It’s a Matter of Degree
June 9, 2011 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives tagged as It's Worth It, Kitty Bucholtz
by Kitty Bucholtz
By the time you read this, I’ll be done with all of my homework and on my way to my final class. I’ll have my master’s degree! Yay!!
But right at this moment, it feels miles away. Not millions of miles away, but not just a few steps either. I’ve gone to the last session of one class and turned in my last assignment there. I have everything done for my Thursday class, literally the last session of school I’ll have before I’m gone for good. But in less than eight hours I have to turn in my last – as yet unfinished – homework assignment. The important one. My “professional project.”
It’s been a hard class for me and I’ve complained way too much about it. But it would be the same problem for anyone who went to a writer’s group or got a critique from a friend who just doesn’t read your kind of writing. They don’t know they’re not helping you, even maybe making you want to give up. They’re being really nice and sometimes they have something very insightful to say that actually makes sense to you.
But in the end, you have to find a new group, people who understand your genre enough to know how to critique it in terms of what publishers are buying. You may have to go through a few more hard times until you find the right bunch.
The morning after my last class I fly to LA and then New York. I’ll go to my old Romance Writers of America chapter and I’ll love on all my old friends, but I’ll have to keep in mind that few of them write the kind of non-sex non-romance somewhat humorous urban fantasy I’m writing right now. Then I’ll go to my favorite writer’s retreat, a whole bunch of Christian writers who are my family. They’re sooo supportive but don’t really write much or read much like what I’m writing.
Then I’ll fly to New York for the big Romance Writers of America National Conference. Though the title implies all things romance, there are a lot of writers in that 10,000+ member organization who write other things, including work similar to mine. That’s the super awesome part! The flip side is that I don’t know very many of them, so I have to seek them out. Luckily, I just joined the Young Adult RWA group. I think those people will “get me” in a way many of my academic friends don’t. (Though I’ve had some really encouraging feedback from some of my school friends!)
So when it comes down to it, it’s all a matter of degree. When I need to talk to friends about why I write what I write and how I can be encouraged and work harder and find joy, I seek out my Christian writer friends. When I want to discuss the publishing industry and talk shop about how to write better characters or add suspense, my RWA friends are the bomb. For networking and improving my professional presence, the RWA National Conference gets the job done every time.
When it comes to my academic colleagues – teachers and students – they are passionate about their work, just as I am. We haven’t always understood each other’s work, but we all knew we were on the same page when it comes to wanting to stretch and grow as writers. It’ll take more time to figure out and understand what exactly I learned over the last sixteen months. Time and distance will help me to see more clearly.
And that’s what I have to remember today. For the next few hours, I have to do the best I can as fast as I can. But once school is over, I’ll be able to take a breath, refocus my work on the market instead of the academic requirements, and get back into it with joy and energy. I expect that day to be Monday! LOL! I’m as curious as you are as to what I’ll write here next week. Where will I be in my headspace then? Surely less stressed out than I am right now. 🙂 See you then!
Kitty Bucholtz is a writer and speaker, and a member of Romance Writers of America and Romance Writers of Australia. She co-founded Routines for Writers (http://www.routinesforwriters.com/) a web site dedicated to helping writers write more. In 2011, Kitty will receive her Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree from University of Technology, Sydney.
0 0 Read moreOuch, that’s funny!
June 8, 2011 by A Slice of Orange in category ArchivesOne of the “rules†of fiction is that the main character must have a problem. Because if his or her life is all sweetness-and-light…well, put it this way: I’m sure living a life like that is great, but I don’t want to read about it.
It’s far more interesting to read about lives gone wrong.
But, in my opinion, not too wrong. My preference, as a reader and a writer, is for things to go wrong in a way that makes me laugh. Not so much, “Oh, gosh, how awful,†as, “Oh, gosh, how awful…(snicker).†Not that I’m unsympathetic (at least, only a little), but I love fictional situations that make me wince as I wonder, “How the heck is she going to get herself out of that one?â€
Usually, the character has brought the trouble on herself / himself, and while it’s amusing, it’s generally a symptom of a deeper problem. So there’s meaty stuff in there, but I get to smile as I worry.
Check out these sticky situations that start some of my favorite romances.
– Heroine blabs to the world about her massive crush on the new guy in town…then discovers he’s a Catholic priest (Catch of the Day, by Kristan Higgins)
– Identical twin swaps places with her sister, and…yikes!! (I can’t say any more about this because it won’t be out until August and I don’t want to ruin the surprise…but it’s cool! Stand-In Wife, by Karina Bliss)
– Genius scientist wants a dumb jock to father her baby. She disguises herself and cons a football star into getting her pregnant…turns out he’s not so dumb, and he’s mad (Nobody’s Baby but Mine, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
– Heroine with a reputation for “stalking†the hero as a lovestruck teen is caught—you guessed it—peering in his window on her first night back in town (Falling for Gracie, by Susan Mallery)
See what I mean? Each of these women brought her problem on herself, and while I’m truly sorry for her and hoping she can fix it, I’m also laughing.
