The registration for NESCBWI's Anual Spring Conference opens tomorrow, February 4 at noon. Do you plan to go? Why should you? This is why we go: Francine: SCBWI has been a large part of my life since I joined my first critique group back in 2006. Registering and attending the annual spring conference is one of the main writing highlights of my year. It begins with the excitement of choosing my workshop selections from the smorgasbord of options offered each year (oh, the possibilities!), and it culminates on the conference weekend with three glorious days spent learning new aspects of the craft and engaging in heartfelt conversations over lunches, dinners and evening glasses of wine and tea. Yes, most years it requires an act of God to pry me away from my family demands for three days, but I've never regretted the time spent among my fellow writers and illustrators or the effort it took to get me there! The craft discussions and key note talks replenish my writing well, and the camaraderie amongst my colleagues sustains me through the deadlines and projects that lie ahead. Amanda: When I first got serious about writing, I had no idea where to start. I had a good, solid picture book manuscript, a beginning to a novel, and a bunch of cute ideas. A friend of a friend suggested I join SCBWI. After a Google search, where I learned about the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, I became a member just in time to sign up for one day of the Spring conference. Like a giant wave that is both majestic and terrifying, that day overwhelmed me. I walked away with a deep conviction of how little I knew. I walked away in awe of the process involved in making a book and with my head bursting with new information. I walked away with an insatiable hunger to learn more, grow more, WRITE MORE! And so, I return every year to discover those things that I still do not know; to learn and be inspired by amazing authors; to rub shoulders with agents and editors and put faces with names; to volunteer and serve; to connect with like-minded people who share my passion for words and stories and books; and to fill my writer's cup. So I can pour out stories onto pages for another year. Oh, and that solid picture book manuscript that got this whole thing started. Not so solid. I learned that too. Kelly: "Seems like a lot of mice scrambling for a small piece of cheese,” I commented to the stranger setting next to me at the SCBWI conference. I was overwhelmed looking at the crush of SCBWI conference goers heading to their next seminar. “It’s a big piece of cheese,” she replied. “Really?” I asked. “Say that again.” She did, and then she started our support group, is my partner in 24 Carrot Writing and without a doubt the most wonderful reason to go to the SCBWI conference. You will find inspiration from the wonderful speakers and enhance your craft at the informative workshops, but the best reason to attend an SCBWI conference is the opportunity to connect with a fellow writer. Strike up a conversation with the writer who sits down next you – you may just find your Francine! Annie feels so strongly about conferences as a way to connect with others in the writing community, she wrote a whole post about it here. Hope to see you in Springfield,MA April 24-26! Go! Sign up!
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by Amanda Smith Let’s face it: Sometimes it is hard to actually sit down and write. Even if it is what you really want to do. Even if you have blocked off time just for your writing. Even if writing is the thing that fills your cup. Sitting down and actually WRITING can be pretty darn hard. There are just too many distractions. That is why giving an account is essential to my writing process. And progress. Here are a few practical suggestions for finding accountability partners: A Writer’s Group: Recently Annie wrote about the importance of integrating in the writers’ community (http://www.24carrotwriting.com/-blog/the-importance-of-a-writing-community-conferencestwittercritique-groupsoh-my). More than support, our writers’ group offers me accountability. Here is how it works. Every month we say, “Last month I did _____” and then we offer praise and support (and always some awesome jokes) and then we say, “This coming month I plan to do _______.” The sheer thought of having to look these three women in the eye and say, “This month I wrote nothing. Nada. Zilch. I was out chasing squirrels.” makes me quiver in my boots. Of course, if that were the case, they would be completely understanding and supportive, but I would feel like I didn't keep my end of the deal. Online Partner: Your accountability partner does not have to be a fellow writer, though. On a particularly unproductive morning, a dear friend sent me a quick message. As I lamented my lack of productivity to her, she challenged me by saying: “I’m setting my timer for 20 minutes. You do the same and see how much you can get done and then we’ll check in with each other.” I got to work like a squirrel in fall. Because I did not want to tell her in 20 minutes’ time that I am still