ABOUT WRITING, RUNNING, AND BEING OUTDOORS
I find the investment in writing is like developing an athlete. You need to find experts, lay out a training plan, run with others, get advice and help from others, and continue to pace and develop your skills. Writing is like running. The SCBWI conferences, intensives, meetings. and critique groups are my writing marathon training plan. There is an event…
I attended the SCBWI Los Angeles Conference July 31 - August 3rd. I've attended many, many children's writers conferences, intensives and programs. Perhaps the most outstanding program I've attended to date was done by Stephen Fraser, agent with De Chiara Literary Agency -- He conducted a middle grade intensive. He laid out his plan for us - we each were…
I never thought it would happen. Really, I never thought about age. I keep trying new things. But I never thought I would get slower in running. It's hard to accept. So when I entered the China Camp Trail Half Marathon, for some reason my young mind thought, just train and surely you can't be the slowest. Well, when you…
I've had blistering critiques, start-over critiques, not nice critiques, critiques that called my work "a critique quilt", critiques by "experts" that obviously didn't write or buy my category, and more. And then you have a good critique, or even a "great" critique -- and you wonder, are they sure? did they read it? are they just being nice? Okay, now…
Re-assessing goals is something that I sometimes have a hard time doing. I'm pretty achievement-oriented. But when illness and injury set my 2 running buddies and me behind, we made the big decision - let's just run for fun! Let's stop along the way, see the characters, and enjoy Disneyland! And that's what we did. Then we all went for…
I'm used to running (and writing) setbacks. 2014 seemed to have its share of them. First, plantar fasciitis, right at the beginning of the 2014 year, for the Tinkerbell Half. But I powered through it, then was out for 3 months, wearing a sleep boot. But all is good. Then I had basil cell carcinoma on my left calf (who…
Our SCBWI Region ended the year with a terrific Faire and Holiday Mixer on Dec. 6th! Over 85 members and non-members joined us to learn all about our region and the opportunities, plus we had the greatest food brought by all! The Oakland Library was a wonderful midpoint location for our celebration. Everyone loved the time to ask questions, meet…
I have gone to many trade shows and managed many in my professional career, along with board meetings, seminars, conferences and more. It dawned on me that there is no way for SCBWI members to get answers to their questions about the organization -- so how about a trade show - where there is a person for each topic area…
It's true. This can happen. We ran an exhausting Fall Conference and 3 Intensives in October, followed by preparation for our new year's schedule, training of 2 wonderful new volunteers, looking for a new conference site, preparing for our first ever SCBWI Faire scheduled for Dec. 6th, and preparing for our January and May Intensives. The result, between work and…