December 31, 2019 ~ valerierlawson	~ Leave a comment
Last month, I attended the SCBWI Middle of the Map Kansas/Missouri Fall Conference in Overland Park, Kansas, put on by the fantastic SCBWI Kansas/Missouri group.
The conference started on Friday evening with a Mix and Mingle while critiques with speakers were held. On Saturday, the main event began with an all speaker panel and then most of the day was spent in breakout sessions, with a closing keynote and book signing with reception ending the day.
All Speaker Panel
All of the speakers at the conference participated in a panel answering questions from the moderator as well as questions from the audience.
Sarah Jane Abbott – Associate Editor for Paula Wiseman Books and Beach Lane Books at Simon & Schuster. She started her career at S&S as a publicity assistant before joining Paula Wiseman Books and Beach Lane Books as editorial assistant in 2014. She is also on the editorial board of Simon & Schuster's OfftheShelf.com. She has had the pleasure of working on books such as The Boy, the Boat, and the Beast by Samantha M. Clark and Blue & Bertie by Kristyna Litten. She loves quirky, character driven picture books with a lot of heart; non-fiction picture books, especially about little-known, strong women; and unique, literary middle grade novels. Find her on Twitter at @SarahJaneEyre.
Katie Heit – Editor for Scholastic. Katie Heit edits nonfiction picture books and chapter books, as well as select fiction picture book titles. She edits books by Sandra Markle, Monica Robinson, and Nick Seluk, among others. She is actively building her list and is interested in books that approach nonfiction in a unique, kid-friendly way. Find her on Twitter at @katieheit.
Jim Hoover – Art Director at Viking Children's Books. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design in Illustration, Jim has been in publishing now for twenty years. He speaks regularly at SCBWI and has designed and art directed hundreds of books including: PICTURE BOOKS (Tea Party Rules with K. G. Campbell, Shy with Deborah Freedman, Ella with Marcos Chin, Bus! Stop! with James Yang) NOVELS (Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch books, Max Brallier's New York Times best-selling series The Last Kids on Earth) NONFICTION (National Book Award Finalist Elizabeth Partridge's Marching for Freedom, Printz Award-winning John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, and the up-coming Boots on the Ground, and the children's book adaptation of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth) Jim lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son. Find him on Twitter at @JimHoover17.
Alyssa Eisner Henkin – Literary Agent, and Executive Vice President, at Trident Media Group. After earning her Bachelors from the University of Pennsylvania, Alyssa fulfilled a childhood dream that she professed on a home video at the age of six: move to New York and work with books. In 1999, Alyssa began her career in editorial at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Here she found "kindred spirits" who loved Anne of Green Gables as much as she did and a kids book space that was rapidly growing. In late 2006 Alyssa (and her inner-entrepreneur) headed to Trident to expand the firm's children's book business. Over twelve years, hundreds of deals, and numerous bestsellers and award-winners later, Alyssa still delights in nurturing her books at every stage. From editing and idea-honing to collaborating with marketing, foreign, dramatic, merchandising, and audio partners, Alyssa works hard to ensure longevity for her authors' work. She represents multiple award-winning and bestselling authors, including Julie Berry, Ruth Behar, Jen Bryant, and R.J. Palacio, whose novel Wonder has been on the New York Times Bestseller list since it came out in 2012 and was turned into a feature film by Lionsgate which came out in 2017. Find her on Twitter at @AgentHenkin.
Quressa Robinson – Literary Agent with Nelson Literary. Quressa Robinson joined Nelson Literary Agency in 2017 after working at a previous agency as an editor for five years. She is originally from San Francisco, but has been living in New York City for over a decade. As a New York based agent, she is eager to build her MG, YA, and Adult lists. When not curled on her couch reading, she plays video games, enjoys too much TV-mostly Sailor Moon and Harry Potter (Slytherin!), eats delicious things, drinks champagne, hangs out with her very clever husband, and adds another "dramatic" color to her lipstick collection. Quressa is also a member of the 2017-2019 WNDB Walter Grant Committee and holds an MFA in Creative Writing: Fiction from Columbia University. Find her on Twitter at @qnrisawesome.
Alexandra Levick – Literary Agent with Writers House. Alexandra Levick has worked with a wide range of established New York Times bestsellers, national award winners, and debut clients. After graduating from the University of Rochester with a degree in English focused on Creative Writing, Alexandra attended New York University where she received her Masters of Science in Publishing with a specialization in Content Development. Prior to Writers House, she spent time at Sterling Lord Literistic, in publicity at Bloomsbury, and as a bookseller for Barnes and Noble. Today, she is building a broad list and works on everything from picture books to speculative adult fiction. Find her on Twitter @AllieLevick.
Giselle Anatol – Moderator Author/Professor – Gisell is a professor of English at the University of Kansas. She has edited three collections of essays on popular literature for children and young adults. She is also the author of THE THINGS THAT FLY IN THE NIGHT: Female Vampires in Literature of the Circus-Caribbean and African Diasapora.
First question asked was describe a typical day from your side of the desk.
Most of the speakers said they started by reading up on industry news and checking emails before diving in to their day.
Jim Hoover said, "Ideally I'll have a cover up." He likes to look at a piece of artwork first thing.
Katie Heit said that since her work is mostly focused on nonfiction, she hits those type of sites first, like the Smithsonian and National Geographic.
Alexandra Levick and Quressa Robinson agreed that there wasn't really a typical day in the life of an agent. Alexandra said, "If I try to plan, it's disastrous." Quressa said that instead of a daily to-do list, she does weekly lists.
Next question asked about their pet peeves.
Almost all responded that it really got under their skin when they received submissions addressed incorrectly, with their name misspelled, queries addressed 'Dear Sir or Madam', or addressed to multiple people. (Although Quressa Robinson said she doesn't like it when you misspell her name, she won't hold it against you.)
Katie Heit said she also didn't like it when authors included more than one manuscript in an email submission.
Sarah Jane Abbott clarified her pet peeve a little further: "When people haven't done their research and send a query way out of my wheel house."
Next question delved into what writers/illustrators should ask when choosing agent/editor to work with, specifically regarding chemistry.
