SCBWI – Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators.

British SCBWI is celebrating 10 years of supporting and encouraging Children’s book writers and illustrators with their third conference.

This year the conference is being held between the 13 -14 November 2010, at The Stripe complex, King Alfred Campus, University of Winchester, SO22 4NR. This is also the venue for the regular Winchester Writers Conference which has now been supporting writers for 30 years and the university offers degrees and MA’s in creative writing.

The SCBWI conference is for writers or illustrators focusing on children’s writing. There are opportunities to have work critiqued, talk to agents, and editors and attend workshops as well as networking with established authors and illustrators.

Not a member of SCBWI? Well that doesn’t matter, the conference is open to anyone working or wanting to develop their work in the children’s genre. Check out the official British SCBWI website for more details and how to book your place.

If you are serious about writing for children this is a brilliant place to start. If you become a member, not expensive, there are many benefits: professional series, networking parties, retreats and much, much more.

If you do go, why not drop us a line and let us know how you got on?

Plot develpments

The summer is here! Where? I think someone has hidden it from me, however this is good for a writer. There are less distractions to drag you kicking and screaming from your laptop or note book. For me this has proved useful. I've been working on my adult novel, which is still very much in its infancy, but I'm quite happy with what is developing there. Although I'm not sure exactly where it is going. I'm letting it grow organically at the moment, writing separate scenes as they want to be written and I think they are all linked, at least they are at the moment. My hope is that the scenes will fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and make sense. Of course this might not happen and it will all be for naught, but I'm getting so much out of writing this, it is dark and completely out of my comfort zone, but apparently it is good. I can only hope the Winchester Writers' Conference is correct and that this project is worth perusing.

I've also managed to find a better/more developed plot line for one of my books that had some interest, but wasn't quite there. This should give the novel a new lease of life and if I approach it correctly, I'll be able to send it out again by the end of the summer.

And not only that, I've a new idea for a YA novel. The notes have been jotted down and I'm liking the way it is going, but the plotting will let me see if it has the beginnings of growing legs. However this will sit and marinate for a while before I get to start work on it. This book will need a lot of research and the ardious task of watching some of Shakespeare's plays. A hard job but someone has to do it.

I'm off now to get started on the children's novel, or maybe the adult one or perhaps the both. I often work on two different manuscripts at a time. This allows me to stay fresh on both. If I write myself into a corner, I move to another piece of work until the other novel sorts itself out. I think it is amazing how this works. I don't know how it works, but it does. It is like the characters go away and have a few strong coffees or something stronger and then come back with the solution. Either that or I'm completely crazy!! Either way, it works - mostly.

Until next time.

Submitting again.

Since reporting on the SCWBI retreat, I've been busily working away at preparing submissions. Research, re-writing and revising. But that is all done now, well for the three manuscripts I've just sent off. Technically I've sent five things out. Two of those five have been for the Winchester Writers Conference in a couple of weeks. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I'll be able to go down this year. I'll miss my writing friends and catching up with their lives. And the networking that happens naturally. It is frustrating, but something I'll have to get used to. Two of the other manuscripts have gone to a publisher, after a positive conversation. they are both picture books. One simple but hopefully beautiful text, the other a text with a musical refrain. I can but hope they will be loved, just as I love them. The last manuscript has gone off to an agent, and this is a pitch for representation for my fantasy work, and the series I'm currently writing.
I love writing, fantasy and will one day be shouting on here saying I've done it but until that day occurs, I'll keep on submitting and writing.