Industry Month In Review: Winter Bright Blues

It's frightfully cold here in the north east but I'm determined not to let the chill get to me.  Besides, as a snowboarder, it's been great for hitting the slopes!  Plus, SCBWI just wrapped another successful NY Conference and while I wasn't able to attend in person, I've been keeping up to date via the SCBWI Conference Blog.  Filled with video commentary, photos and speaker summaries, it's chalk full of insight and information. 

But even with an exciting NY event to follow online, sometimes you still need a bit of a push.  The ALSC just released their 2013 Notable Children's Books.  I love checking out the great books and it's an inspiring list to aspire to be a part of it. 

And if you're needing a little excitement this February, well, the best thing to do is to raise the stakes....in your manuscript.  Writer's Digest has a great article outlining just how to raise the stakes in the first 50 pages of your novel.  

Finally, if that's not enough to keep you motivated, check out these two upcoming events in sunny states with beautiful warm weather!

Novel Gurus
Big Sur Writing Workshop