Week of August 12, 2012: Stand-out
Moments from SCBWI, LA
Tuesday, August 14—It’s All About the
Magic
When you think about it, writing is magical. Where do ideas come from?
Magic. How does an author know how to take twists and turns in a plot? Magic.
How does an imaginary character become real to readers? Magic. How does an
author get a book published? Magic. Granted there’s a lot of hard work
involved, too, but many speakers at SCBWI LA emphasized the magical components of writing.
In
her keynote address, Newbery-award winner Karen Cushman, said, “Be open to the
unexpected. See things unseen. Seek surprise. Ask questions that might have
surprising answers.” She encouraged the audience to encounter the magic of
writing by being playful with purpose. She also encouraged us to edit
ourselves, but not to critique ourselves. An editor seeks to be helpful, a
critique by nature is critical. Give up the critical for the helpful.
Karen
has two rules: (1) Be honest in your writing. (2) Write with passion from your
heart. She concluded by saying, “Make time for the creativity as well as the
craft.”
Clare
Vanderpool, another Newbery-award winning author, said that authors are “Stuck
in the middle of life and art.” Paying attention, according to Vanderpool, is the key
to creative magic.
Deborah
Underwood, Crystal Kite winner for The
Quiet Book, spoke about “The Power of Quiet.” She shared about brain
research that says idleness and quiet time allow for creativity—which, of
course, leads to magic. She said there are five steps to take to make time for
quiet.
( 1. Realize
the importance of quiet
2. Schedule
quiet
( 3. Look
for those times when quiet is enforced on you—at a concert, in car, at a
meeting
—and harness those quiet moments.
4. Limit
input—identify your own demons and deal with them (whether they be Facebook,
texting, TV, or whatever else that steals your time and your quiet)
( 5. Notice
the quiet already in your head.
Those
are magical thoughts, don’t you think? J
'
No comments:
Post a Comment