notes on the first scbwi-ccp conference

Found myself waking up early today for the first Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators - Cultural Center of the Philippines (SCBWI-CCP) Children's Book Conference at the CCP Silangan Hall. (Whew -- a mouthful, wasn't that. Well, now that we have that out of the way hehe --)

(Cut for shop talk, etc)



Of course, the first question's bound to be: What the hell was I doing in an event for children's book writers and illustrators when in reality I am neither? Hehe. For the record, I was there on Read-Along duty, which actually means I was there for networking purposes (not that I was my best network-y self; I need to work on this skill hehe)

So anyway, it turns out we do have a society of children's book writers and illustrators -- and it's been here since 2001. In essence, it's a support group for like-minded individuals, published or unpublished. Regional advisor Beaulah Taguiwalo and assistant advisor Dominique Torres facilitated the Read-Along team's entry into this day-long conference, which gathered close to a hundred writers, illustrators, publishers, volunteers, teachers, students, and other individuals who are interested in stories for children in whatever capacity -- which probably explained why there were also a lot of mothers (and grandmothers) in our midst, hehe.

What a fantastic day it was to be starstruck, by the way -- with the likes of Emily Abrera (who delivered the welcome speech) and Neni Sta Romana Cruz (who delivered the first lecture and shared excellent tips on how to open your story) and of course, SCBWI (acronym pronounced as SKEEB-wee) president Steve Mooser, who shared generous tips on writing, character building (no, not THAT character LOL -- ano yan, Val Ed??) and humor in children's books.

Also insightful were the figures presented by Anvil's publishing manager Karina Bolasco -- some 2.5 million children's books from local publishing houses sold during the past two years, which isn't really that far from the 3 million plus-plus books from foreign publishers sold in the same period. (Figures from National Book Store, by the way.)

Anyway: Want something really cool? Check out Jomike Tejido's website. I particularly enjoyed his segment, where he describes his journey as a young artist who starts out by contributing to Junior Inquirer c. 1997, before progressing to experiment with different media in illustrating children's stories (clay! crayons! everything else!).

I also enjoyed listening to his The Making Of... "Si Dindo Pundido" -- I mean, from bringing the art to Adarna to having his manuscript revised to actually asking an entomologist if there was such a thing as a "lightless firefly" (And there is -- every organism can be 'special', sabi nga raw) -- Ikaw na. YOU ALREADY :)

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THOSE FOLDABOTS. (Jesus, an entire Multiply site devoted to Foldabots! My heart.)

AND OH MY GOD THESE ADORABLE ROBOTARS.

Anyway. Before I turn this into a fullblown fangirl entry for Mr Tejido (who, by the way, is an architect by profession) -- let me share a few notes on Mr Mooser's speech on finding the "treasure" in writing:

--Give main characters an entrance (like the proverbial grand staircase in old movies)
--Start stories with a bang (or with an ax, like in Charlotte's Web)
--It's not a story for children unless the child solves the problem (this actually makes sense)
--Write the kind of book you'd like to read.
--Follow your weirdness - it'd probably lead you somewhere (or elsewhere)
--Beware of that sentence you love the best. (Aray.)
--Come up with a character you love, think about what he/she wants the most and decide what's keeping him/her from it (This might actually work.)
--Only write in verse if you're good at it (Or, in other words, if you're Eliza)
--Never end your writing day at a hard spot (Salamat sa paalala)
--Mine your embarrassments
--Persistence pays off

And also, something paraphrased off Rio Alma via Ms Bolasco: The word "idea" in Japanese has only two characters: One for heart, one for noise. Idea = "Ang ingay na tumatagos sa puso." -- Eh yung ang ganda lang??

And also, something from Rolando Tinio: "Parang salamangka ang paglikha."

What a lovely language, Filipino. ♥

Anyway, Mooser ended the session with a brief note about what the future holds, which, in a nutshell: E-BOOKS. But he stressed also that in the end, regardless of how it reaches consumers, it all boils down to content, and this need to educate parents and children alike re: what makes good children's literature. Now there's something to think about.

Ended with the proverbial group shot (which I think will be on Facebook soon - but until then, well.)

You know what I really like to write read someday? Something with a title that goes, "Lalaki ako (Pero ang pogi talaga ni kuya)" or "Babae ako (Pero ang hot ni Ate)" -- HAHA. For ages 7 and up. (Or, okay, to be a tad bit more serious: "Pero bakit babae ang kaholding-hands ni Ate?" -- papasa di ba?)