Nanowrimo (National November Writing Month) 2011 Posted on October 16, 2011November 3, 2014 by LJ It's almost that time of the year again when maniacs all over the world sign up on a website (www.nanowrimo.org) and vow to write a 50,000 word novel between November 1st and November 30th. And when I say all over the world, I mean all over the world. There are Wrimos (Nanowrimo participants) in Africa (including, but not limited to, Israel and other countries in the Middle East), Asia, Europe, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and God only knows where else. On one hand, I can hardly believe that an entire year has passed since Nanowrimo (National November Writing Month) 2010. On the other hand, I can barely remember what I wrote during the last Nanowrimo. That's probably because this year, after writing a draft of my fourth book during the month of November, I worked hard at rewriting my first book – a “romantic” suspense novel – increasing it from 57,000 words to a full length single title manuscript of 94,000 words. My reasons for putting the word romantic in quotes is the subject of future posts. Normally, I write a book during Nanowrimo and then refuse to touch or even look at it again during any other month of the year. This year, I was determined to break that cycle and complete a polished full-length novel that I could submit to agents and editors. Thanks to seminars called “Fast Draft” and “Revision Hell” given by an author named Candace Havens, among others, I am well on my way to achieving that goal. I'll tell you more about those seminars in future posts. Although I have been participating in Nanowrimo since 2007 and have managed to “win” every year by whipping out 50,000 words, I think this will be my most challenging year ever. I have a mediation and a trial scheduled to take place in November. I am a member of a gospel choir that is now in “concert mode” for an upcoming performance in December at the Arscht Center in Miami, Florida (with Take 6 and the Miami Mass choir) and I have embarked on a professional campaign that has me attending and participating in all sorts of events, lunches, meetings, conferences, etc. in addition to my normal job duties. Needless to say I am a tad bit busier than I normally am this time of year. With all of that being said, I am determined to whip out another book and win Nanowrimo once again this year because, well, I am a writer, and as the head of my writers group likes to say: “writers write.” One of the secrets to being a successful author is to be prolific. For me, that means I have to write at least one book a year. I hope to increase that to two or more novels a year, but I need to start somewhere. My goal for this year is to write a new first draft of a novel and to complete revising two of the novels I have written already. It sounds daunting I know, but I've already gotten further than I ever have before in revising my first book. If you think you have a novel in you, you should participate in Nanowrimo this year. The accountability inherent in the program together with the pep talks, the resources on the Nanowrimo website and the fellowship with other writers is invaluable. That's why I'm able to write first drafts of novels during the month of November. Pick up a copy of Chris Baty's book No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days and sign up on the Nanowrimo website. You'll be that much further to making your dream a reality. My handle on Nanowrimo is Candique. If you sign up, you can make me one of your buddies. I'll be happy to support you every step of the way. Let me know how it goes. Peace Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Share this:ShareFacebookPocketLinkedInTumblrRedditPinterest
Romance Writers of America’s Annual Conference 2011 Posted on July 22, 2011 by LJ Most people who take a vacation head to the beach or go on a cruise or attend theme parks with their children or go to visit their families. I headed off to attend two writers conferences in New York City and killed two birds with one stone by spending time with my family over the Fourth of July holiday. The first conference I attended was Romance Writers of America's (RWA) 31st Annual Conference which was held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square. First, let me say that it was a fabulous location – right in the midst of the madness as I like to say. I love New York for many reasons not the least of which is that you could get all kinds of food there – whether you go out to a restaurant to eat with friends or order it delivered to your hotel room while you feverishly work on your pitch for your novel. But I digress. This was the second RWA annual conference I've attended. The first time was last year in Orlando, Florida. At that time, I was amazed at the quality and proficiency of the seminar programming, the networking and the inspiration I received from the speakers which included one of my personal idols – Nora Roberts. This time, I was equally impressed. The speakers at the conference included best-selling novelists such as Madeline Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Steve Berry and Tess Gerritsen – the author of the novels that inspired one of my favorite television shows – Rizzoli & Isles. The first thing I did when I got to the hotel was drop my bags in my room, register and race into the keynote luncheon where I caught some of Madeline Hunter's keynote address. She talked about her journey to publication, trends in the industry and what it takes to be a writer. Her speech was very inspirational to say the least. Fired up, I next headed to the PRO Retreat. You see, once you've submitted your manuscript to an agent or editor and are rejected, you qualify to advance to the level of PRO membership in the RWA. I am now a card-carrying member of that club. The PRO retreat is a series of workshops designed to get RWA members who are serious about and ready to get published over the hurdles they face on their way. Once a member gets published, they rise to the level of PAN (Published Author Network) membership in the RWA. The PRO retreat offered a wealth of information, great opportunities for networking with other writers at the same stage as me and great raffle prizes. I won a free critique of the first 25 pages of my novel by a published author. That will prove invaluable to me since most agents and editors decide, based on the first few chapters, whether they're interested in reviewing the rest of a manuscript. The next day I pitched my romance novel to an agent and an editor. The editor wasn't all that interested because my book is a romantic suspense/legal thriller she thought would be best suited for another division of her publishing company headed by another editor. However, the agent – a well-known and highly respected player in the industry – seemed excited about the storyline and requested to see a portion of the manuscript and a synopsis. While at the conference, I attended a series of well-designed and informative seminars on everything from the writers craft to the writers market to the writers life, including, but not limited to, seminars on how to write better sex scenes, advice from the pros on the romantic suspense market, how to turn rejection (of your manuscript) into an advantage, how to write better dialogue, etc. One of the best seminars I attended, however, was given by Candace Havens – a bestselling author and writing guru – called “Fast Draft: How to Write Your First Draft in Two Weeks.” If you thought National November Writing Month a/k/a Nanowrimo (where you draft a 50,000 word novel in 30 days during the month of November) was a whirlwind experience, Fast Draft is like a hurricane by comparison. In Fast Draft, you create a first draft of a 280 page novel (70,000) words in 14 days (20 pages a day). She says it takes about three hours a day to do. After you finish your first draft, you take a break (usually two weeks) and then edit the novel into something that is publishable. You can do this any time of year with the help of a few fellow authors to provide support either online or in person if they live in your area. Candace Havens used the Fast Draft technique as a way to be more prolific as an author at a time when she had a very demanding 60 hour per week day job. I plan to give Fast Draft a try. I'll let you know how it goes. Since there were more seminars I wanted to take but couldn't get to, I ordered the conference CD's which will have mp3 files of all the seminars, panels and speeches presented at the conference for $99.00. I am sure that will prove to be invaluable. Did you attend the RWA annual conference this year? If so, how was your experience? Have any questions about the conference? Ask them and I will be sure to answer. Peace Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Share this:ShareFacebookPocketLinkedInTumblrRedditPinterest