Your SCBWI 2025 Summer Conference "TEAM BLOG" is Jolie Stekly, Justin Campbell, and Jaime Temairik. Check in here and on socials at #scbwisummer25 for updates, countdowns, and LIVE BLOGGING from the conference!
Showing posts with label SCBWI LA Conference. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCBWI LA Conference. Show all posts
We'll be live blogging the 46th annual SCBWI Summer Conference from July 7-10th, 2017 here at http://scbwiconference.blogspot.com, and on social media using the hashtag #LA17SCBWI
First National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Jon Scieszka, is here, looking dapper as always:
Since being laid off from his ambassadorship, Jon has not been resting on his diplomatically immune laurels, oh no. He and fellow faculty member Francesco Sedita have a new book out called SPACEHEADZ that you'll all want to read. And if you haven't heard about his excellent new GUYS READ: FUNNY BUSINESS coming out this fall, you'll want to get in line for it now, especially after you watch the star-studded book trailer (at bottom of post.)
But Jon's not talking about his middle grade books this morning, but picture books! "Tales of a Picture Book Writer: Do's, Don'ts, Maybes."
A Big Don't: Don't do as Jon did, don't send your picture book manuscripts to gardening publishers.
Biggest Do: Congratulate yourselves for being here, at a children's book conference. As opposed to Jon's dentist, everyone he's ever golfed with, the kid down the street, and the Pope, who all say they have great ideas, but haven't written them down, and maybe, haven't read a picture book in the last few decades.
Big Do: Read every book in your chosen genre that you can, especially those on the School Library Journal's list of Top 100 Picture Books (top three are WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, GOOD NIGHT MOON, and THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.)
Big Do: Read really crappy books, too, that's an education, Jon says.
Big Do: Find books you connect with, Jon's favorites TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO, NO, DAVID, and CAPS FOR SALE
Now, Jon is listing all the picture books he finds creepy. Most of them are written by comedians or involve bunnies.
Do: As his agent, Steve Malk, always says become an expert in your field. Read The Horn Book, PW Daily, School Library Journal, and industry blogs. See Betsy Bird's Fuse #8 blog for a great blog roll (like Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and our own SCBWI blog.)
Don't: Once you start writing, stop reading all the blogs and industry magazines and get down to working. Jane Yolen is right, Jon says, just DO. Write, write write. But if you're Jon's dentist, don't, don't, don't.
Jon shares some slides of his book covers and talks about the handwritten rejections he's received (super quips in the Twitter feed from fellow Team Bloggers, look for #LA10SCBWI.)
And now, Jon's overtaken the cockles of my heart. He's reading us The Tub story from GEORGE AND MARTHA, what he calls a perfect story in only four lines.
Writers Do: Leave room for illustrators to go wild in your stories. He's talking about the TRUCKTOWN series and the three amazing artists that contributed to it. And the wild and wonderful new ROBOT ZOT!
After Kathleen Duey's inspirational farewell keynote address, conference goers enjoyed the Farewell & Autography Party where they were able to meet and greet the authors and get their autographs! Fresh lemonade, pretzels, and candy treats were provided for everyone as they headed out the door and back to their homes.
It was clear that close friendships had blossomed between conference goers over the past four days and that everyone - from aspiring newbie writers to published veteran authors - were inspired to rush home and WRITE WRITE WRITE.
The room was full of camaraderie and everyone enjoyed the celebration at the farewell shindig. Tonight, the faculty will meet for a final celebratory wrap-up party.
The entire SCBWI TEAM BLOG - Alice Pope, Jolie Stekly, Jaime Temairik, Lee Wind, Paula Yoo, and Suzanne Young - would like to thank SCBWI for giving us this opportunity to share the highlights of the 2009 national conference with everyone. We had a blast attending all these panels - our one regret was that we wish YOU were there! :) If you would like to find out more about SCBWI and join as a member, please go here for more info: http://scbwi.org
Remember, we are an interactive forum, so please comment away on our blogs. We look forward to the dialogue between SCBWI members about this year's conference.
Linda Joy Singleton, author of the DEAD GIRL series with Flux, has an autographed copy of her brand new book DEAD GIRL IN LOVE to give to you! So if you're here at the conference, the first person to find Linda and tell her you'd love to read her book will get it!
