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By: Kathy Temean,
on 5/8/2013
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Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award
Are you over 50 years old and have not been traditionally published? If so, this is something you should consider.
The Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award is for authors over the age of fifty who have not been traditionally published in the children’s literature field.
The grant was established by Newbery Award winner and Newbery Honor Book recipient Karen Cushman and her husband, Philip Cushman, in conjunction with the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen published her first children’s book, The Midwife’s Apprentice (winner of the 1996 Newbery Medal), at the age of fifty-three and has gone on to become one of the field’s most acclaimed novelists.
“This award was established to encourage and celebrate late bloomers like me, who didn’t start to write until age fifty. But then I bloomed, and I’d love to see others do so as well,” said Karen.
SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver agreed, “One of the great aspects of writing children’s books is that it’s not age-restrictive. The SCBWI hopes an individual’s creative expression can make a valuable contribution, no matter what his or her age.”
The award is open to both unpublished children’s book authors or author/illustrators over the age of fifty, and one winner will be chosen from the pool of those who have submitted material for the SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grants.
The winner will receive $500 in cash, and free tuition to any worldwide SCBWI conference. The first winner will be selected this year and announced along with the other Work-in-Progress Grant recipients. Because this grant was started after the applications were due we will be contacting finalists to see if they are eligible for this additional award.
Application Process You do not apply directly for this award, rather it is chosen from among the Work-in-Progress grant entrees. To enter you will indicate on your application that you are over 50 and would like to be considered for the award. http://www.scbwi.org/Pages.aspx/Work-In-Progress-Grants Must be an SCBWI Member to apply.
About Karen Cushman
Karen Cushman is the author of The Midwife’s Apprentice (winner of the 1996 Newbery Medal), Catherine, Called Birdy (a Newbery Honor book), The Ballad of Lucy Whipple (winner of the John and Patricia Beatty Award), and her latest book, Will Sparrow’s Road (Clarion 2012). Karen lives and writes on Vashon Island in Washington. To learn more about Karen visit www.karencushman.com .
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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What a weekend! This is the first moment I've had to properly collect a few of my thoughts about the NESCBWI conference held this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Springfield, MA. It was a great experience, filled with kind people, informative workshops, and new friends. Thanks go out to NESCBWI for putting it all together!
Here are my personal take-aways:
1. I know more than I think I know.
Generally, during and after each workshop, I found myself thinking...gee...I already know most of what was said. That doesn't mean the workshops and information weren't valuable---it just serves as a reminder that over the past seven years, I've done a lot of researching and gained a lot of experience on my own that I've either been using or have filed away for future use. Bottom line: I'm not a newb. That much is clear.
2. I still need to work on self-confidence issues.
While I do take pride and feel good about my overall craft and presentation, when it comes to the content of the work itself I'm always pretty self-conscious. I do work hard and try hard to make smart decisions, but I still feel like I'm pretending to be an illustrator. I doubt my own drawing/painting abilities, I doubt my compositions, I doubt my own imagination/creativity (or lack thereof). I compare myself too much to those I admire. If this weekend has shown me anything, it's that I should believe in myself a little more. My work is polished. My portfolio varied. Throughout this weekend I felt a lot of support and encouragement from strangers who offer a more objective view of my work. It left me feeling like I will get to where I want to go if I just stick with it. I'm already headed in the right direction and I have experience to back me up. I have the tools I need, I just have to figure out what I want to do with them.
3. I depend on external validation more than I'd like to.
That doesn't mean that I only want compliments--in fact the opposite is true. I sincerely appreciate constructive feedback that guides me to ways to keep improving. Throughout the weekend I had generous, positive interactions with fellow illustrators about my work. Yet that positive reinforcement did very little to elevate my self-worth. Instead, I allowed the disappointingly dispassionate two minute critique from the small panel of industry reps to make me feel rather lousy about my work. It left me second guessing deliberate decisions and confused about how to fix what they didn't like. But I'm smarter than that--I should be able to take it by now! I ought be able to swallow criticism and not get overly dejected that easily. Not everybody has to completely embrace my work. I can't please everyone. I can only take all the feedback in and trust myself to know what I want to do with it moving forward.
4. KidLit can be a very friendly industry.
I met a lot of very kind, very awesome, very talented people this weekend. It was wonderful to make new connections with strangers who share a common love and respect for children's literature. It really is all about networking and establishing a supportive community. We're all in this together, pulling for each of us to succeed, or at the very least, to keep pursuing our passion. Whether it's connecting with those just beginning their journeys, sharing common experiences with a fellow published illustrator, or getting the chance to meet the author of the book I illustrated, everyone was so darn nice and generous with their time. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
5. I want to succeed in this industry.
I want to illustrate. I want to write. I want to make books that express who I am and how I see the world. And I want to be able to share these books with the children for whom they are intended. Sharon Creech and Grace Lin's uplifting key notes in particular reminded me of that. Life and art are intermingling at all times, and it's up to us to open our hearts and minds and allow those moments to flow into our creativity. It's not about making pretty pictures or telling pretty stories. It's about creating an idea, capturing and contributing a very human part of ourselves.
Sometimes when I'm in the trenches pulling my hair out over an educational project I don't want to be doing, I question whether I want to be doing this at all. But so many times this weekend my heart panged with overwhelming hope, skipped with a jolt of inspiration, and beat with a constant sense of purpose that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the place I want to be.
So I'm going to keep at it, and start listening to what's on the inside, waiting for a chance to come out.
So---did you attend the conference, too? What were your take-aways?
_____________________________________
Here are the only two shots I snapped this whole weekend. I guess I was too busy making friends to spend time behind the camera!
.JPG)
And here is my entry for the poster contest for Jane Yolen's poem Infirm Pachyderm
.
