Packing for a SCBWI Conference

Are you packed yet? With at least two SCBWI Fall Conferences this weekend, I’m betting many of us are wondering what to stuff in our suitcases. Below is a list to get us started. Please add any suggestions to it in the comment section. After all, I’m packing too and would hate to forget something.

Notebook and pens (to write down important info, ideas, and doodles)
Business Casual Outfit for Critique (Looking professional never hurts)
Breakfast bar or crackers (In case you oversleep)
Business Cards for networking (Staples can usually make these same day)
A Copy or two of some manuscripts/illustrations (to share as needed)
Chocolate (You’ll want an energy boost during afternoon sessions)
Laptop (For researching leads)
First Page entry (We won’t try to spot the embarrassed soul who wrote it)
Something to share at Open Mic (We promise to clap)
A willingness to learn (If you listen instead of just focusing on being heard, you will get much more out of conferences)

I’m looking forward to the SCBWI Carolinas Conference this weekend. For those of you on Twitter, we’ll be tweeting what we learn at #cfc09. I’ll also share nuggets of wisdom on my blog next week.

September 11, 2001

Why would someone with a blog about writing write a 9/11 post? Because that day interrupted everything.

On September 11, 2001 I was a fourth grade teacher at Walkertown Elementary. Before my students arrived, I stopped to talk to my friend Lisa about the previous night’s Bible study. We had discussed Revelations, and how, because we lived in a country that wasn’t under attack, we had trouble seeing it as others might.

Later that morning, with my students in the room, Lisa stuck her head in the door. “Remember what we talked about this morning?” she asked. “Get ready.”

I didn’t get to ask her what was going on, but I felt a heaviness.

A little while later, a parent volunteer came by with a brief note from the office. It was a newsflash, followed by orders not to watch or discuss it with our children.

There was noise. I taught from my lesson plans, got a few students to the office when worried parents checked them out early, and made sure we made it to the cafeteria on time for lunch.

When our students were in specials, we gathered in rooms. We stared up at the horror, and we worried, and we wondered. Then we picked up our class and went back to teaching.

It was right not to tell the kids what was going on, but I know they felt the silence. Children know when something is being kept from them. But for a few more hours, we guarded their innocence and gave them some stability. I will not forget that day or the pressing silence.

Carolina Tweeps Who Write And/Or Illustrate

Last week on Twitter, Bonnie Adamson decided to recommend writers and illustrators from North and South Carolina as people to follow. Some of us were having a tough time keeping up, so she graciously shared her list. I've added to it, and it's a whopper. There are kidlit writers, freelancers, romance tweeps, science fiction creators, bloggers, etc. If you know of any other North or South Carolina writers that would like to be added, please leave their Twitter name and actual name in the comment section.

@Koppelmom (Donna Koppelman)
@johnclaudebemis (John Claude Bemis)
@GrannyGretchen (Gretchen Griffith)
@nikiofware (Niki Schoenfeldt)
@mdiffee (Marie Wright)
@quirkywriter (Laura Renegar)
@stephenmesser (Stephen Messer)
@bethrevis (Beth Revis)
@katiehines (Katie Hines)
@moyergirl (Joyce Hostetter)
@carrieryan (Carrie Ryan)
@Constaur (Constance Lombardo)
@NCWriterMom (Maggie Moe)
@catesfolly (Florence Gardner)
@Alan_Gratz (Alan Gratz)
@claycarmichael (Clay Carmichael)
@Georgia_McBride (Georgia McBride)
@CREvers (Christy Evers)
@marybrebner (Mary Brebner)
@kate_reilly (Kate Reilly)
@ncwriterchick (Bernie Hearne)--protects her tweets
@LaurieJEdwards (Laurie Edwards)
@bonniedoerr (Bonnie Doerr)
@ashleymc1477 (Ashley McCollum)
@BonnieAdamson (Bonnie Adamson)
@alijwalker (Alicia Walker)
@katmagendie (Kathryn Magendie)
@AmyClipston (Amy Clipston)
@MollyFyde (Hugh Howey)
@joliehale (Jolie Hale)
@annieteich (Annie Teich)
@shellyyarbrough (Shelly Yarbrough)--protects her tweets
@ElizabethSCraig (Elizabeth S. Craig)
@BergersBookRev (Alice Berger)
@LydiaBreakfast (Lydia Dishman)
@ncyankee719 (Robin Constantine)
@louisehawes (Louise Hawes)
@thunderchikin (David Macinnis Gill)
@ItsDorothy (Dorothy Ray)
@LadyLoriSC (Lori Norman)
@authorann (Ann Eisenstein)
@acfeagan (Alice Feagan)--raised & educated in NC, though currently elsewhere
@authorswrite (Robyn Campbell)
@tadhgceitinn (Tim Keeton)
@chewchewpoopee (Susan LaBarre)

And the winner is...

