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SCBWI
- 2008 NATIONAL
CONFERENCE
Here's a
highlight or two from the LA conference
by Sara McAlister
Author Bruce Coville was the opening keynote speaker with "The Art of the Heart: Writing True for the Child." Here are some great secrets he let us in
on:
 Seven Deadly Sins for Writers
- Dullness: If it doesn't add to the story, get rid of it.
- Repetition: Don't follow the trend, MAKE the trend.
- Cliché: These are too easy. Do it the hard way.
- Sloth: Not working at your best. EXCEED expectations.
 Inattention: Know your characters!- Perfectionism: This is the ending of achievement. It creates fear.
- Clumsiness: Lack of craft.
Seven Heavenly Sins for Writers
- Passion: Great stories come from passion.
 Sensuousness: Check to see how many senses you've engaged.- Wisdom: Recall memories from grades 1st-6th.
- Guile: Readers want to be drawn in, then surprised (our deceit).
- Humor: It can reconnect us back to ourselves, from feeling to thought.
 Courage: We need to be bolder in what we do. Courage is freedom. Scrape out stories that are too painful to tell, then tell them anyway.- Joys: To act from joy takes more courage than to act from fear.
This was just one of many phenomenal speeches that moved us.
 Probably the best part of the long weekend was the chance to be around others in the industry that understand how hard it is. Meetingnew friends and getting excited about your work-in-progress made for one fabulous, motivating time.
If you are serious about your writing or art and haven't been to this conference, you need to go. It is a writer changing experience. Start saving your pennies (well okay, maybe your dollars) for next year, August
7th-10th, 2009.
Keep writing and learning!
Sara McAlister |
