SCBWI Central Coast Regional News, Second Quarter 2017

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Donald Maass, Lee Wardlaw, mentors, Robin LaFevers, SCBWI events, SCBWI members

By Ann Rousseau Smith, SCBWI CenCal News Liaison

Congratulations to our 2017 Mentees:

Julie Dillemuth – Picture Book

Karen Jordan – Poetry Collection

Mentor Lee Wardlaw

Our 2017 mentor Lee Wardlaw, award-winning author of 30 books for children and young adults, will communicate with both Julie Dillemuth and Karen Jordan a minimum of twice a month, beginning April 1, 2017. Lee Wardlaw will provide feedback on one complete manuscript, plus comments on revisions.

And drum roll please! The winner of the SCBWI Summer Conference Grant is…

Former Mentor Contest Winners Share Experience and Advice

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authors, illustrators, mentorship, SCBWI members, writer

By Marcelle Greene, SCBWI-L.A. Contest Coordinator

Having a published mentor who helps you improve your work could be the greatest gift you receive on your path to publication. Through its Mentor Program, SCBWI-L.A. has offered this gift to three members in the past two years, and is now running a contest for a 2017 illustration mentorship. (Entry deadline is 2-14-17.)

Winning the 2015 mentorship changed illustrator Matthew Rivera’s goals. “Writing my own stories to illustrate wasn’t something I considered before the mentorship,” Rivera says. But mentor Deborah Norse Lattimore encouraged him to do both. “I’m becoming a better writer and I’ve seen improvements in my artwork thanks to Deborah’s advice,” Rivera says. For example: “She suggested adding more movement to my scenes and to make the motion from left to right, so as to drive a page turn.”

Mentor Contest 2017 Opens for Illustrators

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Carmel O'Mara-Horwitz, contests, illustrators, mentor, mentorships, SCBWI members

Long-time SCBWI member Carmel O’Mara-Horwitz submitted this year’s winning proposal to mentor an illustrator in the art of building a portfolio for the children’s book market. The contest to pick her mentee from among our Associate and Full members begins January 3, 2017.

The six-month mentorship, which runs May 1–Oct. 30, 2017, will help the chosen illustrator to evaluate and improve the art in their portfolio and to create a couple new pieces as necessary. O’Mara-Horwitz will focus the mentee’s learning on the following:

Past PAL Mentors Praise Program as 2017 Selection Process Begins

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authors, Catherine Linka, community, E. Katherine Kottaras, mentors, mentorship, SCBWI members, YA, young adult

One year ago authors E. Katherine Kottaras and Catherine Linka answered our call for published members interested in mentoring. Since May, they have been working with their chosen mentees. As we now request proposals from next year’s potential mentors, Kottaras and Linka reflect on their experience of advising aspiring writers.

Before & After with Matthew Rivera: Our Mentorship Program in Action

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contest, Matthew Rivera, mentorship, SCBWI members

The best advice aspiring author-illustrator Matthew Rivera received during the mentorship he won from SCBWI-L.A. was to wear a short tie. That’s because he’s working on a story about a dapper, yet fussy giraffe who finds a tie he really likes, but it’s too short for his long neck. Mentor Deborah Nourse Lattimore suggested that Matthew wear a short tie and, as he went about his day, ask himself questions: “How do I feel when I see myself in the mirror? Do I feel self-conscious in public? How do people look at me?” The exercise proved tremendously helpful for putting Matthew into the mind of his main character in order to better illustrate personality.

From The Dapper Giraffe, a work-in-progress by Matthew Rivera