Bring Your Career into Sharper Focus with Wik2020: WRITERS' INTENSIVES!

Registration’s open and you want to get that Early Bird discount but…how to choose the right writers’ intensive? You want to bring your career into sharper focus but which track is best for you? There is so much to consider that we’re breaking it down for you:

First, this year, you must sign up for one track and stick with it so choose wisely, grasshoppers. Er, writers. And due to space limitations, some of the tracks will fill up quickly, so don’t wait too late or you may not get your first choice.

The schedule for the intensives is the same across the board. All the intensives start at 9:00 AM and last until 5:00 PM. Lunch for all the tracks is at the same time, noon until 2:00. So if you want to have lunch with friends or arrange rides, you can be in different tracks and you will easily be able to meet. And all the intensives are in the Homewood Library, a beautiful space that’s easy to navigate.

So now a few more details about the tracks that might help you decide:

The Picture Book Track

 Authors Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple will lead this intensive. In Picture Book 101, Part I, they’ll focus on the basics by looking at the nuts and bolts of this form. If you’re brand new to writing picture books, this intensive will get you started on the right track. If you’re experienced with picture books, you’ll get tips on how to elevate your manuscripts. And there will be homework! So if you have a manuscript you want to work on, now’s your chance to get feedback from two of the best in the business.

Picture Book 101, Part II, will look at the poetic form. Could your poem become a picture book? Or how do you make your picture book more poetic? And P.S. There’s more homework! But know that sharing any of your work in an intensive is strictly a voluntary pursuit. You are free to soak up every word—and not say a word yourself. Or you may welcome any and all advice and/or feedback. And the intensive will conclude with a Roundtable discussion, a perfect time to ask any questions and get even more professional information about the business and/or writing side of picture books.

 The Novel Track 

The novel track’s morning session will start with agent Kurestin Armada. She’ll be going deep into those all-important “first pages” so if you have a work-in-progress, here’s a great opportunity to find out what’s working and what needs work. But she'll also be looking at examples if you don't bring your own pages. And when editor Kait Feldman starts her Q and A Roundtable, you’ll learn even more. Beginner or already-published can benefit from these sessions.

The afternoon session will be led by author Janice Hardy who’ll give a master class on Plot, Setting, and Scene: Building a Strong Foundation for your Novel. Writers will learn about internal and external conflict, character arcs, bringing a scene to life, and much more. So bring your laptops and bring your pages because Hardy will take your work through exercises that’ll make your novel something that readers can’t walk away from.

The Pro Track

The Pro track is designed for those writers who are published (though you do not have to be a PAL member) who are looking for tips and advice on the business side of their career. So librarian Lisa Churchill will start with Ten Tips for the Best School Visits Ever. That’s followed by agent Rubin Pfeffer who will lead a rousing Q and A. Pfeffer will answer any question on the writing business—he’s been an editor as well—so come prepared with your questions (and you'll get frank answers)!

Afternoon begins with editor Mekisha Telfer with Raising the Stakes, and she’ll answer those questions about the challenges of working with your agent and/or your editor. She’ll also discuss the Hope of Every Child, a session on writing/illustrating for all children, including how to handle characters outside your culture, gender, religion, etc.

The Writers’ Intensives are held on Friday and they are optional; they are not part of the conference so the fee for them is extra. But ask anyone who’s attended these in-depth sessions and you’ll find they’re worth every penny!

Whew! I hope you’ve got all the information you could possibly need about the writers’ intensives! But if you still have questions, email us at southern-breeze@scbwi.org. We have all the answers—well, answers about wik2020—and we can’t wait to see what you choose! (P.S. Nothing's filled--yet!)

           REGISTER FOR WIK2020 HERE! EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT TILL JANUARY 1, 2020. 

Art Image by wik2020 brochure illustrator David SanAngelo.