Kiboshing the Conference
Speaking with my volunteer SCBWI RA hat on for a moment, I recently had to put the kibosh on our Canada East spring conference because not enough people signed up. This made me sad.
I don’t think there was any one reason for the lack of registrations this year. It seemed like a weird confluence of individuals just not being able to make it this time. We had a killer lineup of speakers. It was frustrating but no worries, I get it, stuff happens. It got me thinking though.
Here’s the thing. There are so many resources available now on the internet for writers and illustrators. You can find out how to write a query letter from a whole bunch of agent blogs. You can read the latest tips on which editors are looking for what types of submissions. You can even find out what type of font and type size some people prefer to get submission in. It’s mind boggling the stuff out there if you know how to find it.
So why go to a conference at all?
Okay, I know why I go. But I don’t care about that right now. Let’s assume you could get to the place, afford the place, and have whatever babysitting or time off work or other support you’d need to be able to go. What do you look for in a conference? Is there anything you get from it/hope to get from it that you can’t get from someplace on the internet? Has the internet made a difference to what you look to get out of a conference? I’d like to know.
© Lizann Flatt, www.lizannflatt.com
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.
Woodpecker or Writer?
Today I’m sitting in my desk chair at my computer feeling quite grumpy about everything … and nothing. One of those days.
And I see a woodpecker swoop in and begin pecking at a big birch stump outside my window. I watch it for awhile.
My mind wanders to this comparison:
woodpecker: bashes away at wood to make holes in which to find bugs to eat
writer: bashes away at keyboard to make stories to sell so as to obtain crumbs to eat
woodpecker: perhaps does not find reward in every hole it bashes but keeps bashing anyway
writer: not likely to get reward for every story it bashes out but keeps bashing anyway
woodpecker: has thick skull so brain can withstand prolonged impact and continue to direct bird to pursue lifestyle of bashing away on wood, even when pulling up worms or foraging for seeds might seem to be a more sensible choice
writer: has thick skull so brain cannot easily be dissuaded from pursuing lifestyle of bashing away at keyboard, even when flipping burgers might seem to be a more sensible choice
Hunh.
sdfaghaerahpruoghv;zdiflkxvnzkjdfbv
[my head bashes keyboard, nicely amalgamating the two lifestyle choices outlined above]
© Lizann Flatt, www.lizannflatt.com
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.
Read to Me, Alex
I let a virtual stranger read to me yesterday and it was awesome. I highly recommend it.
No, I didn’t accost someone off the street, not that there’s anyone lurking on the street in these parts at this time of year to accost anyway. I just mean I turned Alex on. !?!
Oh, that sounds bad, real bad, cause Alex is not hubby’s name.
What I really mean is I turned on the text-to-speech function on my computer and the voice I’ve selected as the least annoying is named Alex. I had my computer, as Alex, read to me.
I was having trouble being objective about a manuscript. I’m too used to the intonation and expression I want it to be read with. What I needed was someone to read it aloud to me. I’ve had writing group pals read my stuff back to me before, and I know that’s extremely useful feedback, but they weren’t handy. Enter Alex. He worked beautifully.
I was amazed at the problems that suddenly stood out. I realized I’d written a couple sentences that were needlessly complicated. It even twigged me to a typo I’d not seen the previous fifty times (no word of a lie) I’d read one particular paragraph. Yes, sometimes Alex’s pronunciation or intonation is wrong, and I don’t think it would work for reading poetry meter, but on the whole I was impressed with how well he worked. Why not give it a try?
I use a Mac, but I know PCs have a similar function. Under my systems preferences panel there is a speech control option with a text-to-speech panel. Play with that for a bit to select a voice you like and the speed you’d like him or her to read in. Set the key combination you’ll use to tell the computer to read aloud any text you’ve highlighted. Now go highlight some text, perform your magic key combination, and give it a listen.
Of course, if you just want to hear something read back in the voice of trinoids, zarvox, or a pipe organ, who am I to say anything?
© Lizann Flatt, www.lizannflatt.com
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.
No, Thank YOU
My publisher sent me some wonderful thank you letters from a school in Kingston that Scot Ritchie and I visited during Canadian Children’s Book Week.
They’re awesome! What author doesn’t love to get letters like this?!
And I’ve got to say, having these letters to look through on cold winter days, or days when inspiration has dried up, or days when I’m sure no one will care what I write ever again, makes me say:
No, thank *YOU*!
© Lizann Flatt, www.lizannflatt.com
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.
No part of this blog may be used without written permission from the author.