Imagine it’s Saturday, the second day of the SCBWI LA Conference. You are up at 7am and you’ve freaked out your roommate by Face-Timing your family on the computer while she’s in the shower. (She thought you invited a gaggle of really loud people into the room and figured she might have to dash out and say hi in her underwear.) All is forgiven when your kids see her (fully clothed) and run to grab her debut picture book, WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN. Impressively, they can put their hands on the book in less than 30 seconds, making your roommate very, very happy. *grin* You don’t even have to buy her a make-up cake-pop. You cyber kiss your kids and pray for your hubby who is road tripping to New York City with the rug rats to “do stuff”. You and your roommie head out the door when you realize that you’ve got a phone message on the room phone. Popular roommate is being sought by the goddess of the Blue Boards, Verla Kay. Off we go…
Verla and Kim <3
But the clock is ticking and its time to find your coffee (which out of desperation has changed from decaf to half reg/half decaf) and something yummy to snack on.
This is the point in the morning that you realize you just left your camera in Verla’s room. *head thunk* So you run, passing Richard Peck (blowing kisses) as you leap into an elevator and hope you’re not too late. Verla is walking down the hall and you wave your arms and she pulls your camera out of her bag. Like a lightning bolt, it all becomes very clear. There is no way in hell that you will ever be able to host a discussion board. Not gonna happen. You’ve discovered your social media limits and it feels good. You hug Verla (because she’s cool that way) and slide into the Starbucks line just in time to meet another cyber friend…
And FINALLY, coffee and bagel.
If, and only if, you can visualize this, will you be ready to have the full Saturday morning conference experience. Let’s roll!
Donna Jo Napoli-HOW WRITING ABOUT TERRIBLE THINGS MAKES YOUR READER A BETTER PERSON
For the record, next time the Wall Street Journal wants to write about YA books being too dark, I’m going to gift wrap the brilliant Donna Jo Napoli and send her to them. Donna Jo laid out a brilliant response to those people who do not understand why we must write about terrible things.
First she talked about the Unprotected Children in the world. They are…
-The children who are loved by their parents, but are abused by society.
-The children who are abused by their parents.
She said that children who are unprotected are isolated with the abuse. They do not go out and share the horrors of their life with others. They are alone. But they are able to find a like person that they can relate to in a book.
Most kids don’t have the power to change their world. They do not have control over their situation. To read about someone who survived the same things that they are going through, with dignity, can help a child to survive too.
Secondly, she spoke of the Protected Children. These children, must learn empathy for the rest of the people in the world and the safest way for them to do that is in the pages of a book.
I’m going to stop here because I think this is important. The next two speakers coming up are equally as powerful and I want you to have the time to really think about this. I’m still mulling it over a week+ later. I don’t know about you, but for me this is bigger than just writing books. It is about saving lives and changing the world we live in. As Bruce Coville said earlier, “We love our children individually, but we have a hard time showing it collectively.” So often my hands are tied and my ability to impact change is ineffective, but there are two ways that I know I can make a difference.
First, I can write books that respect and support Unprotected Children. I will not censor my heart and soul. Those kids deserve better than that. Secondly, I can choose to raise my Protected Children with empathy. At the very least, they will meet these Unprotected Children in the pages of a book. They will learn how lucky they are and how big their hearts must grow. I want them to learn that we can not live in isolation and blindness. I want them to begin to see that we are better off dealing with the struggles of growth than the hurdles of ignorance.
I urge each and every one of you to share Bruce Coville’s and Donna Jo Napoli’s message with as many people as you can. It is time to make a change.
First up on Friday–David Small.
Tags: Bruce Coville, Donna Jo Napoli, LA11SCBWI, WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN by Jodi Moore
It’s Friday afternoon at the SCBWI LA 40th Anniversary Conference and we have…
Libba Bray-WRITING IT ALL WRONG: A SURVIVAL MANUAL
Seriously, I’m not great at taking notes when Libba is speaking, due to the fact that I’m laughing so hard. But here are some pearls of delightful wisdom that did manage to make it into my notebook…
*Getting it wrong is a necessary part of getting it right.
*Book 1-this is a kind of ignorance is bliss and you only get it once.
Book 2-this is fun, I already know the characters!
Book 3-yeah, I got nothing. I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make when they fly by.
*Best Survival suggestions…
-The voice is in there, buried under the one you hate.
-Close the door on external voices.
-Readers are not trends.
-The difference between the right novel and the wrong novel might just be in how you present your novel. Find out what works for your story.
-Writing is freaking scary.
-We write it wrong in the beginning to protect ourselves.
-All books carry our DNA and if we knew that going in we’d be too frightened to write.
