Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/18/2021
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Category(ies)

Beginnings & Endings:
Intriguing Hooks + Surprising Last Pages = Reader Satisfaction

There’s a lot riding on the beginning of your story. You need to open with a compelling hook to win your reader. The same goes for the end: surprise and delight with a memorable close. Easier said than done. In this session, we’ll talk about how to close your book on a surprise end that feels gratifying and real. Then, we reverse engineer to craft the beginning to deliver a terrific first line and a story roadmap by introducing the main character (who), the main conflict (what), their motivation (why), the setting (where and when), and a promise of change that will happen over the course of the story (how). But most importantly, we’ll talk about how to pace the beginning—and the end—to keep the reader engaged with the story long after they close the book.

Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT (8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. PDT)

Registration opens March 1, 2021

There is a very limited number of paid critiques available. You will find out when you click on the appropriate ticket below whether they’ve been sold out.

Zoom Info:

* Your link to join the live webinar will be sent by 6:00 p.m. EDT September 17, 2021 (the day before the event).

Note: This is your link. Please do NOT share it with anyone else. If you know someone who has signed up for the webinar and didn’t receive their link or who couldn’t sign up for the webinar in time, please have them email Diane (indiana-ra@scbwi.org) or Teresa (indiana-ra2@scbwi.org) ASAP to get sorted out.

* The recording will be sent to all registered participants a couple of days after the webinar (September 20, 2021) and will be available for re-watching for 30 days.

We are so fortunate to host agent-extraordinaire Jennifer March Soloway for the our final “Grow With the Pros” webinar of the year! Jennifer is with the highly regarded Andrea Brown Literary Agency and is a top agent in her own right. She is offering paid critiques along with a submission opportunity to her afterwards.

JENNIFER MARCH SOLOWAY is an associate agent with the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. She represents authors and illustrators of picture book, middle grade, and young adult stories. Prior to joining ABLA, Jennifer worked in marketing and public relations in a variety of industries, including financial services, health care, and toys. She has an MFA in English and Creative Writing from Mills College and was a fellow at the San Francisco Writers Grotto in 2012. To learn more about Jennifer, follow her on Twitter, @marchsoloway, and find her full wish list at www.andreabrownlit.com.

EXTRA! Critiques available:

Jennifer is offering written critiques for $45. If you would like to purchase a critique, you need to do so at the time of registration though you don’t have to send it until August 1, 2021. They will be completed and returned to you by the day of the webinar, September 18, 2021.

Please send the following as a single attachment to Diane Bradley-Kantor, indiana-ra@scbwi.org in an email by August 1, 2021:

1) A short cover/query letter including a brief author bio (if you put this into the email itself instead of the attachment, Jennifer will not see it).

2) For picture book submissions, a Word doc of the entire text and/or dummy (in Word doc or PDF) not to exceed 10 pages.

3) For longer works (novel/poetry collection/nonfiction that is not a PB), ten pages of text, in standard formatting; if you want to include a story summary, please make it only one page (this one page can be single-spaced) and then add 9 pages, in standard formatting, of the manuscript.

4) Please put “Jennifer March Soloway Critique” in the subject line of your email and label your attachment as “your name_TITLE OF MS_JMS” e.g. “Teresa Robeson_MY STORY_JMS”

The critiques will be completed by September 18, and Diane will email the feedback to you.

Query opportunities:

All attendees will have an opportunity to query Jennifer. The specific submission information will be emailed, along with the link to the replay, to attendees post-conference.

*Please note that this is not the same as the paid critique of which there is only a limited number. This is an opportunity to get ahead of the line to have Jennifer consider your story.

Cancellation Policy & Trouble-Shooting:

Since this is an online event with a recording available for one month afterwards to watch at your own pace, there will not be any refunds issued.

Please add indiana-ra@scbwi.org and indiana-ra2@scbwi.org to your email contact list. Webinar invites and recordings are sent through the SCBWI email system. Sometimes they are blocked by filters. Send us an email if you do not receive your links by the dates below.

* Your link to join the live webinar will be sent by 6:00 p.m. EDT September 17, 2021 (the day before the event).

Note: This is your link. Please do NOT share it with anyone else. If you know someone who has signed up for the webinar and didn’t receive their link or who couldn’t sign up for the webinar in time, please have them email Diane (indiana-ra@scbwi.org) or Teresa (indiana-ra2@scbwi.org) ASAP to get sorted out.

* The recording will be sent to all registered participants a couple of days after the webinar (September 20, 2021) and will be available for re-watching for 30 days.

If you encounter any problems during your registration process for this event or have any other questions, contact Diane Bradley-Kantor, indiana-ra@scbwi.org or Teresa Robeson, indiana-ra2@scbwi.org and we will be happy to assist you.

Bookings