Although tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring, for all practical purposes (weather, basketball, television programming), it is already here. In no particular order, here are some of the reasons why this makes me very happy:
1. Warmer weather (duh). Here in the Upper Midwest, we've endured another year of polar vortex temperatures. On Monday, the outside temperature actually made it above 70 degrees F. I found a deserted corner of a nearby conservation park, sat down on a wooden deck and took off my shoes and socks. I happily read a book on my smartphone while letting my bare feet soak up some sunlight for the first time since October. For fifteen minutes, anyway (didn't want to risk sunburned toes).
2. Writing contests. For the second year in a row, I am entering some RWA chapters' writing contests. They are an excellent source of feedback for newer writers. I'll find out around Memorial Day weekend if I've made the finals rounds.
3. The Write Touch Conference. This year, the Wisconsin RWA chapter's conference is in late April, co-locating with Barbara Vey's Reader Appreciation Luncheon. I'm glad I purchased my luncheon ticket right away -- it sold out fast. Conference registration (without the luncheon) is still available.
4. New releases. Some of my auto-buy authors (Suzanne Enoch, Caroline Linden and Julie Anne Long) have new books coming out in March or May.
5. Outlander returns. I've been waiting for months to see more of Jamie in his kilt (or, better yet, out of his kilt).
Showing posts with label writers conferences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writers conferences. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
A Tale of Two Conferences
In April, I attended Chicago Spring Fling. It was my very first romance writers conference, and I learned a lot. I decided I could pursue a writing career, and I joined RWA and the Wisconsin chapter shortly afterward.
In June, I attended the Write Touch Conference in Brookfield, Wis. It was equally educational, although my experiences at the two conferences were very different.
Chicago Spring Fling was like attending a Big Ten university, with many classes to choose from, famous speakers and crowded lectures. It was easy to hide in the back of the room and be quiet. Much like when I attended UW-Madison, however, some more outgoing people made a point of saying hello and drawing me into conversations. Everyone who registered was promised exactly one pitch meeting, and I got my first choice. The meeting was very brisk, and although the agent was cordial and professional, she was not very enthusiastic about my project. To be fair, I was still learning the proper vocabulary to use to define things like genre and heat levels, and I was too nervous to come across as confident and enthusiastic myself.
The Write Touch Conference was like attending a small liberal arts college. The class sizes were smaller, and there was only one track. There were high-quality instructors who were able to interact more with attendees. The registration form asked us to rank our top three choices for pitch meetings, and I assumed I might get one of those if the slots weren't all full (I registered shortly before the deadline). Instead, I got three pitch meetings, and all three resulted in a request for a full or partial manuscript. One of my meetings was the last in a particular editor's block, and she was kind enough to spend a little extra time critiquing my pitch letter (I asked her to do so when she invited me to ask any questions I might have of her).
They offered different ways of learning and processing a lot of new information, and I came away from both conferences far more knowledgeable than I was before I attended. In future years, Write Touch will be alternating years with Chicago Spring Fling. That makes a lot of sense, and I'm sure there will be some terrific synergies when people don't have to split their time and travel budgets. However, I'm very glad I had the opportunity to attend both conferences this year, when I needed a crash course in the business of romance novels.
In June, I attended the Write Touch Conference in Brookfield, Wis. It was equally educational, although my experiences at the two conferences were very different.
Chicago Spring Fling was like attending a Big Ten university, with many classes to choose from, famous speakers and crowded lectures. It was easy to hide in the back of the room and be quiet. Much like when I attended UW-Madison, however, some more outgoing people made a point of saying hello and drawing me into conversations. Everyone who registered was promised exactly one pitch meeting, and I got my first choice. The meeting was very brisk, and although the agent was cordial and professional, she was not very enthusiastic about my project. To be fair, I was still learning the proper vocabulary to use to define things like genre and heat levels, and I was too nervous to come across as confident and enthusiastic myself.
