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"I liked the small size of
the workshop. The presentations were informative and different
. . . The small size allowed new members to come in and learn
the ropes quietly. I like this new format and hope it will
continue once a year if possible."
WRW Librarian Julie Stewart's
glowing comment was one of a number that endorsed the March
workshops, where topics presented by seven WRW authors ranged
from world-building and characterization in contemporary and
futuristic fiction to differences in dialogue between contemporary,
western and regency romances. Attendees learned about techniques
for plotting a category romance, self-promoting once your
book is sold, writing romantic humor, and today's opportunities
for publishing with small houses and e-publishers.
A stellar line-up of WRW published
members spanned the three sites and three weekends. Dani
Sinclair (latest book: My Baby, My Love) and Margaret
Riley (Peace Man), spoke in Gaithersburg, MD, at
the home of Vicki Singer. Dani Sinclair traced the
path from the story opening "which is the hook, the come-on.
Start right when something is happening or about to change."
she said. "I think the first three chapters are your set-up,
so your Chapter Three ending is as important as your opening
and closing. And we all know that conflict is vital. It's
what comes between each character and their goals. The conflict
has to be strong, real and not solvable through conversation."
"I thought that when I sold
my first book my publisher would take care of its success."
Margaret Riley found out different, so turned herself into
a self-promotion expert. Armed with fliers, bookmarks, business
cards, review and promotional folders ("People need something
to put those handouts in at meetings"), she blankets the places
she goes with materials that keep her name in front of readers.
"Take those 'local author' stickers," she said, "which everyone
should have. Anyplace you go, put those stickers on your books
in local bookstores. Here's my interpretation of "Local Author"
. . . if you can drive there between sunrise and sunset, you're
a local author!"
At the Vienna, VA, workshop,
hosted by Sue Fine, Catherine Asaro (The
Ascendant Sun) and Carole Bellacera (Border
Crossings), talked about similarities and differences
in building worlds and characters for contemporary and futuristic
fiction. Catherine writes of off-planet cultures in a far
future, while Carole addresses contemporary problems and situations,
namely a love story told from the IRA side of today's headlines
in Northern Ireland. Both recommended writers use techniques
like biographies for main characters, maps of the places where
action takes, time-lines and family trees as grounding points
from which premise, plot and characterization spring.
At the Laurel, MD workshop,
hosted by Michelle Monkou on a day so spring like that
participants ate their "bring your own" lunches outside, Loree
Lough (Jake Walker's Wife), Darlene Gardner
(Forget Me? Not) and Robin Bayne (The
Will of Time) presented a workshop on "The Words of Romance"-how
to say it, how to make it funny, and what format to publish
those words in. Loree Lough's interactive presentation centered
on a conversation with a friend, that she then used to illustrate
how you would use language for the same ideas in an urban
contemporary, a western in the 1800's and a Regency romance.
Not only the dialogue is important, she noted, but also character
actions that may precede the dialogue.
Darlene Gardner, who writes
romantic comedy, showed participants that word choice-like
using"whack" instead of "hit"-and creating the right atmosphere
are important ingredients in writing romantic humor successfully.
She recommended studying the writings of experts like Susan
Elizabeth Phillips, too.
Robin Bayne told attendees
how to get their words to readers, using the small presses
as an alternative to the dominant publishing houses. She provided
lots of handouts and website addresses. She declared that
small press and electronic publishers are a legitimate alternative
for getting published. But that you should research these
companies as you would any agent or mass publisher. Nontraditional
romances are particularly sought by some presses. In the end,
she noted, follow your heart.
"So successful were the workshops
that it is likely WRW will present a similar program next
year," said Sue Fine, who put together the March series. "Right
now we're referring to them as 'March's Major Mini's' since
they were so information heavy. The only thing 'mini' about
them was that numbers per workshop were limited, which allowed
the depth of questions and the amount of give-and-take to
rise. The degree of camaraderie created was effective, useful,
and fun. "I want to thank all the authors who made this series
successful, and the hostesses who made it possible in the
first place."
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