A Newbie Gets Ready for SCBWI LA 2015

I’m committed now. I’ve sent in the money and registered for my very first trip to the SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Annual LA Conference.

It was nearly impossible to choose from the great selection of intensive workshops. Because I’m the type of person who thrives on assignments with deadlines, I’ve decided that between now and the start of conference, I will do the homework for ALL the intensives, perhaps garnering some of the benefit from those sessions I will have to miss.

I’ve been a member of SCBWI for almost three years now, and feel I’ve just graduated from beginner status to young apprentice. I’m facing the very hardest part of my early career–the sucky middle. I know enough to know what I don’t know, but not quite enough to know how to figure it out. Enter practice.

In the spirit of the debatable 10,000-hour genius, I will dedicate time to my craft, as much as I can spare. Whether or not Malcolm Gladwell’s theory holds water, in truth I am only a writer when I write. Starting with the assignments from the intensive workshops, I developed this checklist of homework tasks, all to be completed before the conference begins July 31.

Homework for SCBWI LA Conference 2015

Novel:

Complete 50 pages minimum of novel-in-progress
Complete and revise first chapter of novel-in-progress
Complete and revise a middle chapter of novel-in-progress
Complete a one-page synopsis of novel-in-progress
Write flap copy for novel-in-progress
Create and practice elevator pitch for novel-in-progress
Write a poem to be included in novel-in-progress
Select three favorite world-built novels

Picture Books:

Select three favorite published PB <500 words
Write one new picture book manuscript per month (4 new ms by August)
Rigorous revision of all existing picture book manuscripts (8 total, 2 revisions/month)
Create a dummy for one PB manuscript
Craft a pitch for one PB manuscript
Create a pitch page for all works-in-progress
Write queries for three most polished PB manuscripts

Reading:

Tyrell, by Coe Booth
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart
The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin
On Writing, by Stephen King
Books by faculty authors
Books by faculty agents’ authors

Platform/Social Media:

Explore/bookmark faculty webpages
Explore/follow faculty on Twitter and Facebook
Create spreadsheet of interesting agents
Create spreadsheet of interesting publishers
Post weekly on Facebook author page between now and conference (16 posts)
Plan, write, schedule and post bimonthly on Author website between now and conference (8 posts)

Business: