From writer/editor Deborah Halverson, on arc:

Your main character needs to have something at stake, a fear of losing something, so he'll fight to protect it no matter what (the "so what?" factor). It must matter - make failing unacceptable.

From writer and editor Andrea Pinkney:

What do you bring that nobody else can bring? Show me in your writing. Depart your comfort zone.

Gems from a summer SCBWI conference agent panel:

Keep Trying. Keep going, even on those days you want to curl up and hide under the bed. Keep going.

Don't rush your endings.

Do it because you love it. Be willing to scrap a manuscript, because each one brings us to the next. Seek out your peers.

From the wonderful and witty Carolyn Mackler:

Aim high! Remember the excitement, hope and novelty of the teen years. Anything can happen -- your life can change in an instant.

A great nugget from Melissa Manlove:

If you tell a story that has truth buried in it, it will feel true. There's no pressure to discover the emotional core of your story at the beginning. The first draft comes from your subconscious -- you leave yourself clues as to what the story is about.

From the grossly talented Matt de la Pena:

It's all about how hard you work when nobody's watching you.

The wonderful Kirby Larson, quoting Robert Frost:

Leap and the net will appear.

From my friend and amazing writer Laurie Halse Anderson:

Resolve to write. Exhausted and sleep deprived equals great writing. Don't put kids to sleep - wake 'em up, for God's sake!

Martha Alderson, aka "the plot whisperer", on writing:

Our "setbacks" as writers serve to force us to grow. If you're aware of your own universal story, you can achieve your dream.

A nugget on plot for those of us who write from the seat of our pants, from "plot whisperer" Martha Alderson:

Experience the freedom of structure. Within structure, you can do anything and won't wander to dead ends.

From agent Danielle Smith:

You owe it to the kids who need your stories to get them out into the world.

From editor Heidi Fiedler:

Trust that you'll need many drafts to get it right, and trust that it's worth it.

From award-winning author Katherine Applegate:

Fall down 7 times, get up 8.