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Tag: Romance Writers of America

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

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Posted in WritingTagged 31st Annual Conference, agent, Candace Havens, editors, Fast Draft, FastDraft, legal thriller, Marriott Marquis Hotel in Times Square, Nanowrimo, National November Writing Month, PAN, PRO, PRO Retreat, Published Author Network, Romance Writers of America, Romance Writers of America's, romantic suspense, RWA, RWA Annual ConferenceLeave a Comment on Romance Writers of America’s Annual Conference 2011

Scriptfrenzy – It’s Almost That Time Again

Posted on March 26, 2011 by LJ

To do, or not to do, Scriptfrenzy this year?  That is the question. For some of you, the question might be: “What the heck is Scriptfrenzy? ”  Scriptfrenzy is a wonderful event where writers all over the world sign up on a website – http://www.scriptfrenzy.org – and vow to write a 100 page script within 30 days from April 1 to April 30th. It could be a stage play, a movie script or a script of an episode of your favorite television show.  It's a great exercise for novelists and scriptwriters alike because it forces you to focus on dialogue and to plot out your story in three acts scene by scene.  I used it as a tool to plot out and visualize my third book and it was very useful.

So, should I participate in Scriptfrenzy this year? You see, I have a nasty habit of starting new projects and finishing first drafts, but then not completing the editing necessary to get the projects ready for publication. On one hand, my participation in activities like Nanowrimo and Scriptfrenzy since 2007 have resulted in my having first drafts (and, in one case, a nice chunk of a second draft) of three novels and a movie script. On the other hand, none of those projects are complete enough to send out to agents and editors for review. I think the problem is that I love to get together with fellow writers during Nanowrimo and Scriptfrenzy in cafes to write and I do my best work under pressure. It has to do with having a set time parameter in which to complete a measurable task and doing it in a group setting with all of the attendant cheerleading, accountability and support endemic to such an exercise.

Writing is normally a solitary task and, although I am a solitary child, it's hard to self-motivate to complete a rewrite of something you've already “finished.” I put the word “finished” in quotation marks because a first draft of a novel or a script is usually far from finished and you rarely even finish a first draft in 30 days. This is especially true if you have a full-time job, gospel choir practice, a diet and exercise regime, a blog and maybe a husband and some kids (I don't have those last two items, but some do). Events like Scriptfrenzy and Nanowrimo get you fired up and motivated to get some writing done. Unfortunately though, they require you to work on new projects and not existing ones.

When I pitched to agents at the San Francisco Writers Conference, they were happy to hear that I had written three novels. Agents and editors want their writers to be prolific – the more product, the more sales.  However, they also want writers who timely complete their projects.

So, knowing that I have to finish editing my second novel and then complete the rewrite of my first book and the editing of my third book so that they are ready for Romance Writers of America's national conference in June and Thrillerfest in July, am I really going to throw myself into writing a new movie script in April? You bet I am! Why? Not only because I'm just crazy like that, but also, when I finish editing and selling (I'm claiming it) my other works, I'm going to need to have new projects in the pipeline. Moreover, I need an outlet for the new ideas rattling around in my brain. You wouldn't believe the things that rattle around writers' brains. I find it best to only express those thoughts with other writers for fear of being locked up in a loony bin.

If you have a story idea rattling around in your brain and you can see it play out on a stage or on a big or little screen, you may want to seriously consider participating in Scriptfrenzy.  If, like me the first year, you have no clue how a movie script should be formatted, invest in a copy of “Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need” by Blake Snyder.  It is fabulous and proved to be an invaluable resource for me.  Also, check out Scriptfrenzy's website (http://www.scriptfrenzy.org).  It will give  you leads on scriptwriting software (which formats scripts for you) and other great resources.  I used Celtx.  Also, download scripts of a couple of your favorite movies to see how they were done.

I have to go now.  I have a book to edit and a script to plot out.  Let me know if you decide to participate in Scriptfrenzy.  If you're in Miami maybe we can get together for write-ins.

Peace

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Posted in WritingTagged "Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need" Blake Snyder, agents, editors, exercise, National November Writing Month, novel, prolific, Romance Writers of America, San Francisco Writers Conference, Scriptfrenzy, ThrillerFest, write-ins, writersLeave a Comment on Scriptfrenzy – It’s Almost That Time Again

What I learned at the San Francisco Writers Conference: Be True to Thine Self

Posted on March 21, 2011 by LJ

The 2011 San Francisco Writers Conference was held February 18 – 20, 2011 at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco. This was my second time attending the event.

