Wow.

I've just spent two of the most amazing days in New York City and there's one more left to go tomorrow! The SCBWI conference has been absolutely inspiring. They've choosen some of the most phenomenal keynote speakers to be here this weekend. I'm seriously blown away by these people - Robert Sabuda, Jerry Pinkney, Harry Bliss, David Wiesner...not to mention Tomie dePaola! And those were just the illustrators, that I'm obviously going to focus on over the writers. There was one writer that really hit close to home for me though - Carolyn Mackler. I, of course, have heard of her books from working at B&N and being an avid teen reader (shh, don't tell anyone). She spoke during our luncheon today and it was one of the best speeches I've heard, maybe ever - yes, I'll go that far. I was holding my side laughing at points and later finding my eyes tear, not from pain, but from listening to her personal stories, her honesty, and her growth as a writer. Seriously, I left feeling like I want to write a teen novel. This of course may be hard considering I only took one creative writing class in college and have no idea how to do such a thing, but she was just that motivating.
So, when the conference is over, I would really like to share some of my notes here. Also, I've made a list of books that must be checked out. I've got some great quotes I'd love to share. I took some snap shots. Even did some character sketches in my notebook that I'll probably scan right on to my website. Good stuff. I know, the anticipation is killing you. Hang in.