SCBWI LA 2010 in Pictures

I'm back from the SCBWI conference in L.A. with a suitcase full of books and a head full of revision thoughts. In particular, Linda Sue Park's Master Class in Middle Grade Fiction lit a few lanterns along the twisty path of taking a MG novel from draft to crafted book. I took a nap and slugged tea every afternoon so I could be extra alert for it. My favorite thing she said? Her definition of middle grade fiction:

"Life isn't fair;
 what are you going to do about it?"

I keep taking my favorite MG novels and running them through that definition. It's my new mantra. 

Beyond that, instead of blogging the weekend, I'd like to make a list of what I'm grateful for.

1) I'm grateful that Newbery-winning writers like Linda Sue Park and Gail Carson Levine still come to conferences like these, even though their careers definitely don't require them to.

With Gail Carson Levine.
(I heard she rocked the dance floor, but sadly, I missed that.)

2) I'm grateful that illustrators like Dan Santat are willing to pose with writers they do not know if only because we share the same editor.

With Dan Santat, illustrator with mad skillz
The caricature drawing he did of Cheryl Klein is brilliant.

3) I'm grateful that even though two years pass between meetings, writer pals can fall right back into the easy laughter of friendship.

My friends, the RockSugarBeets at the Heart and Soul Party:
 Deborah Freedman, Elise Murphy, Jill Corcoran, me, Amber Lough, Jacqui Robbins, and Cindy Pon

4) I'm grateful for every writer and illustrator who shared thoughts about craft, including the above-mentioned Linda Sue Park and the following three authors, of whom I have pictures. There were so many more that inspired me, including Rachel Vail; the entire rocking non-fiction panel of Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Deborah Heiligman, Elizabeth Partridge, and Tanya Lee Stone; and Ashley Bryan, who closed the conference with the gospel of poetry. (Imagine a room of a thousand people chanting the poetry of Langston Hughes.)

Deborah Halverson,
 author of the forthcoming Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies.
My roommate, author Val Paterson (The Other Side of Blue) and I are writing up her talk for the Mid-Atlantic SCBWI newsletter. Look for it! I'm also grateful for Val, the kind of roomie who shares her oatmeal and her heart.

M.T. Anderson. I look remarkably calm.

As you'd expect, he's a brilliant speaker, but did you know he could sing?

He ended his keynote with an operatic rendition 

of the "alternative" Delaware state song.

Ahem. I had to post this picture again.
 'Cause you know, me, Jon, little green army guy...
And Jon, if you're reading this, I expect updates on where the LGM has been housed and what he is up to.

5) I'm grateful that L.A. was not sticky and hot like D.C., and therefore, I was able to run twice---and one of those runs was with the marathon-training author Jacqui Robbins, who did not ditch me. Also, I'm grateful I got to see the ocean, sit outside, and eat funnel cakes.

At the Santa Monica Pier

Funnel cakes taste extra good when they are toasty hot and you are chilly from an ocean breeze

6) I'm grateful that Sonya Sones volunteered to take author photos of anyone who signed up for the Pro Track of the conference. I don't have the photo to share yet, but I'm convinced that the secret to a great author photo is a photographer who makes you feel at ease. Sonya was that and more. Because I was coming to the photo session straight from the Pro Lunch, she even whipped on her glasses and checked my teeth for embarrassing debris. Thank you, Sonya!

7) I'm grateful that I'm part of a world that writes books, reads books, buys books, talks books, and shares books. I'm grateful that even when life is not fair, writers and artists do something about it.

A portion of the haul.
 I read Schooled on the plane home. Classic Gordon Korman---fast-paced with humor and a bang-up ending. The woman next to me was very curious about it and finally asked if she could see my book and then promptly handed it over the seat to her grown daughter to view. I think I made a sale for you, Gordon!

For more posts about the 2010 conference, see the SCBWI Team Blog. (I've made it easy; where I could, I've linked to the Team Blog writeup for each author or event mentioned in this post. Go! Click!)

Austin: Or why I want to go back!

I'm never going to be a reporter. It takes me too long to process events and decide what I'd like to say about them. 

Thank goodness for more pictures to get my thoughts going.

Cheryl Klein and I, as we begin our conversation

 about the editor/author relationship.

