OMG!!!IT’SJUDYBLUME!!!DIDYOUHEARME????IT’SJUDYFREAKINGBLUMEFOLKS!!!!

That’s pretty much all you heard in the ballroom at this point.  We were all a little bit a whopping load of excited.

I vacillated between trying to jot down every syllable she uttered and just wanting to just sit there and take in the moment.  It was remarkable to hear Judy Blume speak.  This is a tough one to convey properly, it was once in a lifetime experience.  I’ll try to give you a little pice of the wonderful…

*We start the book on the day that something different happens.

*We write children’s books because it is what comes naturally to us.  Right now EVERYBODY wants to write for children–we are so hot.  We went from…”Judy, when are you going to write a REAL book?” To being the moneymakers for the publishers.

*In her 20’s (the early 60’s) she had two kids and a traditional husband who wanted her to be home and perfect.  “The expectations for my life were very disappointing to me.”

*Her life made her physically sick and when she changed it, all her illnesses disappeared.

*Writing not only changed my life, it saved my life.

*Don’t listed to anyone else, don’t worry about who your audience is, because if it’s good–your book will find one.

*(In response to a question) I don’t think about my legacy.  If I thought about all of you when I write, I would be too scared to write anything.  When I die, I’d like a little stone that says…Are you there God?  It’s me, Judy.

*heart squish*

 
Next up, a workshop.  How can anyone in the world interesting after listening to Judy Blume?  You find some wonderful folks to make you laugh.

Libba Bray-HELLO, MY NAME IS…GETTING PAST THE FIRST DATE WITH YOUR CHARACTERS

Libba gave excellent advice and I’ll give you a few awesome tidbits, but as I’m reading over my notes, I can’t help but be disappointed because I couldn’t capture her wit on paper.  So be warned, Libba in person is unlike anyone you’ve ever met before and I mean that in the very best of ways.

*Read as far and wide as you possibly can.

*Feel free to read the mediocre and the bad–it will make you feel better and it’s instructive.

*Writing should cost you something.

*Question the assumptions, stereotypes and pop-culture.

*Revision is my only extreme sport.  :o)

Now we must follow funny with more funny…

Jon Scieszka-THE MYRAID POSSIBILITES OF FORM, STYLE AND GENRE

Oh, I have not laughed this hard in a very long time.  Seriously.  And once again, I can not support the high level of hilarity with my notes.  As I look over my scribbles, I’ve realized that after the first comment, they are practically illegible.  Just funny, little tidbits that relate to a well, crafted humorous stories.  I’ll prove it to you…

*I got a masters in fiction writing, which qualified my to paint apartments. Ha! (Swear, this is the only one that will make sense.)

*Writing skinny books with cool covers.

*Tipping hat to Frog and Toad. Cowboy and Octopus–two weirdest best friends ever.

*Slaughter Ball.  Boys-“Yeah!”  Girls-“Why would you do that?”

*Oh, sorry mom–I think we broke Greg.

*3yo-Alzheimers patients on acid.  Everything is a little freaky and then it starts all over again.

*This stuff is not rocket science folks!

Trust me–just laugh.  I know what I’m talking about.

If you’re back on Wednesday…Norton Juster.  You don’t want to miss it.  Just sayin’.

Tags: Jon Scieszka, Judy Blume, Kimberly Sabatini, LA11SCBWI, Libba Bray

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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!!!!!!

Tags: Bruce Coville, LA11SCBWI, laurie halse anderson, Libba Bray

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