Recently, I spent an awesome long weekend at the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Summer Conference. Four days of chatting, listening, and dancing with a thousand other people who are used to spending our days in our caves perfecting sentences and sketches. This is a group of people who know that picture books [...]
Better, stronger, faster.
October 14, 2009 – 4:40 pm
This past summer, my beloved puppy dog passed away, leaving a corgi-shaped hole in my life. My husband and I’d had her for almost as long as we’d been a ‘we.’ Together, we’d moved across the country 3 times and lived in 5 different apartments. We’d been camping up in the mountains and out on [...]
Lost Art? Really?
August 19, 2009 – 12:45 pm
Ok… a friend of mine posted this article, The Lost Art of Reading, on my Facebook page yesterday. You can pretty much guess what it’s about. The author proposes that, in this culture of constant buzzing, finding the quiet mental space to commune with a book is becoming increasingly rare. My question then is, Why [...]
SCBWI Conference ’09
August 13, 2009 – 8:43 pm
Another SCBWI Summer Conference come and gone! This year, I won’t bother to summarize what happened, since that’s already done so beautifully by the SCBWI ‘Team Blog.’ Thanks you guys! Instead, I’ll give an illustrated version of a few moments that really struck me. I’ve stolen most of the beautiful pictures and illustrations from other [...]
Collect Them All!
August 5, 2009 – 6:00 am
So… as I may have casually mentioned… THE SCBWI SUMMER CONFERENCE IS COMING! For me, this means checking out great stacks of books from the library, doing my homework on editors, and hitting the thrift store for clothes that say, ‘I’m professional, yet artsy, and you should give me a heap of money.’ I’ve never [...]
Comic-Con 2009
July 30, 2009 – 2:18 pm
Mid-July always feels like christmas to me. That is, if Santa was a Trekkie who loved kids’ books. July means Comic-Con and right on its heels comes the SCBWI Summer Conference. I can’t imagine any two events more saturated with great minds, creative talent, and genuine inspiration. So it was with a huge grin on [...]
Summer (conference) Reading
July 22, 2009 – 11:37 am
When I was a kid, my library, like many others, had a summer reading program. Every book I read racked up points towards stickers or McDonalds french fries or, my most coveted prize of all, the knotted pencil. How did they even do that?? It was the highlight of my summer and I always read [...]
Kite Tales RULZ!
April 1, 2009 – 11:54 pm
Welcome Kite Tales readers and other nefarious individuals! If you haven’t read the Spring 2009 issue of Kite Tales… hop to it. Especially page 24 (and 23). All the cool kids are reading it. You wanna be a cool, don’t you?
Eating Paste
March 4, 2009 – 12:57 pm
Okay… maybe not eating it. So I finished my revision… now what? As a way to deal with the dismal No Man’s Land that lurks between revisions and new projects, I’ve been getting crafty. This past September at the SCBWI Working Writers’ Retreat, the creative Julie Williams gave us some unusual ideas about how to [...]
The Bells! The Bells!
September 22, 2008 – 11:41 am
I just got back from the SCBWI Working Writers Retreat, a particularly cruel event where they entice you with tables of inexpensive YA books and promises of wine and chocolate, then run you ragged with constant critique groups, editor talks, and yoga. Children’s writing is a harsh world and those of you that don’t know [...]
No Jumping, No Wings. Ever.
September 10, 2008 – 12:05 pm
So… it’s that time again. Time to debrief from the SCBWI Summer Conference. What? What’s that you say? I already wrote about the conference? Well, tonight I have to host a whole SCBWI Schmooze on the topic, so you’re gonna hear about it again, whether you like it or not! In hopes of inspiring people [...]
Not, not, not a box!
August 26, 2008 – 3:01 pm
*First off, apologies to Antoinette Portis and her modern classic picture book, Not a Box for leaning on her wonderful pictures and themes. Go buy Not a Box! * A box is a cozy place to be. It’s dark and quiet, with plenty of corners to curl up in. You can touch the walls around [...]
Conference Karma
August 11, 2008 – 6:01 pm
Recently I’ve been really feeling good about my writing. I’ve had quite a few “Aha!” moments and, slowly but surely, my story is transforming into a novel. By this, I don’t mean that I’ve been making it longer or writing the acknowledgements page (don’t worry, you’re totally mentioned). No. What I mean is that before, [...]
Warts and All
April 17, 2008 – 12:43 pm
Well, instead of groveling for bloggle forgiveness for my inexcusable absence, I’m merely going to chalk it up to an excellent example of how I write. What an great idea, you’re saying. Why didn’t I think of that excuse myself, you wonder. Why? Because I’m simply BRILLIANT and full of sh…arp ideas! So, here’s the [...]
Hook, Line, and Sinker
December 12, 2007 – 11:15 am
I once caught a book contract that was THIS big… but it got away. The Westside Schmooze topic this month is all about beginnings and hooks. To be exact: “Are You Hooked Yet? How can you use your first pages, first lines, and queries to hook readers and editors? Join us as we try to [...]
One for my baby and one more (page turn) for the road
November 20, 2007 – 6:04 pm
That last page can make or break a story. At the SCBWI Schmooze the other day, someone asked what I was learning from the Great Picture Book Read of ’07. So here’s the biggest thing. It’s not enough to have a good story. You must have a great ending. A ‘sweet’ last page ends up [...]
Flirting with inspiration
November 14, 2007 – 12:55 pm
The Westside Schmooze, part of the LA SCBWI, is going to be talking about genres today. What is the difference between board books and picture books? Middle grade and YA? Is it smart to switch between these age groups? This topic is especially relevent to my life right now. After being completely devoted to my [...]
100 days, 1000 books
September 23, 2007 – 12:00 pm
Linda Sue Park recently said, at the SCBWI Summer Conference, that before you can write a good picture book, you had to read 1000 of them. There was a similar equation for novels, 500 novels (or, she amended, any type of book) before you could write one yourself. Well, I’m fairly certain I’ve accomplished the [...]
Lower your standards (conference continued)
August 15, 2007 – 5:39 pm
Each and every morning, I have to get out of bed and choose, all over again, to be a writer. Sitting there at my writing desk, waiting for me, is Fear and his charming sidekick, Doubt. I don’t know about you, but my Fear is ugly. Massive chipped teeth, bad breath, twisted yellowing claws, not [...]
A meeting of equals
August 11, 2007 – 1:21 pm
I’ve decided to do little mini entries about the conference as something strikes me. Here’s to the first of many. Also, click on Arthur Levine to check out the SCBWI website (where I shamelessly stole this picture, thanks!) for a great summary of the conference. Arthur Levine is a genius. And I don’t mean because [...]