CHRIS EBOCH: "What I Learned From Nancy Drew: Tools for Fast-Paced Plotting"
It LITERALLY was a packed room for Chris Eboch's "Fast-Paced Plotting" lecture. So packed that (NO exaggeration), about a couple dozen people sat in the AISLES, taking copious notes.
Chris provided a handout with extremely detailed notes on plotting plus book recommendations. Some highlights from her handout and from the lecture:
-- She showed the original ending for a Nancy Drew cliffhanger followed by the extensive revision and discussed the reasons behind those changes. Her editor said, "I would like to see more of a slow build-up toward the intense action. In horror movies, it's always the ominous music and the main character slowly opening the closet door that scares us the most, not the moment right after she opens the door."
-- Some books she recommended included her 2009 book, "Haunted: The Ghost on the Stairs" and "Haunted" The Riverboat Phantom" from Aladdin. She also recommended Louise Spiegler's "The Amethyst Road" and "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Renni Browne and Dave King."
-- Add subplot: "If you can't pack your main plot any fuller, try using subplots to add complexity and length to your manuscript. A subplot may be only loosely related to your main plot, but still add complications."
-- Chris also advised, "To keep tensions high, make sure your characters are struggling enough." She mentioned the "Rule of Three" where a character tries and fails a first time, tries and fails a second time, and then tries and succeeds, achieving the goal by the third time. "If the character succeeds on the first tyr, then we don't believe the problem was that difficult for that character." She said it's "satisfying" when the character finally achieves the goal by the third time and proves the problem was a "worthy challenge." Although the "Rule of Three" is used in picture books, Chris advises that in novels, there are often many steps beyond just three tries, and writers must make sure these many complications always push the story forward.
Overall, Chris had a very detailed and extensive lecture with many great tips on how to improve the plot of your novel and to make sure the pacing never drags. The handout she distributed among the standing-room-only crowd was especially valuable with her meticulous notes. Another fantastic example of the wonderful information you can learn at this conference!
Barbara Fisch and Sarah Shealy are offering a great workshop for new authors. It's basically Publicity 101. Some of my favorite parts:
All reviews of your book will be good. Kidding. When you have a good review, use it. Mention it on your blog or website. BUT when you quote, you're only allowed to pull 10% of the review. Interesting, right?
Also, blogs and blog tours are a great way for exposure. You can have giveaways and contests.
And finally, the children's lit world has a longer build than other genres. So if you don't see a review right away, don't panic.
DONNA GEPHART: "12 3/4 Ways to Tickle Young Readers' Funny Bones"
Some hilarious higlights from 2009 Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner Donna Gephart's panel:
-- She provided handouts for everyone with a list of techniques and details to hone one's humor skills.
-- She advises taking risks. "Mine your embarrassment," she said, discussing how writers should not be afraid to talk about real life embarrassing moments.
-- "Embarrassment is funny but humiliation is not," she said. "You want to empathize with your character. Readers want to laugh, not cringe."
-- She gave a writing exercise in which conference goers had to do: List embarrassing things that happened to you or list things that embarrassed you as a kid.
-- She suggested paying attention to the "sound of language" as another tool to write humor. For example, the "K" sound is funny, such as "Chicken is funny. Roast beef is not. Pickle is funny. Cucubmer is not. Twinkie is funny. Pie is not."
-- She also advised using exaggeration and understatement as tools for writing humor. Examples included "Exaggeration: referring to a tropical breeze as a hurricane" and "Understatement: referring to a hurricane as a tropical breeze."
-- Ultimately, she says writers should not TRY to be funny. "Forced humor is no fun for anyone."
-- She also gave a handout listing funny picture books, early readers, chapter books, and MG/YA novels.
It was a packed room where people participated with a lot of enthusiasm to Donna's writing exercises. And yes, there was much laughter!
Yet another shining example of great lectures provided by award-winning writers at the SCBWI national conference.
MICHAEL REISMAN: "What Hollywood Wants With Your Book"
(Pictured above: Michael preps for his lecture by providing not one, not two, but THREE handouts!)
