Writer's Retreat at McCormick's Creek State Park November 4-6, 2011
We had a gorgeous weekend for our writer's retreat! We all had our manuscripts critiqued by an editor and also by peer critique groups. We took steps to revise our manuscripts and some really great friendships were born.
Below some of our retreat attendees summed up their weekend in 3 words:
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Notes from the SCBWI International Conference in LA July 30 - August 2, 2010 By Peggy Archer
With over 1,100 attendees at the SCBWI International Conference in LA, it was a wonderful meeting of other children's writers, editors, booksellers, librarians and others in children's publishing. It was also an update on the business of children's books, inspirational, and as always, a place to learn and improve your craft. I especially enjoyed meeting new people, seeing old friends, and sharing ideas and friendship with other children’s writers and illustrators.
One of the highlights of the week was attending the Golden Kite Awards Luncheon on Sunday. The acceptance speeches were humbling and inspiring.
It began with Paul Fleishman presenting the award for humor, named for his father, children's author Sid Fleishman, who passed away early this year. The recipient was Alan Zadoff for his book, "Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have." Qualities that merit the award besides humor are depth, substance, and heart.
If you ever have the opportunity to hear Ashley Bryan speak, you will never again read poetry the same way. He ended his acceptance of the award for non-fiction by reciting a poem by Eloise Greenfield.
Accepting the award for picture book text, Marion Dane Bauer talked about the poetic language of a picture book. After which John Parra spoke about the illustration half of the book when he received the award for picture book illustration.
Julia Durango, our neighbor from the wonderful SCBWI group in Illinois, received the award for fiction and gave a heart-warming speech during which she said that she puts secret messages to her sons into her books.
Although honor recipients were not presented at the conference, it's worth noting here that our own Indiana SCBWI author, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, received the Golden Kite Honor award for fiction for her wonderful picture book, Bella and Bean.
Christopher Cheng, from the Australia chapter of SCBWI, was named SCBWI Member of the Year, and it couldn't have gone to a more deserving person.
Golden Kite Recipients: Fiction: Julia Durango for "Sea of the Dead," S&S Non-Fiction: Ashley Bryan for "Ashley Bryan: Words to My Life's Song," Atheneum Picture Book Text: Marion Dane Bauer for "The Longest Night," Holiday House Picture Book Illustration: John Parra for "Gracias Thanks," Lee & Low Books
Jon Sczieska—Read the best and the worst; learn technique and details; leave room for the illustrator; your mission: be a story-teller. M.T. Anderson (Tobin Anderson)—“Books take us away from home so that we can see home.” Language is key. Editor Panel—they read cover letters; they want to know about you along with your writing. Loren Long, Illustrator—MOOD and EMOTION are key or central, in characters and scenes. Gordon Korman—“When we are writing for kids we are writing for ourselves.” Get a sense of what a kid thinks is cool; we are kids ouselves, only a little older. Agents Panel—YA (young adult) is hot, but MG (middle grade) is coming back, including series, and especially MG directed toward boys. Marion Dane Bauer—we read and write to reach an emotional resolution; our story begins in our own hearts; it’s about struggle; it begins in our neurosis. E.B. Lewis—“Simplicity makes a book look wonderful.” It’s hard work to make that happen; do your research. Gail Carson Levine—predictability: we want to enjoy again what we’ve read before; regarding using suspense builders: ‘worries’ are a good way to end a chapter. Panel on Narrative Nonfiction— go first to primary sources, then check your facts with secondary sources; all NF needs layers, emotion. Carolyn Mackler—put your characters into situations; there is always an ebb and a flow. Gennifer Choldenko—use the whole spectrum of feelings; every character is distinct; every detail must work; find the emotional core, feel your way through a story; write for the kid who needs your book. Rachel Vail—write stories with both humor and heart; have a strong voice; through the laughter we can touch someone; write with compassion. Paul Fleischman—on organization: the more planning, the less re-write is needed; document your research; read straight through and highlight what you want to go back to; every word and scene should be there for a reason. Panel of Publishers—Stretch as much as you can; create a good story with good content and good writing; write for what you think is cool and entertain yourself; “If everyone writes for trends the vampires win” Ashley Bryant—“Poetry needs performance; there are voices that rise and fall”; poetry has rhythm that will carry or swell; try to bring the words alive, creating music out of words.