Although it was cold and rainy the first two days, the conference itself was, once again, fantastic. It was sold out. Writers from all over the country attended to network with fellow writers, find an agent or a publisher, learn from the many seminars given and/or have independent editors give them feedback and guidance on their work. I myself attended the conference for all of those reasons. My biggest reason, though, was to find an agent.

Mindful of the lessons I learned last year about knowing the market for my work, I prepared for the conference by researching the agents scheduled to participate in the conference's famed “Speed Dating With Agents” event, and by searching for other books similar to the ones I have written (preferably bestsellers) and being able to describe who buys such books.

Since my romance novel has morphed in the editing/rewriting process from being a plain romantic suspense novel to being a romantic legal thriller, I searched Amazon.com for similar novels. To my delight, I found several other romance novels featuring lawyers and judges as heroes and heroines. I even discovered a great series of novels involving an African-American woman attorney as the heroine written by Pamela Samuels-Young. I checked a number of books out of the library for the sake of research and, being the queen of procrastination, found myself reading them when I should have been writing. But I digress.

It was a lot harder for me to find books comparable to my second novel. This is the same book that gave me angst last year when I attended the conference. This novel is about a young African-American woman who is released from prison and is determined to turn her life around – not just for herself, but also for her son. She never told the baby's father that she was pregnant when she went to prison and she kept her mouth shut when they wanted her to testify against him for a deal. But when the state files a petition against him for child support and he retaliates by seeking full custody of their son, she's left with no other choice. To save her son, she'll have to gather evidence that he was the ringleader of the conspiracy of which she was convicted and testify against him. The question is will she live long enough to do that?

One of the great things about the San Francisco Writers Conference is the multitude of opportunities you get to interact with agents and editors alike. One of those opportunities is an activity I participated in last year called “Meet the Pros.” Basically editors from various publishing houses sit at tables of ten with nine writers at a time. Each writer gets an opportunity to pitch their book and then get feedback from the editor. You get to listen to each author's pitch and the feedback they receive.

The last time I did this, I pitched my second novel and was told by an editor that I was writing gritty urban street fiction. I was annoyed at this characterization of my work until I did some research and discovered that, while I was not writing gritty urban street fiction, the book did fall into the category of urban fiction which is really just a euphemism for Black fiction.

When I attended the Romance Writers of America conference last year, an agent told me that my second novel would be a lot easier to sell if it was a romance novel. She's right. The problem is that the book is just not a romance novel. Although there is romance (and certainly sex) in the book, it doesn't follow the conventions of a romance novel. And when I try to force it into being a romance novel, it just doesn't work.

Knowing that I wanted to pitch this novel again this year, I searched diligently for comparable novels. The closest thing I could find was gritty urban street fiction, although my novel is not really set in the streets and my characters don't really use the street vernacular you find in such books. I did, however, find romance novels featuring heroes and heroines who had just served prison sentences and were trying to turn their lives around. I decided to pitch the novel as a romance novel and try to force a square peg into a round hole.

I pitched the novel to an editor of a publishing house known for publishing a varied and eclectic mix of novels. She turned to me and said: “Honey, unfortunately, the only people who want to read about Black people getting out of jail are other Black people.” In other words, she was saying that the book would not have mass appeal and that I should target agents and publishing houses that target the African-American reader. At first, I was demoralized. How could I sell this book to agents and editors at the conference if I couldn't make them believe it would have mass appeal?

Knowing that I was participating in Speed Dating for Agents the next day and competing in a pitch contest that night, I went back to my hotel room and got to work on my pitch and in pinpointing the market for my book. With the editor's words ringing in my ears, I finally figured it out. Although I didn't find books exactly like mine, I did find a fiction book on Amazon.com featuring four African-American woman who were the wives, daughters, mothers, etc. of men serving time in prison. The book wasn't set in the streets and was written in English (not slang). According to the site, the people who bought that book also bought books from such bestselling African-American authors as Walter Moseley, Eric Jerome Dickey, and Brenda Jackson. The lightbulb went off. That's how I needed to package my book to the agents I was going to pitch the next day. The African-American market is a large market that is probably hungry for more books featuring African-American characters that don't fall into the realm of gritty urban street fiction. I know I am.