The Write Touch Conference was like attending a small liberal arts college. The class sizes were smaller, and there was only one track. There were high-quality instructors who were able to interact more with attendees. The registration form asked us to rank our top three choices for pitch meetings, and I assumed I might get one of those if the slots weren't all full (I registered shortly before the deadline). Instead, I got three pitch meetings, and all three resulted in a request for a full or partial manuscript. One of my meetings was the last in a particular editor's block, and she was kind enough to spend a little extra time critiquing my pitch letter (I asked her to do so when she invited me to ask any questions I might have of her).
They offered different ways of learning and processing a lot of new information, and I came away from both conferences far more knowledgeable than I was before I attended. In future years, Write Touch will be alternating years with Chicago Spring Fling. That makes a lot of sense, and I'm sure there will be some terrific synergies when people don't have to split their time and travel budgets. However, I'm very glad I had the opportunity to attend both conferences this year, when I needed a crash course in the business of romance novels.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Looking Forward to the Write Touch Conference
I am rather excited about the WisRWA 2014 Write Touch Conference coming up this weekend. This will be my second writers' conference, and I hope to take away a great deal of useful information. I also hope to meet some fellow writers (perhaps at the gourmet dessert reception -- writers love chocolate).
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Learning to Pitch
No, I'm not talking about baseball. I decided several months ago that the time had come for me to buckle down and finish my novel. Then, around the beginning of the year, I started researching what to do with it. I started with the excellent Romance Writers of America website. I looked around for upcoming workshops that were within driving distance. I was fortunate that Chicago Spring Fling was held this year. In addition to the opportunity to hear from one of my favorite romance authors, Mary Balogh, the event was filled with educational workshops and offered those who registered a pitch appointment with one of the several agents and editors in attendance. There was also a Pitch Perfect Master Class offered by author Carrie Lofty.
In preparation for the event, I realized that I had to create a pitch letter. What, exactly, is that supposed to look like? I had no clue. Thanks to the Internet, I found this useful article. So, at least I was able to come up with something. Of course, after taking Carrie Lofty's class, I realized that I should scrap it and start over. I didn't realize that an "elevator pitch" should not contain the same elements as a cover blurb.
I also learned the importance of defining the genre. There are a wide spectrum of genres under (and just outside) the romance umbrella, some of which were new to me. I had never heard of "new adult" before. I did not know the difference between "women's fiction" and "romance". I was aware of paranormal romance but did not know about the increasingly popular urban fantasy genre. I was also unaware that m/m romances were now being published and marketed to women.
Then I had my pitch meeting with an agent. She was very kind and patient. I was very anxious and struggled to describe my book. She asked me about the heat level, and I did not know how to describe it. I cited some published authors with a similar heat level but lacked knowledge of the appropriate technical jargon. Thanks to All About Romance, I now know what terms to use.
I have never been good at self-promotion, or selling anything. I am shy by nature. I always felt uncomfortable selling Girl Scout cookies or band candy (and my parents weren't willing to take order forms to work and solicit their co-workers). I am also terrible at first impressions. I tend to reveal myself slowly.
I realized I had done the same with my characters, which is a problem in a novel. Most readers decide early on whether they like the main characters or not, and that first impression will influence their perception of the rest of the book.
Now I have been revising. I am working on more showing as well as telling and cutting some of the backstory. I know who my characters are and what motivates them, but readers will only know what I tell them.
In preparation for the event, I realized that I had to create a pitch letter. What, exactly, is that supposed to look like? I had no clue. Thanks to the Internet, I found this useful article. So, at least I was able to come up with something. Of course, after taking Carrie Lofty's class, I realized that I should scrap it and start over. I didn't realize that an "elevator pitch" should not contain the same elements as a cover blurb.
I also learned the importance of defining the genre. There are a wide spectrum of genres under (and just outside) the romance umbrella, some of which were new to me. I had never heard of "new adult" before. I did not know the difference between "women's fiction" and "romance". I was aware of paranormal romance but did not know about the increasingly popular urban fantasy genre. I was also unaware that m/m romances were now being published and marketed to women.
Then I had my pitch meeting with an agent. She was very kind and patient. I was very anxious and struggled to describe my book. She asked me about the heat level, and I did not know how to describe it. I cited some published authors with a similar heat level but lacked knowledge of the appropriate technical jargon. Thanks to All About Romance, I now know what terms to use.
