Breezers In Your Neighborhood: September!

How is it September already? But that's what the calendar says, so let's see what our Southern Breeze members are up to this month:

Sunday, September 8

Join TeMika Grooms for a Sketch Crawl at the High Museum in Atlanta, GA. You'll view the works of Maira Kalman in the exhibit, "The Pursuit of Everything: Maira Kalman's Books for Children." Afterwards, you'll meander through the museum for inspiration. This event is open to writers and illustrators. Meet at the Children's Exhibit Hall at noon at the High Museum of Art, 1280 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA.

Saturday, September14th

It's not too late to sign up for nErDcampGA! nErDcamp is a free literacy event where teachers, librarians, authors, and illustrators get together to discuss reading, writing, and books. We have several Breezers who'll be there, including Jennifer Swanson, Shanda McCloskey, Monique Fields, R. Gregory Christie, and Lola Schaefer. Tickets are still available (they're free!) so see the website for more information about this nerdy event in Lawrenceville, Georgia!




Saturday, September 21

Author Sucheta Rawal will be at JapanFest with her Beato Goes To book series, including Beato Goes to Japan. JapanFest takes place at Infinite Energy Center, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth, Georgia. Sucheta will be selling and signing books both Saturday and Sunday from 10AM to 6 PM.

Also on Saturday, we have an SCBWI Southern Breeze Workshop at the Five Forks Library in Lawrenceville, Georgia. If you're an aspiring author or illustrator, here's an opportunity to hear a panel of published authors and illustrators share their experience and tips of the trade. There will be plenty of time for questions, and bring the first page of your manuscript or a sample from your portfolio for feedback. It all starts at 1:00 at the Five Forks Public Library--and it's FREE!



Thursday, September 26

Author Sucheta Rawal's having a book launch party at the Consulate of Brazil in Atlanta and all Breezers are invited! Click on the flyer to expand it and get all the information for Beato Goes to Brazil.

Saturday, October 5th

Because this next event is the first Saturday of October, we're including it in September, too!

It's Confessions of a Kidlit Critique Group, with a panel of SEVEN children's book writers and illustrators (some published, some not) from the Trail Mix Critique Group. Come hear the good, the bad, and the ugly, straight from these Breezers: Shanda McCloskey, Christi J. Whitney, Jaclyn Paris, Colleen Bennett, Shannon Marrs, Bonnie Clark, and Kim MacPherson. It's all happening at the Hampton Park Library, 10:30 to 12:30. Click here for more information.

JUNE IS SHOW-MO MONTH!

PSSST…  in case you missed the memo,

JUNE IS SHOW-MO MONTH!

So… you SHOW me yours, and I’ll SHOW you mine…

If you’re like me, you’ve attended a Southern Breeze conference or two, and each time you left inspired by the speakers and made a solemn vow that this time, yes, this time you WOULD submit to at least one of them. Then, you get home, and the glow fades, and when you give your writing sample one last review before hitting send… you just can’t. It’s not as brilliant as you remember.  You really wish you had a set of fresh eyes to give it a quick read.

This year, you can have that set and be that set for someone-else. Give your first pages (or art portfolio) one last look, and help a fellow creative shine their work to the that ready-to-hit-submit glow as well.

 

We want you to SHOW us your work during the month of June, and then give it a final revise and SUBMIT it to the SCBWI Southern Breeze Writing Contest. The Contest Deadline is June 30^th, so we’re scheduling critique meet-ups in June at various locations hosted by our local liaisons and other willing folks.  Click here to read more about the Contest: https://southern-breeze.scbwi.org/contests/#Writing

This is what you can win:

WRITING CONTEST AWARDS

1st, 2nd & 3rd Place Winners

Each category's winning authors, titles, and manuscripts’ genres will be acknowledged in the:

      •  Southern Breeze News

      •  Southern Breeze Web Site, Blog, Facebook Pages and Twitter

      •  Winners receive a Southern Breeze, SCBWI Writing Contest Award Certificate and Button for their social media pages.

Each 1st Place Winner also receives FREE tuition to the next WIK Conference in Birmingham in March, 2017.  

