Tuesday, October 30, 2007

MOTA (Member of the Audience)

The last four or five times that I attended the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic Fall Conference , I was an esteemed MOTA. (Member of the Audience) I warmed my hard plastic chair to the best of my ability, and listened with my whole body to keynote speeches by such greats as Katherine Paterson and the late David Wisniewski. (This year, Bruce Coville had the honor, and next year it's going to be Jane Yolen!) I had no idea that my presence was noted by anyone other than my writing group. This year, I found out how wrong I was.

This year, I was up on stage. Only for an hour, as part of the Editor and First-time Author Panel, but that was enough to find out how important MOTA's are. Whenever I thought about being nervous, I would look out at them. Contrary to popular movies, the whole room was not a blur. I could see individual faces. I most definitely saw Anne Marie Pace's lovely face (and silently thanked her not only for her rapt attention but for her earlier labor, hauling all those hard plastic chairs for all those MOTA's.) I saw members of my writing group that had supported me for years. (Doris! Linda! Barbara! I'll say it again: You saved my life.) And I saw lots and lots of MOTA's I didn't know, but whose faces were just as important to me because MOTA's, fellow writers, lovers of children's books: You are my tribe. And I need you.

You are the reason I didn't write out my answers to the panel questions. I noticed that all the editors did. They came ultra-prepared, with detailed notes, carefully typed. (And that's exactly how I want editors to be, by the way. No vagueness from them, please.) But as for me, I wanted to be able to speak from the heart. To tell the story of how a MOTA became a MOTF. (Member of the Faculty) I wanted to trust you to hear my unpolished words, and to encourage you, and to give you hope. I wanted you to see that I had doubted, and struggled, and failed, and it was only by the grace of other MOTA's that I was able to keep going.

And I really, really want a MOTA from this recent conference to get up on the stage at another conference four or five years down the road and tell the same story. By the way, if it's you, it's okay if you write out your answers. I won't be checking. I'll be applauding.

UPDATE: By the way, when did this happen? No longer required? Why didn't they send out an email?

Although the apostrophe is no longer required to form the plural of letters and numbers such as two Ph.D.s and the 1980s, use it when needed for clarity: four I’s and p’s and q’s.

So, I guess I could've used MOTAs. You wouldn't have been confused. Oh, wait. Audience IS already plural. Drat. Plural must be MsOTA. Or just MOTA. Pardon my utter confusion.

13 comments:

  1. Sara, You were a wonderful MOTF ... your passion and your heart came through loud and clear. Thank you.

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  2. Sara - What a well deserved transition you've made (audience to faculty). I just finished Letters from Rapunzel this morning (5:30 a.m.!!) and thought it was wonderful. That main character had me at hello. You captured her PERFECTLY. I was fascinated how you managed to tell a story thru letters and introspection like that. Loved the post office box twist. And the fairy tale stuff was so well done, humorous, perfect.

    Congrats!
    Barbara

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  3. Thanks, Linda, MOTA and future MOTF. :)

    And thank you, Barbara. 5:30 am, huh? You don't know how many people have told me they've read my book at odd hours. I really like that, since the book begins with a letter written at 2:02 am. You know what else is great? I just ordered YOUR book today. Yup. How to Steal a Dog is going to be my reward for working hard this week.

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  4. I'm so glad you had a great experience there. Rock on.

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  5. Sara! I wish I could have been a MOTA for your first MOTF appearance. Congrats! Now, back to your manuscript right? And me to my graphic novel script!

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  6. So did we make eye contact at one point? I thought so. I mean, I meant to, but wasn't sure you were looking at me or something over my head.

    :)

    I'm proud of you, MOTF!

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  7. Anne Marie: Yes, we definitely "shared a moment." :) And you, girl, I'm not giving you "four or five years" to become a MOTF. You only get one or two.

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  8. UPDATE: By the way, when did this happen? And why didn't they send out an email?

    ■Although the apostrophe is no longer required to form the plural of letters and numbers such as two Ph.D.s and the 1980s, use it when needed for clarity: four I’s and p’s and q’s.

    So, I guess I could've used MOTAs. You wouldn't have been confused. Oh wait. Audience IS already plural. Drat. Plural must be MsOTA. Or just MOTA. Pardon my utter confusion.

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  9. Congratulations, MOTF! I love when speakers really talk from the heart and aren't completely prepared. I want them organized, but not too rehearsed. I'm sure you were great!

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  10. Great to meet you! This was interesting. I'm going to be presenting at a kids lit conference in Arizona this spring, and I've done a few in the past. It is fun - and never what you expect!
    I haven't made the SCBWI conferences yet -- I'll have to check them out since I'm a member!
    Kaza Kingsley
    Author of the Erec Rex series
    http://www.erecrex.com

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  11. Hi, Kaza! Which conference is it? Not that I can make it to Arizona, but I'm curious. There are so many good conferences, and I have to miss so many! That's one reason blogs are great, for reporting and sharing.

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  12. You're so cool. Congratulations on being an MOTF! And good job giving out all this information to others. As my teachers told me, we all need to learn from someone further down the road we want to walk.

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  13. Well, it took me four, but I did it. :)

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