The Plunge!
05/19/26
I’ve taken the plunge, and it took my breath away!
(Just like jumping into the ocean off any New England coastline.)
Last weekend I attended my first SCBWI conference… all three days… in my mobility scooter… with a 90-minute drive on either end. Oof. I will be in bed recovering for a good while. Although the physical cost is great, the mental and emotional benefit is incalculable.
I have not scribbled notes so furiously since my college days, and it was invigorating! The panels with Publishing Editors and Agents had me hanging on every word. The workshops were engaging, informative, and the exercises poignantly effective. Lisa Roger’s “16 Words” exercise helped me create a heart-anchor for a manuscript I’ve been struggling with. Lauren Wolk’s experiential approach and “Memory as Fuel” 5-minute writing exercise inspired a moment of clarity, in which truth poured out. It was that feeling of being un-corked, when you had no awareness of the stopper having ever existed. It was not an act of creation, it was an act of release, releasing the words from within. Valerie Bolling’s talks were rife with guidance and support, and will continue to ring in my ears and bolster my spirit to continue to create… BOLDLY.
To my many (many) new friends, the ones I shared meals with, the ones I shared deep words with, the ones I only met in passing and didn’t even get your names, I will be reaching out to find you. Please reach out to find me. Let’s reach for each other and within those connections, raise each other up, and thrive together.
- Kiki Bjers
(Thank you, Ruth, for taking the picture! It's from Day 3 and I'm feeling about as upside-down as my nametag!)
The Journey Begins
05/19/26
The first step is a declaration: "I'm writing children's books."
Sure, it's been happening in the background, on my phone, in the dark, alone... ever since my first child was born in 2019 and I spent countless hours melted into a rocking chair. It's been happening since motherhood opened a well of new feelings, which led to new thoughts, which led to new words - words that I felt compelled to write down. (It's been happening since our collection of children's books became marred by more and more Sharpie "fixes," and I finally just decided to write new ones entirely.)
But the declaration is what makes it real in the world, and so I have made it:
"I am writing children's books, and I am beginning the process of trying to become published."
Thank you for being here with me, and please sign up for updates if you want to be kept in the loop. This will not be a fast process, and I expect many ups and downs along this road. Having a core of 'humans who care to hear how it's going' will help contribute strength and courage as I tackle this endeavor!
- Kiki Bjers