I wrote up a pitch for the book that stayed true to its theme and didn't cast it as a romance novel. That night, I competed in a pitch contest. I beat at least thirty other authors and came in second place. Since the contest was judged by three agents, that bolstered my confidence in my ability to successfully pitch the book to agents the next day. The next morning, however, after waiting in a very long line to get into the room to meet the agents, I panicked and tried to pitch the book as a romance novel to the first agent I approached. She was not interested at all. In retrospect, I can understand why. Because I wasn't true to myself or the book by trying to depict it as a romance novel, neither my passion nor the concept of the book shined through and I was unable to capture the agent's interest.

As I got up to get in line for the next agent I wanted to see, I cursed myself for being a fool. My original pitch had won over more than thirty other authors' pitches the night before. If it wasn't broke then why the heck was I trying to fix it?

I pitched the book to five other agents that morning, each of whom gave me their cards and asked to see the first 50 pages of the book and a synopsis. If they like what they read, then they'll ask to see the rest of the novel. If they like that, then they will offer to represent me.

So, what did I learn from this? The same things I keep learning over and over again. I relate to people best when I am true to myself (as opposed to trying to be someone else). My passion shines through when I am my authentic self. And, as for my second novel, what it is, is what it is, is what it is. And that's just as it should be.

Peace.

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Posted in WritingTagged African-American, authentic self, gritty urban street fiction, Meet the Pros, pitch, pitch contest, prison, romance novel, Romance Writers of America, romantic legal thriller, San Francisco Writers Conference, Speed Dating With Agents, true, true to myself, urban fictionLeave a Comment on What I learned at the San Francisco Writers Conference: Be True to Thine Self

The Benefit of Attending a Writers Conference Part II – Romance Writers of America 30th Annual Conference

Posted on October 8, 2010 by LJ

This post is way overdue. In fact, I should have written it in July upon my return from the 30th Annual Romance Writers of America Conference. I certainly meant to, however, other post ideas jumped to the forefront, namely, the health-related posts that have dominated my blog for the past several months. Sometimes it's hard to find a balance between two strong passions. Sometimes it's just hard to admit that, having lost more than fifty pounds, but not having yet published a book, I feel more qualified to talk about exercise, nutrition and weight loss issues than I do talking about writing. But then I thought about it. This blog is about my journey as a writer, a woman and a weight loss maven. I've learned quite a bit already in my journey to publish a novel and there are people out there who can benefit from that. So here goes.

The 30th Annual Romance Writers of America Conference was held July 28-31 in Orlando, Florida. I almost didn't attend the conference because my manuscript had just gotten rejected by two publishing houses for, among other things, not focusing enough on the central romance. Since that is, in essence, what differentiates a romance novel from, say, a suspense novel with romantic elements, I figured that I wasn't writing a romance novel and thus, had no need to attend a romance writers conference. Boy was I wrong.

It's almost impossible for me to tell you about how much I benefitted from attending the conference, but I will try. First, I got to see my favorite author – Nora Roberts – give a keynote speech. It inspired me so much that, even though I will have to almost completely rewrite the romance novel I thought was done, I am not demoralized in the least.  She turned out to be the most down to Earth, likeable woman and she had very useful advice about writing and the writers life.

Until I attended the conference, I didn't know that spitting out the first draft of a novel is just the tip of the iceberg. Although I knew that some editing had to take place to make it a coherent story, I did not know that much of the craft of writing – the layering in of detail, character voice, imagery, symbolism, etc. went into the second and third drafts of a novel. Until I took the seminars, I didn't know that every scene had to have conflict and had to have a hook to keep the reader wanting to turn the page. I didn't know that each character had to have their own voice, goals and motivations, and that the best way to create conflict and tension in a book is to have those goals in opposition. I didn't know that each character had to have their own story arc or that my dialogue had to reflect, for example,  the fact that men generally talk less than women (I should say most men – I know some exceptions).

