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TAKEAWAYS from SCBWI-CAROLINAS 2017

carolbaldwin

Congratulations to Connie Saunders who won Sheri Levy’s Starting Over ARC.

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Teresa Fannin and Bonnie Adamson, the SCBWI-Carolinas Regional Advisors, co-ordinated another great annual conference. For those of you who were unable to attend, here are some of my takeaways:

From two time Newberry Honor award winner Gary Schmidt‘s breakout session on Narrator and POV:
  • Make a conscious decision about who your narrator is. If you’re stuck, switch POV (even to an inanimate object or animal). Even if you don’t use that narrator, your story will be informed by what you discover. 
  • Use long vowels to slow your story down. Short vowels speed things up.
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From my critique of Half-Truths with agent John Cusick (my reactions in red):
  • “Writing is polished and accomplished.” (Woohoo!)
  • “Love the family relationships.”
  • “Prose is solid, tight, and evocative.”
  • “Characterization and dialogue feels a bit generic in places.” (Fixable. I have to think harder, dig deeper)
  • Develop Kate’s unique POV. (Ditto)
  • Sounds more middle grade than young adult. (I have received this feedback before. Middle grade, here I come.)
John had other suggestions as I go forward. The shift to middle grade will take some switching around in my head and on the page, but as I’m in the middle of another draft this is the time to do it. Since I tend to read middle grade more than young adult, I think that ultimately I’ll be happy with this decision.

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From my breakout session on “Wiki’s 101”: 
  • Be ready to improvise when technology doesn’t work the way you expect. Thanks to my gracious attendees who made my moment of “Oops, the LCD isn’t projecting the online wikis as I expected,” less of a panic situation and more a learning experience. 
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From agent, Jennifer Mattson‘s breakout, “Putting on the Architect’s Hat”:

  • There are several different narrative structures besides a straight linear one (Beginning, Middle, End.) The one that most interested me was pastiche. When I read Kathleen Burkinshaw’s debut novel, The Last Cherry Blossom, I was intrigued by her use of headlines and snippets from radio broadcasts as part of her chapter headings. In fact, last week I was glued to the microfilm machine at the Charlotte public library searching articles from The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte News, and The Carolina Israelite for that purpose. Since I’m also including free verse and letters in Half-Truths, I’m glad to find a name for this type of novel!

From THE LAST CHERRY BLOSSOM
Example of a pastiche novel.
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From John Cusick’s breakout, “Pacing- What to Cut. What to Keep and What Order to Put it In”:

  • Physical description must reveal character.
  • Character should be revealed through ACTION. Not a decision to act.
  • Cut rhetorical questions.
  • “Start as close to the end as possible.” Kurt Vonnegut.
  • Open with scene, not summary. 
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From the bookstore:
5 grandchildren = going a little crazy in the conference bookstore!
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From the first pages session:
  • Be careful of inner monologue that’s not authentic.
  • Hook your reader with emotion first.
  • If you’re writing historical fiction, make sure there is a good reason for placing it in the past. 
  • Be in the moment with your characters and scenes.
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And last, but certainly not least, from my friend Donna Earnhardt:


“You are tackling a story that is not easy, yet you’ve made the effort to get feedback that was probably not easy to hear… and still, you keep on going. I am so proud of you and I think that you should be proud of yourself, too. Your tenacity encourages me to keep on keeping on – even when it’s hard.”

I confess to fighting discouragement over how long it has taken to complete Half-Truths. But Donna looks at my journey and sees perseverance. Which goes to show that often–in life and in books–there are two points of view. 

Published by carolbaldwin

Carol enjoys teaching writing and has presented at many educators' and writing conferences. She has published widely in newspapers and magazines and along with Rebecca Wheeler, co-publishes Talking Story, a newsletter for educators and media specialists. When she isn’t reading, writing, or blogging, you’ll find her walking with friends, golfing, or gardening.

51 thoughts on “TAKEAWAYS from SCBWI-CAROLINAS 2017”

  2. I'm going to take copies of this to my writing critique group Friday. While not everything will be pertinent to all, there is a nugget here, a nugget there, that will strike a chord with someone. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  3. THanks for the tips! Please to see that you got such great feedback on Half Truths. With respect to MG, I'm thinking that you're writing what you like to read. Cheers!

    Reply

  4. Thanks Sheri, Betty, and Jilanne. I am honored, Betty, that you are sharing it with your writing group. And yes, Jilanne, I think you're right about MG.

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  7. Thanks for sharing writing tips from the conference, Carol. Especially loved hearing the positive feedback you got from the conference about your w-i-p from John Cusack and also Donna Earnhardt. You are an inspiration.

    Reply

  13. It's interesting to see what you took from the conference, especially from those workshops I missed. Thanks also for sharing your takeaways and your Half Truth's journey. Great job as usual. Sandra

    Reply

  14. Dear Carol,Thanks for sharing. I'm so proud of all your hard work on Half Truths. I enjoyed your session at the conference on Wikis. Do something fun to celebrate you!Never Give UpJoan

    Reply

  24. Carol, a terrific summary and I'm so excited about your critique comments for HALF TRUTHS! And thank you for sharing TLCB as pastiche novel(and now I know what a pastiche novel is). I'm touched that my chapter headings inspired you. So great to see you and finally get a picture with you :)

    Reply

  27. I'm going to take copies of this to my writing critique group Friday. While not everything will be pertinent to all, there is a nugget here, a nugget there, that will strike a chord with someone. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  28. THanks for the tips! Please to see that you got such great feedback on Half Truths. With respect to MG, I'm thinking that you're writing what you like to read. Cheers!

    Reply

  29. Thanks Sheri, Betty, and Jilanne. I am honored, Betty, that you are sharing it with your writing group. And yes, Jilanne, I think you're right about MG.

    Reply

  32. Thanks for sharing writing tips from the conference, Carol. Especially loved hearing the positive feedback you got from the conference about your w-i-p from John Cusack and also Donna Earnhardt. You are an inspiration.

    Reply

  38. It's interesting to see what you took from the conference, especially from those workshops I missed. Thanks also for sharing your takeaways and your Half Truth's journey. Great job as usual. Sandra

    Reply

  39. Dear Carol,Thanks for sharing. I'm so proud of all your hard work on Half Truths. I enjoyed your session at the conference on Wikis. Do something fun to celebrate you!Never Give UpJoan

    Reply

  49. Carol, a terrific summary and I'm so excited about your critique comments for HALF TRUTHS! And thank you for sharing TLCB as pastiche novel(and now I know what a pastiche novel is). I'm touched that my chapter headings inspired you. So great to see you and finally get a picture with you :)

    Reply

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