I got in late last night from the SCBWI conference in LA, and I’m still recuperating. I feel like I did a good job of networking with other conference attendees. And I had a great manuscript consultation. I’ll add more about the conference over the next few days, but here are a few points that are still fresh in my head:
10) My all time favorite SCBWI group (other that Austin, of course) is the Illinois SCBWI chapter. They were easy to spot – all of them wore pennies in their name badges. I like Lincoln just as much as the next brotha (you know, with the whole Emancipation Proclamation thing), and I really, really liked the Illinois people. I hope to post pictures in a few days.
9) Calling all Texas SCBWIers – we need something cool to put on our badges as well. Don’t we have any Texas-born presidents with their face on money? You’d think with all the Bushes that have been in office, one of them would have found a way to stick their mug on a coin by now.
8) SCBWI really needs to think about having a rotating Summer Conference. I don’t even want to think about how much money I spent this weekend, between the flight and the hotel and the conference itself.
7) Alexus Rhone – keep doing your thing. And congrads on the SCBWIdol contest.
6) For all of you Austin SCBWI conference attendees that have Mark McVeigh for a manuscript consultation, you’ve really lucked up. I was fortunate enough to have him for a critique, and he did a great job of giving constructive comments. He also gave me a lot of good industry advice.
5) Not that you should follow trends, but teen fiction is hot right now.
4) According to most of the editors at the conference, there is no such thing as too edgy in teen fiction. Nothing is taboo (maybe I should call up some of the erotica writers from my old writing group).
3) Megan McCafferty really has me thinking about trying to publish “teen” novels as adult fiction.
2) Carolyn Mackler is just as nice as I expected her to be. I must admit, I am a big fan of her books. Of course, I have to remove the jacket from them before I can read them. A brotha can’t go walking around with a pink book.
1) Christopher Paul Curtis is DA MAN!!! Hearing his speak reminded me why I wanted to become a writer in the first place. I only hope I can convince Mrs. V to let me have a year off to write, like he did. And I dare all of you to read Bucking the Sarge and not laugh.
Great report, wish I could have gone. I heard that Christopher Paul Curtis will be here later this year at TBF. Look forward to hearing more about the conference.
Welcome back, Varian. So, what do you think benefited the most from the conference — your craft or your contacts?