Bring Your Career into Sharper Focus with wik2020: GIFTS FOR WRITERS AND ILLUSTRATORS!

We asked Claudia Pearson, Co-RA of Southern Breeze, to give us a few ideas about bringing your career into sharper focus with wik2020 and she had the perfect gift idea for writers and illustrators!

 Kwanza, Christmas, Hanukkah - the season of giving is here! The holidays are a wonderful time to honor and give back to friends, recognizing the many ways they support you. But what to give your writer and illustrator friends, the ones who have provided feedback, the ones who held your hand as you waited for a response to a submission, waited for an art director or editor to notice your work?

If you ask Google or Amazon or Writer’s Digest or simply search the web for “gifts for writers and illustrators,” you’ll get recommendations like messenger bags and laptop desks, artsy tee shirts, coffee mugs, yummy chocolates, tea, and coffee, useful tools like pens and brushes, sketchbooks, binders, pencil rolls, and productivity promoters like calendars, how-to books, and software, but…

Why not give the gift of inspiration and community that comes from spending time with other writers and illustrators? Isn’t that what your friends give you throughout the year? In an occupation that can be isolating, where we typically work alone, the opportunity to get together with other creatives may be the best gift you can give your writer and illustrator friends.

Gift coupons are available for our upcoming wik20 in March. All you have to do is email Southern-Breeze@scbwi.org and we will invoice you for the amount you want to give and set up a gift coupon code you can print out or email to your friend. We can even do this anonymously if you like!

Planning to come to the conference yourself? There are a limited number of “And-One” spaces available. These are intended to increase our region’s diversity, so if you have a writer or illustrator friend from an underrepresented community who is not an SCBWI member and has never attended an SCBWI conference, after you register, send us:

1. Their name
2. Their email address, and
3. A statement about their interest in writing or illustrating for young readers, and why you think they should be included as your “And-One” for our conference.

But don’t delay! Registration is now open, and some sessions are limited by space. Those who register early will get the early bird discount and first choice on all the opportunities available.


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

Claudia Pearson retired from her legal practice at the turn of the century to pursue her Master's Degree in Children's Literature at Hollins University. A decades long active member of SCBWI, she has served as a Regional Advisor/co-Regional Advisor for the Southern Breeze Region for almost ten years. She collects antique books and art, and is fascinated with illustration, although she is not an illustrator. Registration guru, website tech hacker, writer of silly picture books and serious middle grade novels, she persists in her dream of writing something that is publishable in the trade market.





Art Image by wik2020 brochure illustrator David SanAngelo. 

TEN Tips for Conference Attendees (And P.S. A WINNER!)

The doors open on Springmingle'19 this Friday, March 15th! And it's a whirlwind of activities and sessions and speakers and friends and fun, so you'll want to be ready. Thanks to our Southern Breeze Co-Regional Advisor, Claudia Pearson, you can be! Take a look at these ten tips she's collected, good for any SCBWI conference you might attend:

1. Volunteer! It's the best way to get to know new people!

2. Comment on the Southern Breeze conference Facebook, Twitter and blog posts. People will remember your name.

3. Attend the conference with your critique group or writing buddies if you can. If you each attend different sessions, you can share notes after the conference.

4. Get organized: Prepare a clear view binder prior to attending. Keep the conference schedule in the front cover and a checklist of items to bring in the back. Use clear sleeves inside the binder for "homework," handouts, writing samples, business cards, etc, for easy access.

5. Keep it compact. Big bags can be barriers and small (no larger than 14") illustration portfolios are better suited than large ones for presentation space and critiques.

6. Write out "must know" questions handy for the breakout session speakers or the Roundtable discussions. Refrain from questions that can be easily "Googled," (i.e. what is point of view, what's a dummy?) and instead address specific craft/marketing issues that maximize the speakers' expertise.

7. If you plan to take notes on a laptop, insure laptop battery is fully charged. Plugs near work space may be scarce.

8. Don't "buttonhole" faculty, and don't offer them your manuscript at the conference (you will have a chance to submit after the conference), but have your 30 second pitch ready just in case they ask what you are working on.

9. Get together with your Local Liaison and members from your area. They can be great friends and resources after the conference. (Membership Coordinator Paula Puckett will be at SM'19 with a display of members and LLs. Look for her near the registration table to find more info!)

10. Prepare to be engaged, challenged and inspired! Drinking water from a fire hose is not so easy, so get some rest, arrive early, and be ready to learn and share. Everyone has something valuable to offer.
 
There you have it, Breezers, ten terrific tips! And as promised, here's our winner of the Spread the Word Contest: Meredith York! Congrats, Meredith, and thanks for helping us spread the word about Springmingle'19! Meredith will win a $50 discount on her registration, just for spreading the word on social media. So maybe we should add another tip for next year: Participate in Southern Breeze contests and win BIG!

Southern Breeze Goes to the SCBWI Summer Conference (And We're Dishing on LA!)

Every year, the SCBWI Summer Conference in LA beckons…and every year, I find myself following all the big doings from afar. But I know a couple of Southern Breezers who did make it to Los Angeles, so I asked RA Claudia Pearson, ARA Sharon Pegram, and IC Temika Grooms to give us the up close and personal rundown of their conference experience. Special thanks to Temika for putting it all in pictures!

(Bonus points if you can guess what character or book Claudia dressed up as for the big costume party!)

