Weekend on the Water's fearless leader

 The indefatigable and superhuman Jolie Stekly, retreat director for Weekend on the Water, dishes on this year's upcoming event:

What is the biggest reason to come to this year's WOW retreat?
Personally, I'm so excited for this year's retreat faculty. Usually it's the faculty that gives each retreat a new flavor. Those who have been involved with our local chapter might remember Patricia Lee Gauch's visit about 10 years ago; she was also part of the first Weekend on the Water six years ago. Patti is an icon in this industry, and she has worked with legends. Legends! Not only is she packed with genius knowledge, she's also immensely generous with it. She truly has a desire to help writers grow, and her energy is infectious. If you've ever had the desire to work with her, this is your chance. Who knows if and when she will be in our area again?

Don't let me leave out Linda Urban! She came too highly recommended to be ignored. Both Patti and Linda have been a dream for me, as the retreat director, to work with. Their discussions about planned workshops have me excited for the retreat to get here already! Patti and Linda really want to deliver a great experience. They have both discussed workshops that will encourage each writer attending to go farther with his or her work. 

My guess is that attendees will walk away from this retreat feeling like they had a breakthrough in their stories, and maybe even personally as writers. 

How should a first-time attendee get as much as possible from the experience? 

First, if you are thinking of applying for the first time, don't be intimidated. Go for it! Then, if you're accepted, don't stress about it at all––just look forward to it. It will truly be a retreat. You'll feel like you're getting away and being pampered in so many ways (personally and writer-ly). Each year, I have found each group of attendees to be so wonderful. And great connections are made, often resulting in wonderful friendships and even critique partners. It's usually hard to say goodbye, and many apply again in following years. Attendees really love participating in the peer critiques, so I'd highly recommend that option. 

Will a picture-book author get as much out of it as a novelist? How so?

Yes. Picture-book writers who have attended in the past have loved the experience just as much as the novelists. Patti and Linda will be focused on the craft of writing for kids, and it applies to all formats. 

A huge bonus this year is that Patti has offered to have a sit-down with the picture-book writers for an informal discussion. I have no doubt that she will share amazing insights.

John Skewes interview in PW

By John Skewes

John Skewes, author and illustrator of the Larry Gets Lost series published by Sasquatch Books, takes his turn in the spotlight in this recent Publisher's Weekly interview. The honor comes in the wake of Sasquatch Books' announcement that they will launch a new children's imprint, Little Bigfoot, next spring.

Exciting news for John and Sasquatch Books, not to mention kid lit in this corner of the world!

Patti's watery adventure

Perhaps you read the information about Patti Lee Gauch, who will be half of the faculty for our upcoming Weekend on the Water retreat. Did her reference to adventures on the Great Lakes pique your curiousity?

Ours, too. So we pried a story out of her:

"My father had a small 30 foot cruiser when I was a teen, and, because he had learned to navigate with a compass, he went across great stretches of water by direct reckoning. He took chances, too, though he didn't always mean to. 

"Once in crossing over from Lake Huron to Georgian Bay, we ran into a fierce storm. Within what seemed like minutes, giant waves were slanting at us like rain, smashing over the bow.  Dishes fell off the shelves. My mother hid in the bunk room, scared for her life. After an hour of this pounding, there was only my father and me trying to get through 12 or 15 foot waves. Relentless. Talk about human beings feeling small.

"Our map said there was a bay somewhere through the slanting rain and waves, called Smith Bay.  My father dead reckoned for it, though we could barely see. It seemed impossible. I felt this was the endless storm — when suddenly, we could see a wilderness shore, then a kind of corner in the bank of trees. We headed for it,  wallowing in the giant waves as we changed direction — my mother crying — when as suddenly, we were in a bay, quiet, almost flat, the wind having almost disappeared. Almost no sound. I crawled up on the bow to help my father with directions. When I looked up on a distant bank to my right, there was a small, white-steepled church: it looked homemade. 

"I found out later that it was the church of a lingering Indian tribe. I felt, as a seventeen year old, that they had somehow saved us."

Consider attending the retreat in November to hear more from this acclaimed author and editor, who can help us all learn how to add adventure and meaning to our own stories.

Something in common with Yoda

Written by Patti

Meet Patti Lee Gauch, editor and author and teacher extraordinaire, who will be one of two faculty members at SCBWI Western Washington's annual Weekend on the Water retreat this fall. Your humble blogger has had the pleasure of working with her rather extensively and can never shake the idea that Patti has a great deal in common with Yoda, from her calm authority, compassion, and wisdom to her Jedi control of The Force when it comes to writing and editing.

Written by Patti

We asked Patti to give us some insight on what's bringing her back to the Northwest and what you might hope to learn from her if you're so lucky as to be among retreat participants. (Retreat applications are being accepted now; don't delay.)


What has helped lure you to the Pacific Northwest and our weekend retreat for a second time?
What has lured me back to the Northwest, quite frankly, is its quality of writers. I have always regarded a conference that is after growing its authors and artists as the best kind of conference. Too many conferences are quick and light and on to the next conference. The program at your conference lets writers see and hear new ideas — then to use them, with professionals looking over their shoulders.  I like that. And I like looking over their shoulders!

Edited by Patti

Edited by Patti

Since I will be talking about writing novels, participants might like to know that my biggest novel client was Redwall's Brian Jacques, who many people think was the forerunner of J.K Rowling,  though I worked with Frindle's Andrew Clements, Newbery Honor winner Janet Lisle, popular New Zealand writer Joy Cowley, and so on. Of course, I love the work that I have done — and do —  with Chautauqua and Highlights Foundation workshoppers, among them many having published.

Our event theme this year is "going deeper." What does going deeper into writing or a story mean to you?
I find that most writers, even published ones like Rick Riordan, work on a single level, call it the storytelling level. Getting the narrative down. Making it exciting. But, while both writers are immensely successful, writers like John Green do more than that. His characters come to life. They have a history that may not even make it into the book,  but that inform it. That drives the narrative. These writers know how to enlist their characters in the storytelling, so the voice becomes true and powerful. They know about going "far enough." Maybe of all the questions I would ask a writer, published and not published, is: Do you go far enough?  Does each scene resonate with your passion for the story and the character and the moment to bring it to life? Do you know what going "far enough" means? Isn't that that the only way to bring the reader — and editor — to the heart of your story?

At a conference like your Weekend on the Water retreat, I like to bring a mandate with me: for each writer to come to a new place in their writing, to begin to see their story in a new way, and to know — maybe suddenly — the way to get to the heart of it.

What's the most memorable thing you've ever done in or with water?

Patti and her husband Ron, on the water

I have lived on the Great Lakes most of my life, so my stories may be more dramatic than some.  Having had the adventures on the lakes that I did, it seems to be the adventures I remember.... My father had a small 30 foot cruiser when I was a teen, and, because he had learned to navigate with a compass, he went across great stretches of water by direct reckoning. He took chances, too, though he didn't always mean to. Once in crossing over from Lake Huron to Georgian Bay, we ran into a fierce storm...
 
Editor's cliffhanger: Patti protested that the story she had in mind was too long, but if you go to the retreat see if you can get a Great Lakes boating story or two out of her.

Read more about Patti, her books, and her teaching abilities at her own website, the Penguin website, and in this 2010 interview by our own Martha Brockenbrough.

Kid Lit Drink Night: TONIGHT!

WHERE: The Roanoke Inn on Mercer Island, starting at 6:30 pm. That's the place to be! Come on over! We'll be there!

Lois Harris September book events

Lois V. Harris will read her picture book, Maxfield Parrish: Painter of Magical Make-Believe, in the area at two upcoming events:

• Saturday, September 7, at 1 p.m, at Finally Found Books, formerly in Black Diamond, and now in Auburn (next to Nielson Carpets).  
•  Saturday, September 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble in Bellingham.

