[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":11},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-post-critique-group":3},{"_type":4,"body":5,"bodyHtml":6,"excerpt":5,"featuredImage":5,"publishedAt":7,"slug":8,"tags":9,"title":10},"blogPost",null,"On Sunday afternoon I met up with my crit group, where we said goodbye to our member \u003Ca href=\"http://kimprint.wordpress.com/\">Kim Toohey\u003C/a>, who's upping sticks to Dubai, where she'll get paid better for her teaching job. She's originally from New Zealand, but I hope she comes back to visit us in London. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/critgroup2_15aug10-5d1d318051.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nWe formed our critique group through the \u003Ca href=\"http://britishscbwi.jimdo.com/\">Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators\u003C/a>. Not everyone could come to this meeting, but from the left, we're Kim, \u003Ca href=\"http://www.hammerheadrabbits.com\">Dan Fone\u003C/a> (my website designer), \u003Ca href=\"http://www.laynmarlow.co.uk/about.htm\">Layn Marlow\u003C/a> and \u003Ca href=\"http://britishscbwi.ning.com/profile/MargaretCarey?xg_source=activity\">Margaret Carey\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/critgroup1_15aug10-2df8627e20.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nHere's Layn showing us the colour proofs for her latest book with Oxford University Press, \u003Ca href=\"http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780192729859.do\">\u003Ci>Bug & Bear\u003C/i>\u003C/a>, launching next February. I loved this lilypad water scene.\\r\n\\r\n\u003Cimg src=\"https://images.jabberworks.co.uk/lj/critgroup3_15aug10-fe6e4f9b8b.jpg\">\\r\n\\r\nI've been in two crit groups since I came to London. The first started meeting after a bunch of us took some amazing illustration evening classes with illustrator \u003Ca href=\"http://danbypress.co.uk/home/\">Elizabeth Harbour\u003C/a>, and then didn't want to stop meeting even though the classes had stopped. We met monthly for about two years. I can't remember how long this current group's been meeting monthly, but for a few years at least. It's partly social and partly work: we catch up with each other, but we also run our work by each other to get honest feedback and work out ideas we haven't quite got our head around. Usually we'll all bring something we're working on, and maybe another thing that's inspired us recently (often a children's book). Then we go around the group, with each person taking 20 minutes or so to show their stuff and get our feedback. Then, before leaving, since we meet in bookshop cafes, we usually head down to the children's section and forage among the books to see what's new. \\r\n\\r\nSpeaking of SCBWI, have you booked your place for the \u003Ca href=\"http://britishscbwi.org/conference2010/index.htm\">British SCBWI Annual Conference\u003C/a>? It's 13-14 Nov, in Winchester, which is an easy train journey from London. I'm speaking on two panels, \u003Cb>How to Sell your Book\u003C/b> and \u003Cb>Social Networking: a blessing or a curse?\u003C/b> At the end, we're having a big party where everyone can launch their latest book. (Which is great if your publisher won't cough up money for a launch party.) \u003Ca href=\"http://britishscbwi.org/conference2010/book.htm\">Book your place\u003C/a> quickly, these conference places sell out fairly fast. \\r\n\\r\nAnd Layn Marlow and I are giving a joint talk about making picture books in Oxford on 6 Nov, an open conference with the Federation of Children's Book Groups. Other speakers will include Philip Pullman and Mary Hoffman and it should be a very interesting day. It's not cheap, £40 for non-members, but it's all-day and includes lunch. You can download a booking pdf form from \u003Ca href=\"http://www.fcbg.org.uk/events/\">this page\u003C/a>. \\r\n\\r\nToday \u003Cb>Anne Cottringer\u003C/b>, the writer of \u003Ca href=\"http://www.jabberworks.co.uk/new/titus.html\">\u003Ci>When Titus Took the Train\u003C/i>\u003C/a> is coming to the studio so we can try our hand on making a little animation. I've never made one before, and Anne usually does documentaries, not animation, but we're going to have fun and see how it goes. Gosh, she arrives in an hour, better get ready! :D Very excited.","2010-08-18T06:54:00.000Z","critique-group",[],"critique group",1776628718601]