Please join us for Washington Romance Writer’s Bookseller’s Luncheon, April 6th from 1-4 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Silver Spring.
WRW’s annual retreat, In the Company of Writers, will be at the amazing facilities at The Bolger Center in Potomac, Maryland.
From “the Call” to the bookstore--what to expect during your first year as a published author
Date: May 17, 2008
Time: 10:15 - 12:15
Location: Fairfax City Library
Directions: click here
Once the euphoria of “the Call” wears off, a new author must face the nitty gritty realities of publication. Join USA Today bestselling author and WRW member Sally MacKenzie to discuss agents, contracts, production, print runs, promotion, paranoia, and other publishing perils.
If you have any topics you’d particularly like covered, please email them by May 1 to Sally at .
Madeline Hunter, All Day Workshop
Time: 10 am - 4 pm
Location: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center
Conference Room A
4805 Edgemoor Lane; Bethesda, Maryland
Directions: here
Phone: 240-777-8200
10 am - Noon The Book That Writes Itself
Does your story bog down on page 200? Are you swimming through mud on page 250? Do you get feedback from editors that says the story is not special enough? In this workshop, through presentations and a hands-on exercise, Madeline will explain how a good conflict is the key to a good story, and how finding a strong conflict will improve everything about your story---structure, scene development and characterization--- and energize the story so much that it writes itself. The workshop will conclude with Madeline’s conflict-driven synopsis template. A set of colored highlighters will make the hands-on exercise easier, but they are not necessary. Be sure to bring a synopsis or story idea with you too.
2 pm - 4 pm The Numbers Game
Join Madeline Hunter for her popular workshop on numbers---what they are, how they count, how to get them. From print runs to sell-through, from account buys to bestseller lists, Madeline will explain how numbers affect writers and their careers. Unpublished members will learn what all that fancy terminology really means, and published writers will be able to discuss questions and issues regarding numbers. Madeline promises to be indiscreet whenever possible.
Madeline Hunter’s first romance was published in June 2000, and she received the award for Waldenbooks Bestselling Debut Author that year. Since then she has seen sixteen historical romances published. Over two million copies of her books are in print in the US and her books have also been translated into nine languages. She is a six time RITA finalist, and won the long historical RITA in 2003 for Stealing Heaven. Fifteen of her books have been on the USA Today bestseller list, and she has also had titles on the NYTimes list and the Waldenbooks paperback fiction list. She has received two starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, and Romantic Times has awarded thirteen of her books 4 ½ stars. Madeline holds a Ph.D. in Art History, which she teaches at the college level. Madeline’s next release, scheduled for Fall 2008, is titled The Sins of Lord Easterbrook.
Date: September 13 or 20, depending on when we can get the space
Location: Tentatively Scheduled for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center
RWA board member, former PRO Liaison, and multi-genre published author Trish Milburn will teach WRW members about the importance of setting, time management and perseverance.
Milburn wrote 17 manuscripts and two partials before selling her first book on July 24, 2007, to Razorbill, a division of Penguin Putnam Young Adult Readers, as part of a contract for two young adult novels. On October 26, 2007, she sold two novels to Harlequin American Romance. She is also an American Title finalist. Her first Harlequin American novel, A Firefighter in the Family, is a September 2008 release, and Heartbreak River, her first young adult novel written under the pen name Tricia Mills, will be published in Spring 2009.
During her journey to publication, Milburn finaled in the RWA Golden Heart Contest 8 times and won twice. She has held several offices for her local chapter Music City Romance Writers, served as the RWA PRO Liaison, and is a current RWA board member. She blogs with the Wet Noodle Posse, the Romance Bandits and on her Web site www.trishmilburn.com.
At the September meeting, Trish will present three workshops.
Schedule:
10:00 - 11:30 - Making Your Setting Come Alive
11:30 - 1:30 - Lunch and Annual General Meeting
1:30 - 3:00 - Yes, You Do Have Time to Write: Ways to Make Yourself Write, Even in Five-Minute Increments
3:00 - 3:10 - Break
3:10 - 4:10 - The Importance of Perseverance and Treating Your Writing Like a Career Even Before You Sell
Making Your Setting Come Alive, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Have you ever read a book where the setting was so unimportant that the story could have taken place anywhere? And have you read books in which the setting was so alive that it was almost a character itself? It’s no surprise you want to shoot for the latter scenario with your own books. In this workshop, we’ll cover:
- How to use familiar settings/what you know to enhance your storytelling
- How to make the most of on-site research
- How to make it seem as if you’ve visited the setting of your book even when you haven’t
- Ways to research locales you can’t visit
- How to take bits and pieces of real-life settings to create a totally fictional one
- How to make secondary characters a part of your setting
Lunch and General Annual Meeting, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Yes, You Do Have Time to Write: Ways to Make Yourself Write, Even in Five-Minute Increments, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
There are only 24 hours in everyone’s day, so why do some people seem to get more done than others? It’s a matter of focus and priorities. In this workshop, we’ll cover the following areas:
- Not falling into the trap of excuses
- Multi-tasking and getting rid of clutter
- Being efficient
- Getting motivated
- Goal setting (will include several types of handouts/charts that will help you with this task)
Another handout will include common excuses for not writing, ways to utilize small snippets of time for writing, ways to motivate yourself to write, how to trick yourself into writing, and other useful time tips.
