Tuesday, August 9, 2011

quotes from SCBWI

here's the thing about an SCBWI conference...

you talk. a lot.
sometimes from 6am to after midnight. wonderful, thought-provoking, inspiring conversations with amazing people.
but the talking - whew! let's just say i'm running out of words.

so i thought i'd share some words from OTHER people today.

maybe it's the journalist in me, but i noticed almost all of my notes from the conference are exact quotes from the fabulous speakers and presenters. here are a few of my favorites:

Bruce Coville:
(remembering a letter he got from an adult who had been deeply changed by reading one of Coville's books as a child. the book was a quiet, unreviewed, fourth-in-a-series paperback)
"Everything you do ripples outward. You don't know what kind of difference you're going to make."
(on taking a break from a book)
"Sometimes the best way to get back INTO the work is to get AWAY from the work."

Libba Bray:
(on the pain of first drafts/rough revisions)
"Embrace the suck."
(on writing characters who are gay or minority or anything else that might be different from your personal experience - and not making them PSAs)
"Write from the outside in."

Judy Blume:
(on the WSJ writer using Judy as an example to make the writer's point in that infamous article)
"I was so pissed!"
(on the popularity of children's writers today)
"We are so hot."
"We're the money-makers... I mean for the publishers."
(other insights)
"I start a book on the day something different happens."
"You know what? I've never really understood the creative process."
"Everybody needs somebody who's supportive."

Gary Paulsen:
(on the publishers who rejected Hatchet, which has now been a best-seller for 21 years)
"It must sting."
(on money)
"I don't give a good goddamn what they pay me for it, as long as I get to do that dance."
(on enriching the lives of children)
"Do the best you can for the young people."
(on passion and a message for young readers)
"Read like the wolf eats. Read when they tell you not to read. Read WHAT they tell you not to read."

Laurie Halse Anderson:
(on discipline and having a writing routine)
"Order is required so the chaos of art can unfold."

tomorrow i'll post some pictures and share the moment that might just have made the whole trip for me!

14 comments:

stephanie kuehn said...

Wonderful quotes, Erin. And it was fun getting to meet you!

erinjade said...

thanks Stephanie! so great meeting you too. :D

Rachael said...

Great quotes! I hope I get to go to SCBWI someday.

Lindsay Cummings author said...

it was such an awesome week! i am so TIRED! lol.

Jess said...

Wow, love those quotes! Judy Blume's so darn sassy--I love following her on Twitter :) Thanks for sharing!

Melanie said...

those quotes are great! I think my fave goes to Gary Paulson for this one:

(on money)
"I don't give a good goddamn what they pay me for it, as long as I get to do that dance."

friggin' awesome.

Can't wait to see your pics!!

Linda said...

Awesome quotes!

Kristen Kittscher said...

Hmm. You don't even need a magic pen like mine to capture the magic!

erinjade said...

thanks everyone!

and Kristen - i was totally wishing for your magic pen this morning. i'm sure there were tons of great quotes i missed. i have pen envy. ;)

Emily Hainsworth said...

Damn, here you were taking NOTES when i was all glassy-eyed. These are fabulous, Erin. Steel-CUT. :D

Tiffany Schmidt said...

It sounds like a fabulous conference! I'm still trying to decide when I'll stop being jealous. Maybe by October. Maybe May.

Lyla said...

Thanks for the quotes, Erin! Yeah, I've been feeling jealous about not being able to go to the conference for a whole week now, too. Ah well, at least I have nice people like you to tell me at least SOME of the things that were said. :)

erinjade said...

LOL Emily! i almost ended with this quote:
"...and a breakfast pizza. and can we get that steel-cut? thanks." hee hee.

Tiffany and Lyla, oh yes, i have felt that green eyed monster, and i'm sure i'll feel it all over again many times, because i know i certainly can't afford to go to SCBWI twice a year - or even every year!
(note to self: must. sell. more. books.) ;)

Christi Goddard said...

I was so jealous of my twitter friends who were at SCBWI and tweeting the awesome. I would have loved to have gone. I'm glad you were able to share all this awesomeness with us.