Let Show-Mo help you get your pages submission ready!

It works like this: You bring your pages or paintings and then read or show your work to other writers and illustrators.  They fill out feedback sheets which they give to you that you can use to improve and revise. In turn, you listen to them read their work, or look at their illustrations, and fill-out feedback sheets for them.

HERE’S THE DETAILS:

COST:  Free and open to the public, so yes, you can bring a non-SCBWI writing friend; however, they will not be able to enter our annual writing contest.

HOW LONG: Each “live” event should last between 1.5 and 2 hours.

HOW MANY PAGES/ILLUSTRATIONS: Your pages up to ten, double spaced pages in a 12-point font. Your pages should be your best work and near submission ready. For illustrators, bring up to four illustrations for feedback. For more of the Writing Contest submission information, see http://southern-breeze.scbwi.org/contests/writing-contest/.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS:  To insure everyone is reached, where participation exceeds 8 people, we will break into groups of 4-6. This is a similar format to our conference Informal Critiques.

*HERE ARE THE SHOW-MO GATHERINGS WE HAVE ORGANIZED TO DATE:

SHOW-MO HOST                   REGION/LOCATION              DATE/TIME

ILLUSTRATOR’S SHOW-MO GOOGLE HANG-OUT*

TEMIKA GROOMS/MAEGAN PENLEY    ALL REGIONS           6/4/17, 6-7pm

  Contact Temika at southern-breeze-ic@scbwi.org, with attn: #ShowMo Illus

  *Limited to the first ten due to the nature of google hang-out

ALABAMA

MARK MCCLINTOCK                      BIRMINGHAM, AL     6/3,17        1:00-3:00 PM

Hoover Public Library, 200 Municipal Dr, Birmingham, AL 35216

  Contact: markmcclintock3@charter.net

CARRIE DALBY/MeLEESA SWANN MOBILE BAY AREA, AL 6/10/17 1-3pm

Ben May Main Library, 701 Government St., Mobile, Al 36602

  Contact: carriedalby@carriedalby.com

           

FLORIDA

SUZANNE PURVIS   NW-FLORIDA                       6/13/17        1pm - 3pm

            Niceville Public Library, 206 Partin Drive N., Niceville, FL 32578

  Contact Suzanne Purvis spurvis500@embarqmail.com, 850-897-5593           

GEORGIA

COLLEEN BENNETT                Canton, GA             6/10/17             2-4 pm
                     RT Memorial Library in Canton
     Contact Colleen Bennett at 770-314-0246 or Colleen4444@gmail.com

BOBBIE CANADA                 PINE MOUNTAIN          6/9/17 10-11:30,

Starbucks on Bradley Park Drive, Columbus, GA 31909

   Contact Bobbie at 706-604-9650.

TEMIKA GROOMES DECATUR, GA                      6/4/17, 2pm-4pm

                        Karvama Coffee House, 707B East Lake Dr., Decatur, GA 30030

  Contact Temika at southern-breeze-ic@scbwi.org, with attn: #ShowMo wrtr

CATHY HALL                         LAWRENCEVILLE GA          6/3/17, 10am-12pm

Five Forks Library (Gwinnett County) 2780 Five Forks Trickum Rd SW, Lawrenceville, GA 30044

   Contact: Cathyhall55@hotmail.com

STEPHANIE MOODY           N.FULTON CO. (Alpharetta, Dunwoody, Milton, Johns Creek, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Cherokee, Cobb and Gwinnett Counties)

Contact:  moodyviews@bellsouth.net                         6/24/17, 10:30-12:30

Location: Northeast Spruill Oaks Library, 9560 Spruill Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30022

PAULA PUCKETT                 NORTH GA EAST     Time and location to be determined, but we'll be somewhere on location in the North GA mountains. Contact paulabpuckett@aol.com to help with this event. Thx.

TK READ                                SE ATLANTA                         6/17/17        10am-12pm

tk@tkread.com                  915 COMMERCIAL ST., CONYERS, GA 30013

PHYLLIS TILDES                   SAVANNAH, GA                  6/10/17        2pm-4pm

  Contact: artphyll@comcast.net   Location to be determined, so check back!