Notes from Social Networking - Greg Pincus & Alice Pope Notes by Julia Karr
Social Media = Conversation (Listen, Interact, Connect)
You don’t need to just know “how” to use Social Networking sites - but, you need to know “why” you want to. 1. Your craft should still be your 1st focus. 2. The names of the networking sites may change, but social networking is not going away. a. Facebook b. Twitter c. Wordpress d. Blogger e. LinkedIn f. MySpace 3. It’s big. If Facebook were a country it would be the 3rd most populous nation on earth. 4. Who’s there? Potential friends, champions and buyers. 5. It’s all about CONNECTIONS! 6. Pick one or two kinds of networking and do them well. 7. Social networking is not one-size-fits-all. 8. YAWSAD - You are what you say and do (don’t EVER forget this!) 9. You need to build trust and influence. 10. You need to stand out - but how? a. Have Content, Themes, POV and Personality 1. Have Goals and Plans - and they are linked. a. Why? Why will this goal help me? b. Who? Who do you want to be viewing your website/blog? c. Where? Where do you feel comfortable? Where do you have presence? (Play to your strengths - if you are good at short, witty banter, maybe Twitter is the place for you. Do you have something interesting/informative to share every day? Try blogging. Lots of friends? Get on Facebook and connect with old and new ones. d. When? When will you make the time? You must not ignore your writing first - treat Social Networking like a business. e. What? What proves that your efforts are working? i. growing traffic to your site ii. networks iii. sales iv. press coverage 2. Know what you’re shooting for and how to measure it. 3. Make your goals realistic. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment. A realistic goal might be 25 subscribers to your blog, not 25,000. 4. Building connections takes time. A focused plan turns time from procrastination to career action.
Conference - FOCUS ON THE PICTURE BOOK November 7, 2009 By Angela Matteson
The NY SCBWI conference in January was my first conference, and left me wanting to attend more such events, so I was excited to hear about the Indiana SCBWI Picture Book Conference. Having just moved to Columbus, OH from Chicago, it was now going to be an easy enough drive. The best part about this conference was that the focus was all on Picture Books. (The MG and YA conference will be in Spring 2010.) These conferences are like graduate school for anyone looking to seriously enter the children's book market.
I arrived the night before for the Open Mic at the hotel to hear attendees read the beginnings of their manuscripts. Since I'm still trying to jump start my writing brain, these are always helpful. Then afterwards, we laid out our illustration portfolios for a critique. I was excited to meet fellow CCAD grad, and amazing illustrator, Kristi Valiant, who had printed out critique cards with check marks for the necessary criteria, and what the strongest and weakest pieces were. This last question was one of the most helpful.
The next day the conference was at The Saturday Evening Post. Somehow, it hadn't dawned on me where we were until I saw the sign. I didn't realize this famed publication was located in Indiana. The halls were lined with all the familiar covers. Actual real life original Norman Rockwell paintings also hung throughout the building. Real canvas texture!
Courtney Bongiolatti, Associate Editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers was our first speaker. She spoke about what an editor looks for in a Picture Book. In her terms, she's looking for: 1. Uniqueity -Make what's existing unique. Unique a trend. Unique a format. 2. Readability - Does it read well out loud? 3. Realatability 4. Schoolability - Is it relevant to the school market?
Laurent Linn, Art Director for Simon & Schuster for Young Readers spoke to us about the Anatomy of a Picture Book, and their basic structure. He explained that rather than think about the art as separate illustrations, a PB should be thought of as one illustration over 32 pages. Fun Fact: a press sheet is called a 'signature' because back in the day it needed a signature 'sign off' approval. He also spoke about putting our own spin to one of the 6 different genres, which include holiday books, folktales, and nonfiction poetry. The action in a picture book generally reads from left to right. The exception would be the final illustration to show the end of the book.
Laurant also conducted a workshop explaining, through examples, what makes appropriate art to send as samples to publishers. Portraits, landscapes, still lifes, and figure drawings may be beautiful art, but they are not appropriate portfolio samples. A Renoir portrait is great for frame, but doesn't tell enough of a story in the way Tenniel's 'Alice in Wonderland' illustrations do. As illustrators we are costume designers. Dress your characters to show each individual personality. Posture shows character. Think in camera angles. The city, a landscape, or a single tree can be a character. Use light and shadow to show mood.