Sarah Jane Abbott said you should ask about the vision your editor has for your story. If it doesn't mesh with yours, this is important to know before you get started.
Alexandra Levick said you should ask about edits. Hopefully the goal is to make the book more your own – stronger. Also ask for references from their clients, who will be more honest about how agents work.
Quressa Robinson said you should definitely ask about their agenting style. "Some people aren't phone people – like me."
Last question asked when they would be willing to take a risk on a project.
Most responded with a need to feel passionate about the project as the precursor to championing a project.
Jim Hoover said simply if he sees the potential is there.
Katie Heit asked "Does it have a lot of potential?" Then after conversation with the author, can we craft this together? Does this make me really excited?
Alexandra Levick said she needs a really strong vision on how to edit it. Very solid ideas on how to edit and get to end goals.
Alyssa Henkin said if she feels the voice and feels so certain in her love for the story. The plot can be a mess – the plot is fixable.
Alexandra Levick – How to Find the Right Literary Agent
Alexandra did her first internship at the University of Rochester. She worked for Bloomsbury for two years while pursuing a Masters degree where she fell in love with Children's literature when she took a class on the subject. She currently works with senior agents Rebecca Sherman and Brianna Johnson at Writers House. She started there as an intern under Merrilee Heifetz, Neil Gaiman's agent.
Alexandra had many great tips on how to go about the process of submitting, including what questions to ask and what information to include in your query letter.
One of the first things you need to have before you get started is a COMPLETED MANUSCRIPT. That's right. You shouldn't be querying unless your manuscript is completed. So, if that's you, stop right now and get back to to your pages.
Write on until you reach 'The End'.
Then, continue reading. (Yes, I am also talking to myself.)
What you will need if you are querying:
Query letter
FULL manuscript (which, if you've read this far, you now have)
Every agent's submission guidelines are almost always different. Make sure to do your research so you know what each one expects with a submission. What is important about following these guidelines is to show that you can follow instructions. (Yes, it is a test.)
Another interesting tip Alexandra gave was about using comp titles. The purpose of comps is to convey mood or a book's place on the shelf. It's better to have NO comps than to have 'meh' comps. Think of your examples in terms of "plot meets tone". Give one comp title that has a comparable plot to your novel, and one that has a comparable tone. Using movies and songs as well as book titles are fine as well as any combination of the three. Also make sure your comp titles are RECENT! Published within about two years.
You can read about the submission guidelines for Alexandra Levick at Writers House here.
Sue Lowell Gallion – Beginnings, Endings, and That Murky Middle
Sue Lowell Gallion is the author of PUG MEETS PIG and PUG & PIG TRICK-OR-TREAT, which both received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. Her latest books are the TIP AND TUCKER early reading series. Sue is the former SCBWI regional advisor of the KS/MO region.
Sue is no stranger to us here in the Oklahoma region of SCBWI. She has been a guest speaker at some of our SCBWI OK events as well as a guest on our monthly #okscbwichat on Twitter.
Sue gave some excellent advice on keeping your writing focused on its true purpose and how to get it unstuck when in the "murky middle".
She said in the Beginning, sometimes we shortchange the rest of our manuscript when we agonize over the first sentence, the first page, the first hook.
She suggested READING PICTURE BOOKS WITH CHILDREN: How to Shake Up Storytime and Get Kids Talking About What They See by Megan Dowd Lambert. It will help you think of all the elements as you create your story.
Examples of stories with great beginnings:
PENGUINAUT by Marcie Colleen, illustrated by Emma Yarlett
QUACKERS by Liz Wong
THE KING OF KINDERGARTEN by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Sue said the Middle is where her stories begin to wander because she gets tired of it or it's time for recess.
Being too predictable can get you stuck in the middle. Ask yourself, does every sentence further the story? Does each trial and failure increase the tension? Make sure to stretch the tension out so your readers want to turn the page.
If you're feeling lost in the middle, try writing the flap copy.
Examples of stories with great middles:
JABARI JUMPS by Gaia Cornwall
A KITE FOR MOON by Jane Yolen
TRUMAN by Jean Reidy, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
Sue said you've got to stick the Ending! Don't rush it or short-change it. The ending needs to be logical AND completely unexpected.
Most picture books end with hope, even if the story is not happy. And the main character needs to have a hand in the conclusion.
More great examples:
A LITTLE CHICKEN by Tammi Sauer, illustrated by Dan Taylor
BUNNY SLOPES and HUNGRY BUNNY by Claudia Rueda
CREEPY CARROTS by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown
The best compliment for a story after getting to the end, is that request to "Read it again!".
Quressa Robinson – Plotting and Characterization: The Art of Conflict and Personality
Quressa brought her extensive knowledge to the task of teaching us to go deeper into our work on plot and character development. She put us through several writing exercises, which I always find painful under the best circumstances. Useful, maybe, but painful nonetheless.
She said the tension where a reader holds their breath when turning the page is what makes writing truly great.
(GOALS!)
She walked us through several different plotting triangle scenarios and discussed ascending and descending forces. It was very intense.
Quressa said that everyone's story is different. The stakes in your story don't have to be actual life and death, however, they do need to be high enough to matter.
If you're having a problem with your plot, something that's helpful is to try plotting backwards. Start at the climax of your story and work backwards. (This was actually the focus of one of the writing exercises – one I found very helpful.)
Also think about listing the external and internal stakes for each of your characters. Are their stakes high enough? What can you do to make them higher?
At one point during our discussion of the writing exercises, Quressa said, "Writing is a communal process."
That is my favorite quote from this conference. Bar none.
"Writing is a communal process."
And man, do I love my writing community.
I had a great time attending this conference and I hope to attend more outside my state. I love meeting new people and being around other writers.
The Creative Soul and Depression – A Post Worth Revisiting
September 8, 2019 September 1, 2019 ~ valerierlawson	~ Leave a comment
I originally wrote this post while participating in a group blog, The Great Noveling Adventure, that is no longer active. It was first published on March 9, 2014.
I still find it very relevant to me. Maybe you will, too.