Until I heard agents and editors talk about what they look for in books, I didn't know that it was a bad idea to have my romance novel start with a dream sequence or to throw too much backstory into the first chapter. Until I began to read the books on writing recommended by the bestselling novelists, agents and editors who spoke at the conference, I didn't know that there were rules to writing a romance – for example I didn't know that no more than ten pages should elapse without the hero and heroine interacting together in a scene. In short, I did not know all of the things that my romance novel was missing. I didn't even realize that the last editor who rejected my manuscript was actually encouraging me to keep trying by taking the time to point out some of the pros and cons of the chapters I sent her rather than sending me a form rejection letter. Apparently, that is pretty rare.

While at the conference, I interacted with other writers and learned about useful websites and got recommendations on books on writing to assist me in revising my manuscript. I met an agent while waiting for the airport shuttle who encouraged me to pitch my books to her, gave me great advice and told me to send her my manuscripts when they are complete.

The conference itself was a great value for the money. The registration fee included several meals, over a hundred seminars, book signings, etc. Prior to the conference, I had downloaded audio files of seminars given at prior RWA annual conferences for $8.00 per seminar. At the conference, they offered CD's containing the top 24 seminars given at the 2008 and 2009 conferences for $5.00 for the 2008 CD and $10.00 for the 2009 CD. They also offered a CD-Rom containing .mp3 files and handouts for all of the 2010 seminars and speeches for $99.00. Considering that more than a hundred seminars were given at the conference on everything from writer's craft to the writer's life and you could not possibly attend all the ones you wanted to since many were given in the same time slots, that is a bargain indeed.

The bottom line is that I am very happy I attended the conference and benefitted tremendously from the experience.  I'm looking forward to attending next year's conference which will be held 6/28/11 – 7/1/11, at the Marriott Marquis in New York.  Maybe I'll see some of you there.

Peace

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Posted in WritingTagged 30th Annual Romance Writers of America Conference, dialogue, layering in of detail, Nora Roberts, rejection letter, romance novel, Romance Writers of America, The Benefit of Attending A Writers Conference, WritingLeave a Comment on The Benefit of Attending a Writers Conference Part II – Romance Writers of America 30th Annual Conference

Writers Resources: Audio Downloads of Writers Seminars

Posted on July 22, 2010 by LJ

You might think of me as Johnyta come lately, but I recently discovered a wonderful resource for writers:  audio downloads of writers seminars.  The Romance Writers of America (“RWA”) offers audio downloads of the seminars given at its annual conferences in 2008 and 2009.  www.rwa.org  The seminars are given by bestselling authors, editors of large publishing houses and the like.  The topics of the seminars run the gamut from seminars on the craft of writing to seminars on writers' careers (i.e. networking, building an audience, surviving tax audits) to seminars on getting published (i.e. genre jumping, what editors seek, what bestsellers have in common).  There are also downloads available of seminars on how to do research for your book and the writers life (critique partners, finding your muse, etc.).  The downloads are $8.00 each ($12.00 for two-hour seminars) and are a great value.  Those who can't afford to attend the conferences can take advantage of one of the main benefits of attending for a fraction of the price.

The seminars are not limited to how to write romance novels either.  The craft seminars are applicable to all genres of fiction.  They cover such topics as how to write good dialogue, how to set the pace in a novel, how to build suspense, points of view, how to effectively edit the novel, the art of backstory, etc. 

I downloaded a seminar on how to do successful re-writes that will prove invaluable in reworking my romantic suspense novel and editing my second book. The author fully explained and helped me to understand some basic concepts of novel writing that I didn't know about.  Some examples of the things I learned from the seminar are: (1)  every scene in a novel should have a purpose,  (2) every chapter of the novel should have a hook to make the reader want to continue to the next chapter,  (3) if you start the book with too high a level of tension, you will have no place to go afterward, and (4) it's a good idea to ratchet up the tension in the book by increasing the stakes.  These concepts are extremely basic for experienced writers, but are not so second nature to novice writers like myself.   Hearing the author who gave the seminar talk about how much work her novel needed before it finally got published and became a bestseller made me feel better about my works in progress.

Check out the seminars on the RWA site and let me know what you think.

Peace.

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Posted in WritingTagged agents, audio downloads, backstory, bestselling authors, chapter, craft of writing, editing, editors, fiction, genres, getting published, hook, publishers, romance, romance novel, Romance Writers of America, romantic suspense, RWA, scene, suspense, tension, writers conferences, writers reources, writers seminars, writing seminarsLeave a Comment on Writers Resources: Audio Downloads of Writers Seminars

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