Bring Your Career into Sharper Focus with WIK'20 and Meeting Members!

Look for this display at wik'20!

Whether you’re a newcomer or a long time conference attendee, you’re sure to find folks to help you along your creative journey at WIK'20!  Of course, the faculty have lots to share but Membership Coordinator, Paula Puckett hopes you'll mix and mingle with all the members; think about the benefits of expanding your network of writers and illustrators! Though yes, sometimes it’s hard to be a new person in a situation where it might seem like everybody knows everybody else.

So we began something a few conferences ago with a Membership Display and are continuing with this because it seemed to be helpful. Here’s how this will work:

Each area in our region has been divided and posted on the Membership Display.  Look for the largest major city which is closest to where you live, select the corresponding color slip of paper and put it in your name tag.  Then go out there and introduce yourself, especially to those who have the same colored tab in their name tag. Chances are good that they could live somewhere in your area.

If there is not an active Local Liaison close to where you live, consider becoming one yourself. The names and email addresses of Local Liaisons are on the SB webpage. Local Liaisons are volunteers who hold Local Events from time to time. Ask the Regional Advisors, Assistant Regional Advisors or Membership Coordinator to send you information and guidelines about becoming a Local Liaison if you think you would like to participate in this volunteer position.

Some LLs choose to belong to critique groups too, but their main function is to provide opportunities for local members to get together and pass along information about SCBWI Southern Breeze. It’s a bit of work, but it’s the FUN kind of work. 

See how this works?  And anyway you look at it, you will soon begin to develop and expand both your knowledge base of the art and craft of writing/illustrating, along with your network of creatives.  Win, win, win!

All my best,

Paula Puckett

Membership Coordinator

Paula B. Puckett spins stories and yarn. She grows vegetables, frequents flea markets, and makes stuff. She is a retired elementary art educator and a 20+ year member of SCBWI. Follow her on Twitter with @Runswithalpaca or

paulabpuckett.wordpress.com.

Still time to register for wik'20! Click here and register TODAY!

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!

EVERYONE A WINNER AT WIK'18: Mix and Mingle!

Whether you’re a newcomer or a long time conference attendee, you’re sure to find folks to help you along your creative journey at this year’s SCBWI Southern Breeze WIK!  Of course, the speakers and sessions will be amazing.  Look at that line-up!

If this is your first conference or if you’ve lost count of how many conferences you’ve attended, think about the benefits of expanding your network of writers and illustrators.  I know, I know, sometimes it’s hard to be a new person in a situation where it might seem like everybody knows everybody else, especially if you might be a little on the “shy side.” It can also be a challenge for long time attendees to help newcomers feel at ease in a conference setting, too.

We began something a few conferences ago with a Membership Display and are continuing with this because it seemed to be helpful.  There are a few changes, so please take a look!

Here’s how this will work:

Each area has been divided and posted on the Membership Display.  Look for the largest major city which is closest to where you live, select the corresponding color slip of paper and put it in your name tag.  Then go out there and meet people! If they have the same colored tab in their name tag, chances are they could live somewhere in your area.

SELECT A COLOR CLOSEST TO WHERE YOU LIVE 

North Alabama   (RED) Huntsville, Decatur, Gadsden, Florence, Hamilton

BIRMINGHAM AREA(S)  (YELLOW) Tuscaloosa, Hoover, Talladega, Anniston

Middle Alabama   (Yellow)  Prattville, Demopolis, Montgomery, Auburn

South and Coastal Alabama  (ORANGE) Mobile area, Jackson, Andalusia, Enterprise, Dothan, Troy

North Georgia (Light Green) Rome, Dalton, Canton, Cumming, Gainesville, Dawsonville, Commerce, Athens and all points northward.

ATLANTA AREA(S) (Dark Green) Metro Atlanta area, North and South Atlanta, Decatur area, Gwinnett and Cobb Counties, Conyers, Stone Mountain

Middle Georgia (OLIVE GREEN) Columbus/Pine Mtn area, Macon, Warner Robins, Augusta area

South Georgia (DARK BLUE) Albany, Bainbridge, Moultrie, Valdosta, Ocilla/Tifton

Savannah and Coastal GEORGIA (Turquoise) Statesboro, Waycross, Brunswick, St. Simons, Savannah, Beaufort SC

North FLA and panhandle (Magenta) Pensacola, Tallahassee, Panama City, any of Florida

But what if you are hesitant about meeting people?  Not to worry. Southern Breezers are a friendly bunch!

Let’s say you are a first time attendee at a conference.  You might get to know six people—three of them are writers and three are illustrators.  You get to know what they are working on and share a little bit about yourself and your project(s). Maybe you find other ways to keep in touch through social media.  Maybe you attend the next conference, those six people are there and you get to know six more new people.

By the time you have attended several conferences you will have met so many people, learned so much more, and your network will have expanded, like when the rings of a pebble thrown into a pond begin to overlap one other.

If there is not an active Local Liaison close to where you live, consider becoming one yourself. The names and email addresses of Local Liaisons are on the SB webpage. Local Liaisons are volunteers who hold Local Events from time to time. Ask the Regional Advisor, Assistant Regional Advisor(s) or Membership Coordinator to send you information and guidelines about becoming a Local Liaison if you think you would like to participate in this volunteer position.

Some LLs choose to belong to critique groups too, but their main function is to provide opportunities for local members to get together and pass along information. It’s a bit of work, but it’s the FUN kind of work. 

See how this works?  And anyway you look at it, you will soon begin to develop and expand both your knowledge base of the art and craft of writing/illustrating, along with your network of creatives.  Win, win, win!

All my best,

Paula Puckett

Membership Coordinator

Paula B. Puckett spins stories and yarn. She grows vegetables, frequents flea markets, and makes stuff. She is a retired elementary art educator and a 20+ year member of SCBWI. Follow her on Twitter with @Runswithalpaca or

paulabpuckett.wordpress.com.

   
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