Photo by Andrei Lazarev on Unsplash
In a very nebulous, non-scientific, late-at-night-inside-my-head-before-I-fall-asleep way, I have wondered about the connection between artistic talent and depressive temperament.
Many writers and artists I know, including myself, struggle with depression in one form or another.
Is it because we are more emotionally sensitive to the world at large? Is it because as the saying goes, writing is easy, all you have to do is open a vein and bleed?
I came across two pieces on the web this week that added some food for thought to this question.
This first piece I heard on Fresh Air while driving in my car. It's a fascinating interview on NPR of Alexander Payne, the director of "Nebraska". At one point he discussed how all great actors have ready access to their emotions at any time. What he said next was such an, "Ah ha!" moment for me, I sat in my driveway for ten minutes in my car mulling it over after the interview ended.
And that's why life is often so difficult for them because they can't keep their emotions tamped down, as like…as you and I can. So then if you can put an oil pump on that spurting oil well of emotion, then you can be a professional actor…
It's beautiful to see how fully they wish to give of themselves. And I've always been confused by people saying of a certain actor's performance, oh, it's so brave. What a brave performance. What I think, that's what they're there to do, they're there to do anything. It's not brave. I think it's the job. And it also should be coming from an attitude of fun and playfulness, and isn't it delightful to be doing this and to be expressing these emotions and going deeply, deeply into who we are. And showing those of us who have less ready access to our emotions, and often have to pay people to help us get in touch with our emotions, to show us what's available, what's beneath the surface. It's beautiful what they do.
I loved this so much. It made absolute sense to me. How similar is that to a writer connecting to the emotional truth of a scene? Of a character?
This second piece was written by one of my favorite YA authors, Libba Bray. She recently posted this deeply personal look at her own struggle with depression on her blog, entitled Miles and Miles of No-Man's Land. I would strongly encourage you to take a moment to hop on over and bookmark this page. You will want to read this over and over again.
She describes depression as I've experienced so well. You can have a good moment and still be depressed. You can laugh at a joke, make it through a day okay and still be on the verge of losing it.
As she describes it:
There is an undertow to depression. It doesn't take you all at once. It leaves you with some false sense that you are coping. That you are in control. That you have the shore still well in sight, until, at some point, you raise your head to find yourself all alone, battered by rough seas with absolutely no idea which way you should swim.
I was moved by Bray's words. She mentions a shame that comes with depression that makes it hard to talk about sometimes because it's an invisible disease; you can't see the wound it leaves like a broken limb. The gaping hole we may feel inside isn't obvious to others around us. This is why it's even more important to know that you are not alone.
So what are your thoughts on the creative soul and depression? Do these thoughts resonate with you?
2017 SCBWI LA Summer Conference Highlights – Part 3
December 20, 2017 ~ valerierlawson	~ 1 Comment
Welcome to Part 3 of the conference highlights. To catch up on previous posts, you can view Part 1 and Part 2 before continuing.
The final day always comes too quickly, and yet is still somehow packed with a ton of literary goodness. We started off the day with the Picture Book Panel (which included our very own SCBWI Oklahoma star PB author Tammi Sauer!) and ended with an inspirational send off by the amazing Laurie Halse Anderson followed by the always fun autograph party.
Did I mention that there was dessert with Judy Blume in the middle? Crazy, I know! What a fabulous day!
PICTURE BOOK PANEL
PANEL DISCUSSION WITH RAÚL COLÓN, LEUYEN PHAM, JAVAKA STEPTOE, AND TAMMI SAUER. (MODERATED BY LAURENT LINN)
Laurent Linn led this awesome discussion about picture books. He had each panelist introduce themselves first before the questions began.
Leuyen Pham — She's worked on about 90 picture books and she said picture books are the closest you can come to whispering in a child's ear. The search for characters is always a lot of fun for her. She does background and research on the characters before starting. There's an emotional move from line drawing to art – analytical turns off to the imaginative.
Javaka Steptoe — He said he's not just trying to create art, but an experience. He's trying to feel what the character is feeling when he's creating. He thinks back to when he was a child, when he was drawing, making noises, to create that moment on the paper, the experience.
"I don't want to just draw a picture."
When he uses found objects, he's using things that have had a life. That brings a richness. It's there, it's alive. For kids, when they see something they identify – like, wow, I have that in my house – it's a bridge.
He's always thinking, "How can I bring you into my world?"
Learn the details of a moment; it's about the subtleties and how it creates the big picture.
Tammi Sauer — (Tammi may have received a giant shout-out of 'OOGA!' from her Oklahoma SCBWI fan club when she was introduced. Maybe.)
She then flawlessly went on with her stellar presentation and gave her three favorite writing tips for creating relatable characters readers will care about. Make sure to follow her ARF formula:
A – Active
R- Relatable
F- Flawed
Raúl Colón — For his latest picture book, his editor told him that the pictures were telling the story. She told him to get rid of the words. That's how DRAW! become a wordless picture book.
When beginning a new manuscript, he starts with sketches. Vision of pictures have to come to him as he's reading or he won't be interested in working on it. He plays music while working, He gets lost in the work, especially while doing the final art.
Question #1: What's the first step in a new creation?
Tammi Sauer — Come up with a fresh idea. Celebrate the weird. Ideas are everywhere. Your job is to capture them.
Raúl Colón — I agree. I was inspired by an exhibit I came across.
Leuyen Pham — My first step is hard. Every book is a reinvention of myself. I freak out. I have to leave my studio. Take a sketchbook and just start sketching. While actually working, I can't look at others' work.
Javaka Steptoe — I agree with what everyone just said. You have to find some idea that sustains you. Ideas can come from anywhere. From life. You shouldn't force a story. It should be fluid. I think about the background materials – asphalt for Swan Lake, wood for Jimi Hendrix.
It looks effortless, but it takes lots and lots of work to get there.
Question #2: Picture books can seem simple. When you have something to say, how do you balance this?
Raúl Colón — In the book ALWAYS MY DAD (by Sharon Dennis Wyeth) a story about divorce, it could've been tricky, but we made it as joyful as possible by showing all the things they could do together – focused on hope.
