As I write this I am imagining the tune, "I've had the time of my life" playing in the background because I truly did just that, had the time of my life!
I regret that I am the lamest photographer in the world. I did try but when I uploaded them this morning the majority are just smudgey messes. What a disappointment. Barb has taken some great pics as well as written a great overview of the conference. I would hightail it over there to get a look, if I were you.
*addendum*
More links for the conference:
Liz
Ruth
Courtney
Dee
You really have to go to one of these things to really get the most out of it. As I sit here looking at the few notes I did manage to jot down, they are lifeless. The delivery of the words and the aura of the speakers brought just as much to the experience as what they had to share.
Still, here are a few quotes that I have taken to heart and will cherish as I continue on this journey. I can't wait to go again next year!
Susan Cooper - Author/ The Dark Is Rising
Such a mesmerizing speaker. Could have listened to her all day.
"Don't let the noise of the marketplace drown out the whisper of your subconscious."
Anne Barshares- Sister Hood of the Traveling Pants
Such a lovely lady.
"I don't know what I'm doing. Really, I don't know what I'm doing."
(Of course this is a joke, working hard at her craft is what she is doing.)
Elizabeth Van Dorn- Editorial Director/Harcourt
"Make it meaningful."
"Don't lose heart, if you find your story out there, change it up a little."
Donna Mark - Bloomsbury Art Director
Regarding Dummies
Focus more on the quality of the work you are sending rather than just the presentation.
"If you're going to wrap an empty box, it's still empty."
Jane Yolen ....JANE YOLEN! =o)
"Learn to love yourself and your own work. Stand by your work, warts and all."
"Savor revision."
Brian Selznick- Author/illustrator
BTW you have to read his book, "Invention of Hugo Cabret". Such an innovative way of building a story with text and illustration. I read it on the plane ride home and it's marvelous. What a delightful speaker he was. So down to earth and transparent.
"Struggling and fear is part of the process."
"What matters is what happens at the turn of the page."
Katherine Patterson- Author / Bridge to Terabithia
Simply moving speaker. I was either laughing or crying the whole way through. What a storyteller.
"Dare failure. If I didn't dare failure I may never have become a writer at all."
"Emotional memory, rather than photographic memory."
Betsy Lewin- Illustrator/ Click Clack Moo
"I'll never be them, I have to be me."