August 08, 2016

2016 SCBWI-LA, Part 1: Crispy nuggets of wisdom. Yum!

It's been a week since the LA SCBWI summer conference was over.  I am delighted I went, and sad it's over. I have a mountain of notes, so I thought I'd share a few blurbs and quotes with you that knocked me off my socks, pointed me in a new direction, or gave me a warm fuzzy hug. 


Pam Muñoz Ryan
"Any success in writing is the tip of an iceberg of accumulated failures." - Pam Muñoz Ryan

"If you are not struggling, you are setting your goals too low." - Pam Muñoz Ryan


Justin Chanda
"Diversity is not a trend. Diversity is not the new Vampires." - Justin Chanda 

"Children's Book people are good citizens of the planet." - Justin Chanda


Melissa Manlove
When creating quirky picture books Melissa Manlove said,"You can't do things badly. But if you do them well, you can do whatever you want."


Jon Klassen
"Don't wait 'till you get better to start." - Jon Klassen

"You don't have to own success or failure." - Jon Klassen


Marie Lu
"There is no such thing as 'being behind.' Everyone goes at their own pace." - Marie Lu


Lauren Rille
When writing your picture book story, Lauren Rille says, "Pack all the pages with heart and emotional punch."

"Don't be precious with your work. Especially at the beginning." - Lauren Rille


Carole Boston Weatherford
"A premise is a promise that your manuscript will deliver on." - Carole Boston Weatherford


Susan Rich


"We expect picture books to be revisited a gazillion times... to stand up to weary parents and antsy toddlers, over and over again. - Susan Rich


Sophie Blackall
Concerning your ideas: "Do not hoard what seems good for later." - Sophie Blackall


Richard Peck












"If our readers don't like the first line, they'll never see the second." - Richard Peck


It was such a delightful conference. I'm so grateful to meet knew friends, rejoice with old friends and their successes, and to be reinvigorated and rejuvenated on my own projects. Like I said, I'm sad it's over. But I'm happy to be home, working on my projects, with my corgi sitting happily on my feet.




(Do keep posted for Part 2. I'll share some of my character sketches from the illustration intensive sometime this week. Yippee!)

2 comments:

Dow said...

The quotes you've chosen to share here are wonderful. And oh my goodness, your adorable corgi!! :D:D:D

Meridth McKean Gimbel said...

Thanks so much Dow!! (Radar thanks you too!)