Land-Ahoy!

As with sailing into a head wind, plotting your next best seller or navigating your way through a Myer’s end of year sale, one must occasionally change direction to actually get anywhere.  How else would you be able to track down that must-have-can’t-believe-it’s-on-special new garment! And, like hunting down the perfect piece of apparel to launch your new book in, organising a conference is no easy feat.

For those who have been following the social media surge of changes surrounding The Sydney SCBWI Conference 2016, take heart. It’s time to reef in your storm sails and break out the (celebratory) spirits for calmer waters are on the horizon. Here are the truncated Facts and Figures and Reasons to Attend direct from our intrepid Capitan herself:

Conference dates: Sunday 4th – Tuesday 6th September 2016. Two full conference days.

Conference program highlights:

• Publisher panels
• Pitch session
• Book launches
• Local and International guests and keynote speakers
• Face-to-face manuscript and portfolio critiques
• International distance critiques
• Special Feature: Suzanne Murphy, President of HarperCollins USA, skype session.
• Illustrator Showcase
• (In)famous SCBWI dinner dance party with SCBWI band led by Meredith Costain and Scott Chambers
• Optional Opening dinner Sunday 4th September with special competition Spelling Bee.
• Roving Report Team of highly skilled semi-professionals recording everyone’s every move to share on line for those who can’t make it.

NEW LOCATION! The Menzies Sydney Hotel in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Why is this so great?

• Can accommodate entire conference delegation, Showcase set up, Critiques and social gatherings under one roof.
• Just ten kilometres from Sydney Airport and across the street from Wynyard Station.
• Centrally located to all the best bits to see of Sydney. (So your non-conference pics will be as awesome as all those of your newly made SCBWI mates!)

 

Bookings open at the End of April and places are limited so snap up yours soon.

Actually, attending this year’s SCBWI Conference appears a lot less stressful than trekking down a bargain and promises to be twice as much fun. Of course if you do manage to find that elusive new frock (or suit), you certainly won’t be able to say you’ve got nothing to wear to the SCBWI dinner dance!

Stick around for more insight on the Illustrator Showcase and don’t forget – Bookings Open Soon!

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT BOOKING HOTEL ACCOMMODATION

Conference bookings open at the end of April. The Menzies Hotel need a special code if you are booking accommodation as part of the conference, but you will need to wait until bookings open to be given the special code.

Dimity

Living the Dream - Story City

As children's authors, we often live the lives of our heroes vicariously. It's much easier, safer and cleaner that way. However, part of me still relishes the breathy feeling of discovering the missing link for myself, trekking down the baddies armed with nothing more than a sharp pencil, and surviving a mutant alien invasion with all of my limbs intack. It's thrilling stuff living in the heart of your own adventure and being your own hero, and the reason choose-your-own-adventure style storytelling is so popular with young and old alike. It's also why I decided to 'choose' a different path in my story creation, for a short while at least.

Last year I embarked on a writing adventure that challenged my ability to pen such a story suitable for the digital format. Story City is a FREE downloadable app using GPS and geocaching technology to inspire people to get active and physically immerse themselves in real-life choose-your-own-adventure stories. It ingeniously unites our modern-day love affair with technology and the need for fast access entertainment with a solution to stave off obesity and anti-social behaviour that can be associated with our overuse of modern devices. In otherwords, it gets us out there on the streets living and breathing stories in the real world.

Of course many of the multi-genre and variously rated stories don't take place in the real world as such. Themes are as diverse as your imaginations but they all share a common thread; their settings are based on real-world locations giving users a fascinating sense of place. Users can choose stories that most appeal to them, then from a starting point, they are in full control and can choose where and how the adventure unfolds. Each tale has several endings. The beauty of this style of storytelling is that there can be no true disappointing ending. If you aren't satisfied with the path you chose, go back and choose another! Even if you choose the same direction over and over again, chances are the location will evoke a different sense of reality for you; the weather may be different, the sounds, smells and people surrounding you may have altered subtly. The scope for continued enjoyment is off the Richter Scale with Story City! Ultimately, it's plain old-fashioned fun, suitable for young and old, Luddites and techno junkies, locals and tourists.

The Gold Coast team headed by Emily Craven - photo courtesy Jenny Stubbs

In addition to this, Story City uses local writers, illustrators, musicians and voice-talent to produce the stories. There is nothing better than homegrown to add a delicious dollop of authenticity and pride.

