It’s true. I’m an inspiration junkie. I love listening to speakers who say things that give me goosebumps or fire me up about my purpose as a writer. I love leaving a talk feeling like I can do anything and be the kind of writer I’ve always wanted to be. I am Writer, watch me soar.
That’s why I can’t wait for the 44th annual SCBWI Conference in LA this weekend. It doesn’t get much better than Newbery Medalist, Kwame Alexander, Fancy Nancy author Jane O’Connor, the hilarious Adam Rex, the enchanting Shannon Hale, the amazing Mem Fox…and that’s just a few of the keynoters. Some people go gaga over the folks gracing the cover of Entertainment Weekly. I go crazy over the authors in the pages of Publisher’s Weekly.
This will be my first conference as a Regional Advisor Emeritus (RAE)—I will be having breakfast with other RAEs and enjoying the conference from a completely different vantage point. I plan to have a nice balance between learning, inspiration and working on my novel; though I also hope to get some traction on two new picture book ideas by attending some picture book sessions, including “7 Simple Fixes for the Picture Book Text” with Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann.
In spite of my excitement, I do find that true inspiration doesn’t just raise goosebumps, it raises me. It makes me want to write better, live better, and just be better. And I love that.
Wishing you a weekend of inspiration no matter where you are!