What was your don’t-miss-one-minute-of-it event/intensive/workshop session of the Summer Conference?

Claudia: Elana K. Arnold’s workshops on Increasing Tension and Writing through to the end, although Kevin Lewis’s Picture book Session was also outstanding. Both Elana and Kevin offered a ton of well organized info with solid examples.

Sharon: I learned a lot from Carolyn Mackler's workshop on what she's learned from writing novels for 20 years, and she made us laugh. Also, Lin Oliver at the Artists and Authors Ball with her face painted like a Picasso was definitely memorable!

And what benefits do you get from attending the conference, both for your personal professional growth, and for the membership here in Southern Breeze?

Sharon: The whole gigantic-ness of the experience recharges me professionally. I think it's impossible to marinate in that much creative energy and enthusiasm for three days and not bring some home with you. For our membership, I talk with regional leaders from around the country and the world about the programs they offer their members and how they do things, and that always yields some great ideas. And while I'm scribbling down my notes at workshops and key notes, part of my brain is always evaluating the speaker as possible Southern Breeze conference faculty.

Claudia: SCBWI offers an excellent community for professional writers and illustrators. I love touching base with so many wonderful authors, illustrators and acquiring professionals I have come to know over the years, and also meeting new people, like Ekua Holmes and Ibi Zoboi! Of course getting to meet Lois Lowery and Mildred Taylor are also huge highlights! These personal interactions make it much easier to evaluate and approach potential speakers for our own regional conferences.

Thanks for sharing, y'all! And P.S. Every year, I sulk a little bit, missing all the fun. But maybe it's a lot of work and no fun at all. What do you think?

TEN Tips for Conference AtTENdees

The doors open on wik'18 this Friday, March 9th! And it's a whirlwind of activities and sessions and speakers and friends and fun, so you'll want to be ready. Thanks to Southern Breeze Regional Advisor, Claudia Pearson, you can be! Take a look at these ten tips she's collected just for you:

 1. Volunteer! It's the best way to get to know new people!

2. Comment on the Southern Breeze conference Facebook, Twitter and blog posts. People will remember your name.

3. Attend the conference with your critique group or writing buddies if you can. If you each attend different sessions, you can share notes after the conference.

4. Get organized: Prepare a clear view binder prior to attending. Keep the conference schedule in the front cover and a checklist of items to bring in the back. Use clear sleeves inside the binder for "homework," handouts, writing samples, business cards, etc, for easy access. 

5. Keep it compact. Big bags can be barriers and small (no larger than 14") illustration portfolios are better suited than large ones for presentation space and critiques.

6. Write out "must know" questions handy for the breakout session speakers and to pop in the box for the Q & A panel. Refrain from questions that can be easily "Googled," (i.e. what is point of view, what's a dummy?) and instead address specific craft/marketing issues that maximize the speakers' expertise.   

7. If you plan to take notes on a laptop, insure the battery is fully charged. Plugs near work space may be scarce.

8. Don't "buttonhole" faculty, and don't offer them your manuscript at the conference (you will have a chance to submit after the conference), but have your 30 second pitch ready just in case they ask what you are working on.

9. Get together with your Local Liaison and members from your area. They can be great friends and resources after the conference.

10. Prepare to be engaged, challenged and inspired! Drinking water from a fire hose is not so easy, so get some rest, arrive early, and be ready to learn and share. Everyone has something valuable to offer.

There you have it, Breezers, ten terrific tips! Can't wait to see all y'all at wik'18!

(Late registration is ongoing, and many sessions are full, but you can still join us for the conference experience. See the Southern Breeze website for details!)

 

EVERYONE A WINNER AT WIK'18: Deborah Halverson and Teen Talk Tips

The deadline for submitting manuscripts for formal critiques may have passed (hope you all got your manuscripts in on time!), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still great opportunities for those attending wik’18 to enhance their conference experience with optional activities. 

There are still slots available for One-on-One sessions with an agent, and Linda Sue Park, Matt Ringler, Janice Hardy, Heather Montgomery and Jodi Wheeler Toppen, Kami Kinard and Rebecca Petruck, and Deborah Halverson are all teaching morning intensives on Sunday.

Deborah Halverson is one of SCBWI’s superstar teachers. When it comes to writing for teens, she wrote the book – literally, THE book on how to write for teens and young adults.

We hear it all the time: you need to have the right “voice” for your teenage character. Easier said than done when it comes to writing dialogue. For some of us it has been decades since we were teens ourselves, and have you tried to actually talk with teens the way teens talk?

Oh, the way they look at you, like you’re all creepy or weird even if you get the jargon just right. There’s just something about an AARP member throwing around teen slang in a conversation that feels awkward.

So if you can’t converse in teen-talk with teens to make sure you get it right, what can you do to develop that skill?

I was lucky enough to attend one of Deborah’s intensives on writing for a teen audience while at an SCBWI conference, and know that those attending her intensive will come out with new tools in their writing toolbox. You won’t want to miss a single tip, resource url or sneaky way to eavesdrop on teens talking with teens. Way better than camping out at the food court in the mall.

                         REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! CLICK :::HERE:::TO REGISTER!

Claudia Pearson, Regional Advisor for Southern Breeze, is a retired trial attorney, earned a masters degree from Hollins University in Children's Literature, speaks French, and once worked as a sous chef in a French restaurant. She writes a bit of everything and has published two books about children's books.