My own books have included a couple funny-painful (as opposed to painfully funny) situations:
– Heroine dupes her boyfriend into appearing on a surprise wedding reality show, and he dumps her on live TV (Married by Mistake, currently available free from www.tryharlequin.com)
– A beauty queen about to miss out on a job because she “lacks gravitas†tells the employer she’s engaged to the hero, a political heavyweight. Only trouble is, he hates her… (Her So-Called Fiance)
My new Superromance, Her Best Friend’s Wedding, out this month, also has an “ouch!†premise. Geeky biologist Sadie Beecham tells her family she’s the bringing the man of her dreams home to meet them…then he falls in love with her best friend…ouch!
What’s a girl to do? As far as Sadie’s concerned, it’s simple: she has to stop the wedding. Too bad the bride’s brother sees things differently…
I’d love to see your recommendations on books with the kind of funny-painful setup that I like. Or your comments about the kind of story setup you prefer: tense, dramatic, scary, sad…
0 0 Read moreAgents/Editors: We Don’t Bite . . .Muchâ€
June 7, 2011 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives tagged as Agents, Editors, Online ClassCan’t go to conference in NYC?
Take our online class: Agents/Editors: We Don’t Bite . . .Much†with editor Lynn Price instead.
June 13 – June 25, 2011 This is a two week class
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJune11.html
Cost: $10.00 for OCC members, $15 for non-members
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com
ABOUT THE CLASS
Learn about the publishing business and the submission process from the agent’s/editor’s viewpoint. Lynn Price, editorial director for Behler Publications, is not only going to cover the basics of what to include in a cover letter, synopsis, biography and promotion plan, she’s also going to answer your questions about:
• What’s a Print On Demand publisher?
• Can a vanity press get my books on store shelves?
• What’s the advantage to going e-book?
• Should I care about distribution?
This fast-paced, two-week look at the publishing world will cover the whole enchilada so writers can become better at their craft and understand how the industry works.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:
The editorial director for a publishing firm that specializes in personal journey stories with socially relevant themes, Lynn Price is herself a published fiction and non-fiction author. Her reference book, The Writer’s Essential Tackle Box: Getting a Hook on the Publishing Industry, provides an “insider’s view geared to inform and educate writers as to how we work, why we work, and the pitfalls to avoid.” She also addresses many issues facing today’s writers with her lighthearted but very much to the point Behler Publications blog –http://behlerblog.com/
Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJune11.html
COST: $10 for OCC members, $15 for non-members
Coming in July 2011– Breaking Things Down Into Threes with Beth Daniels
July 11 – August 6, 2011
Plots require organization– even those written by pantsers. Why? Because all storytelling requires a flow, a smooth transition from one scene to the next. Getting it doesn’t require an outline though. All it requires is a system – a system of thirds. This class is for writers at any point in their writing career from unpublished to midlist.
Check out our full list of workshop at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html
Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html or send a blank email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
0 0 Read moreA Glass Half Full
June 2, 2011 by Marianne H. Donley in category Archives tagged as Jann Audiss, The President's Message
by Jann Audiss
A glass half full!
In this world, we all look at life in different ways. Myself, I like the glass half full way of thinking. Looking back at the last six months, OCC/RWA’s meetings have been filled with speakers such as Anne Walradt, Robyn Carr, HelenKay Dimon, last month’s meeting and reception with Charlene Sands and Leanne Banks (the reception was so much fun) and this month Rob Preece and Sue Grimshaw. The next six months will be filled with more great speakers, a networking session and our 30th Birthday Party celebration in October. By the end of my OCC/RWA Presidency, I will have a full glass.
However, I find myself looking at my writing as the glass half empty. The Well Writer series in the May issue of the RWR has four outstanding articles on issues to help us evaluate and focus our lives and our writing. One article had me nodding my head in agreement to many of the little monsters that get in my way, like the internet, procrastination (my biggest monster), fear of failure, and asking myself, although I don’t think of writing as a hobby, where does it fall in my list of priorities. I had to chuckle at the “Just Say No” section (if I had listened to that one, I wouldn’t be writing this message). However, the articles on the power of believing in oneself and meditation were full of suggestions and ideas to help stay true to oneself and to open and refresh your mind (I’m actually listening to a spa meditation CD while I write this message). I’m already redesigning my writing area and looking at colors to paint the walls. The article on keeping the creative well refilled helped to justify why I take classes, read blogs, seek information from websites, and attend OCC/RWA meetings. But, I will now keep in mind to watch how much time these activities are taking. The workshops, friendships and support I have found at OCC/RWA provide me with inspiration and strength to continue my journey in this wacky world of writing (and probably the reason I find myself volunteering). If you haven’t already read these articles, take a few minutes and see if maybe there may be an idea or two that might resonate with you – especially if you have hit a brick wall.
I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Weekend. My thoughts and prayers go out to the men and women serving and protecting our country and their families, as well as to everyone in the Midwest and the South who have been struck by the devastating storms.
JannCall for Submissions
June 1, 2011 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Calls for Submission, Louisa Bacio
XoXo Publishing presents Submissions Call for their newest line.
Cooking a turkey takes hours, and why waste it? What are your characters thankful for on this long holiday weekend? What will they be thankful for before the dinner is served? How would your characters handle the awkward introduction of an arch rival to the family Thanksgiving getaway?
For submission guidelines, please visit the submission page. When submitting your manuscript , please clearly state that you’re submitting for the “Thanksgiving Anthology” Submission Call. https://silverpublishing.info/page_4
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