SCBWI

Society of
Children's Book Writers
and Illustrators

SCBWI’s free digital workshops are back!

Each webinar will take place at 4:00 pm Eastern Time / 1:00 pm Pacific Time for six consecutive Thursdays starting March 16, 2023. Video recordings will be posted to the SCBWI website 24 hours after each workshop concludes and will remain up on the Digital Workshop archive page for one month.

 

No advance registration is necessary!

 

CLICK HERE for the bios of this year’s faculty.

CLICK HERE to watch Video Recordings

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Workshop #1

March 16

Editorial First Aid – CPR For Your Dying Manuscript

With Literary Agent Lynnette Novak

Faculty Lynette Novak headshot

Maybe the horror stories about the hard road to publication are keeping you from finishing your novel. Maybe you’ve had one too many rejections with no explanation. The truth is, there’s only one surefire way to avoid the dreaded rejection slip—know your craft. Knowing your craft inside and out is the only way to identify and correct the problems in your writing. In this Digital Workshop, agent Lynnette Novak will walk you through some of the most common mistakes writers make so you can apply CPR to your dying manuscript. You’ll learn about dialogue dilemmas, plotting problems, and bad beginnings, including:

  • the 13 most common dialogue mistakes
  • how to avoid dialogue blunders
  • how to correct episodic writing
  • understanding poor execution of GMCs (goals, motivations, conflicts)
  • how to turn up the emotion
  • when (if ever) to add a prologue
  • all about the inciting incident and why it’s the best place to start your story

 

Watch on Video Archive Page

Workshop #2

March 23

The Picture Book Idea

With Author/Illustrator Claudia Rueda

Claudia Rueda Headshot

How do you sketch a picture book idea? How do you write a story that is told both with words and images? Join picture book author and New York Times Bestselling illustrator Claudia Rueda in this Digital Workshop where you’ll explore the most important elements of visual writing, and learn how to plan a picture book by using a storyboard. We’ll take a traditional short tale and create a sketch storyboard. During the process, we’ll discuss representation, action, space composition, pacing, point of view, sequential images, and the dynamics between words and images.

 

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Workshop #3

March 30

Spanish Language Webinar

With Author Mónica Rodríguez
(Open to the Public)

WHEN I WAS A LEOPARD: From the Unconscious to the Conscious in the Construction of Characters in Kid’s Lit

CUANDO FUI UN LEOPARDO: Del inconsciente al consciente en la construcción de personajes en literatura infantil y juvenil

Monica Rodriquez Headshot

Speaking about her creative writing process for children and young people, author Mónica Rodríguez will discuss the resources she uses to construct characters, emphasizing the importance of the unconscious in the whole process.

SESSION ZOOM LINK

A partir de la reflexión sobre su proceso creativo de escritura, la autora intentará extraer algunos de los recursos necesarios para la construcción de personajes en LIJ, haciendo hincapié en la importancia de lo inconsciente en todo el proceso.

ENLACE DE ZOOM DE SESIÒN

Workshop #4

April 6

The Graphic Novel Creative & Production Process:
How It’s Different from Other Types of Books

With Literary Agent Janna Morishima

Janna Morishima Headshot

In this Digital Workshop, agent Janna Morishima delves into the nitty gritty of graphic novel script-writing, illustration, and production. She’ll discuss how the production process differs from picture books and other illustrated books, and whether there are any advantages to the GN format. She’ll also discuss collaborations, how to write scripts with the artist in mind, and how to foster good communication within the team. She’ll also examine differences in format, complexity, and page count among graphic novels for different age ranges. And she’ll talk about timelines, from script to thumbnails to inks, coloring, lettering, copy editing, printing, and more. Finally, she’ll discuss what kinds of stories are currently most popular in GN format.

 

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Workshop #5

April 13

Where Do Ideas Come From?

With Author/Illustrator Joyce Hesselberth

Joyce Hesselberth Headshot

From non-fiction to fiction, how do you develop a picture book idea? Does it start with the pictures or the words? This workshop is for both writers and illustrators. We’ll take a look at storytelling from verbal and visual perspectives.

 

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Workshop #6

April 20

Finding Your Visual Voice
A Special Two-Hour Intensive for Illustrators

With Illustrator London Ladd
(Open to the Public)

London Ladd headshot

In this two-hour event, illustrator London Ladd will share tools to help children’s book creators move beyond the search for style into the quest of finding their unique visual voice. London will also share an inside look at his studio and process. This special event includes a live art demonstration and a chance for Q&A.

 

SESSION ZOOM LINK