The Keynotes were Chris Crowe, an author and BYU Professor, and Brett Helquist, an illustrator best known for illustrating A Series of Unfortunate Events. I really enjoyed Chris’ presentation. As you may or may not know, I have written two children’s books that I am hoping to get published. So I went to this as an aspiring author, as opposed to a teacher. Anyway, he shared a lot of the lessons he has learned along the way to becoming an author. One that impacted me the most was that “there are no excuses for not writing”. I get so busy and always seem to put off something that I love to do. It can take years to get a book published, even after being accepted by a publisher, so I might as well continue writing my future great books while I wait!
Sam Beeson is a high school teacher and children’s book author and he presented one of the workshops. He told us that he has written a poem a day since 2006, just to keep practicing. What a great goal! I don’t think I can do a poem a day, but I’m going to try to write (and maybe even post) one a week. Some will be terrible, and some might turn into a great story.
I bought these two books
to help me get through the publishing process a well as a few children’s books to add to my library. The first one tells you all the places you can send your manuscripts, what types of books they like, how they pay you, etc. I’m anxious to get these books and really make this dream of mine happen! I left this conference feeling so inspired and excited.
"Books fall open, you fall in, delighted where you've never been; hear voices not once heard before, reach world on world through door on door; find unexpected keys to things locked up beyond imaginings. What might you be, perhaps become, because one book is somewhere? Some wise delver into wisdom, wit, and wherewithal has written it. True books will venture, dare you out, whisper secrets, maybe shout across the gloom to you in need, who hanker for a book to read."
~ David McCord
1 comment:
that's so impressive that you write books! my sister-in-law also writes children's books and is hoping to have one published...that's really impressive! that's awesome you got so many good ideas...
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