Meg McKinlay.. This will be my first SCBWI conference and no one is more
surprised than me that I’m actually going.
It’s not the distance or the expense, though those are
certainly factors when you live, as they say, off the earth in Perth .
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| Meg McKinlay, children's author and poet |
It’s just that I’m not really a joiner. I’m not really into
groups and gatherings. I’m much happier getting all hermitty in my little study
with only books and silence and the occasional grevillea-visiting honey-eater
for company.
When I joined SCBWI, it wasn’t for networking or support or
anything remotely groupish or social. It was because I had been trying and
failing to crack that elusive first publication here in Australia , and was considering submitting directly
to the US .
Lacking any contacts or information on the market there, I saw SCBWI as a
resource, something I might join for a year, strip-mine for information, and
then be on my way.
Six years later, I find myself the newly minted ARA for SCBWI
West, heading off to the National Conference. I’m still not entirely sure how this
happened, but I suspect it has something to do with the fact that I’ve found SCBWI
to be such an incredibly welcoming organisation, supportive of gregarious
networkers and solitary hermits alike, and also professionally useful in so
many ways that go beyond the simple gleaning of facts and contact details. The
wealth of knowledge among members, so generously shared, is one of SCBWI’s real
strengths, and something I know will be a feature of what is shaping up to be
an amazing conference.
I’m something of a paradoxical hermit in that, given the
right circumstances, I love to talk. I love to debate, argue, and discuss. And
I hope to do a lot of that over the course of the weekend. I’ll be participating
in a panel on “Realistic Fiction”, and chairing another on “Industry News” with
delegates from the ASA, CAL, and the NSW Writers Centre. And I’m looking
forward to sinking my teeth into those discussions. Mostly, though, I’ll be
sitting back, listening to others, learning, mingling, enjoying being in the
company of likeminded people.
I can’t say that I have any tangible goals for the
conference other than Spend time with my
tribe and Think about stuff. But
I’m a fan of woolly goals, and suspect that will be more than enough to send me
away satisfied.
Congratulations to Meg on her appointment as Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI West (Ed. :)
Couldn't agree more, Meg. They really are a special bunch, and like you, it is about the only group I have ever joined. Part of the reason I never, ever played sport was that you had to join a team, and I couldn't bring myself to do that.
ReplyDeleteThis too is my first conference, but I'm looking forward to 'sharing the love." Sorry, the hippy days often flashback, usually when I'm being public.
I'll see you there in Sydley and we can share a drink, or an occasional LSD tab between sessions. Cool, man. xN
Anonymous? How did that happen? It's me, Meg, Norman.
ReplyDeleteNorman! I didn't know you were going. I may have to rethink things ...
ReplyDeleteSeriously, it's going to be great.
Re "Anonymous", I would have known it was you from your xN, which seems to have become your signature. But I also love the last line of your second comment. Shades of Judy Blume, somehow. Perhaps your next book could be, "Are you there, Meg? It's me, Norman."
I think wooly goals will be perfect for the chilly June evenings in Sydney; perhaps Susanne can convince the kitchen staff of the Hughenden to rustle-up some mulled wine to go with them? =) Congrats on the appointment, and see you there. Scott C.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to finally meeting you, Norman. :) And yes, Scott, love the sound of the mulled wine on a chilly Sydney night.
ReplyDeleteMeg, I'm looking forward to finally meeting you too at the conference! :) Thanks for the guest post.
ReplyDeleteTo Meg: Thanks for sharing a little about yourself Meg. I am still at the waiting and one day hoping to be published stage. Therefore I am nervously looking forward to attending my first conference and you give me hope that they are incredibly valuable experiences!
ReplyDeleteTo Sheryl: I wonder if there could be a post written about 'Tips for attending your first conference' kind of theme? Maybe one for published authors and one for unpublished/prepublished?
Thanks again, Ramona
I think most authors/illustrators are hermits (I know I am most of the time) but I relish my time-out from the desk with authors and illustrators at events like the SCBWI conference. Will look forward to meeting you Meg!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Ramona. I'll organise it. :)
ReplyDelete