Courtney held manuscript critiques and Laurant held portfolio critiques throughout the day. I wished I signed up earlier for this much needed direction.
Illustrators Kristi Valiant and Sharon Vargo also gave a talk on the Illustrators Perspective. A portfolio should demonstrate that you can master a range of emotions. In writing for picture books, anything that you can show in the illustration gets chopped out of the story.
SCBWI has a list of mostly current publishers at each house to send art samples to.
When illustrating, be aware of what your illustrations will be printed on. Highlights uses newsprint which soaks up more ink, so you need to create art with more saturated colors for the illustration to be bright.
Indiana SCBWI held a logo contest, and Kristi Valiant's clean-lined and appropriate design incorporating the state as the kite won!
All in all it was an excellent conference, and just what I needed to get focused again after my move.
Laurent Linn, Art Director at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Courtney Bongiolatti, Associate Editor at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Picture Book Conference organizers and volunteers
EVANSVILLE EVENT WITH MARGARET McMULLAN August 29, 2009 By Christi Atherton
On August 29th a group of writers and illustrators from Bloomington to Newburgh met at Evansville's Central Library to hear novelist Margaret McMullan speak. Frequent laughter from McMullan and her audience gave testimony to what a delightful speaker she proved to be. Attendee and fellow writer Elsa Marston had this say of the event: "What I especially liked was that we were a relatively small, select group, but she gave of herself for more than two hours as though we were the Newberry Awards Banquet. She's a charmer!"
McMullan's book signing table stayed busy long after the event ended. Marston, along with Kristi Valiant and Marlis Day also displayed their own books to sign and sell.
Margaret McMullan delighted the writers and illustrators in Evansville
Margaret McMullan signs books after her talk
Schmooze in Zionsville July 25, 2009
Our Indianapolis (Zionsville) event was a casual time to get to know other SCBWI members and see the previews of two SCBWI videos featuring Richard Peck and Tomi dePaola.
Videos were available for purchase for $15 each. Snacks were brought and drinks were provided.
Schmoozing at the Michigan City Library July 18, 2009 By Mary Ann Moore
“Schmoozing” doesn’t come naturally to a lot of children’s writers. We’re introverts--we write because talking isn’t as comfortable, and writing lets us revise our words.
To help overcome this difficulty, Peggy Archer distributed scavenger hunt sheets at registration, challenging us to find the psychologist, the Y.A. authors, the illustrators, etc., among us. The event opened with a leisurely time to get acquainted with other northern Indiana children’s writers and illustrators, while nibbling on snacks and sipping strawberry-enhanced “Freckled Lemonade.”
A panel discussion followed. Peggy Archer covered working with trade publishers, Judy Roth described her experiences with a small publisher, and Karen Kulinski talked about having an agent.
Despite an audio glitch that prevented our sampling of the DePaola and Peck DVDs, the 26 attendees seemed to enjoy the event. Warren Zinn was delighted that the Indiana SCBWI is developing ways to help us network. Kira Downey, who made the trip from Ft. Wayne, thought the Schmooze was worth the journey. I thought so, too.
Carmel/Clay Library Event May 16, 2009
Fourteen SCBWI members from across Indiana took part in the Children's Author & Illustrator Festival at Carmel Clay Public Library on Saturday, May 16th. The festival was open to the public and featured author & illustrator presentations throughout the day. Authors were available for questions and book signings. Book sale proceeds benefitted the Carmel Caly Public Library Foundation.
Front: Marlis Day, Jennifer Zivoin, Peggy Archer, Tracy Richardson, Chris Woodworth, Back: Geoffrey Thornton, Jim Kraft, Alina Klein, Jeff Stone, Nathan Clement, Not Pictured: Valerie Marsh
Valiska Gregory, Julie Shore, Rebecca Kai Dotlich
Coffee Talk with Lara Anderson May 9, 2009 By Christi Atherton
Coffee Talk with Lara Anderson was one of the first Indiana SCBWI events under new RA Trish Batey. The program, which was held May 9, 2009 at the Simply Sweet Shoppe in Carmel, drew SCBWI members from all corners of the state.
