By Kate Carroll
We are gearing up for our annual
SCBWI Writers’ Conference here in northern Ohio, and there’s hope and anticipation
in the air. Aside from the dream of a book contract (!), the weekend fills me with knowledge, inspiration,
and camaraderie with my fellow authors.
Attending
a conference or a workshop revs my creative engine, but halfway through, I
feel like I’m on “info overload”. I look
forward to unpacking all the knowledge and letting it sink into my brain, but not
right away. I need to separate from the excitement and truly inhale all of the
information in long, lingered, intentional moments.
Reviewing my notes and handouts may be the
first thing I want to do once I leave a conference, but I rarely do - because, let’s
face it - LIFE happens. I often have to delay that gratification to attend to
other things. So, down the road a bit,
after the conference adrenaline wears off, and I’m needing a little
motivation or direction, I reach for those lovely parting gifts. I pull out my workshop notes, my handouts, my
whatevers, and jump into the treasure trove of learning materials again. This
time, I linger and listen ever so intently to the sage advice that will enhance
my writing and lead me to publication.
Here are some of my favorite pearls of wisdom
from the “pros” at past writing events:
“Every word
matters.”
Kate DiCamillo
“Anticipate
your readers’ reactions.”
Jodelle
Sadler
“There’s a
kid out there who needs your book.”
Danielle
Smith
“Take the
emotion of a frozen moment in your life and insert it into a character and/or the
setting of your story.”
Dandi Daley
Mackall
“Put
yourself into the mindset of a 6 year old.”
Nikki Garcia
“Make me
laugh. Make me think. Make me want to turn the page.”
Michelle Poploff
“Be careful
not to take my illustrator’s job away from me with your words.”
Eric Rohmann
“Writing
takes talent, tenacity, timing and luck.”
Laurie
Knowlton
“If a
character makes a decision, pause and ask, what would happen if he went another
way? Tina Wexler
“Start out
with an article. It’s a great way to get your feet wet and gain a writing
credit.”
Mary Ryan
“Red
herrings are very good in a mystery novel, but bad in a picture book.”
Lisa Wheeler
“You must
have the seed of an idea before you can grow a story.”
Nancy Roe Pimm
If you are
going to a conference or workshop soon,
I hope you are breathless with excitement and anticipation - both coming
and going!