2013 Weekend on the Water Retreat!

SCBWI Western Washington invites you to apply for its Fall 2013 "Weekend on the Water" Retreat, taking place Friday, November 8, to Sunday, November 10, 2013, at the lovely Inn at Port Ludlow, a premier Northwest destination about 90 minutes northwest of Seattle. This intimate, craft-focused retreat will give you the opportunity to focus on a current work-in-progress with the guidance and expert insight of our two retreat leaders, as well as to connect with a network of talented local authors, which will include exchanging manuscript pages with several peers. 

Pull out your work-in-progress and get ready to dig in with an outstanding editor/author duo: Patricia Lee Gauch and Linda Urban. The legendary Patricia Lee Gauch, author and iconic editor of many children’s book luminaries, is returning to the Pacific Northwest for this event. Those of you who have worked with Patti before will want to come running back for more, and if you’ve never had the pleasure of learning from Patti, you won’t want to miss this opportunity. Patti will be partnering with award-winning author Linda Urban. When we asked former retreat faculty whom they would love to learn from, at the top of their list was Linda Urban. So we had to invite her join us, and we’re thrilled she said yes!

Selected writers will spend the weekend working with Patti and Linda. Our focus will be on examining works-in-progress to identify opportunities to go far enough with our work; stretching and going beyond to create amazing books. Both Patti and Linda will take a close look at specific areas of craft, giving us exercises to challenge us and take our writing to the next level. There will be an opportunity for small group interaction with Patti and Linda, as well as optional peer critique groups. For the picture book writers, Patti has offered to set aside time to meet and discuss picture books specifically. The weekend will include time for individual writing, walks, kayaking, resting, and networking.

Retreat fees range from $540 to $580, depending on whether you are a member of SCBWI International (members receive a $40 discount). Prices include all workshops and activities, optional peer group critique, two nights’ lodging with one roommate, six catered meals, Internet access, and endless inspiration from the spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains and the serene Ludlow Bay. Private rooms are available for only $165 more.

The application and submission deadline is fast approaching: September 13, 2013. You will not be considered for the retreat if you don’t meet the deadline. No exceptions.

View complete information, application details, and deadlines for WEEKEND ON THE WATER by clicking on the link below:

View Complete Details & Apply

Dana and Ozzie take Costco!

Dana Sullivan and his trusty sidekick, Ozzie, will share their adventures from the pages of Ozzie and the Art Contest at a special appearance this Friday. Here's the full announcement from Dana's fab blog, Sticky Love. He writes:


"Ozzie and I will be at the Issaquah Costco on Friday, August 30, from 12:30–2:30pm, selling (I hope) and signing books! Pennie, the book buyer for Costco and a friend of mine, gave me this sweet advice: 'Market the hell out of your book, because we won't keep it if it doesn't sell.' So, if you've got some time mid-afternoon next Friday, think about a trip to Costco (or your local indie bookstore or at Sleeping Bear's site) The Costco Connection wrote a very cool article about me in their August  issue, which you can read here (Vicki shot the photo). AND our local Newcastle News printed this extremely nice piece about me and Ozzie. Thanks to all of you who have bought my book. Hope to see the rest of you at Costco!

SCBWI email alert!

Attention, SCBWI-WWA members:

With the advent of some changes in how mass emails are distributed to the users of Gmail, there is a danger that SCBWI WWA messages will be treated as junk and you won't get them. This is particularly important because of impending announcements from our Regional Advisors and Advisory Committee regarding this year's programming and upcoming special events. We don't want you to miss them.

Especially if you use a gmail account, watch out that emails from scbwiwa@scbwi-washington.org don't get filtered into the wrong folder. For instructions on how to bypass this problem, please click here for specific instructions.

