conference tips countdown
Eleven days until the SCBWI-Midsouth Annual Conference. Woo! If you’re a writer or illustrator and you’ve never attended an SCBWI conference, go to the SCBWI web site and search for a conference near you. It’s time and money well invested in your career.
Perhaps you’re asking yourself, “Why should I go to a conference? How would I benefit?” In today’s post, and in those leading up to the conference, I’ll share some reasons why SCBWI conferences are so awesome, and I’ll even include some tips on how to get the most from your conference experience.
Conference Perk #1: The energy generated at an SCBWI conference is contagious, long-lasting and will keep your creative batteries charged for weeks.
There’s always an air of excitement at an SCBWI conference. Opportunities are there for networking, making friends, finding critique partners, and more. Where else can you sit and chat with multi-published, well-known authors?
Children’s writers and illustrators are an incredibly friendly bunch. I’ve never met one who wasn’t willing to talk about their creative process, what motivates them, etc. From the pre-published to those with book sales in the millions, we all share a common experience — the long hours spent alone at the computer or locked away in a studio, perfecting manuscripts and artwork, wondering if anyone will find our creations fit for publication.
Perhaps we’re all bound together by the insecurities we share that seem to be an inherent part of the writer’s/illustrator’s craft. We empathize with the struggles of our fellow artists and wordsmiths. And we all have that desire to tell a story that will send shivers of delight up and down a child’s spine, or will capture the readers interest so that he’s willing to stay up late at night and read the book by flashlight under the covers.
Whatever the case, it’s wonderful to spend a day or a weekend among like-minded souls who savor a great metaphor or make a living sketching friendly monsters.