Agent Panel Discussion from the 2009 NJ SCBWI June Conference

Oliver, our newest family member at 8 weeks

If you couldn't attend this year's NJ SCBWI June Conference but would still like to learn about it, go to my blog. I will be posting take-aways, golden nuggets of inspiration, and more from this year's conference.

My most recent posting is from the Agent Panel Q & A Discussion.

Thanks, everyone!

Would You Believe?

PHEW! What a whirlwind March and April were. So, where have I been? Would you believe I was abducted by aliens? No. How about I found myself falling through a mirror to the lost city of Lemuria (Atlantis' twin lost city - a little PJ Hoover's The Emerald Tablet for you). No, you don't buy that either... Hmmm, let's see... OK, I know. I was walking through the woods when I decided to follow this hawk and became terribly lost in an unfamiliar, unfriendly forest. No, that's in my book.

OK, truth be told... I was here all along but under siege of fast and furious freelance writing jobs. Before leaving for Florida, I thought I was going to burst a blood vessel in my temporal lobe! I have NEVER been under so much pressure. But hey, I am not complaining! It's good to be busy and good to have a job at a time like this. So, am I back? Yes. But, it won't be as predictable as I normally am - blogging every week. Instead, I am going to have to blog when the window opens. I think things are becoming more manageable.

In order to better balance my freelance, my speculative novel, and my blog, I am beginning a new bi-monthly feature. I am hoping it will keep us connected, hone our writing skills, and maybe help keep up my blog during this crazy run better than I've been lately.

But, before I go into more detail about this new bloggy venture, I need to spread the linky love to a dear friend, mentor, talented writer and artist, and NJ's own SCBWI Regional Advisor - Kathy Temean. Kathy's just joined the blog-o-sphere and I'd love it if we all give her a warm welcome by visiting her amazing site. Kathy offers a plethora of reliable information. She knows many agents, editors, and publishers. She gives good advice and knows her stuff! So check her out...

So what's my new bloggy column about??? Well, I am combining my two areas of interest, photography and writing. I am going to post a new picture prompt every two weeks, I will put up a picture and ask that you free write about the photo in my comments section. Let's make some rules though... Hmmm, let's see... Actually, it's only 1 rule. It should only take you 5 minutes. There, that's my only rule, for now. Feel free to write poetry, something for children, something for adults, the beginnings of an idea maybe for a novel... whatever comes to your head in five minutes and leave it in the comment section. Feel free to also comment on the off-the-cuff writing samples left there as well.

Let's get started. Here is our first picture...

You have two weeks to submit your five minute stories or beginnings of a story. So, May 14th. Hope you'll play along...

Glad to be back!

Happy Writing,
Sheri

Flash Fiction Contest

Our Feb 15th event is just a week away. It is going to be fabulous, if I do say so myself. I am so excited to meet some of our new members and to see some familiar faces.

We have lots of fun games planned and I imagine the library will never have been so loud and raucous.

We are even having a flash fiction contest. Flash Fiction is a short piece of work that is a complete story. It must have a beginning, middle, end, conflict, and resolution. Have you begun working on your piece?

Here are the rules and some questions answered...

1. Your short fiction piece cannot exceed 250 words, not even by a single word. This INCLUDES the words from the sentence starter, but DOES NOT include the words in your title.
2. It must contain, a beginning, middle, end, problem, and a resolution
3. It must begin with these two sentences…
   It wasn't that Harley was afraid. Not exactly
4. Your story must fit into one of the following categories….
   humor, thriller, fantasy, realistic fiction, or historic fiction.
5. It can be written for any age range: picture book, chapter book, middle grade novel, tween novel, young adult novel.

You must:

1. Print and bring two copies. One copy will be read aloud by a volunteer (other than yourself) and one copy will be on display for votes.
2. DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON YOUR COPIES
3. On the top of your submission, include your title, word count, intended age range, and genre (but again, no name) For ex.

Clash of Thunder, 250 words, middle grade, horror

There will be two winners per category, a 1st place and 2nd place. All winners will choose from a variety of prizes.

Prizes include:
A gift certif. to Wegmans
A gift certif. to Zanya's Day Spa
Bottles of wines
How to books
A candle basket
An illustrators gift basket
And more.

Please do not wrap gifts so winners can see the items in order to make their selection.

Each member can only enter the contest once. Sorry.

If you will be unable to attend, you can still place your flash fiction piece here under the comments sections, but winners and prizes will only be chosen by those who attend. Still, it is a great exercise and I hope you give it a shot!

2009 Winner of the Tomie DePaola Portfolio Award goes to...

Congratulations to our very own...

Leeza Hernandez!!!

Leeza was named the winner of the 2009 Tomie DePaola Portfolio Award at this year's NYC SCBWI Winter Conference. I know Leeza must still be floating in the stratosphere somewhere but she floated down briefly to tell me what winning felt like to her...

After the shock and delight of receiving the award, I think I truly felt like winning was a sign that I was finally on the right track. I've spent the past few years wondering where I could fit in, what my style was, where I was headed, and even if children's books was the right path for me. For the past twelve months though, this has all started to come together and shown me my desires and passions for working in children's literature. I spent many an early day and late night sketching, painting, doodling, researching, networking, crying and illustrating -- and somewhere in that time, everything clicked. To have two such prestigious names in the children's book world -- legendary Tomie dePaola and Penguin Putnam's art director Cecilia Yung -- describe my work as "Fresh" and "Superlative" is the icing on the cake. I cannot express my gratitude enough to them or to everyone who has been a part of my life since I began this wonderful journey. The feeling is simply AWESOME!