Michael Reisman, author of the bestselling SIMON BLOOM middle grade novel series, discussed the behind-the-scenes tips on why and how Hollywood options books, based on his own experience for more than ten years as a story analyst for movie studios and television networks, including Nickelodeon. His own SIMON BLOOM book was recently optioned as a movie.
He provided three handouts that were extremely helpful. They were:
-- A sample of "script coverage" on Lisa Yee's novel, MILLICENT MIN, GIRL GENIUS. This showed Michael's synopsis and analysis of her novel and whether or not he considered potential movie/TV material. He wrote "CONSIDER," which means "Worth a serious look; needs varying degrees of changes."
-- A handout explaining what points story analysts consider while reading and covering book properties. (Examples include "Characterization: Asks how realistic and multi-dimensional the characters are. Will audiences identify with them? Will they care about them?")
-- A handout explaining coverage "jargon." ("CONSIDER" was just defined above, but another example includes: "CONSIDER CONCEPT: Too many problems to adapt directly, but may be worth purchase for core ideas or key elements" and "RECOMMEND: Buy; needs no or almost no changing.")
Some highlights from Michael's extremely informative talk:
-- "Don't write what will make a movie deal. Write what makes a good book." He emphasized how different these genres are and you should simply concentrate on writing the best book possible, period.
-- Retain your movie and TV rights. "I'm a happier man because of my movie deal" given that he retained his own rights.
-- Get a movie agent or manager to help navigate through the Hollywood world.
Overall, Michael delivered a very thorough lecture on how Hollywood approaches book properties and why they option or do not option books. But the information he provided in the handouts and in his advice/examples during the lecture were both applicable not only to published authors interested in trying to get their works optioned but also for aspiring writers because the points brought up about how Hollywood story analysts critique premise, dialogue, storyline and premise ideas was very helpful. Another example of the excellent informative lectures provided for writers at SCBWI's national conference!
And here's Pt. 4 of ELaw's keynote with more colorful commentary!
PAULA: ELaw says "I really encourage you to be up to your elbows in this area when you're not writing." She's referring to reading and keeping up with the books in today's YA and children's literature. She's praising THE HUNGER GAMES and Suzanne Collins as "an incredibly economical writer." "Really read in the genre," she says.
LEE: (Silence)
PAULA: Uh Lee? Any color commentary?
LEE: Oh sorry. I was busy writing down ELaw's jewels of wisdom in my notebook. I want to remember every. single. word.
PAULA: I agree. ELaw is captivating the standing-room only ballroom with her incisive and insightful advice.
LEE: Uh, they're all sitting, Paula.
PAULA: Sorry, I got carried away.
LEE: Uh oh, she's now talking about the "bad news."
PAULA: Don't worry, she's just saying the bad news is that she can't tell us HOW to write a good book. She says that's up to us because we're the writers. Instead, it's her job to help get those good books out there.
LEE: You know, she's also having a really good hair day.
PAULA: I know! How does she stay so poised on Day 3 of this exhausting conference? What's her secret?
And... we're off! Elizabeth Law is now speaking. (I have nicknamed her "ELaw," like JLo.)
LEE: I like the pink sweater and the chunky jewelry. It's a nice touch.
PAULA: I agree. The pink really shows off her lovely complexion.
LEE: Oh, she's now talking about Egmont. Did you know their profits go to a children's charity? She's feisty, fashion savvy, AND generous. Talk about fabulous!
PAULA: Only eight people in their company? Wow. I thought WE had a tough job. SCBWI TEAM BLOG is a picnic compared to the hard work ELaw and her staff does!
LEE: I like that she doesn't whine or complain. She's very positive. She says YA hardcover is growing and children's publishing is the growth area of publishing. Oh, and she's seeing better manuscript submissions now. That's awesome! But she says we have to up our game because the competition is stiff.
PAULA: Hey Lee! Where are you going?
LEE: (Running away) I have to go revise my manuscript!
PAULA: You have plenty of time for that! Come back for more ELaw jewels of wisdom!
GOLDEN KITE AWARDS: SID FLEISCHMAN AWARD WINNER DONNA GEPHART
Donna Gephart's middle grade novel, As if Being 12¾ Isn't Bad Enough, My Mother is Running for President!, won the 2009 Sid Fleischman Award. This award is for authors whose work exemplifies the excellence of writing in the genre of humor.
