I’m just back from a picture book retreat organised through the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Here are my thoughts on the experiences I had and the inspirational people I met while I was there. It isn’t perfect but it makes me smile as I remember the highlights from a fantastic weekend.
AND I even played my first ever game of Croquet…in the dark…using lights from our phones to show us the way. Great fun!
p.s if you read SCBWI as Scooby it will flow better. Trust me.
Consequences, Croquet and all the risks involved
Flying high over fields and valleys so pretty
I make my way down to Birmingham city
I emerge in the sun with my notebook in hand
excited to see what SCBWI has planned
I met David Gray, some of you may know him
he arrived with a grin and we set off for Evesham
hugs and intros, an abundance of smiles
as we all got together, our books in a pile
Anne-Marie & Bridget were so organised
giving out our new schedule soon as we arrived
with workshops and meet-ups, we were going to be busy
to work on our books in grounds that were pretty
Alexis took charge of our wee SCBWI clan
heading out to the garden to tell us his plan
A game from our childhood with a slight SCBWI twist
Consequences on paper to create a new beast!
And create we did, on that sunny first day
the beast was amazing, scaring even me
we shared our best books, our hearts and our minds
as we connected as readers and writers alike
Pterodactyls and frogs, strange creatures and more
our job – to describe them using only small words
we hunched in our groups searching for lots of clues
as Alexis sat back looking rather amused
Walker and Egmont came along for the day
giving valuable insights on what we should say
with pencils poised, we scribbled down notes
on subs, on our format and how to approach
We started day three with a wonderful session
from Helen Stephens and the lion she’s hiding
her drawings and stories enthused and inspired
with mayors, and Fleabag and Italian church spires
A relaxing day with writing and crafts
the lino was cut and the ink was well splashed
we shared all our work and headed outside
for the funniest match the lawn could provide
Alexis, our captain and umpire divine
was no match for our Julie cos we ran out of time
her prowess in Croquet created a spark
especially since it was played in the dark
The sun shone forever lighting up the blue sky
with the odd wispy cloud slowly passing us by
Our hosts were fantastic at keeping us fed
as we worked through our tasks before heading to bed
That really made me smile! Great poem about a great weekend, so enjoyed meeting everyone…
Hi Jane! Thank you very much – it was a great weekend. Now, onwards to the conference 🙂
Well done for portraying our time so well and so quickly! It was fab to meet you & everyone else, & I came home invigorated and ready to go! Sadly though, my garden is not big enough for croquet 🙁
Thank you Shanabanana, it was lovely to meet you and I look forward to doing it all again next year.
Hi,Sarah!
I was really envious of your weekend away. It sounded fabulous. I’ve always fancied trying croquet. Alice in Wonderland eat your heart out. Shh, but they play croquet on the lawns at Holyrood Palace.
I may need to work on my skills for next year, Angela!
Great to meet you Sarah and a great write up – thanks – just needs Candy’s beautiful photograph to illustrate it like a picture book!
Absolutely, Bridget! I am still in awe of all the wonderful, talented writers and artists I met.
What a wonderful, inspiring experience. Thank you for this poetic wrap up!
I missed some things off but thank you, I had a wonderful time and my writing and knowledge of the PB world has expanded even more now. Lovely to meet you all, such an inspiration to me.
Hello Sarah, I enjoyed reading your rhyming account of the retreat. I agree, it was wonderful. It was lovely to meet you, too and I wish you success! x
Hello Frances! Thank you for getting in touch – what a wonderful way to meet amazing people who understand what you mean when you say ‘should he have purple hair or green toes’ without flinching!
Well, what a real eye-opener as to what our authors get up to the minute you turn your back. I wouldn’t have been in the least surprised to hear you used flamingos as mallets.
I’m glad you had such a great time Sarah and that despite the fun and games, a lot of work was done too.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
David, you should join SCBWI and come along the next time, it’s not that far from you! It was such a peaceful place, a perfect hideaway to get some work done. I met some wonderful people…and I love the idea of Flamingos as mallets!