Bring Your Career into Sharper Focus with wik2020: On Beginnings, Resolutions, and VOLUNTEERING

It was a dark and stormy night...No. Strike that.

Once upon a time, there was a writer, a conference, and a volunteer coordinator. I'm the volunteer coordinator, desperately seeking, well, volunteers; WIK 20 is the totally awesome conference; and you, my sweet one, are the writer that I and the conference are after.

All of you who have attended a Southern Breeze conference know it takes a village of volunteers to pull the conference together. And we all know that writers are sometimes solitary people. It takes solitude to write, and it takes loving that solitude to make the magic happen. But then comes conference time -- and that is when we kiss our solitude goodbye for two precious days.

"BUT WAIT!" you say. "I may have to kiss my solitude goodbye for a day or two, but no one said I actually had to, um, talk to people." Here is where I must lovingly disagree. In fact, I not only want you to talk to people, I want you to put yourself into a position where you have to help them in some way! Think of this as one of your new year's resolutions: You volunteer for the conference, which makes you talk to people, and that means you meet new people, which then leads to new critique partners, and that, of course, makes you write more, and we all made a resolution to write more, right? Right! (See what I did there?)

So. Volunteering. You can do this! There are all types of things to do, from manning the registration desk, helping with book sales, helping with food, assisting with book signing, and more.

Email me, Valerie Nelan, at vmnelan@gmail.com with your interest. In addition to my undying love and affection, you'll also get a snazzy bio in the conference hand-outs (infamy!), and you're guaranteed to meet new people.

(Register for wik'20 today so you can get just the intensives, sessions, and volunteering jobs you want! See the Southern Breeze website here and sign up now!)

Big thanks to our Southern Breeze Conference Volunteer Coordinator, Valerie Nelan! You'll find her in Birmingham, where she writes very funny Middle Grade (when she's not running around, relentlessly pursuing volunteers).

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. 

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. 

Bring Your Career into Sharper Focus with wik2020: THE PITCH PARTY

We had so much fun last year that we're having a pitch party again! I'm still so excited that I can't stand it! Because we're all about bringing your career into focus at wik2020 and I know that our panel of agents will do exactly that for those who pitch!

But I'm getting a grip on the excitement (and the exclamation points) because we have rules for this terrific event; I have to follow 'em and so do you. So let's all take a deep breath and look at how the Pitch Party works:

1.       If you’re interested in presenting a pitch (It's still FREE!), you must sign up when you register. Look for the button labeled “Start With a Pitch!”

2.       Perfect your pitch! And to help you, this year we'll be hosting a Practice Your Pitch Before the Pitch Party Party. YAY! We'll be meeting on Zoom January 22nd, 7 to 9 PM Eastern--and yes, that's FREE, too!--for anyone who'd like to practice a pitch and get feedback before facing the pitch panel. (You don't have to sign up for the Zoom meeting when you register but you will need the Zoom link. We'll be sending that link and more information in January.)

3.       Bring your pitch with you when you come for wik2020.

4.       The morning of the conference, we’ll draw names from those who have signed up. We’ll announce the names at the beginning of the Pitch Party. YOU MUST BE IN ATTENDANCE AND READY TO PARTICIPATE. If you choose at that time NOT to participate, do not line up.

5.       Each person participating will have 30 seconds to make the pitch. Yes, we've changed the time limit! ONLY THIRTY SECONDS! You may wish to read your pitch rather than memorize it. Either way, we'll stop you when you go over the limit. (See why that practice is so important?)

6.       Each member of the Pitch Panel may or may not give feedback. 

We hope to have enough time to double the number of people who pitch this year! But that means you must be prepared. So come join us at the Practice Your Pitch Before the Pitch Party Party on January 22nd! For now, here's a helpful hint from author and pitch pro Janice Hardy:

A spoken pitch is different from a written one, and a lot of writers make the mistake of writing something that reads fine, but it's too long to say properly. It's easy to get tangled up in a pitch when you're nervous. Two sentences, tops. One trick is to have your friends and family randomly ask you what your book is about to get you in the habit of just spitting it out when asked. Good practice!"

And she adds, have a good title. "It's not a must have, but my agent said she wanted to ask for my manuscript based on title alone. So it can be what hooks the agent."

The Pitch Party could be just the thing to bring your career into sharper focus! And believe me, I know how excited we all are about the Pitch Party! But calm down and concentrate because you can't participate unless you sign up for the Pitch Party when you register.


             REGISTER FOR WIK2020 HERE! EARLY BIRD OPENS ON DECEMBER 15TH. 







Cathy C. Hall is the Co-ARA here at SCBWI Southern Breeze and when she's not tossing about exclamation points indiscriminately here at the blog, she's writing other stuff. But there are still going to be lots of exclamation points (mostly in Middle Grade or Young Adult manuscripts).


If you have questions, contact her at southern-breeze-ara2@scbwi.org. She has lots of answers! (And sometimes, they're right.)

Art Image by wik2020 brochure illustrator David SanAngelo.