Despite having only met Cheryl in person the night before, I felt at home talking with her on a stage in front of 200 people. In fact, conversations are my favorite sort of "presentation." I find it easier than in a prepared speech to confess my weaknesses, to admit to being overwhelmed by editorial letters, and to share how unsure I was at the beginning of our collaboration on Operation Yes of how this particular editor/author relationship would go. But obviously---do you see my smiling face in that picture??---I love working with Cheryl, and that extends to speaking with her as well.

 Nathan Bransford, Stacy Cantor, Andrea Cascardi, 

Kirby Larson, me, Marla Frazee, and Lisa Graff

(Dang, we look good for 6:45 in the morning)

How I love getting to meet fellow authors and book creators! 

It was great to re-connect with Lisa Graff, who I'd met through Caroline Hickey, and remember how fabulously goofy she is. And because of her talk, I will always picture myself in a Seuss hat while writing, and a construction hat while editing. I also bought her latest book, Umbrella Summer, and was lucky enough to have her sign it. I peeked at the first page on the plane home, and wow! What a masterful first paragraph. I can't wait to savor the whole book. (She said she wrote 14 or 15 complete drafts of it. Now that's crazy/inspiring.)

I was also charmed by Kirby Larson, who I'd met before at the L.A. conference when she warm-heartedly invited me to sit and have coffee with her. Her act of kindness this time was giving me a signed copy of Nubs: The True Story of a Marine and a Miracle, which I've been coveting since it was published and wanting to take on school visits when I talk about Operation Yes. Thank you, Kirby!

Marla Frazee and I had also briefly met in L.A., mostly because I was gushing to her about how wonderful her co-creator of All the World was---my friend, Liz Scanlon. But on this visit, I really got to hang out with her, compare boots, lust after her (and Liz's) curly hair, share thoughts on running (she's against my ever doing it again) and see an early copy of The Boss Baby. I LOVE Boss Baby. I want to bust out laughing every time I see his suit-like pajamas and his angry eyebrows--- and then pick him up and squeeze him tight. Seriously, this is a picture book that I predict will sell like Boss Baby himself was in charge.

Critiquing manuscripts

More about how inspiring it is to read another writer's work later. But in short, looking closely at the words of other writers always teaches me something about my own writing---and often, it's exactly what I need to break through a block.     

With the ever-smiling Varian Johnson

 and illustrator portfolio coordinator, Mark Mitchell

Book signing

Book signings are sooooo much nicer when done in the company of other writers and with chocolate on the tables, don't you think so?

I remembered to bring my silver pen, 

the one that enables me to write 

on the black "chalkboard" of Operation Yes

Thank you, Austin conference organizers! I want to come back for the Texas Book Festival. (Just saying!)

Adventures in Austin

I'm back from Austin, and let me tell you, it's hard to get my boots back on the ground. The organizers of the SCBWI Destination Publication Conference should run the world. If they did, I'd get driven/escorted/herded through my day by fabulously funny, warm and lovely people and I'm sure I'd be out of my pajamas by now.  (Although, I have to say that if I ate barbecue and Cheetos and Texas Longhorn chocolate on a regular basis, I would ONLY be able to wear pajamas...and sleep.)

If you need details pronto you should check out Kirby Larson's post and Texas Sweetheart P.J. Hoover's report.

As for me, today it's pictures only.

Liz Garton Scanlon

reading All the World

(The two page spread of "All the world is old and new" makes me cry every time.)

PJ (Tricia) Hoover shows me the fur coats hanging in this innocent looking wardrobe at the home of Austin SCBWI Wonderful People Meredith and Clay Davis.

I decide to investigate.

Where did I go?

Narnia!

I return, Queen Sara.

More later, friends... 

"I discreetly bolted out of the ballroom" Valerie Patterson on the sale of her first novel

Remember how my roommate for the SCBWI L.A. conference, Val Patterson, came to my book signing there and I said that I hoped to come to one of hers one day? Well, hot dang! She sold her first book two days later!

I asked Val if she would give us the story behind the sale, because there's nothing juicier than hearing about that magic moment from another writer.

1) Tell us the story, briefly, of how you came to write/sell The Other Side of Blue.