Maybe it's because I recently hit (ahem) a big birthday myself (your cue to coo in kindly disbelief, thank you very much), but this announcement that just zinged into my in-box was exciting:
The SCBWI is proud to announce the immediate launch of the Karen and Philip Cushman Late Bloomer Award
for authors over the age of fifty who have not been traditionally published in
the children’s literature field. The
grant was established by Newbery Award winner and Newbery Honor Book recipient Karen
Cushman and her husband, Philip Cushman, in conjunction with the Society of
Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Karen published her first children’s book,
The Midwife’s Apprentice (winner
of the 1996 Newbery Medal), at the age of fifty-three and has gone on to become
one of the field’s most acclaimed novelists.
“This award was established to encourage and celebrate late bloomers
like me, who didn't start to write until age fifty. But then I bloomed, and I'd love to see
others do so as well,” said Karen.
SCBWI Executive Director Lin Oliver agreed, “One of the great aspects of
writing children’s books is that it’s not age-restrictive. The SCBWI hopes an
individual’s creative expression can make a valuable contribution, no matter
what his or her age.”
The award is open to both unpublished children’s book authors or
author/illustrators over the age of fifty, and one winner will be chosen from the
pool of those who have submitted material for the SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grants.
The winner will receive $500 in cash, and free tuition to any worldwide SCBWI
conference. The first winner will be
selected this year and announced along with the other Work-in-Progress Grant
recipients.
About
Karen Cushman
Karen Cushman is the author of The
Midwife’s Apprentice (winner of the 1996 Newbery Medal), Catherine, Called Birdy (a Newbery Honor
book), The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
(winner of the John and Patricia Beatty Award), and her latest book, Will Sparrow's Road (Clarion 2012).
Karen lives and writes on Vashon Island in Washington. To learn more about Karen visit www.karencushman.com.
General
Information
Founded in 1971, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators
is one of the largest existing writers’ and illustrators’ organizations, with
over 22,000 members worldwide. It is the only organization specifically for
those working in the fields of children’s literature, magazines, film,
television, and multimedia. The organization was founded by Stephen Mooser (President) and Lin Oliver (Executive
Director).
By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 5/3/2013
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This will be a short post because I'm busy preparing to attend the SCBWI
Wild, Wild Midwest Conference. In fact, I've written this post in advance and scheduled it to publish right about the time I'll be hitting the road. :-)
For those of you unfamiliar with
SCBWI, it stands for the
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, the premier organization for those interested in writing and/or illustrating for children. SCBWI holds
two national conventions every year., The summer conference, held in Los Angeles, will be
Aug. 2-5 this year, and the winter conference, held in New York, will be Feb. 21-23, 2014. (
Click here to see photos from last year's winter conference.) I've never been able to attend either of these events, except virtually, via the
official SCBWI conference blog, so I'm especially excited to participate in this weekend's Midwest conference. I'm hoping it will be the first of many.
Speaking of SCBWI, congratulations to all the winners of the SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice awards, which were announced this week. If you're not familiar with this award, you can see the list of winners
on the SCBWI website and read about how they were chosen. And for more children's publishing news, be sure to check out
the official SCBWI blog.
In other good news, I've found a new home for the
Girls Write! summer camps I taught at the Hinsdale Center for the Arts for nine years. (Sadly,
HCA closed last year due to lack of funding.) The camps will now be held at the
Mayslake Peabody Estate in Oak Brook, Illinois. If you know any budding girl writers who live in the area, please help spread the word. The camp for girls entering grades 4-5 will meet June 24-June 28, 9:30 am–noon and for those entering grades 6-8 will meet July 15-July 19, 9:30 am–noon. For details, see the right sidebar
on this page of my website.
Finally, don't forget: there's still time to enter our blogiversary giveaway for a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards to Anderson's Bookshops.
See this post for details.
After you've entered, hop on over to
Elizabeth Steinglass's blog for this week's Poetry Friday round-up.
Happy writing!
Carmela
By:
Roberta Baird,
on 4/14/2013
Blog:
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The conference was great!
The speakers were informative and friendly, and did I mention funny? I love it when a speaker infuses their presentation with genuine humor.
The critiques filled my head with new possibilities and directions. This year, there have been so many changes in my career, with having an agent and several books in the works, that the conference held special meaning to me. Where once I faced a critique with a case of nerves, causing me to forget everything said to me, this year I knew the questions I wanted to ask. I heard what they had to say.
This was the time to ask.
So this year those nerves were but a case of the butterflies…..
Then to top it off, I got to meet fellow illustrators in the real, that I only knew from Facebook. It was so much fun to hang out with friends who “get” why you do what you do!
So tomorrow when I start back to work, I have renewed outlook, but today…. I’m just going to chill and let all those ideas bouncing around in my head settle and form complete paths.
Sara gave a fantastic keynote speech at the Winter 2010 SCBWI Conference in NYC. I hadn't taken a look at her website since but something flashed on the twitter feed and here we are...
Six episodes it (whilst working on my taxes last weekend) and I'm hooked. Great interviews and a nice insight into so many ways that people, write, draw, dance etc.. These are some fine, accomplished folk who are also real people.
Don't stop what you're doing, but put this on for some company in the studio. And thanks again nudging the creative muse:
THIS CREATIVE LIFE
The local chapter of SCBWI sponsored an event last night where three dozen writers listened to Carol Lynch Williams discuss the art of critiquing. Carol knows her stuff. She writes, she blogs, and is a creative writing instructor at BYU. Carol heads up the annual WIFYR conference. In her quiet but humorous style, she shared her thoughts.