Leuyen Pham — I tend to stay away from stories like that. My approach tends to be more subtle. I'll find a way to work them into the pictures. For example, two lesbian mothers pictured that are not mentioned in the story.
Her favorite writers are those generous enough to let some words go.
Tammi Sauer — I try to keep the 4 year-old version of my son in mind. Something kids connect with, something with humor. He would either give two thumbs up or say, 'Wow, that's a dud'.
Keep it subtle – don't beat people over the head with a message.
Javaka Steptoe — The story is the most important thing. If it's not a page-turner, take it out. The writer can show you the road, the illustrator can show you the beauty of the road.
Question #3: What is your purpose?
Tammi Sauer — Something kids can connect with – humor and heart.
Raúl Colón — Something they don't see every day.
Leuyen Pham — Making another one of me. Feeling an intimacy with a book that will touch that kid.
Javaka Steptoe — I just want to talk with people. Write children's books like a letter we send back out into the world and we keep going.
STEPHANIE GARBER SHARES SAGE ADVICE
Stephanie Garber, who already gave an outstanding breakout session, now dazzled the entire conference with her keynote address. She shared some sage advice she's learned along her journey as a writer thus far.
The story of her overnight success took seven year. Seven years and five novels. Yes, it wasn't until the fifth complete novel she wrote that she started to see positive responses to her writing from queries. That fifth book is the one that landed her the agent. And the sixth book was the one that finally sold – CARAVAL.
There was a lot of doubt and questioning of life choices before that book sold, so what helped her keep going and get through that sixth book?
Stephanie said these things were key to her success:
Write the book you're brutally obsessed with — After all, your readers won't feel something you don't. (Please don't write a book that's safe.)
Deal with the things you're afraid of — (She wanted to get an agent, but she didn't want to go to a conference to get one – she was terrified of conferences.) There's something very powerful about confronting fears and it's better to do it before you're published. Make your mistakes now. Besides, once you publish, things don't get easier.
Let Go — Great things come from letting go. A manuscript can be salvaged, and it can be good to persevere. But it can also be a good thing to let go of ideas. It's dangerous to latch on to the idea that you know everything. There's always something to learn, especially about craft or the industry.
Read Widely –Don't just read, read deeply. Make a personal list of what inspires you. What books do you want to emulate? (Your Cannon) Write the kind of books you want to read.
GOLDEN KITE LUNCHEON
The Golden Kite Luncheon and Awards Presentation was beset by a wee bit of a crisis this year when by some twist of fate, the kitchen only prepared place settings (and meals) for half the number needed. Our group was lucky enough to acquire a table, and reparations were made to those who didn't, but they sadly missed out on a fabulous conversation between Lin Oliver and Judy Blume that took place during dessert.
Stephanie, part of our Oklahoma group, at our table at the luncheon.
Yes, that is a salad on my plate, but my eyes are already on that dessert…
Lin and Judy in conversation.
For most of the conversation, I sat there mesmerized. Judy cast us all under her spell, as she is prone to do. I do remember that Judy talked about how writing saved her life, literally. And how it changed her life. Lin asked her if she's retired from writing. Judy said that she's written everything she's wanted to say, "But there's this one little thing…"
That got the whole room very excited!
Now that she's (semi) retired from writing, she's still surrounded by books at Books and Books, the independent bookstore in Key West she and her husband George have opened. She also invited everyone to come visit – but maybe not all at once.
She also talked about how much an organization like SCBWI would have meant to her when she was a young writer, which is why she is such a big supporter of it now, and why she's on the board.
One quote I came away with was when she was talking about determination – "You can have all the talent in the world, and if you're not determined, you're going to let something stop you from doing it."
How much do we love Judy Blume?
BREAKOUT SESSION – KWAME ALEXANDER AND ARIELLE ECKSTUT TALK ABOUT THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THINGS
Kwame Alexander and his agent, Arielle Eckstut, gave a fascinating talk discussing business tips.
Kwame and Arielle were wonderful and shared so many fantastic ideas. My absolute favorite thing that Kwame said was that a big part of his success was starting local. Embracing local bookstores and developing relationships with local owners long before you're published should be a priority.
He was also very creative when it came to marketing. He once had 50 friends call a bookstore and ask for his book before he called them himself to ask if they'd like for him do a signing there. SMART!
He also called anybody he knew connected with morning radio shows and read poems on the air. (And I can only guess how effective that must have been, because when you hear him read his poetry, it is really something.)
Always have a plan that has reach – stretch goals. Constantly create opportunities.
Remember, you are the main driver of your book's publicity.
So many great things, I could have listened to them spout off ideas for another hour or two.
CLOSING TIME – FINAL KEYNOTE LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON
Laurie Halse Anderson greeted us and gave a special shout out to any introverts who were present (no small task!). She acknowledged how difficult it was to carry the bubble of love, the place of acceptance and understanding, we'd created in our conference back home with us after the conference ends.
She gave us a few secrets to help carry this feeling home:
"You are the boss of your brain, and your brain is the boss of your emotional state." She's done the research. She then suggested we take a cue from the country of Denmark and embrace the idea of "hygge". A warm, pleasant, and comfortable atmosphere. Void of annoyance or distraction, at total ease.
Get Started! You have to give yourself permission to suck. Revision is about clarifying. If you can just get started with your suckage, doing your art makes you feel better!
Creating books for children is a tremendous privilege and responsibility. We create for the luckiest audience who will ever live.
Choose to make messy art whenever you can.
It was a wonderful way to send us off. What a fantastic conference!
AUTOGRAPH PARTY
I may have gone a little overboard with buying books, but I actually showed some restraint and stopped myself way before I had to buy a second suitcase. I may not enjoy the mad dash and waiting in long lines takes to get all of these treasures signed – honestly, it's the closet thing I come to experiencing Black Friday, and I barely survived it – but dinner with friends is at the end. And along the way, I do get to meet and thank these authors who have written books I enjoy. Worth the suffering of crowds and long lines? I think so.
The books I bought at the conference, and then lugged around the ballroom to get signed.
