For The Love Of Conferences - Part 2

Well, I apologize that it's been a bit since I updated the blog. I was starting to get on a nice roll with it too! It has been for a good cause, but one I can't talk about yet. I have a number of 'irons in the fire' that I'm hoping will 'blossom' soon (check out the mixed metaphors!).

The biggest update in my writing life was the SCBWI conference in Los Angeles. I was able to attend due to the generosity of the wonderful Fairy Godsisters, Ink (Thalia Chaltas, Mary Hershey, Valerie Hobbs, Robin LaFevers, Lee Wardlaw). Each year they help children's writers and illustrators by providing a scholarship to the SCBWI Nationals. This year the scholarship was based on a poetry contest. We were to create a haiku that captured the experience of being a writer. And I won! Here is my entry:

The Haiku Trilogy of the Querying Author ( to be read in a round)

Creative Spark

Struck by Apollo

Lord of the Muses guides me

Blank paper beckons

Depths of Rejection

Flung from the slush pile

Weeks of waiting for nothing

Form letter response

Fresh Edit

Fresh edit is hope

Stripping the story to bones

I begin again



And since I'm in Canada and flights from here to LA cost a wee bit more than they do for US writers, I am also grateful for a grant I received from the Writers' Community of Durham Region, my local and extremely supportive association.

For all of those stuck in querying hell, my love and sympathy - I hope you enjoyed my poems. I'll be back soon to give a report on the conference in Part 3.

For The Love Of Conferences Part 1

I wanted to talk about conferences and how important they can be to a writer's career, at every stage. Almost a year ago, I was sitting with 50,000 words of a YA manuscript and wondering what, or even if I should continue with it. The idea had been percolating for a while, so when I write, I write very quickly, and I knew that I would be able to finish it in the next month or so. But what then? I had thought about going to a big conference in the US, but I just couldn't pull the trigger due to the cost. When I finally decided to go for it at the last minute, the flights had gone up so high in price that it just wasn't possible.

Completely depressed, I began a search online for other upcoming conferences and I discovered something I had never heard about before: SCBWI. And it turns out they were running a conference in Niagara Falls that very same weekend.

Now, unless you've read my previous post about sending my last manuscript to exactly ONE agent, you will be surprised at how clueless I was. SCBWI stands for The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

But you knew that, of course ;).

So I contacted the organizers immediately and found out that the date for registration had passed. Despair.

But they volunteered to put me on a waiting list. Hope.

Then I found out there's a whole critique group component that is unique to this conference. Fear.

Someone dropped out and I got in! Excitement! And then Fear again!

In Part 2, I'm going to talk about what I learned at that conference and others and how they have moved my writing career along. But I wanted to get out the information that there are only 4 SPOTS LEFT for the conference this year May 3-5, 2013. Due to an administrative conflict, this is not a SCBWI conference for this year and there is no illustrators track, but it is still an amazing event. Look at the lineup!:

SUSAN RICH, EDITOR-AT-LARGE - LITTLE, BROWN BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
SUSAN HAWK, AGENT - THE BENT AGENCY
SARA ZARR, Y.A. AUTHOR
ELLEN HOPKINS, Y.A. AUTHOR
KIMBERLEY GRIFFITHS-LITTLE, AUTHOR, M.G, Y.A.
LORIN OBERWEGER, FREELANCE EDITOR - FREE EXPRESSIONS LITERARY
ROMAN WHITE, DIRECTOR, AUTHOR
LAURA BIAGI, AGENT - THE JEAN V. NAGGAR LITERARY AGENCY INC

I hope you caught that there are 2 wonderful agents attending this year! And you have to see the location to believe it - truly unique. If you are in driving distance to Niagara Falls and you are a children's writer, you should be there. I mean it.

Writer Jackie Garlick-Pynaert is the organizer and for more info or to grab those last few spots go to:
www.niagararetreatandconference.com.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! For those of you who know me, you are probably aware that I have quite a few blogs floating out there in cyberspace. For anyone interested in my photography and other pursuits, I will be posting the links to those blogs in the menu. But for now, not much works around here yet. I will be filling up my pages, posts and links soon though.

So why a new blog? Well, this blog is dedicated to my goal of being a published YA author. Until that wonderful day, I will be posting my thoughts on all things related to writing: conferences, inspiration, book reviews, etc.

I'll be talking soon about my journey thus far, but for now, I just wanted to say - Welcome!