The purpose of critiquing is to improve writing. We get too close or so attached to our own work that we can’t see the flaws. We need fresh eyes to look at it and that is what a critique group can provide. It is a mutually agreed upon thing. You will look at another writer’s story and try to make it better, trusting they will do the same for you.
It is important to find the right people with which to form a writer’s group. There is a lot of trust involved, not only that each member will dedicate their time to your work, but also they will do so in a positive, yet constructive manner. Ask not only what your critique group can do for you. Ask what you can do for them. It usually is the same things.
The rules and expectations should be clearly laid out ahead of time. Dates for submissions and meetings should provide enough time for all participants to read through and make comments. Obviously the faults of a work must be pointed out. A mention should also be made of the positive points, the things that worked well. Carol says the one being critiqued should remain silent, that if there is anything they need to explain, it should have come out in the writing.
Some writers fear a critique. They spend hours on a piece, massaging it to perfection, then don’t want to share with others who could find its flaws. An ideal critique group will treat your precious baby with tender care, offering suggestions for its growth and development.
Ultimately with a critique, you are the writer. Your group can make suggestions but it is your work. It is your story, your vision, so go with your gut.
Carol said there were four steps to do before sharing with a writer’s group. You should first read your piece silently on the computer and make changes. Then you should read it aloud on screen and make changes. Then print the piece and repeat the steps. I’m okay with the silent reading. It’s the reading out loud that struck me as problematic. Not sure the rest of the family wants to listen to that and I don’t feel like sitting in my car doing so. Yet as a teacher, I’ve asked my students to do the same. I made little reading phones out of PCV pipe. Kids can whisper their story without much disruption of the rest of the class. It is amazing the mistakes you find when listening to your own writing. I may have to pull one of those things home.
If you want a pat on the back, go somewhere else. If you want to improve your work, take it to a critique group. Then be willing to listen with an open mind.
Matt Kirby once told Carol that he would rather not be published at all if his work were not the best writing he could produce.
The level of children’s writer talent in the Utah is notable. Publishers in New York refer to this phenomenon as the Mormon Mafia. One of those responsible for setting the bar high, then pulling writers up to it is Carol Lynch Williams.
Carol is more than just a remarkable writer, though an amazing writer she is. Waiting and Miles from Ordinary: A Novel are her most current books. My favorite, however, is The Chosen One, a look at the world from the eyes of a girl in a polygamous community.
She is more than a teacher. Carol teaches creative writing at BYU. She has nurtured and fostered the creative genius of numerous writers who respect and admire her.
What elevates Carol to goddess stature is the annual gift she gives the children’s writing community. Writing and Illustrating For Young Readers, or
WIFYR, is an amazing place to mingle and learn with fellow writers at all levels. Now in its 14
thyear, Carol consistently pulls in a cast of talented faculty members willing to share their expertise. These published authors conduct morning workshops and speak at afternoon breakout sessions. Carol pulls in agents and editors from the publishing houses seeking to tap into the Mormon Mafia talent base. They respect what Carol does and appreciate the commitment these writers show with their attendance at such an event.
This summer she will bring the magic again. Registration is open now and the conference is set for June 17-21 at the Waterford School in Sandy. (Click here for
registration info.)
The SCBWI is presenting an opportunity to meet her. Carol will be speaking at the Provo City Library this coming Friday at 7:00 pm. (Details are here.) In her talk, titled Critique 101, she will discuss how to best critique and be critiqued. You will enlightened and entertained. And you will come to see the brilliance of this amazing woman.
Don’t forget to cast your vote in this year’s SCBWI Crystal Kite Member Choice Awards! Voting ends March 15.
Here are the finalists for the California/Hawaii division:
• Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan ( HarperCollins Children’s Books)
• Tina Nichols Coury, Hanging Off Jefferson’s Nose: Growing Up On Mount Rushmore (Dial Books For Young Readers, Penguin Young Readers Group)
• Katherine Longshore, Gilt (Viking Children’s Books, Penguin Young Readers Group)
• Ginger Wadsworth, First Girl Scout, the Life of Juliette Gordon Low (Clarion)
• Melissa Wiley, The Prairie Thief (Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster)
You can see the other division finalists here. One Crystal Kite winner will be chosen for each division.
From the SCBWI website:
To cast a vote, go to your Member Home page, click on “See what’s going on in your region,” then on the Crystal Kites tab. The list of the finalists listed below will be there and all you have to do to vote is click the button next to the desired title for your region. [Note: To get to the voting buttons, you have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the finalist list.]
Please remember there is no campaigning of any kind for individual titles but you are encouraged to promote the awards in general using all social media! This includes but is not limited to blogging, tweeting or social networking of any kind.
Anyone participating in an individual voting campaign (promoting a specific title) will be disqualified. This is to ensure the votes are based purely on personal opinion.
A few weeks ago I shared a bit of wisdom I learned from Bruce Coville at the Florida SCBWI's winter conference. In that post, I related how important it is for us, as writers, to
lengthen the chain for our readers. Bruce went on to share a few practical ways for us to do this:
1. Take Your Art Seriously, But Also Take Yourself Seriously As A Business Person. Learn to read contracts. Learn to negotiate. Know what's happening in the industry.
This is important because the more secure you are from a business standpoint, the more attention you can give to the writing of your stories. Confidence creates freedom—from indecision, from worrying that you missed something, from stressing over having to do something that you know you suck at (like balancing the checkbook or creating a marketing plan). If we can educate ourselves on the business-y things, we'll become more confident in our abilities, which frees us up to focus on the writing.