I began writing The Other Side of Blue--it had a different name then--in an independent writing class with National Book Award recipient Han Nolan at Hollins University, as part of the MFA in Children's Literature program. During that semester I also wrote a short story, "Death in Blue Woad," a medieval mystery with a teen protagonist, which later was published in a Sisters in Crime mystery anthology. I've long been fascinated by the color blue, perhaps because of growing up near the Gulf of Mexico. I also have long been intrigued by art and artists, though my own artistic ability consists of (finally) being able to draw a convincing three-dimensional apple. Han encouraged me to continue both pieces, possibly as novels.

I worked on The Other Side of Blue on and off for a couple of years, including in a great class with Alexandria LaFaye. I put Blue aside to finish my creative thesis, an historical novel. I also wrote another middle grade novel, which was supposed to be funny, and it partially succeeded. However, it's one of those novels in drawers most writers have!

Greenhouse Literary agent Sarah Davies' interest in the novel prompted me to buckle down and finish it. During that intense period, the book took on new dimensions for me. Sarah agreed to represent me, and I spent some time revising the novel. When Sarah thought it was ready, she sent it out for consideration. Sarah is remarkably adept at understanding just how writers feel. She's part cheerleader, task master, and confessor--and all literary godmother. I'm thrilled to be working with Clarion editor Jennifer Wingertzahn to make the novel the best I can.

2) What was your lowest moment on the journey? Did you ever lose faith that your novel would find its way into the world?

I've had what I consider the normal angst of any writer who hasn't yet published a novel. I first won an SCBWI Work In Progress grant ten years ago this month, so I've been on a long journey of development as a writer. The book for which I received the grant also sits in a drawer, but I believe nothing we write is wasted even if a particular book or story is never published. I've certainly had dark days in which I had to remind myself that, even without publication today or tomorrow or next year, the writing journey is worth it.

3) What was the best moment? Did it match the dream sequence in your head?

The best moment is indeed the stuff of fantasy. During the national SCBWI conference in LA earlier this month, I was listening to Connie Epstein give the annual market update when I felt my cell phone vibrate. I saw it was Sarah Davies and I discreetly bolted out of the ballroom.

She had called to tell me I had an offer for The Other Side of Blue. I'm sure people milling outside the ballroom thought I'd had sad news, as I was standing there crying but they were definitely happy tears. Receiving an offer of publication while attending the SCBWI National conference is definitely a dream come true.

4) Any advice to those still awaiting their first sale?

Yes, NEVER NEVER NEVER give up. Keep writing and learning.

Anything else you'd like to share?

Yes, just a thank you to everyone--and the list is very long--who has touched my life as a writer from family, friends, writing group members, students and faculty at Hollins Children's Lit program, SCBWI, and you, Sara. I hope my story inspires other writers to stay on the journey.

That's what friends are for

More on the SCBWI L.A. conference...

This is what friends are for. They blog so you don't have to:

Cindy Pon on what I ate. (Not everything that she did, but I had that amazing beet salad and that bread basket, and all that yummy Rock Sugar Grill food.) Plus, Cindy is a very fun person to hang out with, and the author of the upcoming YA fantasy, Spirit Bound. She also appreciates a good-looking waiter.

Paula Yoo (author of the YA novel, Good Enough) blogged everything. And she got a pic of me, holding Letters From Rapunzel after I had done my mini-interview for readergirlz. Thanks, Paula! I can't wait to see all our videos. (And thanks for my Yoo "special" drink.)

Bill Cochran (author of The Forever Dog) blogged what he learned. Oh, yeah, I learned some of that stuff, too, like "You never know who’s going to inspire you. But it’s hard not to get inspired at this place."

Elise Murphy blogged cupcakes and costumes. Loved hanging out with you, Elise. You made even an airport a good place to be.

Here I am with Jacqui Robbins, author of The New Girl...and Me, at the Golden Kite lunch.

I now know several amazing and surprising things about her that I've sworn never to reveal. She has blogged three of the wonderful picture book authors that were there, including Adam Rex, Deborah Freedman and Yuyi Morales.


And speaking of Adam Rex, here's a cool fact: we both have a close family member in the astrophysics field. (He, his wife; me, my daughter.) Adam has not blogged this amazing coincidence yet, but when he does, I'll link. :)


And here he is with my friend, Amy Thomas. I loooove this picture! (I love Amy, too. That girl has brains and a great sense of humor.)

So there you go. Go read what others had to say about the conference. That's what I plan to do!

