10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2022

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authors, Barbara Bietz, Britta Lundin, Emily Asaro, Faith McClaren, illustrators, Jessica Chrysler, Jorjeana Marie, R.S. Mellette, SCBWI community, Toni Gallagher, Victoria Fulton

As calendar year 2022 winds to a close, here are some things I have noticed this season: friends and family gathering together more frequently, people traveling for vacations, and folks going out to the movies again.

Do you sense it, too? That life in general has recovered some of its vivid color? And that our own—and our community’s—creative focus has reawakened?

Call it a holiday gift. (It is!) But renewed spirit has also been a trend all year long. Read or re-read these 10 favorite quotes and stories from Kites Tales 2022 to see—and to get ready for a “trending terrific” 12 months ahead. 

#KTChat with Jorjeana Marie: Getting Clear on the Career You LOVE

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#KTChat, brainstorming, career goals, improv, Jorjeana Marie, kidlit, mindmapping, SCBWI members, writing

by Jorjeana Marie

Editor’s Note: On Twitter this Friday (9/16/22) from 12-1PM PST, Jorjeana will take your questions and discuss ways on how to define your writerly goals. Log into your Twitter account during our chat hour and use the hashtag #KTChat or @mention @jorjeanamarie and @SCBWISOCALLA to join the discussion! If you aren’t on Twitter, leave questions in the blog comments before the chat! 

Brainstorming isn’t just for coming up with ideas or solving story solutions. If you’re at all unhappy with any aspect of your writing life, brainstorming can help. It can connect you with your deepest desires—and what better way to brainstorm than by playing some fun games with your inner kid. 

10 Inspiring Kite Tales Quotes from 2021

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Amy Rubinate, authors, Elana K. Arnold, Eric Smith, Erin Dealey, Henry Lien, illustrators, inspiration, Jorjeana Marie, Kristen Nordstrom, LeUyen Pham, Rieko Mendez, Sara Schonfeld, SCBWI community

Photo by Tairon Fernandez on Pexels.com

Another year has flown by, and while we have borne the loss of some great creators and publishing influencers, we still have a tremendous community of children’s book writers, illustrators, and translators to look towards for inspiration. We have had many words of wisdom shared on Kite Tales this past year and it is a great pleasure to share them again with you now.

Writing for children requires grit and self-reflection; a sense of play and an openness to the changing world. As creators, we can find inspiration in change and embrace our own strengths and weaknesses to make something greater than we thought possible. Take heart and have patience, we are all on this journey together.

A Playful Writers Day

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Jessica Brody, Jorjeana Marie, SCBWI community, SCBWI events

By Jorjeana Marie

Photo Credit: Shelby Bond

The SCBWI-L.A.Virtual Writers Day this year, on June 12-13, was incredibly special indeed. Perhaps because I had waited over a year for it. It was my first opportunity to present with one of the most welcoming and genuine organizations I have ever had the honor to be a part of. I thought after my session: “Definitely worth rescheduling, despite unusual circumstances and constraining parameters. Magical moments showed up for us. In droves.”

Thank you to Nutschell Windsor, Sally Jones Rogan, and all the volunteers and team members for paving the way for a day of productivity and group inspiration and creating such a positive, uplifting place to gather. Events like this and the opportunities therein make the loneliness that creeps up sometimes (okay, maybe a lot, recently) in writing easier to move through. Even though this was different from events in the past, there was again, those magical moments to be gained.