2. Take Your Art Seriously But Take Yourself Lightly. Strive to be great, but also try to be good.
Oh my word. How awesome is this? Because good people do good things, right? If we're so tied up in our craft and our ego, how will we have time for the real world and the people in it? Craft is important, but kindness and patience and forgiveness and truth-sharing—these are the gifts that truly help others. If we embrace these good things and practice them ourselves, not only will we be helping others in real life, but the goodness will also come through in our writing.
3. Never Throw Anything Away. Ideas are usually better than your skill level.
He talked about going back years later and rewriting an earlier story idea that he hadn't been able to do justice to at the time. My skill level hasn't evolved quite that far, but I HAVE learned the fine art of cannibalization. That story stinks, but the setting is really unique and interesting. Let me use that in my WIP. This idea is pedantic and elementary, but I love the character. Into my new story he goes. Truly, no idea is without value.
4. Embrace the Unfinished Chord. Leave something for the reader to dream about.
As a musician, I LOVE this analogy. An unfinished chord is...somewhat unsettling. It fills you with this itching desire for something more. This is one of my criteria for a truly great book: reading the final page and thinking about the story...and thinking. Going to bed and waking up...still thinking. As an author, I'd love for each of my stories to leave a little question in the reader's mind. Something to keep them thinking and make them wonder and maybe start them asking questions they wouldn't have asked before.
Good stuff, yes? Thank you, Bruce Coville, for sharing your wisdom and thereby lengthening all of our chains.
************
And one last bit of good news...
INDIERECON STARTS TODAY!
If you're an author (or want to be), you must make plans to attend the Indie Revolution Conference, or as we like to call it: Indie ReCon - making Indie publishing a mission possible! While the conference focuses on Indie publishing, there will be tons of advice that will benefit writers who utilize all publishing styles. And during the conference, our presenters and partners will be giving out loads of prizes - including new kobo e-readers.
Best of all, you can attend online, for FREE. That means you can stay snuggled in your pajamas, sipping a beverage of your choice, while we deliver the content to you. The conference runs February 19 through the 21st. Sign up now to ensure you don't miss important news and for a chance to win even more prizes. (We promise we don't spam.) So GO.
Sign up now. You won't regret a single minute of this amazing free conference.
*
photo credit: visualpanic via photopin cc
By: Bruce Luck,
on 2/16/2013
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I think I’m studying this thing too much. When I first began writing, I wrote carefree, jotting down events as they came to mind. Then I was introduced to WIFYR and became aware that there are formats and procedures and formulae to follow. More and more, I began to research what the experts were saying on writing. Now I’ve got so many “do this, don’t do that” things going on in my head, I’m bound to go against some expert’s opinion with every sentence I write.
Cheryl Klein, Martine Leavitt, Alane Ferguson, Ann Dee Ellis, Mathew Kirby, Kathleen Duey; these are some of the gurus to whose savvy advice I try to adhere. The latest is John Truby. I recently caught up on some back copies of the SCBWI journal when I ran across an article in the November/December issue. It talked about Truby’s book, The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller. Silly me. I went out and purchased it.
I’m not sure which of the 22 steps I’m on, as they are not readily laid out in the table of contents. Truby addresses story anatomy from a screenwriter’s perspective but his concepts can be adapted to any fiction writing. I’m on the chapter about story structure. Truby says story structure is how a story develops over time.
He says your MC must have a weakness and a need. The weakness could be the character is arrogant or selfish or a liar and the need is to overcome the weakness. Then there must be desire, which is not the same as need. Desire is what the character wants. It is the driving force in the story and something the reader hopes he attains. Need has to do with a weakness within the character and desire is a goal outside of the character. The hero must, of course meet an opponent. Truby says the opponent does not try to prevent the MC from accomplishing their goal as much as they are in competition for the same thing. In a mystery story, it would seem the protagonist is opposed to the perpetrator of the crime. Under the surface, however, they are both competing for their version of the truth to be believed.
This is where the conflict is with my work-in-progress (my incredibly slow work-in-progress). It’s a middle grade book, so the story is not as intricate. Do kid characters need the complexity of adult characters? I get it that you can’t make them too sterile, too one-sided. Should a middle grade MC be arrogant or a liar?
Likewise, I’m having trouble with the opponent aspect. In my story, there is no real antagonist. There is a mystery the MC is trying to solve, but no person is preventing him.
The experts say do this or do that. My gut tells me different. What’s a poor writer to do?
By:
catugeau,
on 2/11/2013
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OH the question! and topic of the panel I was part of at the Winter SCBWI Art Intensive on Feb. 1. David Diaz moderated Jan Constantine, Author’s Guild, Brenda Bowen, now Lit (and art) rep at Sanford Greenburger Associates and myself in a series of questions about the reality of the biz we all love. Of course being PART of the panel….I have no memory of what we actually said!!!!…so maybe you all who were there can write crits about us in ‘comments!’ LOL.
“Though a living cannot be made at art, art makes life worth living…. it brings LIFE to life.” this is a quote from fine artist and illustrator John Sloan that I used in the panel. He was actually talking about FINE ART here as he DID make most of his living with illustration, and so can you…it IS commercial. But as we talked about it is quite hard in the children’s publishing market itself. Possible…but hard, even when you are repped. The assignments come oddly timed…one year you are turning down work, and the next twiddling your thumbs! (hopefully actually practicing practicing and growing.) One really must diversify into various areas of the arts, and maybe have a ‘day job.’ Try to find one that is involved with art of course so it FEEDS you. But financial insecurity can work actively against the ‘expression’ and good choices you DO need to make to make a career in this industry, like most industries! It IS a business was an all over theme.
