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. 

EVERYBODY A WINNER AT WIK'18: Nature Nuts and Nonfiction!

Hey Breezers,

You have a passion to share with readers. Kids have endless curiosity. Put those two together and you have great nonfiction for kids, right?

If your attempts end up a little too encyclopedic, if you are forcing rhyme just to add something fun, if you struggle to cram 1,000 pages of notes into 32 sparse pages, you are not alone. 

Passing along your passion for nature or science through the written word is not simple. But we Breezers don’t give up easily. When our manuscript – which we were sure sung the praises of nature or clearly clarified a complex concept – doesn’t quite do our subject justice, we dig in and learn some more.

That’s what Jodi Wheeler-Toppen and I, Heather Montgomery, will be doing on a Sunday afternoon in March. Come join us for “Curiosity Meets the Printed Page,” one of the many intensives offered as a part of wik18.  

It will be an extravaganza of nonfiction fun! We’ll explore the terminology of the nonfiction world. What does that editor mean when she says she’s looking for “commercial” nonfiction? Why did a reviewer describe a particular book as “narrative”? What is trade versus the educational market?

Come discuss different structures in used in nonfiction to turn bits of trivia into timeless lessons.  Compare and contrast different texts. Examine structural frameworks which might fit your topic. 

What techniques turn dry data into an “Aha!”? To understand that, we must become students of nonfiction. We must learn to read like writers.

Join us for an afternoon of analyzing mentor texts, discovering ways to make tough topics

understandable, and – my favorite! – reveling in rowdy research.

We hope to see you there!

Heather L. Montgomery is passionate about the underappreciated creatures of the planet and loves to wade in – literally – to her research. Learn more about her 12 nonfiction titles at www.HeatherLMontgomery.com.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! 

CLICK :::HERE:::TO REGISTER!

EVERYONE A WINNER AT WIK'18: The Intensive Experience with Janice Hardy

Eight years ago, Janice Hardy lived about thirty minutes from me. But I had to go all the way to Birmingham to meet her.

Yep, we met at the first wik conference I attended, and right off, I knew she was a writing force to be reckoned with! Her first book in the Healing Wars Trilogy was out--The Shifter--and it was garnering rave reviews. And her blog, where Janice gave tons of writing tips and advice, was chugging along with a huge following. And after talking to her for twenty minutes after the Dessert Party, I was a lot smarter--writing-wise--than I had been before. And now you can sign up for her intensive and get a lot smarter, too!

Janice will be bringing all her expertise to her intensive, "Bringing Your Novel To Life." And it's amazing that she can cram all that expertise into a half-day!

For example, you know that blog I told you about? It's now called Fiction University, and any writer could get a four-year education, studying the posts.

She has a collection of books on writing craft: Understanding Conflict (And What It Really Means), Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It), Planning Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft.

And she's constantly invited to teach workshops and classes, bringing her extensive knowledge to beginners and experienced writers alike.

Plus, Janice Hardy is a lot of fun. But you don't have to take my word for it. Register for wik'18 and sign up for her winning intensive.

Um. You will have to go to Birmingham. (See you there!)


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

A SEASON OF GIVING WITH WIK’18 - COZY CRITIQUE GROUPS

On the 12th day of wik'18 registration, Southern Breeze gives to you...

Critical yet comforting and cozy critique groups!

There's nothing quite like professional feedback for a dearly loved manuscript or illustration. But there is nothing like having your writing and/or artistic dreams quashed ruthlessly by a room full of strangers! And that's why the Informal Critique Groups offered at wik'18 are so valuable.

Whether you are a writer or an illustrator, you'll have the opportunity to sit down in a small group with others and discuss your work. You'll be in a supportive environment, and what's more, we make sure that similar writers end up in the appropriate groups so that if you have a picture book, for example, you'll get feedback from other picture book writers. You may find yourself seated next to someone who has a dozen picture books traditionally published, while the person across from you may have just self-published. It's that kind of varied constructive feedback that can really make a difference in your career!

And best of all, the informal critiques are free!

Now, in case you've lost count of all the gifts we have for you at wik'18, here's the list:

Informal Critique Groups! (Absolutely free!)

Quickfire Portfolio Reviews! (Also absolutely free!)

Six Inspiring Intensives! (They fill up quickly, so please register today to get just the inspiring intensive you want!)

Four Awesome Agents! (They're offering One-on-One sessions, but those, too, will fill up fast!)

Two Terrific Editors! (For illustrators and writers!)

And an Early Bird Discount! (Which ends at midnight today!)

Oh! And our very special gift is an invitation to the faculty dinner on Saturday after the conference! Boy, I bet TracyGA is going to have a ton of fun there! Please send an email to RA Claudia Pearson at SouthernBreeze@SCBWI.org to get more information about claiming your gift.

But all y'all (as we say in Southern Breeze) can claim a whole 12 days of gifts in our Season of Giving! They're all there, waiting just for you, and all you have to do is register for wik'18!

So start your New Year with the best gift you can give to yourself and join us in March for wik'18!