Ms. Anderson spoke of her former position with Curtis Brown Agency and her own experiences as a writer and editor. She graciously handled all questions that the attendees begged answers to and returned highly detailed critiques for those who had submitted them.
Coffee Talk was a great kick-off to the new Indiana SCBWI and suggested that we have more wonderful events in store.
Notes on the National SCBWI Conference in NYC, 2009 By Peggy Archer
The National SCBWI conference in NYC left me feeling totally energized and inspired! What a wonderful experience to be there with over 1,000 other dedicated children's writers and illustrators! The organization was at its best, with Lin Oliver and Steve Mooser at the helm. It was an excellent opportunity to meet and hear from so many editors and agents as well as authors, children's writers and illustrators in all stages of writing, all so willing to share their experiences and advice and their talents.
Jarrett Krosoczka, author/illustrator, entertained us as he talked about “Change and Rearrange.” He told us about his writing life and working on his graphic novel, LUNCH LADY, which will be out from Knopf in July 2009. When working on this book he started with the illustrations first, then added the script last, ending with a ‘cliff hanger’ at end of each page. He told us that the best advice he received was from actor, Paul Newman—“Don’t pay attention to reviews.”
Jay Asher, author of the YA bestseller 13 REASONS WHY, made us laugh as he talked about “How to Sell a Book in 12 years or Less.” Asher loves winning contests. He started out writing funny stories, but it was his YA novel, a serious book for teens about suicide, that became his first published book. His advice for writers— Be honest with your readers, never let go of your dreams, and hold on!
Editor, Richard Jackson, stressed that as editors and authors, they “ ...made things beyond livings.” He talked about editorial taste, and voice, and reminded us that we write as authors, not teachers. His advice: “Keep writing the story to the end; pay attention to the reader and him only; open yourself to describing what you are seeing—it will alter what you are seeing.” And finally, “Delete at will but make copies for a rainy day.”
Bruce Hale’s talk, “Of Books, Beauty and Boogers: Lessons Learned from Writing for Middle Graders,” drew us into the heart of writing for children. He gave these pointers for writing for this age group:
Grab ‘em from the Get-go (the first line is the most important; keep the story appropriate to the tone; and set the hook)
Remind them of Beauty (they may not know they need it)
Make ‘em Laugh (middle-grade humor is gross, squirmy humor, best when based in emotions)
Hold up the Mirror (show kids who they are and who they can become)
Make ‘em Squirm (the best way to keep them reading)
Tell them the Truth (show both the dark and the light; it gives your writing power)
Go the Extra Mile (dig deeper/push harder)
Write what you Love
His final advice: “Put heart and love in your stories and you’ll find that you will be loved in return.”
We heard briefly from Richard Peck, after an introduction by Linda Sue Park, as he accepted the SCBWI Shining Star Award for his Master Class Video on novel writing, telling us “All of our books have to ‘Pop-Up.”
Tomie dePaola, accepted the Shining Star Award for his Master Class video on picture book writing, and talked to us via speakerphone, telling us that we need to achieve balance in writing a picture book, with a voice that is accessible to kids.
Jack Gantos, speaking about living in difficult economic times, told us that times like this allow us to look at what is beautiful and essential about writing. He said that the ending of a book is “the desert of reading”—the character changes and the reader changes—you have changed. He said when building a book, give your characters room to grow, a setting, and problems. A book needs a physical ending and an emotional ending. His advice: you need to love the book you write
Besides the keynote speakers, there were writing and illustrating intensives, breakout sessions and editor and agent panels. We heard from both editors and agents that even in these economic times, editors are still acquiring children's books. More than ever manuscripts must be written well, the best that they can be, before submitting them to an editor. Publishers are looking ahead, since most books accepted today will be published two years down the road. We were told that there have been some lay-offs in the industry and that there is less money, but that this is part of a recurring cycle that results in rebounds and changes for the better. And that during difficult economic times "everyone buys children's books (and lipstick!)."
The Master Class videos on novel writing and picture book writing are available for sale on the SCBWI website: http://scbwi.org/store.htm