A couple of points that were mentioned was about Your First Impression… you only get one of those with publishers. It’s a small market – long memories. Another was that too high advances CAN actually hurt your career if the sales records aren’t good for the books…. not earning out. Do consider this when negotiating. Ask questions when reading contracts! Team playing is ever so important if you want to be part of an agency…what YOU do professionally does reflect on every other artist/writer in the group! Staying Fresh and updated with your samples is very important…work to make new and promote them often to AD’s and editors. Consistency of style is also VERY important. Be Brutally Honest with yourself when considering giving up your day job…have a five-year business plan of action.
I do hope we get some ‘comments’ as I’m curious about what ‘spoke’ to you all there too! REMINDER: order your THE BOOK from SCBWI….the guide to it ALL! and I wrote/revised the Artist Guide part of it again. Hope you find it helpful!
this visual of the ‘rep me’ is from my son and artist Jeremy Tugeau, and husband to rep Nicole Tugeau of Tugeau2….check her agency out as well!
By: Bruce Luck,
on 2/9/2013
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The New York publishing houses have their eye on Utah children’s writers. Elissa Cruz, of the local SCBWI, said that publisher refer to us as the “Mormon Mafia.” Deren Hansen mentioned in his Wednesday post that Utah seems to have a disproportionate number of writers. It could be that we take our craft seriously as evidenced by the number of writing conferences in the state. Three good ones in particular are coming up soon.
Deren mentioned the LTUE next weekend. Years ago the brilliant Douglass Adams penned
Life, the Universe and Everything, from which LTUE takes its name. Life, The Universe, and Everything is a three-day symposium that examines the realms of science fiction and fantasy. Their sessions are full of all topics imaginable to writers of these genres. They offer several editors and agents and you can sign up for a pitch session with them. For more information, click on their site:
http://ltue.net/
In May the LDStorymakers meet. They, too, have some amazing sessions along with publishers and a pitch session. One of my critique group members is going and encouraging the rest of us to go. I’m having a hard time finding a reason not to attend. More information can be found here:
http://storymakersconference.myshopify.com/
My favorite writer’s conference is WIFYR in June. Carol Lynch Williams does such a service to the children’s writing community by providing top-notch authors and a week to sit in their workshops and glean tips of the craft. This is a weeklong event with afternoon sessions offering speakers detailing the multiple aspects of writing. Real writing growth comes from the morning workshops. Guided and pampered by an acclaimed author, participants meet in an intimate setting with other like-minded writers Monday through Friday. The author shares their take on character and story development, trends in the publishing industry, and tips on how to move your manuscript out of the sludge-pile and get it noticed. Agents and editors will be at WIFYR, as well. Registration will open soon. Go here to learn more:
http://www.wifyr.com/
Whatever your ability level, you can kick your writing up a notch by attending any of these wonderful Utah offerings.
New York is cold, cold, cold but fun and I shopped as well as heard amazing speakers at the SCBWI Conference and talking at schools.
Took the train from Penn Station to my friend’s home – thankyou Lynn and George – in beautiful Summit New Jersey -
with gracious heritage homes made of wood, huge oak trees lining the streets, snow thinly dusting the houses.
I snuggled warmly inside looking out.
It was lovely.
I was soooo lucky. I left Summit as the huge snow storms hit and arrived in Salisbury Maryland 4.5 hours later.
I discovered that the USA has more police car patrols than Australia. I didn’t think it was possible.
There were that many cops stopping and fining cars. Luckily I was too nervous to drive fast – being on the wrong side of the road.
No speeding fine for me.
Arrived in beautiful Salisbury – a university town where I was met by the brilliant Professor Ernest Bond, who is head of the Education Faculty at Salisbury.
He’s such a visionary embracing literature from all over the world and establishing the Green Book Award for children’s literature that promotes protecting our environment.
Ended the day with coffee overlooking a rustic lake;
speaking to university students and academics at Salisbury University about I Am Jack, Butterflies, ‘Ships in the Field’ – my books.
then Mexican dinner.
Fabulous day!
The Quakers have a long history of tolerance and commitment to peace, so it was special to enter this very old school near Union Square in New York.
‘Torture is a Moral Issue’ was draped across their prayer hall
It was PEACE WEEK at the school and my visit was a relevant adjunct to it.
I shared ‘Ships in the Field’ with students and teachers and the journey of refugees to rebuild their lives in new ‘fields’.
I shared the deep honour as the child of refugees whose parents came to a new country with memories of war and communism, to receive an Order of Australia for services to children’s literature:-
from parents who worked in factories, sharing one room, without language, to standing in our Government House with all its pomp and splendeur.
‘Ships in the Field’ is such a beautiful picture book.
Anna Pignataro the illustrator’s journey was the same as mine, and so many others.
The children at the Quaker School identified with the story as so many of their families made that journey through Ellis Island to find home in the USA.
Thankyou to Constance Vidor the Head of Library Services for welcoming me to this caring school.
By:
Susanne Gervay,
on 2/5/2013
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Loved the SCBWI Conference – :
Brilliant Meg Rostoff who is witty and realistic and more
Shaun Tan who had the audience standing and cheering – a fabulous Australian and world illustrator!
Mo Williams who is definitely a stand up comic
Julie Andrew who had us all humming Sounds of Music
Best selling authors including Bruce Coville, Jane Yolen, Lin Oliver and Theo Baker, Ellen Hopkins …. and more.
Frane Lessac, Chris Cheng and I were there representing the Aussie and New Zealand contingent.
Our fabulous international leader Kathleen Ahrens was there from Hong Kong
The speakers were wonderful, but loved the delegates even more – from all over the USA, Europe and Asia – friends through children’s books
A privilege
By:
catugeau,
on 2/5/2013
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Happily going over some notes I made while listening to the speakers at the conference… and want to share. Didn’t make every speaker of course, but I’ll try to hit the ideas and quotes that spoke to me and I hope will speak to you! Highlights….
