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!)

Hip Hip Hooray for SCBWI Conferences and Chocolate Covered Strawberries.

So happy day. A few weeks ago I went to a phenomenal conference and I discovered and rediscovered a few things about myself.

Firstly, I went to this conference mainly as an illustrator. Jim Hoover, Associate Art Director for Viking Books, did a fantastically amazing job, was so personable, and very very enlightening. This is the first time at a conference that I was able to participate in a month long Illustration intensive where we were periodically critiqued by Jim Hoover himself. Not only was he hilarious and incredibly entertaining, but he was super insightful in the most tactful way. I was expecting some harsh words about the things we had created, which honestly I don't mind. You are only as good as your worst piece after all. But every critique was chocolate covered. He was very insightful and specific, and yet so kind. It blew me away. But I still feel like I came away with some new insights on my creative process.

The pieces we were meant to create was the opening spread to a book. We were all critiqued openly and I have to say that I learned just as much from everybody else's critiques. The Midsouth SCBWI blog has a post with some of the other images from my talented illustrator friends. Aren't they neat? Yeah these ladies are my friends. Which let's face it, makes me a little cooler.

Anyhow. Here's my piece.

 I had fun doing it, even though in the midst of the the process I sliced and diced my thumb. (Boo to bean cans!) Unfortunately I still can't feel part of it... but I'm grateful that I haven't had to resign to painting with my toes.

Anyhow. Super inspiring and rejuvenating. And I have to say that I realized at this conference that I actually am a illustrator AND a writer. I have a gajillion ideas bouncing around in my head and I was intimidated that my strengths are more in illustrating and storytelling rather than in writing per se. But I was inspired by Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal Winner for A Single Shard in 2002. Aside from being delightfully hilarious I was really struck by her motto of NOT believing in myself, but believing in my story.

I'm so excited to leave my piles of laundry and dirty dishes aside and to dive into all the projects I'm working on. Yay for inspiration. I highly recommend it.