LA SCBWI Conference?

[Nikki Katz]

Hi everyone!  Is anyone going to the SCBWI conference in Los Angeles this summer?  I thought we could get a group together to chat about the event!  Need a roommate?  Not sure which panels to attend?  Not sure what to wear on Saturday night?!?! 

I'm excited, can you tell?

[Georgia McBride]

Thanks, Nikki! Sorry I didn't get a chance to answer this sooner. I appreciate you getting back to Susan! xoxo

Nikki Katz said:

Susan - yes, you may get a critique by an editor or agent so you want it to be in the BEST shape possible!! Since you only send in your first 15 pages for the critique (and they are due soon) - make sure to upload your first 5 pages to that group for critique. And then work on the rest prior to July!

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

Hey Everyone! I'm going to SCBWI LA too - my first "big" conference (I went to the local SCBWI conf here in Chicago last fall). Can't wait! I'm visiting family before the conference, but I'll be staying at the hotel during the conference, because traffic in LA is murder. I'd be up for rooming, if there's still any takers?

Also definitely would love to meet up Friday a.m. with my smiley face! :) I've signed up for the critique, although I'm not sure if I should submit my MG MS (which is more polished) or my YA MS.

Georgia - I'm still green on Yalitchat. Are you saying we should run our pages (for our crit) through these other groups/boards on YAlitchat before the conference?

[S.E. Sinkhorn]

I will be attending this conference as well - it's my first one, and I'm pretty excited. I can't believe how fast it's coming up.

[Susan Kaye Quinn]

I have a newbie conference attendee question, for any of you previous attendees: I've signed up for ProTrack and a couple optional workshops (YA Voice, MG). But these are slated in several different sessions - can we attend any session, or will we get "assigned" to a particular session of say the YA Voice workshop? Do I have to wait until I get to the conference, because I wanted to lay out my strategy for attending workshops ahead of time, if that makes sense?

Also, is the YAlitcrew still planning on meeting Friday morning with our smiley faced badges? Do we have a time/place?

Thanks!!

[Nikki Katz]

Susan,
The ProTrack and the YA Voice are different. The ProTrack is if you are published or have a publish date for your novel. The YA Voice is a premium workshop that you had to pay extra for, and sign up in advance. You would attend all of those (they are every day and have assignments). I don't think you get assigned any of the ProTrack, just have the option of attending, so you would want to do those in the afternoon after the YA Voice...

For any of the premium workshops, you have to have signed up for otherwise you can't attend. Other than that, you can attend any open sessions you want. There is no max capacity in the rooms.

I've already mapped out my schedule based on the program! As for Friday, I say we should definitely meet up.

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

I have a newbie conference attendee question, for any of you previous attendees: I've signed up for ProTrack and a couple optional workshops (YA Voice, MG). But these are slated in several different sessions - can we attend any session, or will we get "assigned" to a particular session of say the YA Voice workshop? Do I have to wait until I get to the conference, because I wanted to lay out my strategy for attending workshops ahead of time, if that makes sense?
Also, is the YAlitcrew still planning on meeting Friday morning with our smiley faced badges? Do we have a time/place?
Thanks!!

[Susan Kaye Quinn]

Nikki,

I have signed up for the protrack (I'm a PAL member) and the premium YA voice workshop, so I'm all set with that. The thing is, the YA voice workshop is in several different sessions - actually the morning session, each of the four days. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how this is run, but I assumed I would be assigned ONE of those four sessions. Maybe I'm supposed to attend all four? Because the Protrack conflicts with some of the premium sessions, I need to organize it a bit, so I can try to attend everything I want.

Does that make any sense?

Thanks!!
Sue


Nikki Katz said:

Susan,
The ProTrack and the YA Voice are different. The ProTrack is if you are published or have a publish date for your novel. The YA Voice is a premium workshop that you had to pay extra for, and sign up in advance. You would attend all of those (they are every day and have assignments). I don't think you get assigned any of the ProTrack, just have the option of attending, so you would want to do those in the afternoon after the YA Voice...

For any of the premium workshops, you have to have signed up for otherwise you can't attend. Other than that, you can attend any open sessions you want. There is no max capacity in the rooms.

I've already mapped out my schedule based on the program! As for Friday, I say we should definitely meet up.

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

I have a newbie conference attendee question, for any of you previous attendees: I've signed up for ProTrack and a couple optional workshops (YA Voice, MG). But these are slated in several different sessions - can we attend any session, or will we get "assigned" to a particular session of say the YA Voice workshop? Do I have to wait until I get to the conference, because I wanted to lay out my strategy for attending workshops ahead of time, if that makes sense?
Also, is the YAlitcrew still planning on meeting Friday morning with our smiley faced badges? Do we have a time/place?
Thanks!!

[Nikki Katz]

Sue, it is actually all four days (I had a friend do it last year!) You have assignments and it carries over from one class to the next. You may want to chat with the speaker the first day if there's a session you really need to miss for the Protrack.

I wish I could do Protrack this year ... knock on wood maybe next year!