The dynamic Vanessa Brantley Newton, who also illustrated our own Tammi Sauer's book, MARY HAD A LITTLE GLAM – I forgot to bring my copy with me (and it was sold out at the book store).
Our darling Tammi Sauer was so busy with her faculty duties that we barely saw her! I did meet up with her a time or two. Once in passing here…
…and once when I had her FINALLY sign my copy of her book CARING FOR YOUR LION. I had to bring it all the way from Oklahoma with me because we kept missing each other (or I'd forget to bring it with me when I'd see her). Mission Accomplished!
Kwame Alexander was just as charming as could be. I absolutely loved THE CROSSOVER as I knew I would.
The wonderful and ever-so-sparkly Alex Gino signed books earlier in the conference. I was so happy I was able to meet Alex and get my copy of GEORGE signed. What a fabulous book!
For the first time ever, I was able to attend the Intensive workshops following the conference on Monday – so worth it!
Morning Intensive was SCENE: THE BUILDING-BLOCK OF FICTION with Linda Sue Park where we explored working in scenes rather than chapters. It was fascinating and very helpful.
The Scene Intensives Class! Don't we look inspired?
Afternoon Intensive was TIP SHEETS with Arianne Lewin. I learned how much I didn't know about this invaluable marketing tool and then I learned how to use it.
FINAL GOODBYES
After all the workshops were over, our group had our final meal together and the staggering flights back home began. Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to LA…until next year!
Eating the best Greek food. What a great way to end the weekend.
Catren and Brenda taking in the sights.
Heading home! Bye LA!
Hope you've enjoyed the highlights of the summer conference! I thoroughly enjoyed attending!
October 31, 2017 November 1, 2017 ~ valerierlawson	~ 1 Comment
Welcome to Part 2 of the conference highlights. View Part 1 here.
There were so many wonderful speakers and panels on Saturday that heads would explode if I covered everything. I'm skipping ahead to my favorite breakout session of the day.
STEPHANIE GARBER SHARES SECRETS TO ENDINGS
Stephanie Garber, author of CARAVAL, the phenomenon of a debut novel that has everyone talking, ran a fabulous breakout session entitled "Five Steps on How to Write Five Star Endings".
She began by sharing a list of six classic story endings:
Happy Ending – Disney ending. Hero versus Villain with hero triumphant. The Happy Ever After
Tragic Ending – Hero gets what he wants, but loses something in the process
Unhappy Ending – Romeo and Juliet (works because reader is told from the very beginning this is a tale of woe)
Bittersweet Ending – Main Character makes sacrifice for the better good, i.e., Batman in The Dark Knight lets people believe he's a villain because it's what the city needs.
Vague Ending – open to interpretation, makes people question.
Series Ending – Cliffhanger or Hero gets what he wants, but Villain gets away.
While twists and surprises are awesome, you don't want to spring an ending on readers that is unexpected; not in line with their expectations.
The tone of the ending should align with the tone of the book.
Think of the Harry Potter books, which were progressively darker with progressively darker endings. All deaths were earned and endings expected.
Think about whether or not the price for your story ending has been paid. Has the success been earned by the hero or villain? Think about endings not just for your main character, but for all of your characters. Make them all earn their endings. Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter earned her ending.
One of my favorite tips she gave was about villains. She said you should makes sure to give them screen time. Put them in the path of your main character. A face-off with the villain is a great opportunity to show character development.
Have a kick the cat moment versus a save the cat moment.
Don't just say they are the villain; show it. Show the villain arc.
She ended with stating you should leave readers with a sense of hope, even if your story is a tragedy.
Think about this: What is the final message you want to leave readers with?
There were so many fantastic places to eat near the hotel. Some of us had lunch at Katsuya. Great sushi and a lovely atmosphere, including a most fascinating bathroom. Everyone took turns checking out the unconventional sinks. (Yes, just like tourists.)
"The 'there is no sink' aesthetic ."
At some point one afternoon, we had a gathering of all SCBWI Oklahoma members and tried to pose for a group photo. After three attempts, we succeeded in capturing 13 out of 14 of us. So close! Here's the collective result.
This photo was blatantly stolen from Jerry Bennet's Instagram feed. Don't worry, he won't even notice. 🙂
CONVERSATION WITH KWAME ALEXANDER AND SONYA SONES
Two phenomenal poets having a conversation about poetry. Wow! Was this amazing! I can't share the live poetry that flew back and forth – beginning with Sonya's awesome intro – or the chemistry they had, or the humor that filled the room. Just imagine that this experience was unforgettable.
Sonya Sones asked the questions and this was her first one:
SS: Tell me about the moment of your conception.
KA: 1967. Harlem, New York. A dormitory at Columbia University.
(I mean, honestly! They had us rolling.)
SS: When did you first know you were wonderful?
KA: At 12 years old. When I wrote a Mother's Day poem.
Dear Mommy.
I hate Mother's Day
Mother's Day.
That's when I first knew words were powerful.
SS: How does the study of poetry help children?
KA: Poetry is a rhythmic, concise, emotional way of sharing view of the world. If a child gets through it and understands, they can crossover and it's profound.
SS: What's the first book you ever wrote?
KA: A book of love poems inspired by a woman. I wrote her a poem a day for a year – and it worked. (He married her.)
There was so much more. I wish I could share it all. It was a fantastic conversation.
PORTFOLIO TIME
One of my favorite events is the Portfolio Showcase. I love looking over all the artwork of so many talented illustrators. This year, I had the pleasure of running into our very own Illustrator Coordinator, Jerry Bennett, while I was perusing the portfolios. Always a treat to get an artist's take. And he's somewhat amusing company as well. 🙂
Hanging out with some tough Illustrator Coordinators, Jerry Bennett and Karen Windness.
Wall to wall people for this popular event.
SILVER LININGS GALA
Saturday night means party time!
This group knows how to let loose! (All videos I recorded have been deleted to protect your, um, signature dance moves, let's say – and you're welcome.)
Hope you enjoyed the Day Two highlights. Stay tuned for Part 3 coming soon!
