New York Newbies…What We Learned

Writing Song of the Day: "School Spirit" by Kanye West

We made it back from New York in one piece. While the weekend started off, how should we put it, ANNOYINGLY, we learned a few things. Like to hear it? Here it goes…

• Don't travel along the east coast by plane in the winter: This is probably THE most important take away from the entire trip. No. Really. It is. 
• Ngram Viewer: Author Elizabeth Wein shared this site during her keynote talk. It's used for those of us who write historical fiction--you can check how often historical words and phrases shows up in books during a certain time period using this site. Read more about Elizabeth's keynote here.
• Make sure your story has an emotional and physical ending: Having TWO endings makes your story that much more complex and allows for a better resolution--from Jack Gantos's keynote.
• You can become a writer EVEN after being arrested!: Seriously Jack Gantos did it! Read more about his keynote speech on the SCBWI blog here.
• When writing historical fiction, use objective research: Diaries are an easy go to, but they aren't always accurate--use recipes, logs, obituaries, things that are based in fact. This was said by Kendra Levin of Vikings Children's Books.
• Don't make writing like a bad first date: Adding too much back story in the beginning? Would you want a second date with that guy? This was said by Anica Rissi, editor at Katherine Tegen Books
• Find a mentor: Try and find someone a little more successful than you to look up to, someone you aspire to be like--advice from Sara Shandler, Alloy Entertainment. (Is Veronica Roth okay to look up to??? )

That's what we learned. What about you? What are some new writing tips that you've picked up lately?