SCBWI TAKEAWAYS

I'm taking a break from my giveaway series, but will be back soon with more great books for you to win. Meanwhile, for my friends who are writers who weren't able to come to the SCBWI Carolinas conference, here are a few conference highlights. For my blog followers who might wonder why writers spend time and money attending writing conferences, read on!  

My favorite part of the conference was a writing intensive with Helen Hemphill, director of the Whole Novel Workshop at Highlights. Here are a few pointers:

• Use scenes for each new setting and every important event.
• All scenes should bring the story forward. “Good scenes create dilemmas and tension, and leave questions unanswered.”
• Don't use too much backstory. "Only tell the reader what he needs to know at that moment and to understand the bigger story. Nothing else.”
• Follow the RUE rule: Resist the Urge to Explain. 

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I jotted down several pet peeves from the agent's panel featuring Sarah LaPolla, Jennifer Rofe', and Liza Pulitzer Voges:

• A writer not educating herself about the books the agent represents or wants.
• "Dear Agent" queries.
• Writers who try to educate agents about the market or the importance of books. 

And one tip for picture book writers: Agents like illustrator/author combinations.

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During the "First Pages" session, one of the panelists, Molly O' Neill, editor at Katherine Tegen Books said:

• Don't start with a character who is a loser.
• Avoid too much choreography (the character went here, did that).
• DO NOT include art notes in picture books. The words should make the reader see what is happening.
• Trust your writing.
• Put a balance of emotion and action on your first page.
• Use relevant details.
• Don't let lovely language get in the way of the story.

I spoke with Molly briefly about my book and the market for historical fiction. Her advice: "Write a book that will resonate with modern readers."

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Anna Olswanger, an agent with critiqued 20 pages of my manuscript Half-Truths. From this I gained: 

• Don't dump information into the dialogue.
• Pump up Kate. Lillie is nice and feisty; Kate is flat. 
• Perhaps move the time period up (from1950) to closer to the civil rights movement. 
• She thought it was marketable because it takes "place at the early beginning of a pivotal time in history." HOORAY! That's what I've been shooting for!

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And last, but certainly not least, I enjoyed re-connecting with Earl Davis, a long-time supporter and ex-Regional Advisor of SCBWI-Carolinas. It was a pleasure to see him again.