Current Scratch: Workshop, Next, Pinterest, Craft

Howdy, folks!  I know the sunshine and perfect weather is calling. How do you keep moving forward with your work? Come to our Schmooze where we will discuss Balancing Writing Life--Goals & Deadlines.

The SCBWI Brazos Valley Schmooze topic this Wednesday, March 28, is "Balancing Your Writing Life" with Jacqueline Gramann, speaker. Join us at 10 a.m. in the Science corner at Barnes & Noble, 711 Texas Ave. in College Station, TX.

Open critique before the meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. Bring 5 copies of 5, double-spaced pages of a work in progress for peer review.

Local authors Kathi Appelt, Kathy Whitehead and Sherry Garland are all signing at the Texas Library Association conference on April 17-20 in Houston, TX. at the George R. Brown Convention center.  Here is the link.

Don't forget the upcoming yearly events:

SCBWI Saturday Workshop  Finding the Story
August 18, 2012 10 am/ Arts Center
Mary Wade, SCBWI Houston—Non-fiction
Jessica Lee Anderson, SCBWI Austin—Fiction

and

Writing Retreat  Speakers TBA
November 3, 2012
Glory Inn in Bryan Texas
Program:TBA

Good news for Molly Blasidell (intrepid Scratchpadder): 1. Her eBook THE BIG FUZZY COAT was published by Meegenius!  2. Her YA comedy novel PLUMB CRAZY is in the Quarterfinals of the Amazon Breakout Novel Contest. An excerpt is available HERE for the Kindles.

WORKSHOP

Creating an Authentic Cultural Voice

Putting imagination, experience, empathy, and research to work for you

April 26 – April 29, 2012

Workshop Leaders: Mitali Perkins, Donna Jo Napoli

Special Guests: Kathryn Erskine, Alvina Ling, Stacy Whitman

If you have any further questions about the event, please feel free to contact Jo Lloyd at jo.lloyd@highlightsfoundation.org; or call, toll-free, 877-512-8365.

NEXT

Here is an article in PW about what is coming next in children's books. This is a Bologna Bookfair 2012 perspective.

PINTEREST

Into social media?  A new popular form is Pinterest. It is online bulletin board space for you to pin and share the things you love, I'm trying this out. Here is a link to my boards.

Here is some stuff about the growing Pinterest fad and discussion about copyright.  Discusison on Downtown YA. Check it out.

Here is another post about Pinterest at Rachelle Gardner's blog -- 13 things you may want to know about it.

CRAFT

Check out the PLOT WHISPERER blog for some plot rx. 

Searching for  your original voice?  Here is some good advice CHERYL REIF WRITES blog. Check it out.

Need some tricks to help you slip in description of your characters? Check out LET THE WORDS FLOW blog. 

The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily those of the SCBWI.