October 16, 2017 ~ valerierlawson	~ 4 Comments
I was very honored this year to be a winner of the SCBWI Tribute Fund. (Even if it meant I had to stand up in front of over 1500 people!) A brief moment of awkward public embarrassment was well worth what I received in return. I honestly can't thank the entire staff of SCBWI enough. From Stephen and Lin for providing this grant and selecting me, to everyone in the main office I interacted with regarding all the details – they were all just so lovely.
And of course, a huge thank you to Helen, my Regional Advisor, who nominated me. (Who also took this awkward picture of me waving awkwardly to a crowd of 1500 people. AWKWARD!)
Now I would like to share with you my favorite parts of the SCBWI LA summer conference that I was able to attend this past July as a winner of this wonderful grant.
One of my favorite things about attending these conferences is how energizing they are, how they recharge my creative battery, and remind me that what I do is important. Especially in these uncertain times, it was such a reassuring thing to hear Lin welcome us into our own "Bubble of Love" (complete with actual bubbles).
Lin Oliver welcoming us to the beginning of another wonderful SCBWI Summer conference.
Bubble Love photo credit: The Official SCBWI Conference Blog
It was also nice that our region got a shout-out for having such a large group in attendance, along with a handful of other states, but you know ours was the LOUDEST!!! We got a few more shout-outs, just so everyone could hear us make some more noise – something we were not shy about doing! (This happened several times during the conference, which was fun.)
Most of our SCBWI OK group on Day One. Such a large group was hard to corral into one place at any given time.
VANESSA BRANTLEY NEWTON – SPREADING SUNSHINE
Vanessa Brantley Newton, illustrator of THE YOUNGEST MARCHER and MARY HAD A LITTLE GLAM (written by our own Tammi Sauer! OKLAHOMA SCBWI in the house!), opened the conference by making us get up out of our seats and dance.
In her keynote entitled, "Diversity Designed by Adversity", Vanessa said we could let adversity ruin us, make us sad, or lean into it, wrap our arms around it, shake it off, and pack it under.
To illustrate her point, she told a story of a farmer who had a goat that fell down a well. Bemoaning the loss of the goat, he threw dirt down the well to bury it, but the goat just shook it off, and packed it under. Soon, it had a pile tall enough to climb out of the well.
"That's been my life."
She was born with dyslexia, synesthesia, and she also struggled with stuttering. Her dyslexia caused her to to go inward, to draw pictures. The synesthesia influenced the use of bright colors in her art. Her parents were both singers and helped her deal with her stuttering. "I sing in my head" the words she wants to say out loud. All these things didn't stop her, they influenced her work.
Vanessa talked at length about the need for diverse books. She told the story of wanting to be a Breck shampoo girl when she was younger. She thought to have blonde hair, she just needed the shampoo.
She didn't see herself reflected.
Then came Ezra Jack Keats and THE SNOWY DAY. She didn't remember the words, but the pictures were powerful.
Little Vanessa and her teacher who read her the story.
She told us how Ezra Jack Keats said, "I drew Peter because he should have been there all along".
Vanessa called on us as artists, as writers to embrace our own challenges.
"You're built for adversity."
Some of the best stuff is raised out of adversity. You gotta be willing to put in the hard work.
You need to dream so big that it scares the hell out of you.
She ended by singing to us, and I don't know if there was a dry eye in the room when she was done.
Honestly I couldn't see…
TRANSFORMING LIFE INTO ART
photo credit: The Official SCBWI Conference Blog
PANEL DISCUSSION WITH ALEX GINO, AISHA SAEED, RUTA SEPETYS, AND KIM TURRISI (MODERATED BY EMMA DRYDEN)
Emma Dryden led a thoughtful discussion with this fantastic panel of authors.
Question #1: What led you to express the experience in your own life in novel form?
Alex Gino – Middle Grade is a big part of my heart. The only time I experienced any instance of transgender as an adult was as a joke. "I knew GEORGE was the book I wanted and needed to write." It took 10 years.
Aisha Saeed – She never saw herself in books with the exception of the role of the bad guy until she went to college. She knew she had to tell her story. She wrote her debut novel about forced marriage because she had many friends who were going through this experience. If they said no, their parents would disown them. She writes to make sense of the world. She wanted to understand why parents who loved their kids would do this.
Ruta Sepetys – "Much of my identity is wrapped up in being an immigrant's kid." Not a lot has been told about Stalin and what happened in Siberia. She wanted to bring this story to young readers because YA readers are deep feelers and deep thinkers. Books we read as kids have the potential to make a profound effect.
Kim Turrisi – When she was 15, her sister committed suicide. Her story is about the aftermath of suicide. She didn't see herself in any books like this back then. She wrote about the experience to help.
Question #2 – Glimpse into choices you had to make to stray away from the truth to serve the story.
Ruta Sepetys – She was interviewing human beings condemned to death who then survived. "There's a tension between history and memory." She will interview 100 people and interweave the stories to create a single one – very different from nonfiction. This will hopefully be more representative.
Kim Turrisi – She used notes from 25 different people to cobble together the backgrounds of the secondary characters.
Alex Gino – Many people assume that my book is autobiographical. The way my character is transgender is not the same way that I am. My main character isn't much like me, but the way people respond is.
Question #3 – Talk about the process of going deep into the story.
Kim Turrisi – I had the suicide letter. I put it on the wall to challenge me. My editor challenged me by saying some things that actually happened may not feel authentic. Give more. It was tough.
Ruta Sepetys – As writers, we should go there. Emotionally we need to get in the trenches. If I feel loss, I have loved. If I feel it, hopefully my readers will too. Amplify the hope in the hardship. Someone has to make it out.
Aisha Saeed – She did the emotional digging. What would it be like to go through this? Why would she run away? Her editor helped her bring out the nuances.
Alex Gino – You have to have a balance between optimism and realism. My responsibility was to provide a mirror for kids who are Trans. We get to have nice stories, too. Then my editor had to remind me that bad things have to happen, so we feel better when there's redemption.
NOVA REN SUMA – QUEEN OF THE UNRELIABLE NARRATOR
Break Out Session, "The Power and Possibility of the Unreliable Narrator"
POV is one of the most exciting tools you have as a writer. Make good use of it.
What is an "unreliable" narrator?
