SCBWI First Pages Panel – Princeton

I spent most of yesterday in Princeton, New Jersey. It'd been over a year since I visited this historic city, and – even on a dreary day! – it was beautiful. I arrived by train early in the afternoon so I could grab a cup of coffee, walk around Princeton University, and just write...

The reason for my trip to Princeton was a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrator's (SCBWI) "First Pages Panel." I've been active in SCBWI for several years now, but I'd never attended this type of event before.

Here's how it went down and what the editors said...

There were about 25-30 members in attendance. The two editors – Lisa Cheng, Editor at Running Press Kids, and Zack Clark, Editorial Assistant with Scholastic's Paperback Divison – sat at the front of the group. A volunteer reader read a submitted first page (which are annoymous – only say the title and genre on the piece) and the Editors (who each had a hard copy in front of them) offered their comments on each manuscript. It was a great way to get specific feedback on what's working/failing in your WIP's opening. Here's some of the general feedback:

Lisa

YA/Middle Grade – Warns against opening a story by setting a "painterly" visual image. Might not draw a child (especially young child) into the story. Wants to know the direction/intention, the movement of action right away. These novels should open with an age-appropriate character, not an adult. Lisa likes dystopian novels, headstrong girl characters.

Picture books – She's not always a fan of rhyme because it can be poorly done or limiting to the story. Be aware of heightened vocabulary, and remember that vivid imagery can be revealed through art, not always needed in the text. When she reads, she's always envisioning how it might be illustrated. Some people try to tackle too much (plot conflict or too many characters) in a 32 pg picture book. Remember that kids have short attention spans. Lisa prefers spare/simple text.

Zach

YA/Middle Grade – Not really a fan of books that begin at the beginning of the day (such as waking up, hitting the snooze alarm, etc). Prefers starting with an ACTION line versus a SETTING sentence. Watch exposition in the first page, really think about what you can edit down. He doesn't usually like the "I am so-and-so and this is where I live" opening line. Enjoys character rivalry presented right off the bat. Graphic novels are a hard sell at the moment, YA market feels a little saturated, looks for 'marketable' manuscripts.

Picture Books – Zach felt some of the PB first pages could actually become chapter books because there was a lot going on. Sometimes questions the rhyming.

I was so excited by their responses to my manuscript's first page, I came home and registered for the June New Jersey SCBWI Conference in Princeton. Oh, and I'm already signed up for the annual conference in Los Angeles in August (remember the last time I went?). So I couldn't be happier about dedicating this summer to developing my craft and polishing my kidlit manuscripts... Feeling really thankful for possibilities and open to growth.