Awards season comes with acceptance speeches for the lucky winners. Hands shaking with adrenaline and excitement as they unfold the paper so the winner can remember everything they wanted to say in the two minutes they have in front of the microphone before the orchestra plays them off the stage...
Which of course, inspires the exercise: what would you say?
You've worked so hard on your book, it's finally out in the world, and it has this moment in the spotlight.
And while your cheering section is watching, so are people who have never heard of you or your book before. What's your strategy?
Would you read a giant list of names to thank?
Would you share an anecdote about why this book is important to you – and hopefully others?
Would you acknowledge the other finalists?
Read the dedication?
Thank the judges?
Aim to make folks laugh? Cry?
Would you try to do it all?
Or would you do something else entirely?
Two minutes goes pretty fast, and while none of us control whether we'll have this opportunity, I hope it's a fun exercise for you.
Want to see how eight of your fellow #KidLit creators handle their book's moment in the spotlight? The online SCBWI Golden Kite Awards are this Friday Feb 21, 2025 from 4pm-5:30pm Pacific. You can attend for FREE – register here.
On a personal note, this exercise is real for me this year, with my The Gender Binary is a Big Lie a finalist in the Nonfiction for Older Readers category. So I have to prepare something to say... And yeah, that inspired this exercise for you.
Hope you'll join me and so many others in our #KidLit community for the online ceremony!
Illustrate, Translate, and Write On,
Lee
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