Shop Talk With SCBWI

On Saturday, Michelle and I went to the SCBWI "Shop Talk" meeting at the bookstore. The group meets on the last Saturday of each month. I took the day off from work, because I wanted to be able to just focus on writing. Previously, I had requested to work the closing shift at work, so I could have the morning free for the SCBWI meeting. But it was hard to have to switch from writer mode to bookstore employee mode, especially when I wanted to just have time to think about writing and to work on my project. So, since I've decided to make writing a priority this year (more than I ever have before), I also decided to request to have the entire day off on the days of the SCBWI meetings. It's one Saturday every month, but it's that important to me. I can still be available to work all other weekend days/nights.

It was the first meeting of the new year, and also the first since the meetings went on hiatus for the holiday season. It was good to be back. It was a large group this time - 17 of us. A mix of regulars, newcomers, and writers and illustrators who attend as often as they can.

Everyone introduced themselves, and talked a bit about what they've been working on during the break. Several writers are working on mid-grade books; some have short stories and/or articles for magazines; and a few have picture books in the works. There were also a few artists - a couple of them have done paintings that were in local art galleries; and an artist, Diane, shared some charming and skillful illustrations that an art director had critiqued at a recent conference. Seeing them made me wish I'd kept up with my artwork. I always loved drawing and painting when I was younger, but as work and other responsibilities began to take up more and more of my time, I narrowed my creative pursuit to the one that I loved best and felt I was best at - writing. Michelle was very interested in Diane's artwork, too - I think she was inspired by it. She is as talented in art as she is in writing, and she does illustrations for Whimsy, the children's magazine that she and Kathy H. self-publish. Afterward, I told her that I think her artwork could lend itself very well to children's picture books, and maybe she could try to get an art critique at this year's conference. And she said that looking at Diane's pictures inspired her to think of her own artwork.

We heard some great writing, too. Sylvia, who's new to the group, read a story about a young girl's lesson in self-esteem. It was a great story as is, but I think it could also be expanded into a mid-grade book. It also fits in with the multi-cultural trend that's been growing in children's publishing. The story led to a lively conversation between the men and the women about the differences between boys and girls regarding self-esteem. Roxanne, who's been working on a mid-grade fantasy book, brought an imaginative science fiction story about a girl who's the first person born in space. She wrote it for a magazine contest, and I think it's good enough to win. Good luck, Roxanne! Sal shared with us the first chapter of a mid-grade, humorous/suspense novel about a boy's run-in with the Irish mob in 1940s Boston. He's in the process of trying to find an agent for it, and I think it has a lot of potential. I lived in Boston for three years while I was in college, so I especially liked the setting, and I thought he did a great job of describing what the city must have been like in the past. And Kim read a sweet, song-like, picture-book story about how different animals say good-night. It works well as a bedtime story, but I also think it would be a great read-aloud storytime tale. I overhear much of the bookstore's storytimes, and I think little kids would respond very well to the repetition, rhyme, and all the animals in the story. Kim has also been working on her teen metaphysical fantasy novel, and she gave me her latest draft to read. I really enjoyed reading her earlier draft, and I promised I would e-mail her my feedback.

It's interesting to find out that I have a similar writing habit as Kim, and Roxanne. We've all talked about it, and it seems like we all re-write - a lot. Kim and I made a pact to encourage each other and do our best to finish a draft to bring to this year's conference. It's in June, so there is enough time for us to reach our goals.

Val, the group leader, gave information about the upcoming regional conferences. The major New York City one is in February, and there's also a sizable one in the Poconos, in April. I'm not yet at the level where I can afford (time or money-wise) to attend these conferences. But hopefully, in the next year or two, I'll be able to make it to one or more of them. For now, the local conference in June is perfectly fine. Michelle and I are really looking forward to it - according to the early information, it looks like it's shaping up to be another great event. I'll write more about it as I find out more about it.

Afterward, Michelle and I had lunch in the cafe, and we read each other's recent writing. Michelle liked how I ended the chapter of What Luck that I've been working on (in bits and pieces - unfortunately, during the retail holiday season, that's about all I've had time to write) - she said my character development is coming along well. And I really enjoyed reading her latest pages of Just Will, her new mid-grade novel. She writes boy protagonists so well, and I told her she's lucky she has a brother, because I think it has given her an understanding that she can use to portray her boy/male characters. They all seem very real. She also does a great job of depicting historical settings - this book is set in the rural 1930s. She also showed me her latest poem, Timelessness, that she plans to send in to a contest. I think it's one of her best poems I've read - it has a spiritual tone, and lyrical language, with a gentle (not forced) rhyme. I wish I could write poetry like that.

Unfortunately, Rich couldn't make it down for our Wildwood group this weekend, and we both missed him a lot. But we're looking forward to the end of next month, when we'll all be together again. And I plan to have a lot of new writing to share. Maybe a whole new chapter? That's a goal I think I can reach. So I better get working on it!