This weekend I tootled along to my first ever CWIG conference – the Children’s Writers and Illustrators Group of The Society of Authors. And loved every minute.
The line-up of speakers was very starry indeed.
Highlights included:
Jane Ray and Ros Asquith showing a lifetime’s work, from their earliest charming and funny childhood efforts;
a lively (and really quite vocal) panel discussion on writers’ websites that has been brilliantly recounted here by Sarah Benton of Hot Key Books – essential reading for everyone in the biz, I reckon;
our chair Helena Pielichaty leading a cheerful and energising workshop on the ‘mid-list crisis’;
hearing three writers, Patrick Ness, Geraldine McCaughrean and Charlie Higson, who are at the absolute top of their game, talking about their work.
(I commented that I was as excited to see those three together on stage as I would be seeing One Direction if I was about 12)

And…

sharing my custard creams with Charlotte and Adam Guillain;
only JUST refraining from cheering when Joe Godwin (director of Children’s TV at the Beeb) picked out my mate Ted Dewan as someone who *might* be getting a series on the telly any minute now; oh, the jealousy in the room!

and the strawberry on the top, hearing an anxious older lady-author in the queue for the toilets say, ‘what ARE apps – are they the muscles in your tummy?’
(That’s really true – isn’t it nice? Wish I could just bottle that and keep it)

Happy days, loads to think about. Thank you Cwiggers – a triumph!