2012 Letters and Lines Fall Conference

I attended our local SCBWI fall conference last weekend, and as always, it was terrific.  Kudos to our wonderful Regional Advisors, Denise Vega and Todd Tuell.  Author Chris Crutcher started it off on Saturday with a humorous and heart wrenching/warming keynote address.  In addition to writing award winning novels, Mr. Crutcher is a mental health therapist, and he left little doubt in my mind, that he was a darn (Chris would use a more expressive adjective here) good one.  It was also apparent that his experiences in working with patients help make his writing come alive.  And his humor made all of us come alive as he read an excerpt from his book, DEADLINE, recounting some hilarious scenes, each spurred by a big brother's question:  "Do you want to do something neat?"

During the conference, I learned more about social networking (Melody Jones), what makes agents/editors take notice of a submission (agent Karen Gencik's session on 101+ reasons for rejection was very well done and informative), how to write Middle Grade that rings true (editor Emily Clement - loved this as this is my niche), and enjoyed hearing editor Molly O'Neill talk specifically about what attracted her in works she took on. 

A special plus at these conferences is the opportunity to sign up for a pitch or critique session with an agent or editor.  I was especially fortunate to receive a critique of my first chapter of MG novel CHANGING TIDES from Karen Grencik.  She is very personable and straight forward when you meet with her.  She also joined our group at the banquet and kept us entertained with her delightful stories and humor.

The social camaraderie with fellow writers is always a big draw for me.  Writing itself is a very individual activity, and conversing with other writers about their struggles and sucesses helps me remember I'm really not alone when I'm writing--I just can't see them.  I can't stress enough the importance for writers and illustrators to attend these conferences.  They provide you with the state of the art news in our profession, the opportunity to meet with agents and editors, and the social contact with people who understand exactly what you're going through and trying to accomplish.

Good Critique Group--Priceless

It's impossible to put a price on a "good" critique group.  I was admitted into my second one about a year and a half ago, and I'm still counting my blessings.  They've taught me so much, from polishing up a sentence to fixing your plot and making your manuscript sing.  My first critique group was comprised of 7 new and mostly inexperienced writers.  This must be where the phrase "the blind leading the blind" came from, because that was us.  We began by restricting one another to submitting no more than 10 pages for review at a time.  Talk about a lesson in futility.  How can you possibly comment on anything you find in 10 pages as it pertains to character development, plotting, or virtually anything that goes into creating an entire manuscript.  But as I said, we were inexperienced.  We did grow some, but one person moved away and others moved on (taking care of children and working in other careers).  My current group (http://www.thewildwriters.com/) first formed back in the 80's, and the expertise they've gained over time was immediately evident.  We submit full manuscripts, and create complete, typed reviews to be discussed at a meeting.  We cover everything from writing skills to storytelling to character development.  It's overwhelming to be on the "hot seat," and after my first time, I left in a fog, wondering where I would begin with the overwhelming revisions suggested by various members of the group.  I set the manuscript aside for awhile until I caught my breath, then I dug in.  I adopted a method used by one of the group members.  I went through all twelve typed reviews (there are actually more members in our group, but not everyone reviews every manuscript each time), and made a list of each issue mentioned.  Then I made a check each time one was mentioned again.  Those with the most checks, I knew I had to deal  with.  The others I also considered carefully.  This exercise prepared me for the work which was no small undertaking.  When I finished, though, even I knew my manuscript was far and above what I had submitted to them.  I think it's hard to start a critique group with all new writers.  My recommendation is to have a mix if at all possible.  For new writers wanting to find such a group, I encourage you to become visible.  For example, attend conferences, enter contests, volunteer to help with writers activities.  I'd been interested in joining this group for years.  By the time they invited me in, I'd won several first and second place awards, and had coordinated a writers summer retreat.  I'd come to know many of them through conferences I attended.  This is crucial because any well-established critique group needs to know you're serious and you've put some time into it.  And the time you put into it will be worth it.  While I'm not yet published, I know my manuscripts are much closer.  In fact, just in the past six weeks, I've received three requests for fulls.  A good critique group...priceless!

Pikes Peak Writers 2012

     The 2012 Pikes Peak Writers Conference celebrated its 20th anniversary with a blockbuster conference.  Incredible workshops, outstanding speakers, and record-breaking attendance made this the best one ever.  The all-day workshop by Donald Maass set the stage, beginning with simple words that mean so much from a writer's standpoint.  What makes a book a breakout novel is telling a great story, and telling it beautifully.  Then he took us through an all-day exercise that forced us to look closely at our protagonists and antagonists and make them real people with real problems, motives, strengths and faults.  Through question after question, we as authors came to see our own characters more clearly.  Some of my answers to his questions came quickly, others didn't come at all right then, and I will certainly revisit them before I call my manuscript finished.  I also loved his discussion on the importance of keeping up the tension in a novel.  I was particularly intrigued by his idea to toss thirty pages of your manuscript into the air, then reassemble them in random order and read each page, making sure there is tension somewhere on the page.  I've gone through the exercise of tossing up pages, but I generally followed it up with walking out the door.  His suggestion made sense to me, though.  Tension makes a book a page-turner.  Without it, the story begins to sag, and so does the reader.  I later had the pleasure of talking with him over breakfast, and hear about the young boy he adopted from Ethiopia.  I can't think of a more selfless deed than to afford a young child the opportunities that Donald and his wife are giving this little boy who is beginning to thrive. 
       On Friday, Linda Rohrbaugh prepared us for success.  She emphasizes that "even a poor plan, properly executed, will work.  It's all in the execution," and that "nothing can change when you're comfortable."  I repeated those words today as I delved into revisions. 
     There were so many wonderful workshops--Carol Berg's tools for revision; Mark Coker's information on e-books and Smashwords, and the agent/editor panels that help us get to know the individual agencies.  Then there were the keynote speeches--some of the best I've ever heard:  Donald Maass, Jeffrey Deaver, Robert Clais, Susan Wiggs, all breakout novelists themselves delivering blockbuster, motivational talks as they toasted the 20th anniversary of Pikes Peak Writers.
     Each year, PPW offers pitch sessions during which attendees can pitch their stories to agents and editors.  While it's a bit nerve-racking, it's an incredible opportunity, and I was fortunate to pitch to Kristin Nelson, whom I've heard speak many times and whose blog, Pub Rants, I follow because it provides many helpful hints pertaining to various areas of writing and publishing.  She deserves much credit for the amazingly successful agency she has created and grown in Denver. 
     I have to say, that a special night for me was Saturday night when I was cheered on by members of my critique group as I received my first place award in the "Childrens" category for my middle grade novel, HOOKED.  All in all, the entire weekend was one I'll always remember.