Although Sid Fleischman wasn't able to attend today's award, he wrote a speech in her honor that Stephen Mooser read out loud. Fleischman wrote, "This year's recipient knew at age 14 that she wanted to be a writer. She saved her babysitter money to buy a typewriter."
Fleischman praised Gephart's "irrepressible humor" which was not simply full of "ornamental quotes." He said she understood the true aim of comedy, that it was "tragedy wearing a putty nose."
Fleischman joked that Gephart "... also wins the award for the longest title."
Here are some highlights from Donna Gephart's speech:
-- She screamed so loudly after getting the congratulatory phone call from Lin Oliver and Stephen Mooser that "... I lost my voice for three days."
-- When describing herself growing up, Gephart said, "I was the quintessential nerd... and I still am."
-- "This is the only award of its kind to honor humorous children's books, and it's pretty special. Even though I've been writing humor of different sorts for over twenty years, sometimes it's nice to be taken seriously."
-- Her advice? "If you've ever heard the words 'never' or 'can't,' I have three words for you. 'YES YOU CAN!'"
Congratulations to the winner and honorees of the SCBWI LA 2009 Portfolio Award contest! The Grand Prize winner and two Honor recipients, their art work, and websites are listed below:
DAN LAZAR: "How to Craft a Winning Query Letter: Secrets to Keep You Out of the Reject Pile"
Highlights from Dan Lazar, Writers House agent, panel on query letters:
-- Website recommendation: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com (his bio is listed here: http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/DanielLazar/)
-- Want some of Dan's secrets to writing a query letter that ROCKS? Here are a couple tidbits:
1. "If you can write the Next Great American Novel, then you can write a great query letter. Period." Dan brought two real query letters to demonstrate what worked for him, and one "fake" letter to show what doesn't work. One letter showed the writer's voice, which intrigued Dan who wanted to see the writer's voice in the actual manuscript. So if your voice comes through in a query letter, that can help get you out of the "reject" pile!
2. If you have never been published and do not have any publishing credits, don't worry. No need to apologize or even bring that up. You don't need logos or colored paper to impress. And it doesn't hurt to open with "a specific familiar reference. "I'm a human being and I have feelings, so you should appeal to my vanity," he joked.
3. Do NOT start with "To whom It may concern"!
4. MAIN THEME: BE SPECIFIC. Dan cannot stress this enough. He says you should be as specific as possible in your query letter, from stating why you are interested in pursuing Dan as your agent, specific details about your bio, your manuscript etc.
5. Try to avoid "What if?" when describing your book's story in a query letter. It's a "good tool" he says for sparking plot ideas and brainstorming, but not for a query letter. He recommends being MORE SPECIFIC and using more original language instead of starting off with "What if..." when describing/introducing the plot of your book in the query letter.
6. For email queries: He says find out first if agents accept these - he does, FYI. Technical note: Do not include any HTML coding because that can result in inconsistent formatting and invite spammers.
And that's just the tip of the iceberg! Dan offered dozens of tips and secrets on how to write an effective query letter. It was a packed lecture hall and it was clear everyone appreciated Dan's helpful advice. Again, another reason to join SCBWI and attend these conferences for fantastic advice from veteran industry experts!
So... I take lots of pictures. And last night at the Blue Moon Ball, I took like 6500. Or something. Here are three of my favorites, and for more, you can visit my blog at http://www.suzanne-young.blogspot.com/
It was a blast!
I took a short trip into space... and came back married.
I was very happy to take a moment from my... um... studying to get a picture with the wonderful Lin Oliver.
I've always had a thing for astronauts. But this is Bill Cochran-resident funny guy.