Janet was picked from the hat and is the winner of the Sweet Repeats Contest. Congratulations!

A big thanks goes out to everyone who participated. I was blown away by the awesome response. Some fabulous books were mentioned. Happy reading!

Sweet Repeats Contest

A good book is a good book, no matter how many times you read it. It isn’t just words. It’s an experience. During my teaching years, ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHIN always brought me to tears. SPOILER ALERT (If you haven’t read the book, skip to the next paragraph). Scott O’Dell’s story made me feel like I was the girl left on the island. When I read “oh Rontu!” after feeling the last heartbeats of my dog, my heart broke too.

So here’s where this post takes a turn for the happy. I want to know one kids' book you love and have read many times. Tell about it in the comment section. On Friday, September 4, we will put the names in the hat and pick one winner. The winner will receive a $5 gift card to Barnes & Noble to help purchase another book to be read and reread.

Please make sure I have a way to contact you (email address, twitter name, Bat Signal). If I can’t get up with you, I’ll have to pick another winner. Good luck and thanks for sharing.

Responding to Rejections

The other day, a friend of a friend tweeted in response to receiving a submission rejection letter. A few of his followers copied his message, added encouraging words, and sent it back into the twitter universe. Now people who have never met this writer know two things about him.

1. Somebody just rejected his writing.
2. He is sulking about it.

Neither of these occurrences is uncommon for writers. Almost everyone actively pursuing publication collects form rejections. And they sting. You send your “babies” out with high hopes and big dreams. Let yourself mourn, for a minute or two, and then get back to work. But be careful who you invite to your pity party. Do you really want an agent or editor who might be checking out your work with hesitation to see your announcement that others are quickly dismissing it? You can whine, but do it offline and to someone who loves you more than your virtual friends.

Posting your writer rejections on the internet is like drunk dialing after a breakup. It might seem harmless at the time, but when you look at the after effects, it ain’t pretty.

And followers: send your kind thoughts, but don’t spread the word about someone else’s rejection. Respond without repeating it. Otherwise, you are the buddy who watches your friend in his moment of weakness and takes his picture.

Back to School and Submission Stress

It’s that time again. Before August even arrives, back to school ads fill the newspapers. We wonder why we haven’t received a supply list from our kids’ new teachers (who probably haven’t even received their rosters). Unable to risk missing out on six glue sticks for a dollar, we go to the school website and print off the generic grade level list. The one that says you need a 64 pack of Crayolas with a sharpener, when the real teacher will insist on 16 Twistables. The list frenzy walks hand in hand with the jitters. The same sort of jitters I get when submitting a manuscript to an agent or publisher.

The more I think about it, the more I realize the two have a lot in common. So here they are (in no particular order): The parallel stressful questions we face when sending a kid or submission out into the unknown.

1. What if she’s not ready?
What if it needs more revisions, but I blow my one chance by sending it now?

2. What if she doesn’t have the right materials?
What if I leave out some detail of the guidelines inspiring an evil “Bwa
Ha Ha!” followed by a quick delete from the agent or editor?

3. What if she doesn’t make friends?
What if the agent or editor I love doesn’t love my writing?

4. What if people pick on her?
What if hints of my submission show up on twitter’s #queryfail,slush
realizations or as a #pubtip turn-off?

5. What if she gets a mean teacher?
What if I end up signing a contract to work with someone and we don’t get along?

6. What if she buddies up with a trouble maker?
What if I end up signing with someone who isn’t legit or respected?

7. What if she comes home and decides she never wants to go back?
What if a form rejection snuffs out my dream, and I never get up the nerve to
send out another submission?


The questions swirl through our minds as we pack backpacks and SASEs. Still, we let go. We must, because we’ve done our best, and it’s time. Good luck everybody. Here’s to taking chances. Who wants to go first?