Heading to Colorado! Renewing My Inspiration at SCBWI Letters & Lines.

As a hybrid author (one that pursues both a career as a self-published and traditionally published writer), I have a strong appreciation for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

A lot of what I’ve learned on the craft of writing picture books and on the overall book industry has been in thanks to them. And SCBWI has a strong and sprawling community with chapters around the world! In addition to my local New Mexico chapter, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the folks in my neighboring Rocky Mountain chapter in Colorado.

Each year Rocky Mountain puts on a conference for children’s authors called Letters and Lines. It’s a decent sized conference with amazing faculty! Last year was my first experience at Letters and Lines, and I hope to make that a routine part of my author journey.

Community is incredibly important for authors. It’s said in writing circles that our work is often solitary. It’s just us, isolated at our desks, with our manuscripts.

And so, when there’s opportunity to gather, discuss the craft, discuss the industry, and exchange tips on how to accomplish whatever milestones lay ahead, it fills our creative wells.

For me, gathering with other creators replenishes my inspiration. My mind goes on overdrive (in the best way), thinking about new stories, new marketing endeavors, and new professional opportunities I want to pursue. I’m also overcome by the amazing stories I hear from other authors and illustrators of how they have achieved their own levels of success in the industry. It reminds me that I’m not alone, my challenges are not original to me, and there’s hope that I can succeed too.

For those who aren’t in this industry—Think of writing conferences to authors/illustrators/agents/editors what a business conference is for other industries. This is a time to learn, to network, to build community with each other, and to see what’s creatively possible. I love that energy and believe it’s become a big part of my own professional growth.

This year I’m especially excited for the following—

Award-winning author, Kate DiCamillo, is our keynote speaker!

Remember Because of Winn Dixie? The Tale of Despereaux?

These, in addition to a number of excellent novels, were written by Kate DiCamillo. She will the be keynote speaker at this year’s Letters and Lines, and I can’t wait to see what she has to share with us!

I missed the boat the first time around on Because of Winn Dixie. I remember it being a staple in my elementary school library. Didn’t read it then. But I picked up a copy and I’m going to get through it before the conference! Hope she’ll sign it for me. 😄

So far, I’m loving it. It’s a tender, emotion-filled story of a young girl and the relationship she has with her dog—a silly, warm-hearted, and animated fuzzball named Winn Dixie.

Then…

I’m taking a special intensive session on both mornings of the conference, “Knowing Your Story” with Sara Schonfeld, senior editor at HarperCollins Children’s Books.

As simple as it might seem, writers don’t always know EXACTLY what they’ve written!

This happens with me. I’ll write a manuscript, think I know that manuscript inside and out, but then when someone asks me about it, I CHOKE UP! I forget what the heart of it is. I don’t know how to explain it.

Knowing exactly what your story is and who your characters are is imperative to pitching your story, getting prospective agents to care about your story, and ultimately an editor to care about it.

I look forward to what Sara has to share about how to find the emotional heart of a story and articulate it in a way that resonates.

This comes at a great time for me as I’m actively “querying” my work (meaning submitting my picture book manuscripts) to agents and editors. Having a refreshed education on how to best position my story, including effectively utilizing comparative titles and selling points, will help me great deal right now.

I’ll also be attending break out sessions that are focused on how to hook an agent or an editor with your story. Again, all super relevant to where I am right now in my author journey!

• Sylvie Frank from Flamingo Books/Penguin Young Readers will reveal what she is looking for when she reads book submissions and why some projects get rejected (and accepted!). Amazing. I look forward to seeing her feedback on the example projects she shares with us.

• Sara Megibow of Megibow Literary Agency will discuss the pros and cons of various publishing avenues through the lens of distribution, subsidiary rights, publicity, potential profit, and beyond. This is particularly interesting to me as a hybrid author. I wonder what pieces I might takeaway for my own self-publishing endeavors?

• Paige Terlip of Starling Literary + Media will talk about how to hook the right agent for you as an author!

• Author, Megan E. Freeman, will have a talk about “Rethinking Rejection”. Rejection is a part of life for every author. It’s a big hurdle we have to jump on our way to success. I’ve definitely grown a thicker skin since joining the “query trenches” because I’ve gotten a lot of ‘No’. There’s so much talent, and so much competition… But I know it only takes one ‘Yes’. I’ll be curious to see what strategies Megan suggests in this talk.

There’s so much to look forward to in addition to what I’ve shared above!

More stand outs include a closing keynote by the amazing author/illustrator, Grace Lin, a first [book] look opportunity with the SCBWI board of directors, Laurent Linn, breakouts from author, Kim Tomsic, author/illustrator, Kaz Windness, and more!

After last year’s Letters and Lines I came away with so much knowledge, plus new ideas and inspiration! Can’t wait to see what this next weekend has in store.

If any authors, illustrators, book people, etc. happen to see this and are going to the conference, drop a comment below! I’d love to connect in CO. 😊