The Great Critique

Subject: The Great Critique

The Great Critique - January 19, 2013

A chance for writers to be critiqued by a professional and their peers.

Location: TaborSpace, 5441 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 97215

Time: 9:30 to noon.

Never been in a critique group? Wish you could be critiqued by someone who is ahead of you in the publishing game? Want to strengthen your work? Need a fresh set of eyes and ears on that oft-revised piece? Want to have your manuscript ready for the May conference? This is your chance. A published writer will lead each small group and critique your manuscript. You'll also hear others' work and get feedback from those writers too. Plus you'll learn from the comments by the critique leader about the work of others. Cost:

Early Bird Rate:

SCBWI members - $8.00 (That's less than the price of a Friday night movie!)

Nonmembers - $13.00 (If you bought any refreshments, your movie night would cost way more!)

After January 1, 2013: $10 and $15 for members and nonmembers respectively.

SCBWI-OR Holiday Sketch and Schmooze

November 17th, 10:30 a.m. -  1 p.m. - Vancouver

→Clark County Children's Writers and Illustrators

Friendship, support, information, inspiration…Whether you’ve never written or illustrated a story or have been published several times, you’ll find something to gain by attending the Clark County SCBWI Schmooze.
The aim of our schmooze is to be a forum for sharing and learning, a source of inspiration throughout the year. Come and bring a friend with you!
Our next schmooze is scheduled for Saturday, November 17th at 10:30 a.m. at the Cascade Park Library – 600 NE 136^th Ave. Vancouver, WA. 98664. We will meet in the Community Room. 

If you'd like more info, check it out here. 

SCBWI - Spring 2011 Writer's Conference

Saturday I spent the day at the SCBWI writer's conference.

It was an inspirational day. I had a great time and saw some old friends and made some new ones too.

It all began with Diane Muldrow from Little Golden Books giving one of the keynote speeches. She talked about her imprint and how she works and what she acquires but the thing I enjoyed the most was the blast from the past that she shared with all of us. It was a smorgasbord of stories she shared with us. One cover after another flashed up on the screen. These were some of the great stories LGB has published during the last 70 years. It brought my childhood swimming back before me in a whoosh of digital cinematography. Those stories colored my life like a kaleidoscope when I was growing up. I loved Little Golden Books then, and I still do.

We took a short break and then it was time for another wonderful key note address by another leader in the publishing industry. We sat down to hear the words of wisdom that Bonnie Bader's talk would impart to us on Writing for the Masses.

This was another educational keynote speech. Bonnie talked about her imprint, the process of acquiring manuscripts and what it takes to get a manuscript picked up by her company. But, that wasn't all. She not only talked to the writers in the room, she also talked to the artists. She said that copy artists (which I think of as a 'sort of' form of fan art) are always in demand. I thought that was very encouraging since I have two artist sons.

Then I went to a workshop put on by Sandy Asher. It was "a different way at looking at revision of scenes, chapters, and entire stories..."

Since I'm currently working on revising a MG manuscript, I thought I could use the help from a pro. She talked about the emotional aspects of a story and did a few exercises with us to help get the point across. I came away with some new insights.

Then it was time for lunch.

Right after lunch it was time for another workshop. I chose to go to Pamela Smith Hill's presentation on Plot, Setting and Character.

I really loved Pamela's presentation and the examples she used. She even gave me another blast from my past by pulling out some examples from classic writers. She read a couple passages that reminded me of times I read those stories to my kids. I'd forgotten how wonderful the classics can be.

Then it was time for a break, a brownie and a cup of coffee for me.

After my snack, it was time for Martha Mihalick to talk about what goes on behind the scenes of publishing. I'm always curious about this "business" of writing. And, it was fun to hear a perspective from one of the people who sees the "man behind the curtain". She had a bubbling personality and lots of energy, which kicked the atmosphere into high gear--even at the end of the day, which is nothing short of amazing.

Then it was time for a faculty panel question and answer session followed by door prizes and book sales.

I left feeling inspired but exhausted. It was great fun but with so much energy floating around the room and so much information swimming around inside my head...I was ready to curl up on the couch with a good book. So I did. That's when I read Elsewhere.

Hope you all had a fun-filled weekend, learned a little something, and were inspired by someone along the way :)

First Page Love with Lisa Schroeder

Writers all know how important that first page can be. It can hook an agent/editor but it can also make them stop reading. . . and none of us want them to move on to another manuscript in their never-ending pile.

So making that first impression right is critical. That's one reason the SCBWI sponsored a lesson on the craft of writing that ever-important first page with Lisa Schroeder. She gave up a morning (when the sun was out--which is rare in Portland, Oregon) to help us wannabe writers learn from her experiences.

She very graciously shared a few hints on what we writers can do to make sure our first page is strong enough to get our reader to go on to page 2...3, and hopefully even page 4.

I took notes and here are a few tidbits of wisdom that I captured from Lisa Schroeder (author of I Heart You - You Haunt Me, Far From You, Sprinkles and Secrets, Chasing Brooklyn, It's Raining Cupcakes, and The Day Before, which she shared with us at the SCBWI Smooze on Saturday, April 30th:

1) Have your first page start at a moment of significance;
2) Remember voice is important but have your characters doing something;
3) Have a conflict of some sort where the reader is playing catch up; and,
4) Leave your reader with questions.

If your reader has questions, they'll likely turn the page to find the answer.

She also gave us some morsels of what not to do:

1) Starting with dialogue is hard because the reader will likely have too many questions;
2) Editors and agents see too many stories starting with a dream;
3) Remember not to have too much back story; and,
4) Starting with action can be disorienting.

Another point she made was that we don't want to read about ordinary people, we want to be transported or entertained by the extraordinary.

Lisa went above-and-beyond the first page and also talked to us about picture books and cover art for books. She even recommended a few books on craft and much, much more.

It was a wonderful way to spend a morning, listening and learning from Lisa.

Carmen Bernier-Grand - Frida Kahlo

Variety is the Spice of Life

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) sponsored Award winning Carmen Bernier-Grand to come and speak to a group of writers about how to bring diversity to life in writing on Saturday, April 4th at 11:30 a.m. at the Village Gateway Apartments.

Carmen has traveled all over the world and she didn’t just speak about ethnic differences, she spoke about writing in different formats, genres and styles to flavor your writing with a variety of emotions.

She spoke about the people who gave her opportunities in the publishing world and networking. She said one of the best ways to network is to join the SCBWI and attend as many conferences, functions and get-togethers as you can.

These SCBWI events provide perfect opportunities to meet editors, agents and other writers. People you meet at conferences may not have an immediate impact on your life—but you never know.

Ellen Dodson facilitated a group critique meeting of first page manuscripts.

This was a free presentation, with snacks and drinks that were also free, and FREE is a very good price.



At the end, Carmen had all the writers play a little game and she gave away books to the winners.

It was a great way to spend a morning--even if we were indoors when the sun was out - which is a rare thing to see that giant orange and yellow orb in the sky around Portland at this time of year.

COME BACK AROUND 3:00 P.M. TO SEE WHO THE WINNERS OF THE POETRY CONTEST ARE