browsing the internet. And then I got so involved in what I was doing, I didn't check in until an hour and a half later. Now, she wasn't writing. She spent her 20 minutes cleaning her kitchen counter and her dining room table. But knowing I had to check in with her got me writing. And it felt wonderfully productive. Timer: Yip, the old timer can also be your accountability partner. You can do 20 minute miracles like Francine (http://www.24carrotwriting.com/-blog/20-minute-miracles). I like the hour bucket principle. You write for 45 minutes and take a 15 minute break. Honestly, though, sometimes I ignore that timer after 45 minutes and work until I get to a natural break in my work. But the timer certainly helps me to START. Writing challenges can also be wonderful accountability partners. And November most definitely is writing challenge month! NaNoWriMo: For the novel writers out there, the challenge is writing a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. Even though I have not participated in this challenge, setting a word goal and tracking your words are great ways to provide motivation and accountability. PiBoIdMo: The premise is simple. You write down at least one picture book idea for each day of November. This is about as low key a writing challenge as you can get. You don’t have to develop those ideas, they don’t even have to be complete ideas. They just have to be. But this is one of my favorite challenges, because I find myself LOOKING for stories in everything. This challenge has taught me to think creatively, to always look and listen for stories (and to write those ideas DOWN before they disappear into the land of lost stories). It keeps me in “writing mode” every day. Few things feel better than having those 30+ ideas at the end of November! Hurry, you can still register for PiBoIdMo 2014! 12x12: 12x12 flowed out of PiBoIdMo for those who wanted to develop their ideas. The concept is to write one picture book draft a month. The end of each month brings a check in and one can earn cute little badges on one’s profile for each draft. I covet those badges. I work for those badges. Those badges keep me accountable. I have 10 colorful draft badges under my name. That is 10 picture book drafts that I did not have in January!!! Because 12x12 kept me accountable. Sign up for 12x12 is in January. Critique Groups:
Our critique group submits picture book manuscripts to one another once a month. We have a week to critique and return the stories. Knowing I have to submit something “share-able” to my critique partners each month keeps me writing and revising. A rose by any other name… Not so much, Shakespeare. I am a writer. That, right there. That is my biggest accountability partner. Because when I say those words, the inevitable follow up question is, “So, what do you write?” I want to have a timely answer to that question. Not what I wrote last month, or even last week, but what I am working on right now. Because I don’t say those words lightly. Who keeps you accountable as you pursue writing? Tell us in the comments section if you have found some particularly motivating accountability partners. ~Amanda Writing is a solitary pursuit. As writers, we pour our beverage of choice, settle into our favorite writing spot, pull out our laptops or notebooks, and then brainstorm, outline, draft, and revise. If the phone rings or the washing machine beckons, we try to ignore those distractions. When children arrive home from school or loved ones pull into the driveway, we may find ourselves grumbling just a tad—it’s okay to admit it—wishing we had just a few more precious minutes of silence in which to create. This mental isolation may be one of the most significant missteps writers make. Not in their writing itself, but in being writers. Writing requires concentration, and this often necessitates minimal distractions. But it is time well spent when writers, before or after emerging from their cozy creative burrows, connect with other writers. When I began pursuing writing as more than a pastime, I’d sit at my computer and write. Alone. I stumbled across SCBWI’s website ten years ago and thought, “This could be helpful.” I joined. An acquaintance told me, “You should go to a conference.” But it took me another six years to finally attend one. I’m not ready for that, I imagined. Conferences are for writers with more experience than me who know what they’re doing. Umm…WHAT? No. No. NO! After registering for my first New York SCBWI conference, my husband asked, “How do you feel?” My reply? “I think I’m going to vomit.” The conference was three months away and I had turbo jet planes dive bombing in my stomach. Three months later, I realized attending that conference was the best thing I’d ever done for myself as a writer. But not just for the obvious reasons of honing my craft, networking with agents and editors, and being inspired by keynote authors. The most important lesson I took away was how much my writer spirit had been wanting by not becoming involved earlier with the writing community. Maybe I was intimidated by it. Perhaps, because