Aspiring writers get practical lessons at fourth annual authors conference

Lisa Ernst tells students that changing the way eyes are drawn on a character changes the way it is perceived after she draws a fox during the Fourth Annual Young Artist's Conference Saturday afternoon at Truman Elementary School.

"The difference be-tween authors and artists and other people is that authors and artists pay attention to what is going on around them," Lisa Campbell Ernst told the 193 area students taking part in the Fourth Annual Young Authors conference at Truman Elementary School Saturday afternoon.

Ernst told the students that when she plans an illustrated book she must be sure it will fit on 32 or 40 pages, because that is how many pages can be cut from the one large sheet of paper each book is printed on.

"I spend nine months on each book, but it takes another year to be turned into a book," she said.

All of the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students had created a book and received first-, second- or third-place awards in their local school district. All Nevada second grade students who created a book on their own time were invited to attend the conference.

Ernst is a children's book illustrator and author from the Kansas City area. She has written and illustrated more than 30 books.

Steve Swinburne, a children's author from Londerry, Vt., and another guest speaker asked, "Where do your ideas come from?

"You get your ideas from your own life," he said, answering his own question.

"Keep your eyes open and your ears on," he added.

Swinburne told the students that his first book was based on his experiences as a child and was named after his and his best friend's nicknames: "The Adventures of Wiff and Dirty George."

"Mom called me Wiff and my best friend Dirty George," said Swinburne, who was born in London, England, where he lived until his family moved to America when he was 8.

Swinburne, who is a lifelong naturalist and usually writes about nature, told the students that he follows three steps to write a book.

First: "Go out and see the animals -- in the wild if possible.

To do that, he has gone to Africa to see a hippopotamus, patrolled a sea turtle beach on a Caribbean island, peeked into a black bear den in Pennsylvania, listened to wolves in Yellowstone National Park, watched shorebirds in New York and snorkeled beside Florida manatees.

Second: Come back and do the needed research.

Third: Sit down and begin the writing process. Make a rough draft which he said he calls his down dirty, and then revise.

"Why is a good lead important?" he asked.

Without a good lead no one will read the book, he said, again answering his own question.

"It draws the reader in," he told the budding authors, adding that a good lead means the book will sell well.

Even then it is sometimes difficult to find a publisher who likes a particular book.

One of his books was rejected 37 times before he found a publisher who liked it.

Now it is one of his best selling books, he told the children.

"It was awesome," Paula Shafer, co-coordinator of the conference and sixth-grade reading teacher at the middle school, said Monday. She said organizers estimate around 600 total people attended the event, leaving standing room only when all the students and their parents were in the gymnasium at Truman Elementary.

This year's event brought students from Appleton City, Butler, El Dorado Springs, Hume, Lamar, Sheldon, St. Mary's in Nevada and Nevada elementary.

She said last year they had students from nine districts. This year El Dorado Christian and Miami did not attend, but are interested in returning next year.

Shafer started holding a conference in Nevada after both Missouri State University and Pittsburg State University dropped similar programs that Nevada students attended.

The first year she invited schools within 40 miles of Nevada and had three districts besides Nevada attend.

The second year it grew to six districts and last year nine schools attended.

And it may be in line for further growth.

She said that the Ballard school district, which is between Butler and Appleton City has expressed an interest in coming next year and a school in the Joplin area is also interested.

"Lisa Ernst told me, 'this is biggest conference she had been to,'" Shafer said.

And she said Steve Swinburne, complimented them on how well organized the conference was.

Shafer said she is trying to transition the coordinator's role to someone else who is at Truman Elementary, and is planning to bow out after next year's conference.

She said her co-coordinator Fran Furry wants to continue working with it and Cindy Neely is interested in working on the conference.