The 2017 Storylines Hui and what I learnt there ...

Weekend before last I attended the 2017 Storylines National Hui for Children's Writers and Illustrators with other delegates from all over New Zealand. There were plenty of familiar faces but a whole host of new ones as well which I thought was a terrific sign. The mood was collegial and a positive hum accompanied every gathering. I attended keynote speeches, workshops and panel discussions. I engaged in more 'active listening' then I've done since university and man that stuff is seriously tiring but totally worthwhile.

I gave a workshop on the business of being a writer, or 'What They Don't Tell You at Writing Class' (and discovered that when you are worried about providing sufficient content for 90 minutes, you end up with 180 minutes worth of content),

and I was part of a panel where I talked about Fabostory, with the other panel members talking about cool initiatives such as NZ Read Aloud, SCBWI, Getting Kids Into Books, and Storylines itself.

There were some sobering moments where people talked about the realities, difficulties and disappointments of their own experience and/or current local and global trends. There were some moments of envy when established writers talked about close relationships with publishers and agents, 6 figure advances and long successful careers. Nearly 60 delegates pitched to publishers and agents during the Pitch Slam and I really hope we get to hear some success stories down the line from these. Agents talked about what's hot, what's not and what's downright dead. I made some pitches of my own. To two agents and two publishers in the end and now I wait too to see whether anything has 'taken'. It's part of my attempt to get 100 rejections this year. The philosophy is that the more submissions/applications/entreaties/pitches you make the more chance you have of something being selected/accepted/supplied. There is merit in this idea although it does mean working harder submitting and applying often enough to achieve this, and it does mean preparing yourself for a higher than usual rejection onslaught. But the truth is there is no yes without the submissions, the applications and the nos. I can't go soft on that stuff. And all the submitting and applying gives off a nice aura of possibilities.

So, back to the Hui. My favourite workshop? Poetry with Paula Green. Hands on word play is like a happy drug. And I wrote some things I really really like. Stacy Gregg ran a close second with her realistic insights into the life of a series writer. Not for the faint-hearted. My favourite keynote? Brian Falkner. Honest, unexpected, and a testament to all the things that make up a career - self belief, hard work, luck, more hard work, and gripping on for dear life during the tough times. I felt strangely buoyed by his words. I learned that success is a strange creature with many faces. And that is a useful thing to know. I felt grounded, and encouraged and motivated by the whole experience. And I felt reminded yet again that my community is a wonderful one. And whatever happens it is very clear that we are there for each other. Love you all guys.