I was unpublished, I didn’t think I belonged there. Maybe I'd been fearful there would be a sense of cut throat competition. Nothing could be further from the truth. Becoming engaged with fellow writers brings support, camaraderie and encouragement from others who know what it’s like to feel that unyielding call to put pen to paper—or fingers to keyboard—and create. Since first attending that SCBWI Winter Conference, I have attended more conferences and workshops. I’ve connected online with other writers and writing groups. And I’ve met friendly, creative individuals who have encouraged me to persevere in my writing. I now write more than I ever did before. Just when I start to feel low or worn out, I meet another writer experiencing similar struggles, I hear a children’s writer give an inspiring speech, or I listen to an agent’s unique tips on voice or plot or characterization…and I’m on track again. Ready to tackle my writing with fresh insights and renewed energy. Do not underestimate the value of connecting with the writing community. Be it SCBWI, Facebook or Twitter contacts, critique partners, writing groups, workshops and conferences…they all play valuable roles in keeping writers centered and focused on their writing goals. Yes, I still prefer to write all by myself, with a cup of hot tea close at hand, a candle burning, and my dog resting her chin on my laptop. But without the companionship of the writing community, I’d be less productive, less motivated, and far more tempted to hurl my computer out the window during those moments of writing frustration. So, if you haven’t done so yet, discover the writing world beyond your four walls. Join SCBWI, attend writing workshops and conferences, start a writers’ group, join a critique group, and network with fellow writers online. Write on your own. But be a writer with those who share your passion for the art of the written word. I promise…we don’t bite! ~Annie by Kelly Carey Critique is such a harsh word. And while all writers benefit from the constructive feedback of a critique group, often what our writing really needs is support and encouragement. A few years ago, the ladies of 24 Carrot Writing formed a writing support group. We gathered monthly but never read a single manuscript. Not even one sentence. Instead we talked openly and candidly about our writing dreams, set monthly goals and whined about the obstacles we were encountering. Every good support group needs to make space for a little whining. Our support group has become an essential element to our writing success. Find Your People On the Today Show, Al Roker sometimes perches above the crowd on the plaza and commandingly declares, “My People, my people”. You need to be Al Roker and find your people; your fellow writers. I know this is easier in theory than practice, but remember you are looking for supporters not critiquers. Isn’t that much less intimidating? You are putting a little toe in the water here. No one will be reading your work. You will only be sharing your writing goals and not your actual writing. Did you just feel your shoulders relax as you let out a nervous breath? Look for your supporters at conferences, in local writing classes or through online groups. We found it worked best to meet face to face, so seek out a group of writers in or near your hometown. Your local librarian might be a good place to start for leads. It will feel natural to ask fellow writers to get together to talk about writing rather than to ask them to read your manuscript. Go ahead try it. All You Need is Love A writing support group balances out the critique group. We need feedback and critique of our writing but very often what we really need is a good pep talk to keep going. A support group is there to boost you when the latest rejection has sent you plummeting into self- doubt. Or when you have let your writing goals lag and you need a gentle shove to get going again. Don’t read each other’s manuscripts. This is a group about goal setting and achievement, not about a detailed analysis of a manuscript. In the words of the Beatles, all you need is love and this group is a little shot of love for your writing dreams. Gentle Accountability At the close of each support group meeting, we go around the table and list our goals for the coming month. Then each meeting starts with a reporting on how we did meeting our goals. Saying your goals out loud to supportive folks, who understand exactly what sort of effort will go into meeting those goals, is incredibly motivating. The folks in your support group will help you assess your goal. Is that goal attainable? Should you scale it back? Or can you go bigger? Only your fellow writers can really know the work that you are proposing to undertake, and they will be a great tool in guiding you in goal setting. The actual writing happens solo, but a group of like-minded writers can support that solo endeavor. Find your support group, pick out a nice café then sit and chat about writing. It will be your favorite day of the month. |
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