This spring, I’ll be at the annual regional New England SCBWI conference—held this year in Springfield, Massachusetts—where I’ll be giving a talk on taking risks and teaching first pages workshops. The theme of this year’s conference is “Expand & Diversify Your Portfolio.”
I’ve been on faculty at #NESCBWI before, and what keeps drawing me back to this particular conference is its focus on writing craft over all the anxieties and agonies and promises of the industry. Certainly that will be my main focus in my talk as well as my workshops—though my talk will touch on how focusing on your writing craft can lead to a unique and genuine career. SCBWI can be very helpful when it comes time for agent-querying and moving toward publication, but the most important thing for writers to put their energy into as they strive to be published, in my opinion, is the writing itself. I love a conference that offers writers the tools to grow themselves on the page.
Here’s what I’ll be doing at NESCBWI this year:
Friday, April 21
WORKSHOP: Killer First Chapters
Expand your craft and look at the opening of your novel with new eyes. In this intensive workshop, we will discuss strong, memorable novel openings from published books and will also critique the opening pages of your YA or middle-grade novel. In discussion, we will ask: Did you start at the true start of your story? Is there a stronger, more memorable way to hook your reader? We will focus on the hook of a brilliant first paragraph, pacing and when to reveal information, and how to close your first chapter leaving the reader gasping for more. All participants should be prepared to post their first chapters online in the weeks before the conference, and will be contacted by email with details on how to do so. Students will be expected to read the first 5 pages of everyone’s manuscript and come ready for discussion.
Saturday, April 22
TALK: Taking Risks and Being True to Yourself as a Writer
How do you find your voice as a writer—a voice distinct to you and only you? In this crowded publishing market, we must find ways to stand out, and it’s not about chasing trends or trying to please everybody—so much of it is about being honest, brave, and distinctly yourself. In this talk, YA author and writing instructor Nova Ren Suma will share how she came to write her latest novel, The Walls Around Us, for herself first and the risks she took along the way. She will give craft advice on carving out a unique voice for your story and practical advice on building a career that is most true to you.
Sunday, April 23
WORKSHOP: Killer First Chapters
*The same workshop as Friday! Running it again because space is limited and this will give more writers the opportunity to take it!
Expand your craft and look at the opening of your novel with new eyes. In this intensive workshop, we will discuss strong, memorable novel openings from published books and will also critique the opening pages of your YA or middle-grade novel. In discussion, we will ask: Did you start at the true start of your story? Is there a stronger, more memorable way to hook your reader? We will focus on the hook of a brilliant first paragraph, pacing and when to reveal information, and how to close your first chapter leaving the reader gasping for more. All participants should be prepared to post their first chapters online in the weeks before the conference, and will be contacted by email with details on how to do so. Students will be expected to read the first 5 pages of everyone’s manuscript and come ready for discussion.
All of these sessions are now full, but you can contact the conference to get on the waitlists.
If you’ll be at the conference, I’ll be signing books at the all-faculty book signing on Saturday, April 22, at 5pm. This signing is not open to the public.