When I was accepted to be part of the Gold Coast team, I was thrilled to be part of the Story City family which has live working stories in Adelaide,  Brisbane and the Gold Coast with more planned for other regional and capital centres and a notable list of commendable authors and artists including fellow SCWBI members, Isobelle Carmody, Kim Wilkins, Tim Baker and Trent Jamieson to name just a ridiculous few. But I also shivered with panic (on the inside where nobody would notice, mind) I mean I usually struggled to come up with one acceptable ending, let alone up to eight!

Original artwork by Ken Best

Despite scathing deadlines and a collection of plot lines more convoluted than a bowlful of spaghetti and the odd dejected child wondering when she was getting her next meal, I managed to produce The Chapel of Unlove. Mine's a quirky, spoof type tale based in the surreal surroundings of Sanctuary Cove at the north end of the Goldie (where I live). It's fantastical, fun, and kid-and-family-friendly but touches on a few of the delicious life-parodies one can encounter here on the Gold Coast which naturally involves pirates and Elvis impersonators. What more could you ask for?!

Working collaboratively

I encourage anyone with a passion for adventure and a quest to be their own hero to experience the stories of Story City. If the chance to be a contributing artist or writer comes to your town, I urge you to consider pouncing on it. Preserving the art of storytelling in a multi-sense way whilst actually making stories immediately accessible in the hands of our audiences is a marvellous opportunity not to be missed. I learnt a lot. I'm edging over into the realm of plotter vs panster thanks to this project. And I had a heap of fun along the way.

Over the next month or so, I hope to divulge more of the hows, whys and whos behind my Story City Creation. You can follow those posts at Dim's Write Stuff. Visit the Story City website to register your interest as a future contributor or simply learn more about the team behind the stories behind the adventures!

Story City Gold Coast is presented by Story City and funded by the Regional Arts Development Fund. The Regional Arts Development fund is a Queensland Government and City of Gold Coast Council partnership to support local arts and culture.

Dimity Powell is a published children's author and SCBWI member residing just around the corner from Bat Man on the Gold Coast. She is the official Blogger coordinator for this year's 2016 SCBWI Sydney Conference. You can follow her reviews on Kids Lit at Boomerang Books Blog or visit her at Dim's Write Stuff.

The Countdown is on - Sydney Conference 2016

‘If it’s not on my calendar, it simply won’t get done!’ I enjoy a love hate relationship with all my calendars (yes I have more than one). I love the sense of control carefully recorded events, chores, and deadlines give me as I observe them securely enclosed in their little individual squares. There’s no room for sloppy what ifs in a well-planned month of mine.

On the other hand, I hate being bound by duty and dates and would love to cast wide the shackles of time constraints in preference for a life less restricted and wildly unscheduled. However, for most of us, our first world existence doesn’t leave much room for such a devil-may-care approach and when there is only 32 weeks left until one of the next big things on the writing calendar, you're going to want to whip out your diary and clear some space for it.

Yes, it’s on again, the SCBWI Sydney Conference! These are the dates, Sunday 4 - Monday 5th September (NOTE: CHANGE OF DATES!!) and this is the low down…well I’ll have more low down for you soon for you see, I have the dubious honour of being this year’s official SCBWI Conference Blogger, (that's me in the blue blouse looking bonkers below).

Along with a trusty team of intra-national Roving Reporters, all the behind the scenes scoops, the tantalising anticipation and the bits that you’ve never really thought about before will be delivered to you, right here! Amongst some of the highlights, we'll be looking at lead up events like Writers in the Park, what's on offer for delegates and just who and what is behind the ticking heart of such an involved conference - namely the volunteers who help put together The Illustrator Showcase, portfolio pitches, book launches and more.

If you are a past conference delegate thinking of coming again, welcome back! We can’t wait to see you. If the 2016 Conference is your first, hold onto your pencils, you’re in for an unbelievably stimulating time.

Here are a couple of reminders of just how stimulated we were in 2014.

The 2014 Roving Reporter Team lead by Sheryl Gwyther

The 2014 Conference Delegates

Keep your eyes peeled for future updates and program highlights on the SCBWI blog site If there is something you’d like this reporter to feature about the Conference, don’t forget to leave a comment or two! We’d love to hear from you because it’s your conference!

Until I leap into the next calendar square, Rove ya later!

Dimity