I’ll start with the most WONDERFUL opening talk from artist SHAUN TAN. at 8:35 Friday morning of the Artist Intensive. What a way to wake up….truly the ‘WAY TUGEAU!” It was about “Developing a Personal Style.” His overall point was that your personal style needs to be free and encouraged to just ‘emerge.’ He talked about how drawing and painting at a very young gave him his ‘source of power,’ and how it was wonderful to work and not worry about how it was ‘received.’ He reminded all that ART is a distortion of reality…it’s NOT literal but more theatrical and manipulated. How you do this grows into your style. It’s often good to let the viewer SEE this manipulation…be aware of the painting. The Deep Style that is or will become you is not so much how you draw or paint, but how you THINK. That approach will change as the story and image changes, and your personal style can be ‘found’ at the intersection of where all the work meets. (love that!)
You don’t choose a personality for yourself or a style really. They evolve and happen from the interests of the day-to-day realities. One way to teach yourself to know and appreciate others styles however is the age-old practice of copying master artists to LEARN from the effort…HOW and WHY it was done a certain way. He likes to divide work into two parts…the ‘public’, known part, and the ‘private’ exploring, developing part. Good to “think of yourself as a train station that ideas pass through.” (!) Allow the dream to ‘bubble up’. The deep style just comes… it’s a conversation with yourself. “Swing with the current.” Style often turns out to be ”what you do in an emergency” which he quoted from someone else…and isn’t that a truth!
Well that’s a touch of one talk I just HAD to share…wonderful. Check out Shaun Tan’s work up…interesting talent and personality.
More tomorrow from others there at the WINTER SCBWI CONFERENCE 2013!
Bill and I shared our 44th wedding anniversary with Grand Central Stations 100th on Friday Feb 1 while at the SCBWI Winter Conference and Art Intensive ! and what a party! here see the big band and light show in windows…people from all over smiling! NY at it’s best. And upstairs we had a fabulous conference too! more on that to follow……
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By: Cathy C. Hall,
on 1/20/2013
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So you've had a couple weeks to firm up your 2013 writing goals. You have a handle on what you hope to accomplish, and if you’re the really industrious type, you've hit the page running. It’s all good, as my kids are fond of saying.
But I've noticed that whenever my kids say, “Calm down, Mom. It’s all good,” it’s invariably
not all good. They've forgotten something (something that’s usually terribly important). And so I thought I’d ask: Have you remembered your writing budget?
Your writing
budget is just as important as your writing
goals, especially if your goals tend towards the general rather than the specific. For example, let’s say that your 2013 goal is to focus on children’s writing, and to that end, you've decided to write every day, and read more in the children’s genres you’re targeting. That’s terrific, and you
will be a better writer by the end of the year.
But if you have a writing
budget, you can rev up your goal. With less than a hundred dollars, you can join a professional organization like
SCBWI and reap the benefits of membership. With less than two hundred dollars, you can take a
class in the children’s writing field you enjoy. Or you can attend a
conference, and connect with other writers in your area. You can skip the expensive coffee a couple times a month and use that money to enter a few
children’s writing contests. Contests are wonderful motivators, particularly later in the year when your writing get-up-and-go is threatening to get up and leave.
So it doesn't take an accountant to see that a writing budget will pay dividends down the road in your writing career.
But maybe you’re not a fiction writer. Maybe you’re a freelancer, or a poet, or working on your memoir, and you can’t see any benefits in joining a professional organization or attending a conference. But you still want to take your writing to the next level. Yep, you’re going to need a budget.
For less than a hundred dollars, you can
set up your own website and jumpstart your online presence. If you can find two hundred dollars, you can take classes on freelance writing,
memoir writing, even
poetry writing. You might want to join a
freelance job opportunities site; these sites can range from free to forty dollars a month. You could research mentorship, wherein writers set their own fees for what will help you the most.
So before your 2013 resolve fades, get out the calculator and work those numbers. Figure out your writing budget and stick to it.
Then you can tell me, “It’s all good, Cathy.” And I just might believe you.
~
Cathy C. Hall
By: Kathy Temean,
on 1/20/2013
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The SCBWI Work-In-Progress Grants are designed to assist children’s book writers and illustrators in the completion of a specific project, and are made possible by a generous grant from Amazon.com. Grants for first place ($2000) and runner up ($500) are awarded in each one of seven different categories:
- General Work-In-Progress grant
- Grant for a contemporary novel for young people
- Nonfiction research grant including Anna Cross Giblin Award
- Grant for work by an unpublished author
- Grant for work from a multi-cultural/minority perspective
- Barbara Karlin Grant for unpublished picture book writers.
- Don Freeman Grant for unpublished picture book illustrators.
In any given year, an applicant may apply for ONE Work in Progress Grant. The Grant for an Unpublished Author may not be applied for — it will be chosen by the judges from all the entries in the other Work-In-Progress categories. If you check “unpublished” on the application form, and your status as such is verified, you will be automatically entered for this additional grant. Please note: All grants must now be submitted electronically. Please read the new guidelines carefully before applying. Submissions: The Work-in-Progress grants are going electronic! Only PDFs will be accepted!
Eligibility: The Grants are available all current SCBWI members. Your membership must be current through the date the award is given (September 2013). The grants are not available for projects on which there are already contracts. Grant Amounts: Seven Grants of $2,000 will be awarded annually, one in each category. Seven Runner-Up Grants of $500 will also be awarded, one in each category. Authors of other projects cited by the judges as noteworthy will receive a Letter of Merit. In any given year, the SCBWI Grant Committee reserves the right to withhold the grant for that year.
Deadline: Completed application and accompanying materials must be received between February 15th and March 15th. The recipients of the grants will be announced in September.