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

Nikki,

I have signed up for the protrack (I'm a PAL member) and the premium YA voice workshop, so I'm all set with that. The thing is, the YA voice workshop is in several different sessions - actually the morning session, each of the four days. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how this is run, but I assumed I would be assigned ONE of those four sessions. Maybe I'm supposed to attend all four? Because the Protrack conflicts with some of the premium sessions, I need to organize it a bit, so I can try to attend everything I want.

Does that make any sense?

Thanks!!
Sue


Nikki Katz said:

Susan,
The ProTrack and the YA Voice are different. The ProTrack is if you are published or have a publish date for your novel. The YA Voice is a premium workshop that you had to pay extra for, and sign up in advance. You would attend all of those (they are every day and have assignments). I don't think you get assigned any of the ProTrack, just have the option of attending, so you would want to do those in the afternoon after the YA Voice...

For any of the premium workshops, you have to have signed up for otherwise you can't attend. Other than that, you can attend any open sessions you want. There is no max capacity in the rooms.

I've already mapped out my schedule based on the program! As for Friday, I say we should definitely meet up.

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

I have a newbie conference attendee question, for any of you previous attendees: I've signed up for ProTrack and a couple optional workshops (YA Voice, MG). But these are slated in several different sessions - can we attend any session, or will we get "assigned" to a particular session of say the YA Voice workshop? Do I have to wait until I get to the conference, because I wanted to lay out my strategy for attending workshops ahead of time, if that makes sense?
Also, is the YAlitcrew still planning on meeting Friday morning with our smiley faced badges? Do we have a time/place?
Thanks!!

[Susan Kaye Quinn]

Ok, that makes more sense! Thanks! (I was wondering how she was going to cover all that material in one session! LOL)
Sue

Nikki Katz said:

Sue, it is actually all four days (I had a friend do it last year!) You have assignments and it carries over from one class to the next. You may want to chat with the speaker the first day if there's a session you really need to miss for the Protrack.

I wish I could do Protrack this year ... knock on wood maybe next year!

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

Nikki,

I have signed up for the protrack (I'm a PAL member) and the premium YA voice workshop, so I'm all set with that. The thing is, the YA voice workshop is in several different sessions - actually the morning session, each of the four days. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how this is run, but I assumed I would be assigned ONE of those four sessions. Maybe I'm supposed to attend all four? Because the Protrack conflicts with some of the premium sessions, I need to organize it a bit, so I can try to attend everything I want.

Does that make any sense?

Thanks!!
Sue


Nikki Katz said:

Susan,
The ProTrack and the YA Voice are different. The ProTrack is if you are published or have a publish date for your novel. The YA Voice is a premium workshop that you had to pay extra for, and sign up in advance. You would attend all of those (they are every day and have assignments). I don't think you get assigned any of the ProTrack, just have the option of attending, so you would want to do those in the afternoon after the YA Voice...

For any of the premium workshops, you have to have signed up for otherwise you can't attend. Other than that, you can attend any open sessions you want. There is no max capacity in the rooms.

I've already mapped out my schedule based on the program! As for Friday, I say we should definitely meet up.

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

I have a newbie conference attendee question, for any of you previous attendees: I've signed up for ProTrack and a couple optional workshops (YA Voice, MG). But these are slated in several different sessions - can we attend any session, or will we get "assigned" to a particular session of say the YA Voice workshop? Do I have to wait until I get to the conference, because I wanted to lay out my strategy for attending workshops ahead of time, if that makes sense?
Also, is the YAlitcrew still planning on meeting Friday morning with our smiley faced badges? Do we have a time/place?
Thanks!!

[Stina Lindenblatt]

Thanks for the suggestion. :D

Kay said:

FYI, I just talked to a guy who does a lot of driving out in LA (Hollywood and West Hollywood), and he said to make sure and take Coast Shuttle. It's cheaper than some of the other shuttles from LAX ($15 to the side of town where the conference will be held).

[Susan Kaye Quinn]

OK, to recap: All YAlitchaters (hmm, that sounds strange) should wear yellow smiley faces and meet Friday am in the lobby on the side closest to the Starbucks (located inside the hotel) and stood a little removed from the actual seating area? At 7:30am? (if I can pry my peeper open? Maybe Starbucks first)

I'm looking forward to seeing you ladies in person! :)

[Georgia McBride]

I'm looking for people to report from the conference! YA tracks ONLY, please! Any interested, please let me know. I need homepage posts and forum posts.

Thanks-
Georgia

[Nikki Katz]

Can anyone bring extra stickers? I don't have any!! I also won't be arriving til probably between 8-8:30 since I'm driving up from San Diego with my writer's group :)

Susan Kaye Quinn said:

OK, to recap: All YAlitchaters (hmm, that sounds strange) should wear yellow smiley faces and meet Friday am in the lobby on the side closest to the Starbucks (located inside the hotel) and stood a little removed from the actual seating area? At 7:30am? (if I can pry my peeper open? Maybe Starbucks first)

I'm looking forward to seeing you ladies in person! :)

[Nikki Katz]

Georgia, Do you want these real time (or same day) or after the event?

Georgia McBride said:

I'm looking for people to report from the conference! YA tracks ONLY, please! Any interested, please let me know. I need homepage posts and forum posts.

Thanks-
Georgia