Right About Time - February Shop Talk

Yesterday was my day off, and I devoted it to writing. In the morning, Michelle and I went to SCBWI’s Shop Talk meeting at Barnes & Noble. It was right about time to rejoin the group – I’ve only been to one meeting in the past five months. Granted, they were on hiatus in November and December, because B & N doesn’t host meetings or events during the busy holiday season. And last month I was at the SCBWI writing conference in NYC with Kim. So it’s not as bad as it seems. Still, I’m glad for the motivation and camaraderie of the group each month.

Barbara Wells, the Eastern NY regional director, moderated the discussion. She said that Shop Talk takes the form of the people who are here each time. We had a small but lively group, with regular participants and a few newcomers. Each brought something interesting to the session.

Barbara, Kim and I had all been to the NY conference, and we talked about the positive messages that we took away from the editors’ and agents’ presentations and question and answer sessions. I felt that the editors and agents gave a balance of realism and hope – even though publishers and agencies are economizing and downsizing their staffs and book acquisitions, there is still room and a need for well-written, unique stories that speak to readers. Kim said she heard several editors say that they look for authors who have a distinct voice, and if they feel a connection with an author’s voice, they’ll go out of their way to work with that author, even if the writing isn’t 100% perfect – the writing can always be improved through the editing process. Barbara said the publishing professionals stressed that children’s publishing is still doing well, and it’s helping to maintain the vitality of publishing in general. Even if people are cutting back on expenses, they won’t scrimp on their kids, especially on books for their kids.

The Hudson Valley conference is coming up on June 13th, and Barbara gave us some details about it. The keynote speaker will be Linda Sue Park (www.lindasuepark.com), award-winning author of middle-grade and picture books. I’m familiar with her books – several of her titles are frequently on school summer reading lists, and A Single Shard is in the Newbery Award section of the B & N kids’ department. But I haven’t actually read any of her books yet. But there are a few months before the conference, so I’ll have some time to catch up on them. Archer’s Quest sounds especially interesting – it’s about a modern-day boy who encounters a time-traveling archer from ancient Korea, and tries to help him get back home. Time-travel is one of my favorite topics to read and write about, so I’ll read this one first. I’ll make sure to write my thoughts about it in a future blog when I’m done.

There will be a major change with the manuscript critiques this year. In the past, writers who wanted to have their work critiqued by an editor, agent, or author would first send in the critique fee along with their registration. If they were notified that they got a critique, then they would send in their manuscript as soon as possible. But some applicants sent in their work late, and that made it hard for the conference committee to place the manuscripts with the appropriate readers. (I have to admit I was guilty of that one year, but that was because I was feeling stressed out over some family health problems, and writing deadlines weren’t on my mind then. But even though I sent my manuscript in late, I was matched with an author who gave me some excellent professional feedback, so it worked out well.) But this year, the 15-page manuscript must be sent in along with the critique fee. I do think that’s a good idea, because it will make the critique placement much easier for the conference planners. I think I’ll send in my first chapter of What Luck again and see how it fares this time. Barbara said they will post the registration information on the regional website in the next few weeks. So I’ll be looking out for it.

Roxanne said she’s been submitting pieces to magazines and working on her website, www.roxannewerner.com. I hadn’t checked it out in awhile, but I just looked at it, and I think it’s great. It expresses her creativity well, with bright graphics; links to her favorite writing websites; a list of her published pieces; and samples of a couple of her stories. In her bio, she says she spends her “free time lost in my imagination.” I can relate to that – I’m always daydreaming! Roxanne has also started a blog, www.roxannewerner.spaces.live.com. It’s a nice companion to her website – I read her entries, and now I have to figure out how to add comments on them. I’ve used a computer for nearly 10 years now, but somehow I still feel challenged by the seemingly-simplest things!

Two of the writers in the group shared their picture book manuscripts, and several of us gave them feedback. Jennifer, a 3rd-grade teacher, shared a humorous and cute farm story about a hungry hen that keeps following a little boy as he visits the barnyard animals. She was new to the group – I think it was brave of her to let us hear her work. I’ve been attending the group for nearly two years, and I’ve only read my work once. (But I feel uncomfortable reading my writing aloud to just about everyone.) Shiloh, who was there for the second time, shared her story of a little girl who wants a puppy, and learns about the responsibilities of pet ownership. I enjoyed both stories, and gave a bit of feedback, even though picture books aren’t my forte. Kim, Barbara, Roxanne and Michelle are more familiar with picture book writing, and they all stressed that the best picture books aren’t too descriptive – the illustrator should have some room to add some creative vision to the story. But writing economically, with the right, well-placed words, is the key to good writing, no matter what the age group or genre. I tend to ramble (in talking and writing) so that’s something I want to remember.

After, Michelle and I had lunch with Kim and Roxanne in the café, and continued our writing discussion. And Kim encouraged me to fight the urge to keep rewriting the first part of What Luck and just write a rough draft until it’s finished. She promised to bug me with online messages to help me keep going. I appreciate that – I need to stay on track until the book is finally done! It would be a great accomplishment if I could finish it by the June conference. So that’s my new goal – I hope I make it!