Even if you don't use gmail, be sure to add our email address above to your personal address book, or white-list it, to ensure our emails aren't caught by a spam filter.

Thank you!

Critique Group Week: Meet Writers in the Rain!

The last, but certainly not least, critique group of the week is Writers in the Rain. They've created a system that works for them, and they know exactly when to order fries with that....

FROM LEFT: Angela, Martina, Suma, Fabio, Eileen, Brenda

1. How many members do you have? 
Our critique group is called Writers in the Rain. There are six of us: Brenda Beem, Fabio Bueno, Martina Dalton, Angela Orlowski-Peart, Eileen Riccio, and Suma Subramaniam. All of us have finished books, and two have been published. The other members are on the verge of publishing or querying.

2. How long has the group been together?
We signed up for critique groups at the 2010 SCBWI-WWA conference. Angela requested a list of Young Adult writers looking for critique groups from the critique coordinator and sent out a call for partners. Several writers answered, but only the five of us lived close enough to form a group that would meet in person. We exchanged emails, met for coffee, and developed an instant connection!

3. Do you focus on single or multiple genres?
Our novels are YA and upper-middle-grade in multiple YA sub-genres. Some of us are branching out into New Adult and adult books.

4. How often do you meet? Where?
We meet weekly. The group used to meet at the King County libraries, but they close at 9pm, and we didn’t have enough time to critique everybody’s pages. Since then, we’ve been meeting at pubs, restaurants, sports bars, and coffeehouses.

5. What has been your group's biggest challenge(s)? How have you resolved it/them?
Probably time management. Giving everyone's pages a detailed critique is a complicated task. Sometimes, we lose track of time. We solved it by using a stopwatch and allowing everyone
thirty minutes. In addition, we became more efficient in our critiques. Grammar and punctuation corrections, for example, are usually just marked on the pages.
Another challenge is finding a location to meet that is relatively quiet and that stays open late. We stopped going to one establishment because we had to pick up our feet while the waitress vacuumed under our legs!

6. What is the format of your meetings?
Because we are not only the critique partners, but, most importantly, good friends, we always start on catching up while ordering food and drinks. Each of us brings up to five printed pages to the meetings, and we hand them out. One member reads aloud, and the rest have copies to make notes for discussion. Then we critique and brainstorm. The discussions focus not only on voice, pace, grammar, dialogue, and description, but we also analyze character arcs, plot points, continuity, and even mundane details, like names and shoe brands a character would wear.


7. What is the key to a successful group dynamic?
The most important thing is that we truly like each other, and have a deep respect for each others’ work, writing skills, and knowledge.
We listen to the advice we’re given, and also give the best writing advice we can.
We trust each other.
We are always learning and growing as writers.
And we write, and write, and re-write.

8. Any quirky group rituals? Inspirational rituals? Favorite snacks?
We have a ritual: “fries on me.” Every time one of us celebrates a milestone in their journey—an award, publication, full requests, a new book cover, sterling reviews—the person celebrating buys a basket of french fries for the whole group.
We definitely enjoy a good laugh. We take our writing and our meetings seriously, but that doesn’t mean that we can't appreciate the idiosyncrasies in our own stories. After reading so many pages at one point of the night we may get a little punchy. As you might expect, somebody gets the giggles. It's contagious! We go from the quietest table in the restaurant to the most raucous.

A super shout out to SCBWI for getting us all started on our paths! Thank you.



We would love to hear from you! Please connect through our web sites!

Meet Captain Underpants on Bainbridge!

Thanks to this heads-up from Jennifer K. Mann, you are now in the loop!

Captain Underpants himself, the illustrious Dav Pilkey, will make a rare appearance at Eagle Harbor Books on Bainbridge Island on Sunday, September 8 at 3pm. Get more information.

Don't miss the Sketch-Up TODAY (as in almost now)!

Washington Park Aboreteum, 10:30 a.m. (yes, this morning) -- more details here!