Ah, l'amour (a NESCBWI conference gem)
I'm fresh from the 25th New England SCBWI conference...three words: a-maz-ing. ;)I haven't had so much writing energy in weeks, maybe months. We were treated to keynotes by Steve Mooser and Lin Oliver, the founders of SCBWI, as well as the very funny Tomie DePaola and the prolific Jane Yolen. I attended incredible workshops by Janet Fox, Donna Gephart, Sarah Aronson and Susan Raab, which pulled my plotting and marketing thoughts into a hitherto-unknown sense of order. Special Interest Groups allowed writers (and illustrators) to connect to others with the same interest for a group discussion--and I was thrilled to learn (judging from the size of my very large group) that historical fiction is alive and thriving.
But my gem for the day comes from an incredibly helpful and encouraging critique from my "one-on-one" with agent Lauren MacLeod. She critiqued the first ten pages and synopsis of my historical fiction ms, THE WITHERING VINE; her key bit of advice was, in my own very loose paraphrasing, "Don't be afraid to be really romantic. Teenage girls want scenes where their hearts pound and they're holding their breath; make sure you have at least one scene, somewhere in the middle, that does this."
So, as you can see, I've redecorated my writing space with things to help me remember... I guess my life is a lot sappier than than my novels. :)
Oh, yes, emotion! We read to feel ... Darling picture.
ReplyDeleteInteresting advice. While I'm not writing for teens, I wonder how it applies to me. I struggle with how over the top or understated to make my romantic scenes. Btw, I'm an INFJ too!
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great time!!! Here's to hoping your writing vigor remains until next year's conference.
ReplyDeleteI love that picture! Is that you and your husband?
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had a good conference. I'm already thinking about that advice the agent gave you. I try to remember what I wanted in a book when I was younger. Kissing wasn't absolutely necessary - but I did want romance. Think Anne of Green Gables and Gilbert. :)
Amy
Thank you all for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteYes, to clarify, the picture is of me and Mark when we were dating. I loved Amy's comment, because it made me recall one romantic thing that made me fall for Mark in the first place...I think I knew for sure I had to marry him when he told me of how much I reminded him of Anne Shirley (and then proceeded to discuss the plot with me). You can't go wrong with a guy who's man enough to read Anne of Green Gables and admit it, right? ;) And the plotting discussion was no small matter, either...
What a great idea. My area doesn't exactly give one sappy thoughts. Fortunately I'm wired for them either way.
ReplyDeleteI love listening to Lin talk. She's hiliarious. :D