Last weekend I attended the
MD/DE/WV SCBWI conference. That’s a mouthful. A tasty morsel of writing
goodness.
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| Author/Agent Ammi-Joan Paquette on left |
I had never been to one of their
chapter events before, but it ran like clockwork. These folks are on the
ball. By the time I checked back to their website on Monday, it was updated and
the event was gone. Luckily, I took notes.
However, I don’t really need notes
because the minutiae of what each speaker said isn’t the point of this post
(although I will give those of you who weren’t fortunate to attend a brief run
down!). The point is—it was wonderful to spend time meeting other writers and writing professionals. I
even had a face-to-face with an online writing friend I’d never met in person.
It was a tremendous mini-vacation. For twenty-four hours, I didn’t have to
think about what anyone else needed. It was all about me and writing. The next
time someone asks you what you want for your birthday or any other holiday
involving gift-giving, instead of “stuff,” think of asking to go to a
conference.
T.A. Barron spoke first about the
necessity for joy and heroism in stories, and how he weaves these elements into
his own work. I guess other listeners were as impressed as I was because by the
time I got to the “bookstore” they set up at the conference all of Mr. Barron’s
books were gone.
Editor Jill Santopolo was the
second speaker. For her, character is the hook that draws her into a story. She
advised everyone to put an interesting, imperfect character in a challenging
situation and have the character show an element of likeability in the first
chapter—if not on the first page. I had to leave ten minutes before the end of
her presentation for my critique while she was still using book examples to
illustrate what she meant. I’m the kind of learner who needs to “see”
something, so the examples were enormously helpful.
My critique with Mr. Stephen Mooser
was stellar. Yes, the man who co-founded the SCBWI was there in person, giving
encouragement and advice. He has a knack for not just pointing out problems,
but also brainstorming solutions. He is a true critique rock star.
Ammi-Joan Paquette was speaking
while I had my critique, so if someone who was able to hear her wants to chime
in below in the comments, that would be great!
The last speaker before lunch was
Mr. Mooser. Talking about the digital age and using quotes from Daniel Nayeri, Mr. Mooser noted the overwhelming
number of books being published and advised authors to be sure
their work was both as good as traditionally published books AND that they have
a way to drive readers to find their work before they go a non-traditional
publishing route. Classclownacademy.com is Mr. Mooser’s new interactive website
for his self-published book of the same name. He advised writers to think in
terms of this sort of additional content before going the self-publishing route
with children’s books.
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| Mr. Zelinsky signing, and signing... |
Picture book writer and illustrator
Paul O. Zelinsky started us back after lunch. Using his own work, Mr. Zelinsky explained how he structured a picture book. Then he showed illustrators how he
looked to museum paintings as inspiration. Finally, everyone got to see the
“interior” of an interactive book featuring the work of a paper engineer.
Making the images slide and glide isn’t as easy as it appears! Paper magician
may be a more apt term for the engineer. We were treated to the hysterically funny Z is for Moose book trailer, with Mr.
Zelinsky noting that he didn’t believe the trailer increased sales, but that
teachers and librarians like to use them.
Editor Sylvie Frank explained why
some picture books are too quiet and admitted that in today’s market she
probably would have rejected the classic Goodnight
Moon. She also advised writers to avoid formulaic manuscripts. Even though
a particular story style worked before she wants to writers to push themselves
to write something new and different. (Note: she has recently left Holiday House and joined the Paula Wiseman editorial team).
Agent Evelyn Fazio was the final
speaker before the question and answer panel. Focusing on dialogue, peeves that
she mentioned are unnecessary use of foreign speech patterns and interrupting
dialogue with explanation. She advised writers to focus on setting up scenes
before dialogue and make language relatable.
By the time the day finished, my
notebook was full of notes for my own manuscripts and fresh ideas for new
projects. Sure, the three to four hour drive each way was a drag but doable.
So what are you waiting for? Check
your schedule then go find a conference in your area!