Paint the Town Red

Well, sure there were people at the Paint the Town Red party last night. But I know you really wanted to see this:


And these:

















Okay, now here are the people:





And now back to the conference sessions this morning....I just heard Leonard Marcus give his keynote, using Ursula Nordstrom's letters to encourage and admonish us. Brilliant and funny. I feel comforted that writers in every era have struggled with the same issues of clarity, courage and confidence. We want to paint that town red, but sometimes, it takes a long time to find the shoes that fit. :)

Tidbits

To quote myself: "I promise to post from the conference."

At least I didn't say "I promise to post immediately and every day from the conference, and send you pictures of me standing on my head as I do this..." So technically, I didn't lie to you.

The thing is, I'm not a reporter. Alice Pope is doing that, beautifully at CWIM. I'm more of a ponderer. So, until I have time to ponder, can I buy you off with a few tidbits?

Bruce Coville on taking risks in your writing: "No leap...No wings." I love that. I may get a bumper sticker. Or a tattoo.

Adam Rex passed around a dummy of Dirty Cowboy with the editorial notes attached. Wow. It was mind-blowing to see how blunt some of the commentary was and how much re-drawing was involved.

So far, I've purchased:

In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck
Psssst! by Adam Rex
Minders of Make-Believe by Leonard Marcus
A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists Share Their Path to the Caldecott Medal by Leonard Marcus
Show and Tell: The Fine Art of Picture Book Illustration

and two red awareness bracelets that say: Reading = Power

(I know that list above is heavy on the picture book/illustration side of things, but I think that's because I have so many novels waiting for me at home already. And because I'm a sucker for a lovely book...)

Speaking of novels, I finished Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues on the plane. Yes, it's good. Yes, you should read it.

I'm looking forward to seeing Little Willow in a few hours to tape a video for Readergirlz. I'll let you know when it's posted.

And finally, thank you to all who came to see my at my book signing.

Me and my new friend
from Mississippi, Sarah Hardy

Here's my fabulous roommate, Val Patterson, supporting me at the signing. (I hope to come to a book signing for her one day soon!)
I'll try to take a few more pictures tonight at the Paint the Town Red party. Until then...

Why don't they make self-packing suitcases?

I hate packing. But I want to have clothes to wear when I get to L.A. So I'll be shoving things in a suitcase today instead of blogging.

I promise to post from the conference. I'm dying to hear Leonard Marcus speak. And to see the art at the Portfolio Display. And to buy a $10 latte every morning. (Actually, I do meet people in the coffee line, so it's not a complete waste of money.)

I have something RED picked out for the "Paint the Town Red" pool-side party. I've budgeted money to buy lots of books and have them signed. I've charged my camera. I'm debating reading material for the plane flight. I must begin the grand shoe elimination and only take the necessary pairs. (Will someone invent a way to fold running shoes into tiny squares so I will pack them and use the treadmill by the pool?)

I can't wait to see old friends and meet new ones. If you see me, PLEASE say hello. Now, off to negotiate a treaty with my suitcase...

Just the Good Stuff

"When I take the ornaments off the tree, I hang them on my wooden drying rack which is placed over a towel. Then, I use compressed air to clean the ornaments so they are ready for next year!"

----From the blog Unclutterer.

The only way I can see myself doing that is with a gun to my head, or with Johnny Depp holding the can of compressed air.

On the other hand, this blog did show me how to Stop Hoarding Magazines. (Check out the comments on that post! There are some serious magazine hoard-0-maniacs out there.)

In any case, I'm inspired to sort through some accumulated clutter, and give you just the good stuff today:

1) Anybody going to the SCBWI Conference in NY this year? Please leave a comment or email me so I know to look for you! There's even a KidLit get-together on Friday night, organized by Betsy Bird and Cheryl Klein.

2) I've been saving this tidbit, but it doesn't seem to be fitting in to any post I'm likely to write in the near future: In case you need to draw a human skull or a rhinoceros chameleon, Gurney Journey has the place for you. (And if you do draw a rhinoceros chameleon, you had darn better send me a copy of the sketch!)

3) Ever wonder what it's like to go toilet shopping with a four-year-old? It's better than Disney World, according to my friend, Donna---who throws in a few "red-neck parenting tips" for good measure.

4) Were you inspired to move your body after last week's blog-a-thon with me and Liz? Then get yourself over to Athleta.com, my favorite place to buy workout gear. And they're having a contest to win a week-long yoga retreat at a luxury lodge in Montana.