TRACEY M. COX       SOUTH CENTRAL GA          Date TBD
tracey@traceymcox.com          Would like to have a meeting at Giggles Cafe in Tifton, GA. Email me, if you are interested.

*Can’t make an event? Email me at tk@tkread.com and I’ll coordinate exchanges during the month so you can participate online.

Hope to see you at one of these!

Here’s to your writing success in 2017!

BEST, TK READ, Critique Group Coordinator, Southern Breeze

QUESTIONS?  WANT TO VOLUNTEER TO HOST A SHOW-MO EVENT?

CONTACT ME AT TK@TKREAD.COM

*ATTENDING A SHOW-MO EVENT? SHARE THE LOVE BY TAGGING YOUR PICS AND THOUGHTS: #ShowMo AND #SBreeze17

Don’t Get Stranded on an Island – the Value of Critique Groups by Christi Whitney

Don’t Get Stranded on an Island – the Value of Critique Groups

Sometimes being an author can feel like getting stranded on a deserted island, just off the mainland. You can see other artists around you. Some are paddling desperately in the water, fighting to stay afloat. Others are building beautiful structures in the middle of civilization, having great success in all they do; while there you are, on your own, attempting to navigate the daunting world of writing—which sort of feels like sitting on the beach, trying to light a fire with wet wood.

For me, one of the most important factors of my writing has been joining a critique group. Nothing else has proven to be quite as productive as finding that little clan of people who are going through the same journey. We call our group Trail Mix—and with good reason. We all met thanks to SCBWI, and we’re as unique and varied a bunch as you could possibly throw together. We span the realm of children’s books, from illustrators to picture book writers to middle grades and young adult. We have a myriad of outside careers and interests. We are many different ages and come from assorted backgrounds. Our love of books brought us together, but it didn’t stop there.

We provide encouragement and a shoulder to cry on, yes. Those things are certainly important. But we also provide critique—deeply thought-out and constructive help in every area. It’s not enough to get together and just commiserate. You’ll feel better, but no one will improve her skills. You have to be willing to be vulnerable as the artist and brutally honest as the reader, and we’ve managed to create a beautiful balance in our group. But most importantly, we have become great friends. Nothing could be better than that.

Trail Mix meets once a month, but our communication extends far beyond that. We regularly communicate through our Facebook page, emails, and even phone calls and texts—whenever we need advice or a second set of eyes, someone in our group is always there to meet the challenge, whether it’s a sweet hug or a swift kick in the pants.

I honestly don’t think I would’ve kept moving forward in my quest for publication for my YA novel Grey had it not been for my critique group. It’s been a long road, but now that I’ve found a home for my series and the first book is out, I can say it’s largely due to their support.

It’s a lonely place, sitting at your computer, lost in the worlds you create in your head. Friends and family, although incredibly supportive, don’t always understand your battle with writer’s block or your struggle to find the missing piece in a chapter that’s literally driving you insane. It’s amazing to have a group of people who truly get me as a writer and constantly help me develop my craft. If I have one piece of advice to offer any aspiring writer, it’s this: find at least one other person to travel with on this journey. Don’t be an island.

- Christi J. Whitney

ABOUT CHRISTI:

Christi writes novels for the YA and NA markets. She is a theatre nerd who makes costumes on shoestring budgets, dabbles as an actor and director, and manages to drink lots of coffee.

Visit her website to read more about her and her book, GREY.

WHERE TO FIND CHRISTI:

• Website: www.christijwhitney.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/christiwhitney
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christi-J-Whitney/220577227350?ref=hl

Don't Forget!!!
Southern Breeze offers a crit group survey form < http://goo.gl/forms/onpPedf7IL >
This survey is for SCBWI Southern Breeze members who are looking for critique groups or a manuscript exchange,  or are in an existing crit group that is open to new members?

:::Leave a Comment:::

What do you think about critique groups?
Do you have any fears with critique groups?
What challenges have you found with critique groups?


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