Application materials and full guidelines:
If you are a member of the SCBWI, you should take advantage of these contest. There is plenty of time to get something put together.
Talk tomorrow,
Kathy
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Today is my mother's 93rd birthday and, as family and friends assemble, I steal this moment, desperate to imprint a lasting record of the love and learning that took place at last weekend's Perfect Your Plot Retreat hosted by SCBWI-Central Coastal California at the Mission in Santa Barbara. Already, the book launch for The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing has blurred the edges.
Lasting impressions:
The event was unique for a multitude of reasons, mostly created by each individual writer who took part -- the exact right combination.
A personal first was thanks to Alexis O'Neill's wisdom and generosity in making recommended reading The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master and then providing each writer at registration a copy of The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.
I strive never to forget the pure joy of pushing off from a shared foundation of plot concepts and an acceptance of my point of view into a deeper understanding of plot and structure. Lots of the writers had watched the free tutorial on Plot Whisperer Youtube channel and seemed to feel safe with me and my approach. That most everyone was a SCBWI member, the writers also felt safe with each other.
Everyone was so darned earnest and eager to give the plot concepts and templates a try. Watching writers complete the assigned exercises directly into their new PWWorkbooks was a dream manifest. One writer confessed to not feeling as rebellious as she normally would when presented with such a linear and organized approach because of the consistent reassurance that there are no rules or passing or failing. Simply the attempt of viewing one's story at the plot and structure level alone is enough.
The praise and kindnesses choke me even now and come at a critical time as I open to receive the vision of where I go with my teaching and writing now in Lucky '13.
Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.
Today, I write.
To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:
1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter
By:
catugeau,
on 1/28/2013
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I am most honored to be part of the Friday Feb. 1st Artist Intensive for the SCBWI Winter Conference (Grand Hyatt 42nd) this coming weekend! Our panel discussion is “WHEN DO I QUITE MY DAY JOB?” and I’m looking forward to the subject and opportunity to share the basics (and not so basic) to the business of being an Illustrator. Brenda Bowen (editor, now Lit Agent, and writer) and Jan Constantine (general counsel for The Authors Guild) and I (20 year artist agent) will be moderated by David Diaz.
The SCBWI conferences are always so very inspirational and done so professionally and with such care for the market and those who participate in it, that it’s always a joy to be part of and/or attend. I’ll also be one of the judges for the Art Show which is a wonderful part of these events. Sat. and Sun are full of other talks and sessions for writers and illustrators (or both) and an almost overwhelming opportunity to get an ‘insiders’ look at the children’s book industry. And you meet and chat with so many interesting people!
If you are planning to be there, please make yourself known to me. And if not this year, do try to attend in LA,CA (Aug.) or NYC (Feb) at some point…invaluable! See you there!
(“CAT”artist Melissa Iwai’s got the right idea about books!)
By: Ramey Channell,
on 1/30/2013
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Welcome to the SCBWI
Springmingle '13 blog tour.
I'm so happy to introduce one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming 2013 Springmingle,
.
Carmen Agra Deedy
Children's book author and storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy was born in Havana, Cuba, came to live in the United States as a child, and grew up in Decatur, Georgia. She has won more than a dozen awards for her work, including the 2001 Christopher Award and the 2001 Jane Addams Peace Association Honor Book Award .
.
1. Carmen, tell us a little about yourself. What made you decide to become a writer?
It wasn’t, in the strictest sense, a decision; I’d be more apt to call it a glorious moment of self-delusion. It lasted just long enough for me to cheerfully stamp, address, and post a manuscript to a regional publisher.
Watching the envelope irretrievably disappear through the Post Office slot, I instantly succumbed to the clammy hands, dry mouth, and heart palpitations that are the plague of presumptuous young writers. What had I done? And why did I do it?
Well, I did it because I had written a little story for my daughters and they thought it might make a fun picture book (pause for eye roll). Had I known how ridiculous the odds were, it’s unlikely I’d have ever submitted my story. To this day I bless Susan Thurman, then editor at Peachtree Publishers, for championing the sweet, but painfully unpolished, manuscript that would become Agatha’s Feather Bed.
2. What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received as a writer?
During a recent visit to an elementary school in South Carolina, a parent told me she did not care for Martina the Beautiful Cockroach. You expect (and even welcome) this kind of candid remark from children. Adults, however, are generally subtler when registering disapproval.
“Do you, um, hate cockroaches in general?” I asked.
“Nope,” she said, “Just this one.”
Oh, boy.
Then she presented me with a tattered copy of the offending book and explained, “This is my kid’s favorite book. I’ve had to read it every night for the past five months. I can’t even cheat and skip a page because she’s memorized all the words. You know I hate you, right?”
“Ah,” I said, blushing, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said.
3. Where, and when, do you write? What are your writing rituals?
Travel and family life make it difficult for me to adhere to a strict writing regimen. I write when I can and where I can. Sometimes it’s in my studio, but often it’s in an airport terminal (when my flight has been delayed, yet again).
When I can wrangle a substantial stretch of time to write, which usually means gong away for a few days––that’s when I get real work down.
My rituals during that time?
Well, I write. Then I sleep. Then I edit. Then I snack. Then I write some more. This is followed by another nap. Then I write. Then I eat. Then I do a little research. After which I might go for a walk. More snacking, followed by more writing. Then I sleep.
Thus ends Day One.
If I’m lucky, I’ll have four or five days of this.
I love this schedule, Carmen!
4. Do you like to read adult fiction? What have you read recently that you enjoyed?
I’m going back and rereading some favorite books. I recently reread Nicholas Basbanes’ wonderful book on libraries, Patience and Fortitude (part of trilogy, and a must-read for book and library lovers). I’m now rereading Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. The man is a storytelling genius and master of the heart-shattering phrase.
