#SCBWI-Con18 – plug yourself in!

I got home yesterday from my third SCBWI-Con (the yearly conference of The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and, yes, I’m suffering from a dose of post-con blues!

Just look at these lovely people! They sure now how to party (and dress up!). But what do I mean by ‘plug yourself in’?

Joining SCBWI (we call ourselves ‘Scoobies’) was the best decision I ever made in terms of developing myself as a writer. I have more writing friends as a result and joining put me in contact with the Golden Egg Academy with whom I’ve been working for the last two years on my current work-in-progress, Dragonspire.

The best part of the weekend for me were the two sessions on Sunday with the funny, engaging and enlightening, Christopher Edge, author of some awesome books including The Many Worlds of Albie Bright. We careered at breakneck speed through the craft of writing, learning Chris’s tips and tricks of how he focuses on the key elements of story as he writes out his first drafts freehand in a notebook! For me, it’s my beloved Scrivener on my laptop or iPad. I prostrate myself in awe of anyone who can write a novel freehand!

Many who attended said that Chris’s had helped them solve plot problems in their work-in-progress. I did too. You only get these gems by attending and by being plugged into an amazing group of people, many who volunteer their time to make this all possible.

My advice if you want to write for children… join SCBWI, you will not regret it.