I have never been good at self-promotion, or selling anything. I am shy by nature. I always felt uncomfortable selling Girl Scout cookies or band candy (and my parents weren't willing to take order forms to work and solicit their co-workers). I am also terrible at first impressions. I tend to reveal myself slowly.
I realized I had done the same with my characters, which is a problem in a novel. Most readers decide early on whether they like the main characters or not, and that first impression will influence their perception of the rest of the book.
Now I have been revising. I am working on more showing as well as telling and cutting some of the backstory. I know who my characters are and what motivates them, but readers will only know what I tell them.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Career Advice, Courtesy of Elizabeth Peters
Back in the 1990s, I devoured every Elizabeth Peters mystery that my local library system owned. I greatly enjoyed the humorous Amelia Peabody mysteries (which combined my love of Victorian history and Egyptology) and loved the romance elements of the Vicky Bliss books. I also read a number of stand-alone mysteries, few of which left an impression. The Jacqueline Kirby mysteries were fewer in number and less well-written than Peters' other series. However, it was the third in that series, of all Peters' books, that had the strongest long-term influence on my life.
The relevant book is Die for Love, a murder mystery set at a romance writers' conference. I remembered it as a rather sharp and scathing satire of a subculture. I assumed that Peters had at least some knowledge of writers' conferences, even if she focused on a different genre. I was initially left with the impression that one could attend such a conference and make valuable contacts with agents and editors and practically stumble into a writing career (as -- spoiler alert -- Jacqueline Kirby does by the end of the book). I told myself that someday I would do that, when I could afford to take a risk on a new career, or when I had enough free time to write in addition to my day job.
For a variety of reasons, that time came this year. Being 20 years older and far less naïve about career-building in general, and having access to vast online resources to research the industry, I no longer expected to be signed by an agent that I just met at a conference. I still expected it to be a valuable learning experience, however, and it was.
I decided it would be fun to re-read Die for Love now and see how inaccurate it was, given my new first-hand knowledge. The Chicago Spring Fling conference was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Peters' fictional romance writers' conference.
I can't be sure how much of the conference in Die for Love was just fictional bullshit and how much was simply the way conferences were in the Old Skool days. There were some clear signs that the novel was written in 1984, besides the copyright date. For example, at the opening luncheon, a character asks if smoking is allowed. Some of the characters discuss the disturbing prevalence of rape scenes in romance novels of the day.
The characters are over-the-top parodies, and the satire is often mean-spirited. However, it is also clear that Elizabeth Peters was very familiar with romance novels and with the publishing industry. Her characters are described with the same flowery language typically found in the genre she was lampooning. One of the "authors" is a hunky actor who dresses like a cover model and has his novels ghost written. This was rather prescient, since I think the novel predates Fabio's celebrity by at least a few years. A fake excerpt from one of the other characters' novels contains winking nods to at least two well-known romance novels of that era. Another character uses extensive passages from Victorian-era public domain porn classics like The Lustful Turk in her books. This is also somewhat prescient, given the plagiarism scandals that have hit some romance novelists in recent years (though they are eclipsed by the plagiarism and forgery scandals that have rocked other genres).
I am also unsure how many of the seemingly-scathing observations are meant to be taken seriously and how many are meant to be taken with a great deal of salt. The novel is told from the POV of Jacqueline Kirby (although she is not the narrator), and she is portrayed as a self-centered, impatient (somewhat misanthropic) intellectual snob.
In some ways, Die for Love reminds me of Sharyn McCrumb's mystery novel Bimbos of the Death Sun, which takes place at a science fiction convention and is also told from the POV of someone new to the subculture. However, I was already familiar with science fiction conventions when I read McCrumb's book, and although it contained biting satire and scathing observations about some of the people who typically attend cons, I found it to be reasonably accurate in its social observations. It was funny because it was true.
