This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 Springmingle conference, which was sponsored by the Southern Breeze SCBWI chapter.
I posted live tweets throughout the conference, if you missed any of them, you can go to the Twitter #scbwiatl thread to get the highlights.
The conference was great with wonderful speakers and workshops and best of all, I got to mingle with my kindred spirits.
As the conference days flew by, I saw a common theme coming from the speakers.
Just look at some of these nuggets of knowledge:
- Write the story that is in your heart – Jane Yolen
- Timeless writing that speaks to kids and universal truths. Traits of a classic – Josh Adams
- It’s not about money. It’s about changing reader’s lives – Josh Adams
- Take honesty and time knowing your characters – Cheryl Klein
There was also the recurring message that getting your story right is better than getting your story out fast. You should take the time to know what your book is about. This is easier said than done. But always remember you want to make the best impression possible with your work. And that takes time.
So write the story that’s in your heart. Don’t chase trends. Focus on your craft and write the story you were meant to tell.
As the wonderful Jane Yolen noted: “All of us are trying to create a literature of childhood.”
My other two posts this week will also focus on the Springmingle conference. On Wednesday, I’ll share highlights about what I learned about character dimensions and on Friday, I’ll share some revision techniques.
Stay tuned!
A lot of wisdom there. I think it’s important to look beyond the first idea because those first ideas usually follow a trend, but instead, dig deeper to find the original idea. Hope you came home inspired!
I especially loved the comment about taking the time to know what your story is about. Sometimes, I haven’t really known until draft two or three. Sometimes it takes me THAT long to really get to know my characters, my plot and everything else. Thanks for sharing those pearls of wisdom!
Laura: Definitely came back home really inspired!
Ali: Thanks for stopping by. Glad that you got some wisdom from the speakers. They were great and I learned a lot.
Good to hear! It’s nice to hear some sensible advice from the experts :)
Glad you had a great time. Hope you are inspired to keep plugging away on your novel. By the by, can you do a post giving more detail about your novel process? When did you start, what revisions you’ve made etc.
Jemi: Sometimes we just need to keep hearing this “take your time” advice from editors, writers, and agents.
Thanks Jeannine. I’m definitely now inspired to finish this novel in 2010.
I will take your suggestion and do a post about my process. Currently I’m finishing up my first revision round. Will start on my second one in April which should take me through the summer (doing it part-time w/ the day job).
Great Post! One of the tips: “Write the story that Is In Your Heart.”-Jane Yolen reminded me of a song by Sting on his Soul Cages Cd. In “When the Angels Fall” by Sting, he writes:
So high above the world tonight
The angels watch us sleeping
And underneath a bridge of stars
We dream in safety’s keeping
But perhaps the dream
Is dreaming us
Soaring with the seagulls
Perhaps the dream
Is dreaming us
Astride on the backs of eagles.
So, perhaps the dream is dreaming us! In the world of the novelista or novelist, perhaps it is not us writing the story, but the story writing to us from within! And so it goes…….
Ah, I know that song Ken. And you might be right. The story just might be writing from within.