I know I’m spoiled. I know it’s completely unfair that I get to follow a Keynote by Libbra Bray with a Workshop session with Laurie Halse Anderson. All I can say is that I have a freaking fantastic fairy god-mother. That’s the only logical explanation.
Laurie Halse Anderson-THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF CRAFTING A CREATIVE LIFE: FINDING LOST TIME AND RECLAIMING CREATIVITY
Laurie is one of my personal super heroes. Many of you probably know that she was the first speaker at my very first SCBWI Conference and she has shaped my life as a writer. I never get tired of being inspired by her heart and soul and her wisdom. Again, here are some of my favorite take-aways from her talk…
*Personal problems are like whack-a-moles…they never stop popping up. You need to accept the distractions and manage the interruptions.
*24 hours is enough. God is not cruel, but she expects you to do the work. *grin*
*Discomfort won’t kill you. Staying with discomfort will pay off with strength and growth.
*You are in more control of how you spend your time and energy than you want to admit…
-Turn of the TV/internet
-Stop volunteering. There are other people who fill their creative voids through volunteering at the PTA-this is not your calling. You fuel yourself through a different kind of art.
-Family needs to see you follow your dreams.
*Be gentle with yourself. The doubt lives in all of us. Don’t be a writer, be writing. Be the verb instead of the noun.
Next up….
Emma Dryden-TRAVELING THROUGH THE DIGITAL LANDSCAPE: WHERE WE’VE BEEN AND WHERE WE ARE HEADING
This was a very interesting look at a topic that we are constantly debating and trying to figure out. Here are some key pieces of info…
*Adults reeducate and retool to maneuver new landscapes. Children have nothing to unlearn about the digital world-it’s where they live.
*Story still matters the most.
*We are not moving away from print, we are moving towards a world of print AND digital.
Now its Autograph time!!!!!!
Talking about dyslexia and how my boys love to play Unicorn Chronicles.
Bruce Coville and Kim.
Norton Juster signing the Phantom Tollbooth and laughing because Jules Feiffer didn’t leave him any room when he signed it at the NY Conference. LOL!
Laurie Halse Anderson and Kim *heart squish*
Finally got to meet some awesome online friends in person.
Mike Jung, debut author of GEEKS, GIRLS AND SECRET IDENTITIES out in the fall off 2012 and
Nova Ren Suma, author of IMAGINARY GIRLS. I love these guys!
While I didn’t get a picture, I also snagged a copy of BROOKLYN BURNING by
Steve Brezenoff. I am so excited to read this!!!!!
We’ve finally made it through the first day of the conference, unless you’ve decided to do Peer Group Critiques, Yoga, the Illustrator Social, International Member Social or the Nonfiction Writers Social. I opted to just be social and EAT!!!! I’ll be back on Wednesday, kicking off Saturday’s recap with the amazing Donna Jo Napoli. If you want the conference effect to feel real, you should probably stay up till the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, jump around in excitement and grab a coffee and some starch at a Starbucks near you before settling down to check out the blog. *yawn*
See you Wednesday.
Tags: Bruce Coville, LA11SCBWI, laurie halse anderson, Libba Bray
Yes, I didn’t get far. It’s still Friday morning. But I’m liking how the awesomeness of Bruce Coville is followed by the amazingness of Jerry Pinkney.
Jerry Pinkney-A SENSE OF PLACE: REAL AND IMAGINED
What I loved about Jerry Pinkney was learning that he took special care to find the smaller stories, hidden in his own illustrations. I wish I could show you the art work. The example he used, that really allowed me to understand what he was saying, was a red wagon. In the first picture, the wagon, a prized possession of a child, was amongst the things needed to be packed when a family had to leave their home behind. In a later picture of the house, now vacant, the wagon was left in the yard. There was no room for it to be taken. This one little detail, told so much about what was happening in the lives of the characters in the story, yet it was not the story itself. It was hauntingly sad and beautiful at the same time. His artistry had amazing depth.
Additionally, I was encouraged to discover that Jerry was dyslexic and a very reluctant reader growing up. As many of you know, my oldest (10) is dyslexic and I love to find positive role models that he can look too. <3 We spent time talking and he was a very gracious and kind person. I was so proud to bring a signed book home for my son.
I know you’ve been sitting for awhile so it’s time to get up and switch rooms for the first Workshop of the Conference. I decided to do something I’ve never done before and attend an illustrators session. Why? Well…*squee* My cover is being worked on at this very moment and I’m finding it hard to think about anything else. LOL!!! Also, this next speaker just happens to be Art Director for Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers AND he was a puppet designer in Jim Henson’s Muppet Workshop. That is just cool! It was too tempting of an opportunity to pass up.
