Creative Labs

Creative Labs - The Heart of the Winter Conference

Welcome to the 2024 SCBWI Creative Labs! Each three-hour lab offers an in-depth exploration of an aspect of the business or craft of writing and illustrating books for children and young adults. Conference attendees will select TWO labs – one on Saturday and one on Sunday. These longer sessions provide more time with instructors, more time with your fellow creators and more high-level information, writing and illustrating time, and professional feedback.

Click on the links below to read a detailed syllabus of each lab.

Saturday Creative Labs (Choose One)

Writing the Picture Book: From First Sketch to the Book Dummy with Claudia Rueda

Unlocking Your Picture Book - Understanding the Key Components of Storytelling to Write Your Manuscript with Kandace Coston

Revision Half-Marathon - 13.1 Revision Strategies to Get Your Novel to the Finish Line with Kate Messner

Making Publicity and Marketing Work for You and Your Career with Tracy van Straaten

Illustrators Break Through! Pushing Past Career, Creative and Mental Blocks with Pat Cummings, Christy Ewers, and Cecilia Yung

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Creativity Illustration Bootcamp with James Ransome

Creating Nonfiction Page-Turners: Finding the Structure and Style for Your True Story with Steve Sheinkin

Don’t Call it Self Publishing: How to Successfully Publish Your Own Children’s Novels with Andrea Fleck-Nisbet and Lee Wind

Sunday Creative Labs (Choose One)

Going with the Flow: Mastering Pacing and Rhythm in Children’s Picture Books with Carole Boston Weatherford

Picture Book Revision Precision: Get In, Get Messy, and Get Revising! with Alexandra Penfold

The Jump Start: Playful and Practical Strategies for Breathing Life into the Characters in Your Idling or Abandoned Novel-In-Progress with Phil Bildner