German Shepard sitting
Hound dog sitting
Big, fuzzing brown puppy sitting
Cocker Spaniel sittting
Gray Pitbull sitting
Young Husky sitting
Golden Retriever sitting
Jack Russel sitting
Black and white spaniel sitting
Husky laying down

A View from LA — 2010 SCBWI Conference

by Martina Boone

So I went to L.A. And it was amazing. Except I missed Marissa and all of you.

Well, not all of you. I got to spend a lot of time with a few fabulous people including Cici Pena, Tracy Clark, Lisa Gail Green, Ara Burkland, and Leah Epstein, and a little time with a lot of other writers I’ve met through blogging. I was delighted to make amazing new friends.

Of course, I went to Los Angeles to learn. Simply put, I’m not sure anyone could go to an SCBWI conference without learning. There were 17 panels and keynote presentations, and 61 intensives (not including the premium workshops). That made choosing what to attend the hardest part of every day. Sharing the decision with friends gave us all the chance to divide and conquer. Which says a lot about the quality of the programming. Instead of taking every opportunity to meet with friends from all across the country, we were using our friendships to have extra opportunities to learn.

Fortunately, Alice Pope and the SCBWI blog team have done a brilliant job reporting on all the intensives and keynotes. Whether you missed the session because you attended a different intensive, or because you couldn’t make it to Los Angeles at all, reading their posts will give you the critical information.

What the posts can’t convey is the amount of energy and inspiration that fills you as you’re surrrounded by so many brilliant people. A post can’t tell you what happens after hours, or before the first keynote of the day.

I’ll give you my serious, personal take-aways from the conference in our regular Monday post next week, and we have a few guest bloggers who will present for us, too. For now, I want to share some of the less serious things I learned:

  • Inspiration can strike at any time during an SCBWI conference. Bring paper.
  • California in August is NOT warmer than Virginia. Wear sweaters.
  • The half-portion salad in the Hyatt restaurant is not only smaller than a breadbox, it’s actually smaller than a bread plate. Buy snacks for your room.
  • Leaving a 25-lb box of prunes and a shopping bag of Pepcid AC in an empty bar booth during a writer’s conference is a cheap way to spark creativity.
  • Agents brave enough to attend an SCBWI wine and cheese event should be provided with bodyguards. And whips and chairs.
  • Revelers wearing a costume to the Heart and Soul Ball deserve applause. People who choose to disco at the ball may wish, in future, to avail themselves of the opportunity to attend incognito.
  • Anything written under the influence of friends and Prosecco will sound worse the next morning.
  • Attending an SCBWI conference will result in at least one must-go-write-right-this-minute moment. Friends of said writers are hereby thanked for their patience and understanding.

Having gone to both SCBWI-NY and SCBWI-LA this year, I’m beyond impressed with the opportunities the conferences offer both writers and illustrators. I’m grateful for the friends I met, and for the deeper understanding of the craft and the publishing industry I took home with me.

Each of the conferences has its unique flavor and the SCBWI team works hard to achieve a flawless event. The New York conference feels a little more rushed, but I loved the chance to hear work from other writers at the Friday critique sessions. The Los Angeles conference is more relaxed, but the intensives seemed more densely packed with information. At both events, getting feedback from agents and editors is beyond price. 

Did you go to either of the conferences? What was your favorite moment? If you didn’t make it this year, do you attend your local SCBWI events? Do you find them worth the time and money?

Happy conferencing,

Martina

    Martina Boone

    Martina Boone is the award-winning author of the romantic southern gothic Heirs of Watson Island series, starting with COMPULSION from Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse and the Celtic Legends Collection of novels set in Scotland, Cornwall, and Ireland beginning with LAKE OF DESTINY. She’s passionate about improving lives through literacy and the love of books, and she runs the Compulsion For Reading program to distribute books to underserved schools and libraries.

    She lives with her husband, children, Shetland Sheepdog Phinney, and Zoey the lopsided cat, and she enjoys writing contemporary romantic fiction with a hint of magic set in small towns and beautiful places. When she isn’t writing, she’s addicted to travel, horses, skiing, chocolate flavored tea, and anything with Nutella on it.

    Post © Martina Boone and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.
    Posted: Aug 5, 2010
    Category: Imported from AYAP
    Tags: SCBWI Conferences

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    The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

    He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

    The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p> <p>Your main character needs to be:<br /> • Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br /> • Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br /> • Active enough to drive the story<br /> • Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p> <p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />
    The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p> <p>But your theme needs to be:<br /> • Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br /> • Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br /> • Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br /> • Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p> <p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />
    The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p> <p>In general, your plot should:<br /> • Hook readers fast<br /> • Build tension that a child can follow<br /> • Create page turns that feel natural<br /> • Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p> <p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.
    The Arms of your story are the side characters.
    The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p> <p>Your setting should:<br /> • Make your character's world feel real<br /> • Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br /> • Connect different scenes and moments organically<br /> • Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p> <p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

    After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

    The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black. 

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