Laurent Linn-JUDGE THIS! ANATOMY OF CREATING COVER ART.
This session was a journey of beautiful covers coming to life. I was fascinated by how one idea after another grew and changed over time. But the thing that really moved me was recognizing a familiar passion. It was obvious to me that cover art means as much to the people who create it, as words and stories do to writers. As someone who is dreaming, waiting, hoping, wondering about her cover–I was reminded that while publishing is a business, it is filled to the brim with people who love and take pride in what they do. I love that.
Woot! We’ve made it to lunch!!! Now if you want the full effect of the lunch experience, fill a tote bag full of books and stand in a l-o-n-g line for a sandwich. The upside is that you will get to chat with amazing friends while waiting. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll have at least three chocolate bars stashed in that bag of books. Chocolate makes everything better.
When munching turkey on a crusty roll, you can’t go wrong listening to a panel discussion–unless you’re a vegetarian. *sorry*
Panel Discussion-CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING: 5 PUBLISHERS GIVE AN INDUSTRY-WIDE PICTURE
(from left to right)
AJ-Allyn Johnston, VP and Publisher of Beach Lane Books
JSG-Julie Strauss-Gabel, VP and Publisher of Dutton Children’s Books
JH-Jennifer Hunt, VP of Acquisitions and Development and Editor-at-large for Dial Books for Young Readers
BH-Beverly Horowitz, V. P. Publisher of Delacorte Press
DD-Debra Dorfman, VP, Publisher Paperbacks, Non-Fiction & Licensing Publishing at Scholastic
*Moderator-Lin Oliver
Here are the best and most interesting comments that I took from the panel discussion…
BH-Don’t be too tough on the electronic future, it has potential. It is bringing in new readers.
JSG-There is no one right way to sell a book. Every path is different.
JH-Kids are always at the forefront of innovation and technology.
JH-No matter what the format, content is key. Great writing is key.
BH-Sometimes you can be “before” the trend. A strong back list-repackaging. Need to be nimble and think in a new way.
JSG-The only time social media works is when it’s genuine to the author. When it feels natural to the author, they capture their writing voice in their social media voice.
JH-While there is an upside to social media, it can cause a lot of stress and take up writing time.
JSG-I firmly agree in voices finding their way, when publishing doesn’t serve, but at the risk of being unpopular, I firmly believe in publishing.
DD-Adults are buying YA
BH-The teen market has only about 4% of the ebook market.
I know that this was a bit of a mash-up of thoughts from the publishers, but those were the things that jumped out at me. Before I sign off (until the next installment) I thought you might like a peek at the hotel…
This was the Hyatt Regency and I’m just going to put it out there and say that they had one of the nicest hotel staffs I’ve ever met. They were really, really sweet and friendly and I LOVED riding the elevator and chatting with them. My favorite person was the adorable lady helping me get into my room when the key didn’t work. She didn’t even laugh, when she pointed out that I was trying to break and enter into room 1656, when all of my own personal belongings were clearly in room 1652. *head thunk*
This was the line of people at Starbucks in the lobby. Each morning, our eyes propped open with tooth picks, we all descended upon the coffee people. We picked their barista bones clean, leaving empty shelves and discarded coffee sleeves in our wake. The whole scene made me want to write.
THE DAY THE WRITERS CAME…
When the morning sun wakes up,
We writers come to get a cup.
We come from almost all the states
So Starbucks gives us discount rates.
I check my watch, I need to go,
Why is the freaking line so slow?
The staff is nice, they really are,
But god, I wish I had my car.
Should I get a cake pop? NO!
I settle for a cup of Joe.
And perhaps a bagel. :o)
First up on Monday…Libba Bray!!!!
Tags: Jerry Pinkney, LA11SCBWI, publishers
In the past, I’ve always tried to get at least half, if not a full day of conference recap into each of my blog posts. I’m going to be doing something a little bit different this time. I’m going to keep each entry a little bit shorter. This means that I’ll be writing about the conference slower than most people, but for me, this needs to be savored and relived without rushing–it was special.
Of course, no conference can start without a warm welcome from the official mom and dad of SCBWI–Stephen Mooser and Lin Oliver.
We also must begin with some of Lin’s stats for the conference.
There were…
*1,342 people in attendance. (A record number.)
*The men broke the 150 mark. (But we still commandeered their bathroom.)
*42% of those attending were published. (Woot!)
*49 out of 50 states were in attendance. (South Dakota needs to get their act together.)
*There were representatives from 20 countries. (70 people from outside the United States.)