I expected to have the same reaction when re-reading Die for Love, but instead I am perplexed and disappointed by how inaccurately Peters portrayed the writers' conference. Her characters' interactions have more in common with an episode of Dynasty than with the conference I attended. Rather than backbiting schemers, I found myself surrounded by friendly and supportive strangers who included me in their conversations. Unlike Jacqueline Kirby, I was not once approached by an agent who handed me a business card, "just in case" I ever finished a manuscript. The authors at Chicago Spring Fling largely wore business casual attire and were not easily distinguished from the agents and editors.
I am only about halfway through my re-read of Die for Love. I am hoping that Peters will show more respect for romance authors and readers as the story develops. I will never regret reading it, however, since it helped focus my vague ideas about one day becoming a novelist myself.
The relevant book is Die for Love, a murder mystery set at a romance writers' conference. I remembered it as a rather sharp and scathing satire of a subculture. I assumed that Peters had at least some knowledge of writers' conferences, even if she focused on a different genre. I was initially left with the impression that one could attend such a conference and make valuable contacts with agents and editors and practically stumble into a writing career (as -- spoiler alert -- Jacqueline Kirby does by the end of the book). I told myself that someday I would do that, when I could afford to take a risk on a new career, or when I had enough free time to write in addition to my day job.
For a variety of reasons, that time came this year. Being 20 years older and far less naïve about career-building in general, and having access to vast online resources to research the industry, I no longer expected to be signed by an agent that I just met at a conference. I still expected it to be a valuable learning experience, however, and it was.
I decided it would be fun to re-read Die for Love now and see how inaccurate it was, given my new first-hand knowledge. The Chicago Spring Fling conference was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Peters' fictional romance writers' conference.
I can't be sure how much of the conference in Die for Love was just fictional bullshit and how much was simply the way conferences were in the Old Skool days. There were some clear signs that the novel was written in 1984, besides the copyright date. For example, at the opening luncheon, a character asks if smoking is allowed. Some of the characters discuss the disturbing prevalence of rape scenes in romance novels of the day.
The characters are over-the-top parodies, and the satire is often mean-spirited. However, it is also clear that Elizabeth Peters was very familiar with romance novels and with the publishing industry. Her characters are described with the same flowery language typically found in the genre she was lampooning. One of the "authors" is a hunky actor who dresses like a cover model and has his novels ghost written. This was rather prescient, since I think the novel predates Fabio's celebrity by at least a few years. A fake excerpt from one of the other characters' novels contains winking nods to at least two well-known romance novels of that era. Another character uses extensive passages from Victorian-era public domain porn classics like The Lustful Turk in her books. This is also somewhat prescient, given the plagiarism scandals that have hit some romance novelists in recent years (though they are eclipsed by the plagiarism and forgery scandals that have rocked other genres).
I am also unsure how many of the seemingly-scathing observations are meant to be taken seriously and how many are meant to be taken with a great deal of salt. The novel is told from the POV of Jacqueline Kirby (although she is not the narrator), and she is portrayed as a self-centered, impatient (somewhat misanthropic) intellectual snob.
In some ways, Die for Love reminds me of Sharyn McCrumb's mystery novel Bimbos of the Death Sun, which takes place at a science fiction convention and is also told from the POV of someone new to the subculture. However, I was already familiar with science fiction conventions when I read McCrumb's book, and although it contained biting satire and scathing observations about some of the people who typically attend cons, I found it to be reasonably accurate in its social observations. It was funny because it was true.
I expected to have the same reaction when re-reading Die for Love, but instead I am perplexed and disappointed by how inaccurately Peters portrayed the writers' conference. Her characters' interactions have more in common with an episode of Dynasty than with the conference I attended. Rather than backbiting schemers, I found myself surrounded by friendly and supportive strangers who included me in their conversations. Unlike Jacqueline Kirby, I was not once approached by an agent who handed me a business card, "just in case" I ever finished a manuscript. The authors at Chicago Spring Fling largely wore business casual attire and were not easily distinguished from the agents and editors.
I am only about halfway through my re-read of Die for Love. I am hoping that Peters will show more respect for romance authors and readers as the story develops. I will never regret reading it, however, since it helped focus my vague ideas about one day becoming a novelist myself.
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