Thursday, December 23, 2021
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
SCBWI Conference Adventures
I know everyone who attended SCBWI 50 had a glorious time. Pen and Ink first attended SBWI's Summer Conference in 2010
During a meeting at Taco Tuesday at El Torito's Kris Kahrs decided it wasn't enough to simply attend, we had to have a gimmick. Kris suggested we create a picture book.
So we did. We designated Lupe as our cameraman. Sue as our costumer. And Kris and Hilde began to shanghai victims… hem, potential participants to take part in the fun. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical that people would want to do it, but we were surprised at how little convincing people needed. They were quite willing indeed.
And you wouldn't believe the caliber of pirates we had join our ship! You will have to click on the link to see the cast of bandits… I mean… award-winning authors extraordinaire.
Side-note from Sue. I was sitting next to Judy Blume at one of the breakout sessions and she agreed to be part of our adventure. I frantically texted the rest of the gang, but they were busy in the main room. So - no Judy Blume. But so many others agreed to play along. The letter A pirate was Arthur Levine and then there was . . .. No. Click and see for yourselves.
Take a look. Happy summer all.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
TwasThe Night Before Christmas A Parody For Book Lovers
Twas The Night.
by Susan J BergerTwas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
Each creature was reading. Yes, even the mouse.
In a nest made of cotton that used to line pills,
he read Mouseman Saves Christmas and shivered with thrills.
Miss Padpaws turned pages of Elf off A Shelf
And purred as she read it aloud to herself.
Bad Dog, on the hearth, was devouring a book.
He'd chewed up five chapters and turned them to gook.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
reading books, with their blankets pulled over their heads.
Mamá in her headset heard Time and Forever.
I chortled o'er Hogfather. That Pratchett's so clever.
Not one of us heard jingle bells on the roof.
No prancing and pawing of each tiny hoof.
looked up and woofed softly at the man on the log.
"Good Bad Dog," said Santa, and opened his pack.
He pulled out a bushel of books from his sack.
Picture books, YA, some Midgrades for Simon,
Thrillers, romances and even Neil Gaiman.
Geronimo Stilton, he gave to the mouse.
A copy of Archie, he left for the louse
He patted Miss Padpaws and handed her Cats.
For Bad Dog, a cake book that tasted like Brats
He filled every stocking with poems and prose.
Then ate all the cookies; brushed crumbs from his clothes.
On Prancer! On Dancer!" Their bells jingled bright.
"Happy reading to all and to all a good night".
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
NanoWriMo Time. Quotes to keep you writing
It's NaNoWriMo time again. If you've never tried National Novel Month, it's a great way to get a first draft. This year I hope to come out with a finished short story. No harm in setting your own personal goal. I have three published NaNoWriMo Novels, two first drafts I haven't revised and a fourth novel I am currently querying.
Dory and I have so much in common. I often stop to Google.
“Don't worry about what you're writing or whether it's good or even whether it makes sense.” Lauren Oliver
Ray Bradbury.
Chris Baty
Monday, October 26, 2020
More on NaNoWriMO It's COVID Season. Here's Something to Do
Have you started a book which you’ve never had time to finish? You are not alone. I had ideas galore. But getting them down and finishing that first draft? Let me say it took me a year and an half, a commitment to my critique group and a lot of personal nagging to finish a first draft of a middle grade book. Then I discovered NaNoWriMo.
National Write a Novel Month takes place in November. It began in 1999, when Chris Baty and a group of friends got together and challenged each other to write a novel of 50,000 words of more in ONE MONTH. Why? Who knows? Crazy! |