Inspiration, motivation and determination: The NY SCBWI recap

This was my first time at the New York Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) conference (#NY15SCBWI). So this was a big deal for me. I planned and prepped for the big day. I felt ready.

My promo package: postcards (fr. and bk.), business cards (fr.and bk.) and portfolio ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

I went to New York a few days early to get over the jet-lag before the conference and to check out the city. This would have all been fantastic if I hadn’t been fighting off a bug of some sort prior to leaving for the Big Apple.

I kept myself pumped up on vitamin C, zinc and a bit of alcohol for good measure. Then The Bug won.

By mid trip it felt like my lungs had been infested with a small razor-blade-wielding army. My voice was shot. I now sounded like Minnie mouse on helium, and I winced with pain when I spoke. This is not a look, or voice I’d recommend when trying to make great first impressions at a conference.

Keynotes and illustrator intensive

I was determined to make it through the three days – and I did (barely). There were lots of inspirational keynote speakers. Laura Vaccaro Seeger spoke about her writing and illustration process. She gave us an inside peek at her list and doodle-packed journals. She spoke about the importance of always keeping a notebook of some sort with you to jot down ideas throughout your day. Some of her key points also included:

• Have a compelling story to tell – even if it’s a simple book (e.g. her book Green is more than just about color).
• Think about the use of color, texture and fonts to help tell your story.
• Use repetitive illustrated elements to show how a character gets bigger or smaller (e.g. her main character in Bully; the fence remains the same size, but Bully gets bigger).

I participated in the illustrators intensive: Generating a picture book story. We had to write and story-board a picture book. We based our story on an illustration that we had brought to this workshop. I’m not a writer by default, so this was a great learning experience for me. I used one of my Puss n’ Boots illustrations. The story took on a completely different theme in this exercise. The story was now all about a cheese-obsessed mouse who made the mistake of stealing a bite from his arch enemy The Cat. Pan to a big chase scene and kerfuffle…  

Puss 'n Boots original illustration ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

Rough storyboard: 2 page spread of angry cat chasing mouse. It's based on the original illustration, but is now part of a different story ~~ © Patricia Pinsk

What I learned from this workshop was the following:

• The best ideas come when you don’t allow yourself to filter things. That is, just create. Leave the left brain stuff for later.
• Nothing motivates better than an absolute deadline (2 hours in this case).
• If you don’t let fear get in the way, you will be amazed at what you can do in a short amount of time.

Conference keynote speaker highlights

There were so many other amazing speakers at this conference. Some of the highlights include:

• Editor’s panel:  It’s a great time to be in children’s books – sales are soaring.

• Hervé Tullet: Kids need new books, new ideas. My favourite word is “Ahhh!”  If I can elicit that word from children, I am very happy.
• Kwame Alexander: Don’t let other people’s “No” define your “Yes!!”  The  Crossover was rejected 20 times by publishers.
• Jennifer Laughran: The best queries are like good skirts: they are short enough to be compelling, and long enough to cover everything important.
• Laura Vaccaro Seeger: Sometimes a problem can make something so much better once you find a solution.
• Margaret Raymo: Don’t try to follow what’s hot or popular now. Follow your own muse.
• Anthony Horowitz: The only difference between a successful writer and an unsuccessful writer is that the unsuccessful writer gives up.
• Henry Winkler: We must teach our children where they are great, not where they must go

For further highlights on this conference, search Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for “#NY15SCBWI”.  I would highly recommend this conference. It is a great learning and networking experience.

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• Illustration: Beyond  dummies and rough sketches

Henry Winkler speaking at conference ~photo © Patricia Pinsk