5. What is your favorite work of fiction, adult or children's, and why?
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving, simply because it’s the best book of it’s kind in the world. It’s very nearly the perfect story.
6. Do you have a favorite among the books that you have written? Tell us about it.
I can’t say I do. In any event, having a favorite book is akin to having a favorite child, isn’t it? If you had one, you could never tell.
7. What can you tell us about your story-telling performances? Can we find any of your live performances on the Web? Can you tell us a little about your favorite story?
Only that I love hearing a good story more than almost any other enjoyment I can think of. If I ever tell a good story, it’s because I want others to feel the wonder I’ve experienced repeatedly throughout my life as I’ve met, and listened to, great storytellers.
It’s about my favorite book (see question #5).
Well, my NEW favorite story is part of a collection of stories I’ve been telling children for several years now, titled Dill and Corky.
They are loosely based on my own blissfully feral childhood, a childhood that was shared with my best friend, Dill. The latest story, still on the assembly line, is about Dill’s Uncle Stubby, a marginally literate WWII vet who solemnly officiated at a snake funeral. You asked.
This sounds like a delightful story! I look forward to reading this one!
8. Did your parents tell you stories when you were a child?
Both my parents told us stories, but my father is a prolific storyteller with a gift for timing and an uncanny understanding of human nature.
9. What about illustrations for your book? Have you chosen any of your illustrators, or does the publisher do this? Do you have any favorite illustrations that you'd like to tell us about?
I’ve certainly asked to work with certain illustrators, but it’s ultimately in the hands of the publisher to acquiesce or deny such a request. Chocolate helps.
10. What is the most important thing you feel you can accomplish with your writing?
I would love to one day write a story that a child found so irresistible that he or she (despite the dangers of parental discovery and possible confiscation of said contraband) read this book under the covers with a flashlight.
That would pretty much be the End All for me.
11. We are all looking forward to your Keynote Speaker address at SCBWI Springmingle. Can you tell us about your experience with SCBWI?
Thank you! And I’m looking forward to being with so many talented writers and illustrators––––one of the greatest benefits to a SCBWI membership!
Thanks so much, Carmen.
Having a great time with writers and illustrators in New York.
New York is a great city with sooooo much to see.
Loved the Pooh Bear exhibition in the NY Library,
Frane signed her books in the NY Libary and Barnes & Noble.
Sharing a room with illustrator Pam Merchant South Dakoda
and Mary Cronk Farrell writer from Spokane Washington State.
Love them.
Love SCBWI in New York and piglet too,
I attended the Florida SCBWI's Winter Conference last month—as a speaker, which was major league awesome, and I'll write more about that another time. But frankly, I was so blown away by what headliner Bruce Coville had to say that I wanted to share that first.
The speech he gave was called
Lengthening the Chain. It's from a passage out of John Berger's
Here is Where we Meet. In an exchange between a mother and a son, the mother starts by saying...
"One thing repaired changes a thousand others.”
The son replies, “So?” 
And out flows a maternal speech: "The dog down there is on too short a chain. Change it, lengthen it. Then he’ll be able to reach the shade, and he’ll lie down and he’ll stop barking. And the silence will remind the mother she wanted a canary in a cage in the kitchen. And when the canary sings, she’ll do more ironing. And the father’s shoulders in a freshly ironed shirt will ache less when he goes to work. And so when he comes home he’ll sometimes joke, like he used to, with his teenage daughter. And the daughter will change her mind and decide, just this once, to bring her lover home one evening. And on another evening, the father will propose to the young man that they go fishing together… Who in the wide world knows? Just lengthen the chain."Coville went on to discuss how what we do as writers matters. He read a letter he'd received from a man who had read his books as a child. One passage had touched this man in a profound way and stayed with him throughout adolescence, influencing him to eventually join the Peace Corps and work for a number of years in a third-world country. Imagine the number of lives this young man was able to touch and change for the better, because of an idea Coville had written into one of his stories.
Coville then went on to share a story about Alex Flinn, author of
Breathing Underwater. When a fan read this book about a girl in a destructive relationship, it gave her the courage to break things off with her own abusive boyfriend, and then reach out to other girls caught in the spiral of abuse.
Ellen Hopkins, who writes gritty stories in verse about difficult contemporary topics, was another speaker at the conference. She was contacted by a young drug-addicted girl who was disheartened by her many failed attempts to get straight. After reading Ellen's words, this girl gained the courage to try a final time. At their last correspondence, she'd been clean for 7 months.
We hear it all the time:
our words have power. But here's proof, people. Words can be transformative, not only in the life of the reader, but in all the lives the reader touches.
Well, sure, you say,
if you happen to write about drug addiction and physical abuse and life-or-death topics like that. What if I don't? How can my stories lengthen the chain and help my readers? The way
All Dogs Go to Heaven comforted a girl grieving the recent loss of her pet
The way a fictional
story about a horse could enlighten an entire world as to the reality of animal cruelty
The way a
book about rabbits astounded a child with the truth that "nice people aren't always nice and evil doesn't always wear a black hat"
The way
a great story can turn a non-reader into a voracious one
The way the familiarity and simple goodness of Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables could bring comfort and peace to a new mom in the throes of postpartum depression. [Guess who :)]
The fact is, there are a million ways that a story written from your heart can touch someone else's—by giving comfort, revealing a truth, introducing a character that the reader recognizes in him or herself, or simply providing a few hours of joy. So write the story that is yours to write. Be honest and brave and original, and use your gift to lengthen the chain for someone else.
Photo Credit: Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos (ClintJCL) via photopin cc
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There’s hope for me yet.