going back into a formal classroom setting.

Only there's this catch. I gave myself ten years. If in that ten years I can't find publishing success, I will admit to myself that I don't know enough. That I need more than what book and SCBWI conferences and highly intelligent friends and tweets can possibly give me. At that point I will start looking at attending an MFA program and getting an advanced degree in creative writing.

So while everyone else is going back to school or sending loved ones back to school, I'm seeing if what I already know and the natural talent I have is enough to get me published. But in eight more years, I might be joining you all back in the halls of higher education.

Imagination Come Alive

Sometimes the best thing to get me excited about writing is the encouragement. Positive re-enforcement is always a good motivator. So if I'm doing so many things wrong, what could I possibly be doing right?

I read extensively on a variety of subjects so I know the market. Stephen Fraser talked about about several books his author's have coming out, and many of them I already have on my to-read list. Even in the generas that I don't have a writing interest in (i.e. paranormal, picture books), I still read and keep current on.

"[A high concept novel is] a story where the premise is bigger than the characters." i.e. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, Artemis Fowl by Eion Colfer, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

-Elana Roth

Sometimes the journey to knowledge is more important than the distention itself. Beneath all the research and history and expert opinion should be a mystery that makes kids question the reality of how the world is. But most importantly, every event is caused by something bigger and more global than the small little reaction we see in our own corner of the world.

"We aren't training kids for a Flatland. We're training them for a sphere."

-Marc Aronson

Being able to write for children/teens means knowing about modern teens. The world is changing too quickly for me to be able to rely on my own memory of what it was like to be in elementary school, middle school, high school. I need to be involved with kids--talk to them--and at least try to understand the issues they are dealing with on a daily basis.

"Find out what kids are learning about... What is the next thing that will change kids lives?"

-Margaret Peterson Haddix

Characters need to have strong voices. I need to be able to hear my characters speaking and be able to see where they live. It's not enough to have a good story (a high concept) if I don't have the characters to support it. In contrast, without a solid story, even the strongest of characters cannot survive.

"If you're going to commit to writing a book for two years or more, you darn well better be committed to that story."

-Joyce McDonald

This writing conference was an eye-opening experience for me. So if any of the speakers are wondering if they were able to teach anyone anything, if anyone was listening, know that I was. In these past few posts I have been able to touch on only a very few details that I learned. After two days, I hope I have become a better writer.

(Although I didn't quote her in either this post or the previous post, I'd like to mention Michelle Poploff and her wonderful session with Edie Hemingway about the editor/agent relationship. She helped me see that while making big changes to a manuscript might be scary and intimidating, they are worth the effort. It is better to make changes before a book goes to print than to be disappointed with your work years later.)

Leaping in Head First

"You can. You will. Have fun. Isn't is amazing?"

-Margaret Peterson Haddix

I have come to this conclusion: Conferences are great, but they have a way of making you feel like you aren't doing anywhere near enough. At least they should make you feel that way. But they also have a way of getting you excited to try harder.

"What you know so far is always propelling you to what you will know in the future."

-Marc Aronson

For example, I need a way better query letter. Query letters aren't just for an agent or editor, they also make you look at your manuscript and decide what's important, what makes it different, and what makes it marketable.

"Show in your query letter that you can write... Eye-popping visuals show you have an imagination... Authors need to know where their story is."

-Elana Roth (no vampires)

Also, I need to introduce my initiating action sooner. It's like I'm writing my first chapter as a prologue rather than diving right in. So now I'm a hypocrite because I always say how pointless prologues are, but I've been writing them all along.

"Let your reader know what the main conflict is--or at least hint at it--on the first page. The sooner you can engage the reader, the better."

-Joyce McDonald

Another big thing: I need to be taking advantage of children's magazine writing. They are a great way to gain exposure, understand your audience and practice the craft. Why I'm so intimidated by children's magazines, I'll never know, especially when I'm often published in regular newspapers and magazines.

"Less is more. Always."

-Debra Hess

Oh yes, I also need to be tweeting more. I set up a twitter account like...err...a year and a half ago, and I only have 65 posts, and none of them are all that interesting. Why, oh why, am I not a better social mediaer? And my YouTube Channel? Yeah, that hasn't been updated in almost a year.

"If you ever have a whim as an author, follow it. You will never be wrong."

-Stephen Fraser

And I can't forget that I need to develop a better elevator pitch. Or that I need to find the hook that solidifies my current WIP. Or that I need to be sending out way more agent queries.

That's a whole lot of needing. I suppose I should now get to work on the doing.