Withholds information from the reader
Breaks your trust (We expect to trust the narrator)
Drives the plot
Should be unreliable for a reason – an important mechanism for the plot.
Unreliable Narrator often has a surprising, unexpected secret.
WHY is your narrator not telling the whole truth?
WHY is the big mystery.
You as the author need to know the answer.
Favorite example: Mary Katherine Blackwood from WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE by Shirley Jackson
More Unreliable Narrator examples:
Mica from LIAR by Justine Larbalestier
Julie from CODE NAME VERITY by Elizabeth Wein
Mary from Allegedly by Tiffany D Jackson
Whim from CHARM & STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn
Caden from CHALLENGER DEEP by Neal Shusterman
Nova went on to explain how using craft choices can help you show your unreliable narrator to your readers and ways to create an unreliable character.
This was such a helpful session! Nova really is a fantastic teacher.
After a full day of amazing keynotes and breakout sessions, our SCBWI OK gang met up for dinner with a former member who recently relocated to LA. She may have moved to California, but she'll always be a part of us, too!
(Almost) our entire SCBWI OK gang after the first day of the conference.
Jerry and Britt (our wayward member) doing their best Oh My Disney! pose – Aren't they just too adorable for words?
Hope you enjoyed the first part of my conference experience highlights. Stay tuned for Part II coming soon!
SCBWI OK Spring Conference Recap Part I – Persistence, Professionalism, and Success in Action
April 30, 2017 April 30, 2017 ~ valerierlawson	~ 3 Comments
This year's SCBWI Oklahoma Spring Conference set a high bar for future conferences. A month later and I'm still processing the wealth of information the speakers imparted. Here's Part I of the brief recap!
This year's conference began with something new, a warm up event on Friday evening. With three different options, I chose to attend the Friday Night Panel with Ally Carter, Matt Ringler, and Linda Camacho.
From left to right, our panel included NY Times bestselling author Ally Carter, Senior Editor at Scholastic Matt Ringler, and literary agent Linda Camacho of the Prospect Agency.
This fun and informative panel was asked everything from their views on professionalism to what keeps them reading a manuscript to what other agents and editors would say about them. Needless to say things got interesting!
Agent Linda Camacho addresses the crowd.
The three speakers held the attention of the packed room and started the conference off with great enthusiasm.
One of my favorite stories was from Ally Carter. When answering a question about professionalism, she commented that she was simply doing what her mother taught her when she wrote a thank you note to a very important book seller. She found out later that he actually kept it displayed. It was the only one he'd ever received from an author. A reminder that being thoughtful to everyone in this business can make a difference.
Our first speaker of the day showed us the power and beauty of using fewer words to tell our stories.
Katrina Damkoehler – Senior Designer with Random House Children's Publishing
Katrina is currently a Senior Designer for the trade imprints of Random House Children's Publishing, where she designs and art directs approximately 35 middle grade and picture book titles per year. She was previously Art Director at Amazon Children's Publishing. Recent projects she art directed include the 2015 Geisel Award-winner "You Are Not Small" (Anna Kang/Christopher Weyant), "Grover Cleveland, Again" (Ken Burns/Gerald Kelley), and "This is My Book" (Mark Pett).
Katrina gave a talk entitled, "(Almost) Wordless Picture Books" where she gave examples of picture books that used few words to tell great stories. The (almost) wordless manuscripts may have as few as 50 words. With a limited word count, it's helpful to have a road map. That's why most wordless (or nearly wordless) manuscript submissions include illustration notes.
Here are some examples she shared:
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS LITTLE by LeUyen Pham
CINDER-EYED CATS by Eric Rohmann
HELLO HIPPO, GOODBYE BIRD by Kristyn Crow
She also walked us through the illustration process – from submitted manuscript to finished book – for EAT, SLEEP, POOP by Alexandra Penfold.
Beginning manuscript for EAT, SLEEP, POOP.
Finished product! Cover and first few pages of completed book for EAT, SLEEP, POOP.
One thing she emphasized about nearly wordless picture books is that emotional expressions of the characters need to be extremely clear. After all, the illustrations are doing a lot of heavy-lifting with the story-telling.
To learn more about Katrina, follow her on Twitter here.
Prior to the conference, Katrina participated in a Twitter chat with us. You can view the Storify version of our conversation with Katrina here.
Next, a true power couple shared tips on how to write authentically for a YA audience.
Ally Carter – Young Adult Author
Ally Carter writes books about spies, thieves, and teenagers. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the EMBASSY ROW, HEIST SOCIETY, and GALLAGHER GIRLS series, which together have sold more than two-million copies and have been published in more than twenty countries. She lives in Oklahoma, where her life is either very ordinary or the best deep-cover legend ever.
Kristen Nelson – President and Founding Literary Agent at Nelson Literary Agency
Kristen established the Nelson Literary Agency in 2002 and over the last decade+ of her career has represented over thirty-five New York Times bestselling titles and many USA Today bestsellers. Clients include Ally Carter, Marie Lu, Scott Reintgen, Gail Carriger, Stacey Lee, Marcia Wells, and Simone Elkeles. When she is not busy selling books, Kristin attempts to play golf & tennis. She also enjoys playing Bridge (where she is the youngest person in her club), and can be found hiking in the mountains with her husband and their dog Chutney.
NY Times best-selling author (and Oklahoma native) Ally Carter joined her agent Kristen Nelson to give a presentation together entitled, "'So You Want to Write YA…Start by Asking the Right Questions!".
One of those right questions was instead of asking how to learn teen slang, you should ask if you have a voice that appeals to teens.
Slang comes and goes, and is often regionally specific. Besides dating your manuscript, it can end up alienating readers instead of connecting them with your story.
Another great question was instead of asking if you can just age your characters up or down to 'make' your book YA, you should ask yourself if you're telling a true coming-of-age story that will resonate with teens.
It's not enough to have characters the same age as your readers. Age doesn't equal connection. You have to engage your teen readers with a story they can relate to.
And this one was my favorite:
Q: Should I alter myself when writing for teens?
A: Ally – "Yes, write smarter."
