Links to Share

I went to the SCBWI Western Washington 20th Annual Writing and Illustrating for Children Conference over the weekend of April 16-17. Unfortunately, due to a major head cold (lasted 2 weeks!) I did not bring my 'A' game. Feeling like I was in a fog most of the time made me a little anti-social and in serious need of a nap.

Enough whining!

I'm finally feeling better, and with a bout of sunshine under my belt, my attitude is coming 'round. So, I thought I'd better share the good stuff. Below are some links that I discovered and enjoyed from the conference:

1.) Met my critique partner from Australia who just happened to be hobnobbing in my neck of the woods, Kim Fleming. I'm a big fan of her artwork. Here is her portfolio: http://www.kimflemingillustration.com

2.) Met Shane Watson and am excited that he is now a part of our Creative Cup critique group. He is a fabulous illustrator. His portfolio: http://www.oreganoproductions.com/

3.) I collected postcards for my favorite artists at the conference's Juried Art Show.

Robin E. Kaplan is an inspiration and was the 2nd runner up winner. Her portfolio: http://robin-e-kaplan.artworkfolio.com/ 

Ward Jenkins makes drawing look fun and easy. I really enjoy his style. His portfolio: http://www.wardjenkins.com/WARD_JENKINS.html

Margie B. Segress is exceptionally talented! Her portfolio: http://www.bymargie.com/index.html

4.) My favorite guest speakers at the conference were Rollin Thomas (Alternate Picture-Book Structures), and Lin Oliver (Tricks of Writing Effective Dialogue).

5.) Authors were discussing software they use to keep thoughts, research, outlines, character development, and drafts organized. Scrivener was mentioned to me a couple times. I found a list of other writing software at Literature and Latte.

Research on writing software brought to my attention a review site. I found this very helpful to break down feature sets, ease of use, tool sets, reviews, and cost. The site is called Top Ten Reviews.