Good morning! Did everyone survive last night's insanely surreal and super fun Blue Moon Ball party? In case you can't remember what happened last night (LOL), here are three photos I snapped for evidence of the merrymaking... if you want to see more photos, please check out my website for a wrap up photo gallery later today at http://paulayoo.com
Picture No. 1: Jay Asher and I (Paula Yoo) found our Mojo! We did not plan out outfits together, but I was wearing a retro '60s blue velvet dress and white gogo boots (check out more pics later at my website), so I was delighted to discover Austin Powers himself was attending the Blue Moon Ball. Yeah, baby! :)
Picture No. 2: This was the official SCBWI drink this year - a Blue Moon Frozen Daiquiri! If you weren't able to make last night's party, don't worry, I made sure to have one for you! :)
Picture No. 3: This picture is proof that YES, men DO attend the national SCBWI conference. (The statistics are something like 10,297 women and 23 men at the conference. I found two of them, picture book authors, and had to snap their picture as proof of their existence. I call them the Blue Moon Prom Dudes. LOL.)
For more updates on the party and more pics, check out my website soon for more dish!
WENDY LOGGIA, "I Wanted to Love This: 7 Reasons Why Your Manuscript Gets Declined"
Delacorte editor Wendy Loggia's panel focused on the manuscripts that ALMOST were accepted but were not quite ready for primetime. (She was not focusing on manuscripts that were obviously not ready at all, she was focusing on the manuscripts that are ALMOST ready to go.) She felt these 7 tips would help SCBWI members and aspiring writers as they revised their manuscripts.
WENDY LOGGIA BIO: Executive editor of Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's books; the focus at Delacorte is almost exclusively on middle grade and YA novels. She is the editor of THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series by Ann Brashares, the GEMMA DOYLE trilogy by Libba Bray, as well as several debut novels by SCBWI members including Kristin O'Donnell Tubb's AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS DIFFERENT and Georgia Bragg's MATISSE ON THE LOOSE.
Wendy looks for a strong narrative voice, great stories, and for writers that display a clear authorial hand. She joked about spending "nine years crushing people's dreams" but then discussed the real reasons as to why she will pass on book submissions.
Some highlights from Wendy Loggia's panel:
-- She tells aspiring writers always to think about WHY someone will want to buy your book. They are going to pull out their wallet and spend 18 dollars or more, so make your book worth it.
-- She will pass on a manuscript that is "too similar to other novels I've worked on." Examples included writers who love THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series which she had edited, so they submit a novel just like it. She also says she will pass on books that are too similar to other books already in the marketplace. She says they have received a flood of similar Twilight vampire books, books about werewolves, etc.. "Instead of jumping on a trend, write what feels true to you."
-- Voice, voice voice. "I may love the concept, but I can't connect to the voice. The voice wasn't special enough, I don't see teens/tweens connecting to the voice, I think the voice is meant for adult readers. It may have great moments but if there's too much telling or not a compelling voice, I will pass on it."
-- Sometimes she will pass on a book if the author seems to be too much trouble to work with. "Working on a book is like a marriage," she says. "Editors and authors spend a lot of time together sharing ideas. It's not all fun and games. If person feels like trouble before process has even started, I don't want to get involved." She will google people who have submitted their work and read their blogs as part of her research to make her decision. She said "it's like a job interview."
These are just some of the tips she offered. All of Wendy's seven tips were all very helpful and telling to the standing-room only crowd at the main ballroom for both aspiring writers and published veteran writers. Again, another reason why this conference is so great - you get exclusive information that can really help you improve your writing and help you on your journey towards publication.
ANN WHITFORD PAUL & ERICA SILVERMAN, "Planting and Sprouting Ideas" panel
Highlights from Ann Whitford Paul and Erica Silverman's panel on inspiring ideas for writing.
ANN PAUL bio: Her books have won numerous awards including NY Times Notable books, Carl Sandburg Award for Children's Literature, Bank Street College Best Books list, and many more. Her 2009 titles include TORTUGA IN TROUBLE, WORD BUILDER, and WRITING PICTURE BOOKS: A HANDS-ON GUIDE FROM STORY CREATION TO PUBLICATION.
ERICA SILVERMAN bio: Another award-winning author of picture books and easy readers, including BIG PUMPKIN, DON'T FIDGET A FEATHER (California Young Readers Medal), SHOLOMS TREASURE: HOW SHOLOM ALEICHEM BECAME AN AUTHOR (Sydney Taylor Award) and the COWGIRL KATE AND COCOA series. She recently became a librarian at the Los Angeles Public LIbrary.
-- They did many fun writing exercises and handed out several helpful handouts and writing exercise templates.
