Ten Things I Love about the SCBWI Conference

Photo: Colleen Cailin Jones

10 things I love about the annual SCBWI conference (and one thing I hate!)

Here goes:

1. The fantastic Keynotes. This year I was inspired and entertained by the ‘seriously funny’ Liz Pichon and Alex T Smith. Their passion for producing funny children’s books and the hard work they put in, left me awestruck. Industry professional Julia Eccleshare’s thoughtful and realistic view of the current state of children’s publishing was excellent too.
2. The workshops. I came away buzzing with enthusiasm from Kate Scott’s insights into how to have multiple careers as a writer (and the message you don’t have to be famous to make a living at it). From Joanna Nadin’s practical session, I gained the confidence to believe I could at least try and write something funny.
3. The one-to-ones. The conference provides a rare opportunity to have agents read your work and give feedback. I might not have received the feedback I really wanted this year, but it was almost certainly the feedback I needed to hear.
4. The Illustrators’ exhibition. As a non-drawer, I am totally in awe of the talent on show and am only sad I didn’t have longer to look through all the portfolios.
5. The weather. Conference for me started at 2pm on Friday when I led 20 people on a ScrawlCrawl around some of the quiet, tucked away parts of Winchester. (New name planned for next year to avoid confusion with the SketchCrawl btw). It was a beautiful afternoon and gave everyone the opportunity to make a few new friends before the weekend proper.
6. Meeting old friends. As Scoobies come to the conference from all over the country (and even from abroad) most of the time we only interact via social media. It’s great to talk in person and catch up properly with everyone’s news.
7. Making new friends. Attending Friday Fringe events (see 5 above) is a great way to meet some new people before being thrust into the mix of 200+ delegates, but all through the weekend I met new people I know I’ll keep in touch with.
8. The costumes at the party. What a fantastic array of children’s book characters and it was lovely to see so many people coming as characters from other Scoobies’ books!
9. The bookstall. P and G Wells once again provided a wonderfully well-stocked stall throughout the whole weekend and, as usual, I managed to solve a lot of Christmas present problems. Not sure what I’d do without them.
10. The hardworking volunteers. Hours and hours of lots of people’s time goes into making the conference happen every year. Without them, there would be no conference. I love them all!  
11. And the one thing I hate? Having to wait another 12 months before I can do it all again!