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| Andrea Pinkney |
Andrea Davis Pinkney has a unique dual perspective: that of an Editor (she's Vice President and Executive Editor at Scholastic) and a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of picture books, novels, historical fiction and nonfiction.
Andrea opened with having us do the same centering exercise she does every morning before she writes, and then shares her tips for finding those nuggets that can become books, for being a writer. She covers writers block (and how she doesn't believe in it) , the myth of genius, and tells us to write every day, read every day, and much more...
One great anecdote she shared was how a friend told her, "I'm thinking of making a little money on the side by writing children's books." Andrea's reaction was that it was like her saying, "I'm going to make a little money on the side by becoming a professional ballet dancer."
Writers write. Every day.
She walked us through the evolution of a number of the books she acquired, including Jennifer Anne Moses's "Tales From My Closet," Sharon G. Flake's "The Skin I'm In," and Deborah Gregory's Cheetah Girls series.
Andrea started her career in newspapers and magazines, and uses that brainstorming strength to both generate her own ideas and help writers find their own unique talent (their "twinkle") and match that with the stories that only they can tell in their own unique way.
She answers a wide range of attendee questions and challenges us to
"Depart your comfort zone!"
and reminds us, each of us, that
"You have a twinkle!"
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