*The Children’s Book Market is doing better than the Real Estate Market. (Fist pump!!)
I also would like to show you what the California Ballroom looked like. I loved the tiers in this room and how they allowed so many more people to have a wonderful view of the podium.
On Friday morning we were introduced to the faculty which had the effect of blowing on an ember. I couldn’t wait to get started after this spark was lit. (Sorry, the picture is a little blurry.) Each person on the faculty was tasked with giving a sentence with “40” in it, to celebrate 40 years of SCBWI. The responses ranged from hilarious to inspirational. So much fun.
I took tons of pictures of everyone (because that’s what I do) but I’ll pick one to highlight. As we all know, we’ve arrived not only at the end of the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling, but also the movies. *sniff* The least we can do is send a cyber hug to the man who was instrumental in our happiness. He is perhaps best known as the American editor for for the Harry Potter Books, Arthur A. Levine, the Vice President of Scholastic and the Publisher of his own imprint, Arthur A. Levine Books. I really wanted to meet him, but this was the closest I got, without falling over and melting into fan-girl gushy puddles.
As if being JK Rowling’s go-to guy isn’t enough, he is also the editor for the wonderful, fantastic, debut author Mike Jung. His middle grade novel Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities, comes out in the fall of 2012. I can’t wait to mug Mike and run away with an ARC of this book.
Hmmm…I told you I was going to keep this short. Lets get moving!
The first Keynote Speaker was someone I have been dying to meet and listen to. I was not disappointed.
Bruce Coville–RIPPLES IN THE POND: WHY WHAT WE DO MATTERS…AND MATTERS…AND CONTINUES TO MATTER.
Here are the highlights that stuck with me…
*There are 22,000 people in our SCBWI Tribe, the only other place for us is the Island of Misfit Toys.
*It takes a delusional person to believe we are a society that considers children our most valuable resource. We love our children individually, but we have a hard time showing it collectively.
*Craft without inspiration leads to basket weaving, inspiration without craft leads to modern art. Ha!
*There is a butterfly effect. You never know what kind of impact you will have. The smallest gesture is a turning point.
*If I wasn’t already won over by Bruce (and I won’t lie–I was) he would have had me hook, line and sinker when he quoted from the Broadway play, Into the Woods. I swear, I played the soundtrack to this musical until my college roommate’s ears bled. I love to be inspired.
No One is Alone… a song of responsibility. Our responsibility.
*Don’t start with a message, start with your own heart…You can not know the effect of your words.
*I can’t help but think that we reach a very special, lasting place in a kid’s soul.
*Leave an unfinished chord…
Tags: Bruce Coville, LA11SCBWI
I’m leaving tomorrow for SCBWI LA…SQUEE!!!! The conference is sold out again and I can’t wait to go hang with the tribe! As you might have suspected, I’m keeping this short and sweet because I have a zillion, trillion things to get ready before I leave. But I have to give you some information…
Last year I went to the LA Conference for the first time and it was AMAZING!!!! But being my first time, it also meant that there were many years when I was living vicariously through the tweets, blogs and FB posts of those in attendance. Yup, I was trolling the net to find out what was going on. You can absolutely do that too. Virtual fun and information is a writer’s right of passage–it’s the next best thing to being there.
If you’re not familiar with the conference or *gasp* SCBWI, here is my wrap up posts. SCBWI LA 40th Anniversary Conference Parts 1-9
You can follow live tweeting of the conference on Twitter by using the hashtag #LA12SCBWI. I’ll absolutely be tweeting, but I won’t be alone.
Another FABULOUS way to get information about the conference is the SCBWI Blog. 
Team Blog consists of…
And you absolutely do not want to miss them. They put in so much hard work to make this conference accessible to everyone. (((group hug)))
Of course, I’ll mini blog from the conference as best as I can and you can guarantee I’ll have a full recall for you when I get back. In the mean time, check out the SCBWI, my old posts and start following the blogs and tweets, but if you have any questions about this conference or conferences in general, I’ll do my best to answer your questions. Also, what’s the best conference you’ve ever been to? Best tip for attending conferences? Is there a conference or speaker that got away and you’re kicking yourself for not attending? Dream speaker at a conference???? Come on…distract me from packing…it’s so easy.
Also–If you’re going and you’re by yourself, have no one to eat with, and are possibly feeling a little overwhelmed and TERRIFIED!!!! Let me know and we can connect!!!
Tags: Conferences, Jamie Temairik, Jolie Stekly, Kim Sabatini, Kimberly Sabatini, LA12SCBWI, Lee Wind, Marhta Brockenbrough, SCBWI, SCBWI Team Blog, Suzanne Young, twitter