-- They also handed out gummi bears for an exercise on "Inspiration Through Observation" using facts, fantasy, feeelings, fuzzy connections. They asked everyone to observe their gummi bears with all five senses and write about it. One conference goer sheepishly raised her hand and said, "I need another candy, I already it, I'm sorry!" (gummi bears pictured above!)
-- For the gummi bear exercise, one conference goer talked about how upset the kids in Germany were when gummi bears were pulled off the market because of the spread of mad cow disease (gummi bears were made w/cow marrow)!
-- "No judgement," Ann Paul reminds conference goers so they would not be shy to share their writing.
-- One conference goer fantasized that the gummi bear was a diet pill. Everyone laughed.
-- Another held the gummi bear to her eye to look at the world through a different lens.
-- When Ann Paul asked about feelings evoked by the gummi bear, one conference goer wrote about her son being in awe of gummi bears on his ice cream.
-- Another writing exercise handout showed a black and white photo of an attic with the words, "Off in a dusty corner you find an old suitcase. You open it up and gasp. Write about what you saw inside."
-- Conference goers also received orange folders with fun souvenirs from Ann Whitford Paul, including her business card, bookmarks, and several writing handouts including one called "Inspirations for Discouraging Days."
-- Overall, Erica and Ann presented a wonderful and very encouraging panel for conference goers that taught them how to think outside the box and come up with inspirational ideas for stories. It was almost like attending an intimate writing workshop with your friends - although everyone in the audience didn't know each other, it became a very friendly and supportive atmosphere where everyone responded favorably to each other's writing exercises. This is another example of why the SCBWI National Conference is such a great event to attend - where else can you receive such one-on-one advice and writing critiques with famous and acclaimed writers such as Ann and Erica?
MELISSA STEWART: "The Art of Science and NonFiction"
MELISSA STEWART BIO: Award-winning author of more than 100 nonfiction books for young readers. Her latest is UNDER THE SNOW, a Junior Library Guild Selectio. She's a judge for the American Institute of Physics Children's Science Writing Award and a member of the SCBWI Board of Advisors.
Highlights from Melissa's panel on nonfiction writing for children and teens:
-- She provided a handout with lists of books to study for the following areas:
1. STRUCTURE: She recommended books such as "Beaks" by Sneed Collard, "A Place for Butterflies," by Melissa Stewart, and "Team Moon" by Catherine Thimmesh, along with several other recommendations.
2. VOICE: She recommends books like "Army Ant Parade" by April Pulley Sayre, "Lightship" by Brian Floca, and "Mammoths on the Move" by Lisa Wheeler, along with several other recommendations.
3. WORD CHOICE: She recommends "Baboons" by Melissa Stewart," "Move!" by Steve Jenkins and Robin page, and "If You Hopped Like a Frog" by David Schwartz, along with several other recommendations.
-- For style, she showed example of nonfiction from an encylopedia versus an excerpt from a children's book that employed narrative non-fiction. It was very helpful for everyone taking notes on how to elevate their nonfiction from something that read like a magazine article to a narrative book form.
-- She says there's nothing wrong with a more straightforward, authoritative voice for a children's nonfiction book, but there's also room for a more casual, fresh narrative voice, depending on what is the best "voice" and "style" to tell your story and impart educational facts.
A detailed, thorough and meticulous panel that not only taught conference goers how to elevate their nonfiction projects but also provided fiction writers with great information on how to play more with language, word choice, voice, and style.
On revising a client's work: "I was working with an aurhor on a picture book, and he revised it couple times. I said it was good and he said, 'Let's see what an editor says.' (Much laughter from the audience. Brenda shrugs.) Well, I have a different hat on now."
As a former editor, Brenda says certain agents who have excellent reputations or cache can influence editors' expectations. When she was an editor, Brenda says, "I was aware that some agents' names in the inbox meant that what was attached, although maybe not perfect for me, was going to be really good for someone in the house, and that it was ready to go. I'd like to be one of those agents, like you folks (she nods to the panel)."
Brenda believes in a long-term relationship with her clients. "I spent my time nurturing creative careers. It's not good for us to make one sale and never sell your work again. You have to imagine a partnership, to trust that we're going to give our best to each other and that we'll be there for the long haul."
