26 Wednesday Apr 2017
Posted in LitMingles!
By Cindy Kobler and Mia Turner
Mia Turner and Cindy Marcus have taken over leadership of the Santa Clarita chapter of SCBWI, after Laurisa White Reyes and Mary Cerny stepped down. Laurisa and Mary are a hard act to follow–both warm and supportive advocates for all things writing–but Mia and Cindy will do their best. Continue reading
19 Wednesday Apr 2017
By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison
Congratulations to our 2017 Mentees:
Julie Dillemuth – Picture Book
Karen Jordan – Poetry Collection
Mentor Lee Wardlaw
Our 2017 mentor Lee Wardlaw, award-winning author of 30 books for children and young adults, will communicate with both Julie Dillemuth and Karen Jordan a minimum of twice a month, beginning April 1, 2017. Lee Wardlaw will provide feedback on one complete manuscript, plus comments on revisions.
And drum roll please! The winner of the SCBWI Summer Conference Grant is… Continue reading
14 Friday Apr 2017
Posted in Tips and Tools
Tags
authors, conferences, Cons, illustrators, networking, Summer, tips, Wonder Con, WonderCon, writers
I went to Wonder Con this year and it was the messy, funny, crowd-filled, creative mish-mosh that it always is. I also realized that as I get a little older, enjoying a convention, or “con,” requires a bit more preparation. But cons are great places to network with other authors, illustrators, editors, and publishers, not to mention the kid lit audience, so they’re worth it. Since there are several more cons and festivals coming up this year in our area, I thought a little “How to Prep for a Summer Con” guide might be in order. The more you know about what you’re getting into, the less intimidating it will be and the less you’ll feel like a grumpy-gus shaking your fist at those darn kids to get off your con-lawn. Continue reading
12 Wednesday Apr 2017
Posted in SoCal, Tri-Regional News
Tags
Erin Young, Estelle Laure, illustrators, Imagine 2, John Dadlez, Kate Sullivan, Salina Yoon, SCBWI events, SCBWI members, Steve Bramucci, writers
By CenCal Regional Team
Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center
Spring Retreat
It’s spring in the SoCal region and our Spring Retreat: Finding Gold is coming up soon! We have a few spots left for the perfect writer’s getaway at the Tahquitz Pines Retreat Center nestled in the beautiful Idyllwild mountains. Come join us May 5-7, 2017 as we seek to “find gold” in our manuscripts during this intensive revision weekend. Designed for Middle Grade and Young Adult authors, the retreat will include writing time, revision time, and roundtable critiques in an intimate setting with an editor or an agent, an author, and a few of your colleagues. Staff in Attendance: Kate Sullivan, Delacorte Press; Erin Young, Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret LLC; Estelle Laure, YA author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back; Steve Bramucci, MG author of The Danger Gang & the Pirates of Borneo! Hope to see you there! Register here. And read on for more awesome events you won’t want to miss!
Estelle Laure
Kate Sullivan
07 Friday Apr 2017
Posted in Community Corner, Writers Days
We asked attendees at Los Angeles Writers & Illustrators Day 2017 what the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators community means to them. From critique groups and partners on the journey to publishing to new lunch-friends and small-world connections, the day was full of smiles, introductions, and proof that a gaggle of introverts can build a thriving, dynamic community. As it turns out, we’re all just a big bunch of super supportive people who can’t get enough of each other! Here are just some of the things we heard: Continue reading
05 Wednesday Apr 2017
Posted in Contests & Grants, Industry News, Writers Days
Tags
Brian Won, Cheryl Bommarito Klein, Christina Wise, Cindy Marcus, Crystal Kite Award, Eliza Wheeler, J.R. Krause, Jill Tuckman, Kara B. Wilson, Kate O'Shaughnessy, Kes Trester, Kristen Baum, Laura Belevica, Molly Ruttan, Outer Space Bedtime Race, Sara Bayles, Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award, Tony Piedra, Wherever You Go
While Writers & Illustrators Day on Feb. 25 gave attendees a roadmap for projects upcoming and in progress, it also was a day to honor the creative and volunteer success of SCBWI members. Read on to find out the winners of the Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award, Crystal Kite Awards and Writers & Illustrators Day writing and illustration contests.
The 2016 Sue Alexander Service and Encouragement Award, selected from member nominations and presented to an SCBWI member for outstanding volunteer service, went to Jill Tuckman, SCBWI-LA webmaster.
Here’s what Sally Jones Rogan, SCBWI-LA co-regional advisor, said when presenting the award: Continue reading
31 Friday Mar 2017
Posted in Author's Perspective, Writers Days
Author and story coach Lisa Cron writes books for writers, but she doesn’t teach writing.
In her books Wired for Story: The Writer’s Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence and its follow up Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere), Cron maintains that it’s not beautiful prose that captures readers, but the emotions driven by story.
“If beautiful writing is what we really crave, would 50 Shades of Grey have sold 100 million copies?” she asked during her keynote speech at Writers & Illustrators Day on Feb. 25.
Throughout her speech, she gave attendees a snapshot into the science behind storytelling that will help craft a work of fiction that is more than “a perfectly-penned ‘who cares?’”
“Writing is the handmaiden of story,” she said.
And what exactly is story?
29 Wednesday Mar 2017
Posted in Ask an Editor
“Ask an Editor” is a forum wherein SCBWI mem
bers submit questions that are answered as part of our quarterly Kite Tales blog.
Dear Editor – What is New Adult? How is it different from Young Adult?
—J.T., Los Angeles
22 Wednesday Mar 2017
Posted in Illustrator's Gallery
By Annelouise Mahoney
Picture books are like little paper theaters inviting us to take a journey. When we provide a believable sense of space, we invite our readers to step into that world.
Environments are important to me. When I develop a character for a story, I think a lot about where the character lives, what their home looks like, and more importantly, why the character lives there. How does the environment serve the story? Does it set a mood, an atmosphere, a feeling of home, or uncertainty? The answers to these questions lead me to do lots of research to determine the particular elements needed to create a specific environment that suits the story. Continue reading
17 Friday Mar 2017
Posted in Illustrator's Perspective, Writers Days
Tags
Clelia Gore, Jon Klassen, Lisa Cron, Lynn Becker, Pam Gruber, This is Not My Hat, Writers & Illustrators Day
Author and SCBWI member Lynn Becker reports on this year’s Writers & Illustrator’s Day.
This year, the Los Angeles Writers & Illustrators Day at the Skirball Cultural Center added a strong illustrator component to the mix. Along with a double dose of illustrator challenges and paid portfolio reviews, there were two breakout sessions specifically geared toward illuminating the intersection of picture book art and text. These presentations offered a chance for writers and illustrators alike to think about picture books as intertwined parts of a medium. Continue reading
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