I attended my first in-person SCBWI conference this month. The “Reunited and It Feels So Good” conference was also my first Florida regional conference. I thought I’d write a quick post about my 5 major takeaways from the conference, both in terms of content and in terms of the conference experience. Feel free to share your own takeaways in the comments!
Honorable Mention: Bring Business Cards
Yes, it’s old-fashioned to have physical business cards. But, they are a standard for a reason. They are easy to hand out when connecting with new people. Plus, they are a chance to share your work. For illustrators, include an illustration on your card. For writers, have your information on one side and an elevator pitch for your manuscript (or one of your manuscripts) on the other. This double-sided approach was mentioned in the online webinar about tips for attending the conference and it was such a good idea. You never know who your cards might end up with.
Takeaway 5: Attending an Intensive at Least Once is Worth It
Now, the intensive is quite expensive, considering the one day is about the same price as the rest of the conference. That’s why the takeaway isn’t to attend the intensive every year. But, I’m really glad I did it this year. I participated in the Picture Book Intensive, which was led by Rob Sanders, Joyce Sweeney, and Chris Krones. The first two were a surprise, as Miranda and Baptiste Paul were the original first two panelists. [Sending well wishes their way…]
All three of the panelists were fantastic. Rob took a more instructional approach, so I took avid notes. Then, Joyce tool a more practical approach, and her verbs activity has changed my WIP for the better to the Nth degree. Chris wrapped the day up with a great look at current PB market trends and a discussion/activity on story structures. I’ve taught Freytag’s pyramid myself, but it was still a useful activity.
Overall, the WIP I brought to the conference is so much stronger and I have new ideas for how to draft and revise future manuscripts. I also met some lovely people at lunch, which led to more closely befriending my lunch neighbor throughout the rest of the conference.
Will I do an intensive again? Probably. But it’s not something I plan to do yearly. I think it’s a great day to take part in when you are in extra important moments of your career. In this case, I’m close to starting my second round of querying.
Takeaway 4: The Keynotes are Incredibly Motivating
Did I cry multiple times during Dan Santat’s keynote? Yes. Did I take avid notes during Pat Zietlow Miller’s? Also yes. Did I smile and laugh and gain tons of motivation from all of the keynote speakers? Without a doubt!
All of them were amazing speakers. All of them had helpful tidbits to share. All of them gave me hope for the future. I’ve never attended every keynote at a conference, until now.
Admittedly, I do think one less keynote and one more breakout workshop would create a better balance between inspiring and practical. But I couldn’t say who I’d cut from this year’s list if I had the chance. They were all amazing.
So, attend the keynotes!! Your heart will grow in size and your notebook will fill with advice and ideas.
Takeaway 3: Carefully Pick Your Breakout Workshops
All of my workshops were excellent. I wouldn’t change a thing. Some were more instructive and some were more practical. It just depends on the person leading it. But I learned from all of them.
One new friend I made during the conference had a good point, though. She picked the workshops based not on the topic, but the facilitator.
“Conferences are the best chance we have to meet and speak to editors. Considering how rare this chance happens, I’m always going to pick a workshop led by an editor if that’s an option.”
I picked by topic first, then facilitator second. I didn’t have any workshops with an editor, but I did have one with an agent. In future conferences, I might take a bit more time strategizing which workshops to attend. Still, my favorite workshop was led by an author, so I definitely won’t only use this business mindset when making my decisions.
Takeaway 2: Get a Critique
Now, I admit I had the privilege of getting a free critique because I’m a volunteer. [I help with online workshop tech and was also ran the organization’s Twitter account during the conference.] But I’ve paid for critiques before and I’ll keep doing so if necessary in the future, because a critique is the best way to get professional eyes and professional feedback on your manuscript.
You can’t pick the person who’s critiquing your manuscript, which I think is a good thing. Last year, for Critique-a-Palooza, I had an agent critique one of my manuscripts. She doesn’t really represent picture books any more, but her feedback was still helpful. I was excited to have matched with an agent. An agent or editor feels like the goal when being matched.
However, at this conference, I was matched with an author. Not a choice I would have made for myself, since connecting one-on-one with agents and editors is so rare, but when I saw her name in the email, I was ecstatic: Pat Zietlow Miller.
I had submitted a concept PB manuscript for my critique. To get matched with Pat, who has published so many non-standard, quieter stories was a dream come true. A dream that became a reality when she had such positive things to say about my manuscript.
Yes, getting matched with an agent or editor who ends your critique with the line, “I want to rep you/acquire your manuscript” is likely the hope of most writers who get a critique. But, “With a few small tweaks this manuscript is ready to query” was music to my ears. And having 10 of my 15 minutes available to ask questions and get feedback on other ideas, because the manuscript critique itself was so short, was both confidence boosting and extremely valuable.
So, I hope I’m never asked to pick my critique match. Serendipity has its place.
Takeaway 1: Make Friends
I’m pretty introverted and can get a bit anxious in crowds. So, socializing or networking at conferences can be mentally difficult. But everyone I met at the conference was so friendly. All I had to do was sit close to at least one person when entering an activity, rather than choosing a seat near no one and hoping someone decided to sit close by and open the conversation.
Even more lovely, I was standing outside the lobby considering my dinner options when a group of four women walked by me. A few steps after they passed me, one turned back, went up to me, and asked,
“Are you eating dinner alone?”
When I said yes, she asked me to join her group. So I did. We had a delicious dinner, an exhilarating walk/run back in the rain, and chatted with each other during conference events that occurred after that first night. I can still so clearly remember her turning back and coming up to me that evening. It epitomizes the most important takeaway of the conference:
The community-building aspect of conferences by itself is worth the price of admission.
What’s your top conference takeaway? Share in the comments!