Kristen – "I've never heard a teen say, 'I felt obligated to keep reading'."
Teens expect the writing to be great from page one and will put a book down the minute it stops delivering.
To learn more about this dynamic duo:
Follow Ally on Twitter here. Follow Ally on Instagram here.
Visit Kristen's agency site to view what she's currently seeking and to observe her submission guidelines.
Prior to the conference, Kristen participated in a Twitter chat with us. You can view the Storify version of our conversation with Kristen here. Follow Kristen on Twitter here.
The final speaker of the morning dazzled us with his presentation and his wit.
Matt Ringler – Senior Editor with Scholastic
Matt is a senior editor at Scholastic specializing in chapter book, middle grade, and YA fiction. He is the editor of the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine, the Game Changers series by Mike Lupica, the STAT series by Amar'e Stoudemire, and the Little Rhino series by Ryan Howard. His YA list includes the New York Times Bestseller Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky and It's Not Me, It's You by Stephanie Kate Strohm.
Matt Ringler imparting his words of wisdom to our SCBWI OK crowd.
Matt took a group picture of us and posted it on Twitter since we would be doing the same to him. Well played. Did I mention he has a great sense of humor?
Matt spoke about "Writing Success at Many Levels". He started out by giving us some background on himself (started as an intern for the David Levithan – can you say fangirling?) and some mind-blowing Scholastic stats (like Scholastic publishes 1 out of every 3 books, and first experience most kids have buying their own books is through Scholastic Book Fairs).
Matt moved on to talking about writing, and specifically about not fighting your own writing process, even if it changes from one book to the next. You change as your experiences grow – you're not the same writer you were a few years ago. It's okay for your process to change. Embrace it.
Matt shared an insight into his selection process. When deciding what projects to take on, Matt said, "To work on a book, it's a year. It's committing to a relationship. If it doesn't feel right for me, I'll pass on it."
That's another reason to not take it personally when your manuscript is rejected because an agent or editor didn't love it enough. That doesn't mean your work isn't good, just that their commitment level wasn't right for the relationship to work. You want your book to succeed and you want someone to champion your book. That's going to require a strong commitment to your story.
Matt went on to discuss the different kinds of success:
All aspects of success can build on each other. Writing is hard! Don't forget to celebrate the little steps of success along the way.
To learn more about Matt, follow him on Twitter here.
Matt will be our guest for #okscbwichat on Twitter August 22nd from 7-8pm CST! We hope you'll join us!
Break time means networking (read "socializing") and taking selfies with my writing friends!
with Catren Lamb
with Brenda Maier
with Regina Garvie
with Gwendolyn Hooks and my thumb
with Tammi Sauer
with THE Jerry Bennett
One of the best parts of writing conferences is connecting with my fellow writers (and the odd illustrator or two, Jerry). I love my tribe!
Stay tuned for Part II of the conference recap!
#TBT Post – Tackling the Elevator Pitch
March 17, 2016 March 15, 2016 ~ valerierlawson	~ 3 Comments
I wrote this #ThrowBackThursday post for The Great Noveling Adventure blog and it was originally published on May 18, 2014.
READY TO PITCH IN THE BIG CITY? photo by Wojtek Witkowski via Unsplash
Back in March when I attended the SCBWI OK spring conference, some of you may remember that I won a couple of face-to-face critiques with speakers at the conference. During one of my sessions, I took the opportunity to ask Melissa Manlove, editor at Chronicle Books, what she thought of my 40-word pitch for my manuscript, which was included as part of the program. I'm fairly new at writing pitches and I knew that I could use some guidance. I'm very glad I asked. She was so generous with her time and her insights. What she said next really clarified the whole concept for me. I've been meaning to share that bit of wisdom for awhile, so here it is.
First of all she said my pitch was something to the equivalent of "Meh".
Here is the pitch I submitted:
A childhood prank gone wrong leaves Will Harris crippled by fears and homebound. During an outing for his recovery, he witnesses a crime. No one believes him. He must find the courage to solve the mystery and prove his sanity.
I think by 'meh' she was being kind.
Next, she said, rethink the whole idea of trying to get the point of your story across in the length of an elevator ride. For a middle grade story, she said to try this:
Pitch your story like you're telling it to a bored eleven-year old on an elevator.
Bored by Raul Lieberwirth via flickr cc
And then lightning struck my brain.
I got it. She expanded this thought to say you should tell your pitch to this eleven year-old with the idea of convincing him this is a book he'll be so excited to read, he'll want to grab it right out of your hand. Get to the good stuff; the action. Kids don't care about the backstory or character motivation when you're trying to convince them to read a book, they want the main events.
Hey, I know this story that you are going to love. It's all about this kid who gets locked up in a museum at night and then he finds these thieves stealing some of the paintings. He sets off the alarms, but when the police arrive, there's no sign of the crime and no one believes him. He decides to solve the crime himself and that's just the beginning of even more trouble.
That pitch is a little less "Meh" if I do say so myself. Sure, it's a little longer than it's supposed to be, but now let's put it into a more refined form and see if it still works when we distill it back down to a 40-word count. (Just FYI, pitch lengths can vary. I kept mine to this length because that was the guideline for this particular conference submission. It's not a bad idea to have a few different pitches on hand of varying lengths – some even Twitter length as many pitch contests arise and you never know, that agent or editor you're dying to pitch to may one day participate in one.)
Will Harris gets locked up in a museum the same night thieves break in. Will triggers the alarm and police arrive. They find no sign of crime. The trouble gets started once Will decides to solve the crime himself.
Much better than the first one. And who knows, we might get that bored eleven year-old to snatch that book out of our hands, yet.
See if keeping your audience in mind helps when you write your next pitch.
This is a timely topic as I just served on a pitch panel for this month's meeting for our local Tulsa SCBWI group as our members prepare for our spring conference. I spoke about this same experience with Melissa Manlove before we got into the pitches. I still use this idea – that and knowing the stakes. If you can convey something about your character and what's at stake for them, you've pretty much got your pitch nailed.
What do you think? Are pitches easy for you? Do you have a successful method that helps you write them?
What Makes a Story Timeless? Emotional Truth
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