I am so very proud of Leeza's growth, determination, and stamina! And I admire her talent and positive disposition in life and art. I feel very lucky to know her, to be her friend, and to know that she is my friend too, and to have her a part of HCCyWIG.

Please join me in congratulating Leeza in this awe inspiring accomplishment!

Always remember, if you stick with it, eventually, you will break in!

Writer's Resolutions 2009

Happy New Year!

Hope you all had a great holiday and maybe even caught up on some needed and well deserved R&R. Of course, you know with a new year comes resolutions. But I am not speaking about resolutions to lose weight or exercise more… Those are important goals too. After all, your health IS important. But I am speaking about my favorite kind of resolutions - Writer's Resolutions of course!

Whether it be to sell a magazine article, finish three dummies in the year, or polish your manuscript, setting goals is the first step to obtaining them. Without setting a goal in writing, it is too easy to forget or forgo. Something magical happens when you put something in writing. We all know this - after all, we're all writers! But when you put something in writing, you automatically become accountable. Don't know where to start? Start small and obtainable.

Feel free to borrow any of these goals if you can't come up with your own…

1. Make a space that is just for you and your writing. A place where you and only you go to write.
2. Decide on an amount of time you will try to write each day or each week. For example…. I will write two hours five days a week, rain or shine. Or… I will write ten hours a week.
3. Some novelists like to work with word count instead of time. So maybe your goal could be… This year I will strive to write 5,000 a week. (Believe me, that goes fast! Take it from a past NaNoWriMo contestant!)
4. Maybe you've had a novel (harrumph!) you've been working on for quite sometime so your goal is to (once and for all, for crying out loud, G-d willing) finish the (darn!) thing.
5. Maybe it's to read more books in your sub-genre… This year I will read 20 books in my field.
6. Maybe it's to test your book to a live audience… This year I will reach out to schools or libraries to see if I can read my books to a classroom and test it out on a live audience.
7. Or here's my favorite… I will treat my writing like a business and be present each day, ready to work as if my livelihood depends on it.

Whatever your dreams are, turn them into goals. And then watch your goals become reality!

February 15th is going to be a fun day. Don't forget to RSVP by Jan 15. This event will be catered and we will play lots of games and get to know all our new members. Plus, there will be door prizes! If you have not RSVP'd, do it today!

Thanks everyone!

Sheri Happy Writing!

Our next Illustrator Meeting

We are all set for our next Illustrator meeting on Monday Dec. 8.*

Please bring:
Your goals from the last meeting; portfolios; dummies; questions and oodles of creativity for Monday night's discussion.

Topics to be discussed: Finding a style (but maybe you have more than one); Achievements from 2008 and where to head for 2009 plus preparing for upcoming conferences.

See you there 6:30pm sharp!


* This meeting is open to HCCWiG members ONLY.

FINAL WORD COUNT FOR NANOWRIMO

Drum roll please........

If I count all words in this draft at this point, the total count is......

40,829

However, about 7,000 of those words are from a few chapters from my last version that I need to rewrite, but have now run out of time. So, if I only count all the words written from Nov 1 - 30 and don't count those two or three chapters I haven't rewritten yet, than my final word count is......

33,016

But, I am not upset at all that I didn't reach the goal of 50,000 words. I never thought I would meet that goal, although there was a moment when I did believe it was attainable. I have learned far too much to feel sad. I have learned I can...

...write through fatigue

...write through pain

...write through a cold

...write through sick children

...write through sleepless nights

...write after working with 3 year olds

...write while my family is home and doing loud activities

...write in the car with the radio on and the kids in the back seat watching a movie (My husband was driving... Oh and I cannot, however, write while my DH sings. Sorry, THAT is too much of a distraction for me!)

~But most of all, I have learned that I can finish this book and that I will finish this book.

~I have learned that 50,000 words is reachable and that my story will probably wind up being longer than 50,000 words.

I have learned a good set of earphones do a lot more than block out sound. They also work like blinders on a horse and help me to zero in my focus.

I have also learned not to share your story before it is finished and never, never, EVER revise until YOU ARE DONE! Repeat after me.... NEVER, EVER, EVER REVISE UNTIL YOU ARE DONE!

Writing my first novel has been a real up hill battle, learning simultaneously about my novel as I am learning how to write one! Not an easy task at all. But I love what I do. I can't not (double negative, I know...) do what I do. And one day I will make money doing what I do. I believe in my story and I believe in my dedication.

I would recommend NaNo to everyone and anyone who will listen. My suggestions are...

1. write an outline before Nov 1. Write several. A long, detailed one and a short one. My long one was 31 pages full of detail - what characters were in that chapter, what props, what's foreshadowed, what was the mini conflict, mini resolution, and "disaster" that kept forever pulling my MC to that point of no return, or what I like to call the journey... My short outline was 2 pages long and basically was a few short words - no more than 3 - just sighting he crux of each chapter.
2. Do your research before November 1
3. Tell members of your writing group, you will not be sharing pages for the month of November

I want to thank all of you for following my journey and for cheering me on through this process. It was such a thrill to know you were all there behind me and I was behind all of my fellow NaNo writers as well.

My story will not reach The End at word 50,000. And although NaNoWriMo is over, many of us are not done. So, join me in setting a new goal - to reach 50,000 words or the end of your story by December 31st. Let's ring in the New Year with new MSs. So, whose with me?

Again, from the bottom of this writer's heart... thank you! December 31st, here we come!