 |
| ~ yeowatzup |
So, you’re going to attend a writers’ conference, eager to
dive into some serious study of craft. Well, believe me, you will find plenty
of that packed between inspiring keynote speeches and faculty panels. For
example, I recently attended the Oregon SCBWI conference. Saturday’s breakout
sessions found me facing a rapid-fire succession of strategic questions during
a Character Boot Camp with agent Molly O’Neill, discovering ways to switch off a
reader’s “default mode of traits” in editor Tiffany Liao’s Fundamentals of
Writing Cross-Culturally, tracking the Secrets of a Great Synopsis with author
Martha Brockenbrough, and quivering with nerves as I read and then waited for
feedback during a First Page session with agents Natascha Morris and Molly
O’Neill.
Sunday’s breakout sessions started with only slightly less
quivering nerves as eight of us met with Natascha to read and critique up to
500 words of one of our picture book manuscripts. With that over and my nerves
off the hook, I checked my schedule. And that’s when it struck me. My writer’s
brain was tired, close to overloading. I really didn’t think I could keep
focused through one, let alone three more breakout sessions if I kept doing
what I had been doing. It was time to give myself permission to take a break
and go off schedule. It was time to remember that an important aspect of
attending a conference was enjoying the experience.
I stuffed my notebook (dutifully full of scribbled notes)
back in my bag and headed to one of my favorite off schedule retreats: an
illustrator focused workshop. Picture books are a collaboration between writer
and illustrator, so I’ve always found seeing how the other half works to be
both entertaining and inspiring. I’ve even learned more about the interplay of
text and pictures from these sessions. I entered, fully prepared to sit back
and observe. Wrong! It turned out that the presenter, Vanessa Brantley Newton,
considered everyone in the room a participant. Our goal? Musical Creation. (Think
musical chairs, but each time the music stops, everyone moves to a new table and
either builds on something someone else started or starts a new something.) Tamping
down the impulse to run like a scalded cat, I took a seat. And played. And found
it both relaxing and re-energizing to stretch my creative muscles in a
different direction.
Then I did something even more revolutionary. I sat out the
next session. Granted, there wasn’t a
topic I was particularly drawn to that session, but that didn’t mean
that little voice in the back of my mind grumbling about wasted opportunities
was easy to ignore. But I did. Torn between a short nap back in my room or
finding a quiet spot to just veg, I compromised. First I visited the art
portfolio displays, something I hadn’t taken time to do yet. Then I found a
quiet spot and read back over my session notes, slipping added bits of clarity
into mystifying scribbles while things were still fairly fresh in my mind. That
part may not sound like resting my brain, but there really is a big difference
between frantically jotting down notes during a fast paced session and going
back over those notes at your own pace.
By then it was time for the last breakout session of the day
(and conference). Relaxed and refreshed, I was able to focus on and enjoy
Natascha Morris and one of the writers she represents offering their insights
on Working with an Agent. I even managed to ask an intelligent question or two.
Yet the best part of taking those off schedule breaks? I avoided those
washed-out and tired-out doldrums that can hit just as the final keynote speech
is about to begin. I heard every inspiring story and quote that SCBWI Executive
Director Lin Oliver delivered. And missing any part of that would have truly
been a wasted opportunity.
So, attend those writers’ conferences and soak up your
craft. Just don’t forget to enjoy it. Let keynote speeches be a vicarious
journey, more about listening than note-taking. Use mealtimes and breaks (even
those long bathroom lines) to chat with other attendees and possibly strike up
new friendships. Most importantly, don’t forget to give your brain a break.
Take that nap, attend a session you might not normally consider, visit the
bookstore or art portfolio displays, or even, gasp, just find a quiet spot and
veg. You might just be surprised at how much more you get out of your overall
experience if you do.
No comments:
Post a Comment