5) There's a fabulous series on writing over at Through the Tollbooth all this week. The first post is titled Ensorcellment and Sarah Sullivan is going to be talking about "the writer as enchanter." Sarah, you had me at ensorcellment. (I collect words. They don't need dusting.)

SCBWI L.A. Conference: John Green

Me and John Green
Nerdfighters!

John gave a honest and funny speech to the entire conference, and then held a breakout session on Writing the Contemporary YA Novel, which I attended. My questions for him:

ME: Your vblog is a lot of fun. (HIM: Thank you ma'am. ME: Ma'am? Ma'am? God, I hope he meant that as humor...) ME, continuing on: But how has it affected you as a writer?

HIM: (mad paraphrasing) It's given me less time to write! But it's confirmed for me that the written word is important, that you can do things with text that video will never be able to do. (He, of course, said this all much more eloquently.)

ME: (after other people asked questions about the sexual tension and male POV in Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines) Do you find it's harder to write about spiritual questioning than sex?

HIM: God, what a great question! (or something lovely like that) YES. It's much harder. It's hard not to be cheesy. So I used an academic setting (the religion professor) to talk about it in a structured way. I wrote the scene (famous toothpaste tube scene) in ten minutes. The spiritual stuff took much longer. (Again, heavily paraphrased. I do him no justice at all.)

So, I walked away with even more admiration. Not only is he honest on the page, he's honest in person and great fun to listen to.

SCBWI L.A. Conference: Parade of Jokes

At the conference, we can win gift certificates to the book store by submitting jokes! Here's the setup if you want to play along:

Name a line of underwear for children's writers and illustrators

Some of the winners:

Holes

Judy Bloomers

Oh, the Places You Can't Go

Rough Drafties

Here's my suggestion: Looking for AA-laska. (hee, hee)

SCBWI L.A. Conference: Give me More!

If you're looking for detailed reports on the conference, try Alice's CWIM blog. She's been posting incredible writeups like this one on the session "Two Agents, Two Views."

Meanwhile, I'll keep posting random thoughts and pictures until I get to a calmer place and can digest all that I've heard and seen.

P.S. I did sit at the same lunch table as Arthur Levine, and got to meet Kirby Larson when she sat down in the lobby with me. (So nice, both of them.) Also, I chatted poolside with Nikki Grimes over coconut cake.

SCBWI L.A. Conference: By the Light of the Silvery Moon

By the light of the silvery moon
The Disco Mermaids kick off the dance party

SCBWI L.A. Conference: Adding to my Very Big Good Deed List

Current Mission: I'm asking everyone I meet here in L.A. what good causes they support (literacy/book or child/family related) for my Very Big Good Deed List. Watch the list grow over the next few days!

And please, if you have a cause you support, email me the link or post a comment here or at the VBGD List itself. Thanks!

SCBWI L.A. Conference: Cynthia Leitich Smith Tells All

Cynthia Leitich Smith

This was an amazingly information-packed session. Cynthia promised to eventually post a list of links at her site, so keep checking back there. (And I'll go back and link from here when it's up.)

SCBWI L.A. Conference: Parade of Words

As Lin Oliver said, if we (SCBWI) do something for ten minutes, we call it a tradition. But there are a few conference traditions that have been going on for several years that I love. One is the parade of authors, where the conference kicks off with all the presenters marching in, and coming to the microphone one by one, and speaking just a single word. A word that sums up what they are thinking, feeling, or hoping about the conference, or their writing lives at that moment.

Some word choices were practically mandatory. Susan Patron said "Scrotum." (We all cheered.) Lee Bennett Hopkins said "Poetry." John Green said "Nerd-fighters."

We also heard:

Doggedness
Sparkle
Leap (Laurent Linn)
Truth
Peri-menopausal (Lisa Yee)
Courage
Ready

So what's your word today?

Mine is: Flow

Poetry Friday: An Ode

Coffee
with my name
on it

After staying up past midnight (3:00 AM East Coast time) this was poetry to me.

For something more lyrical, check out Poetry Friday, hosted this week by The Miss Rumphius Effect.

SCBWI: Blogging from the Road

Look who I met (and had dinner with, and talked to for a very long, good time): Kelly Herold (on the right) from Big A, Little A! A fellow conference goer took our picture with my cell phone. I don't think he believed me when I said I was sending it straight to my blog.