The Importance of Perseverance and Treating Your Writing Like a Career Even Before You Sell, 3:10 - 4:10 p.m.
The road to publication is often long and filled with heartache. Rejections hit your mailbox, editors who like your work leave the publisher, and the book of your heart doesn’t touch anyone else’s. It’s hard to keep plugging along, but the longer you do, the more likely you are to reach that ultimate goal of seeing your book on bookstore shelves. The key is to persevere and treat your writing like a career, even before you earn a single penny from your work.
In this presentation, I’ll talk some about the roller coaster I was on for more than a decade before I sold and how I managed to keep going. I’ll also include inspirational stories from other writers who took a long time to sell but who kept at it until they did.
Date: October 11 or 18, 2008
Please note that the date will be finalized when a specific location in Virginia can be reserved.
An Exploration of Character
Jane Eyre. Jo March. Anne Shirley. When people recall their favorite novels, one of the first things that come to mind often is how much they loved the main character or characters. What would Gone With the Wind have been like without Scarlett, Rhett, Melanie and Ashley?
The October 2008 WRW meeting will explore how we as writers can improve our characterization and develop the type of characters that will resonate with readers and make our novels beloved by many. Two, multi-published, WRW authors – Sophia Nash and Diane Whiteside – will share their insights on characterization and how it can be used to deepen the romance.
10:15 – 12:15
Creating Unforgettable Characters
Presented by Sophia Nash
Elizabeth Bennett & Mr. Darcy, Heathcliff & Catherine, Lucy & Ricky … Do you remember every detail of their stories, or do you vividly remember the characters? Get beyond the basics to breathe life into the people populating your pages. Each workshop participant will dwelve beneath the veneer of one or two characters in the manuscript to add depth. The group will work on the birth and growth of a character, use of plot, and character growth arcs. In addition, dialogue and deep point of view will be discussed.
2:00 – 4:00
Star-Crossed: Creating Romantic Characterization and Conflict through Astrology
A Workshop by Diane Whiteside
Star crossed lovers – have you ever wondered where that phrase came from? Do you know why a lion and a ram are one of the all-time great romantic couples? Or a crab and a bull? Have you ever wanted to try a different reason for why your hero and heroine fight with each other? Astrology is a great tool for developing characters with innate conflicts, no matter what you think of your own horoscope.
This workshop is based on one simple principle: make your characters fall in love with folks who astrologers call a bad bet. It will include:
A quick review of the signs, including their most important romantic characteristics.
A quick review of the key elements in a person’s horoscope. This workshop will focus on the sun signs, although moon and rising signs are also very important. For romances, the latter are what often create the ambiguities about compatibility.
A detailed discussion of how to select which signs your hero and heroine fall under.
A chart summarizing some thoughts on astrological compatibility, or the lack thereof.
Some examples for how to use this in your work. On the large scale, it affects issues like love at first sight, soul mate, internal versus external conflict, etc. It can also impact lovemaking, housekeeping, career choices, musical tastes, and more.
Examples will be provided, primarily from my works since I know the characters’ horoscopes.
Questions will be encouraged throughout.
Location: Tentatively Scheduled for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center
Award-winning and bestselling author Brenda Novak will teach WRW members how to make their stories more emotional and how to overcome discouragement in their writing careers. While her first published novel was a historical romance, Novak built her name through her popular Harlequin Superromance stories and romantic suspense novels for HQN and Mira. She also started an online auction to benefit juvenile diabetes and has raised more than a quarter million dollars in just three years. Novak will present two workshops.
Schedule:
10:00 – 12:00, Emotion: The Heart of the Novel
12:00 – 2:00, Lunch
2:00 – 4:00, Overcoming Discouragement and Other Obstacles to Success
Emotion: The Heart of the Novel, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
A writer has the power, through her stories, to reach into the very soul of a reader and confirm his or her basic belief that good conquers evil and love reigns supreme. But to a new or even experienced writer, that sounds like a pretty tall order. In EMOTION—THE HEART OF THE NOVEL, Brenda Novak takes this abstract concept and breaks it down into several concrete methods a writer can use to tap into those universal emotions that touch us deeply and make a lasting impression.
Lunch, 12:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Overcoming Discouragement and Other Obstacles to Success, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
In OVERCOMING DISCOURAGEMENT AND OTHER OBSTACLES TO SUCCESS, bestselling author Brenda Novak discusses the fears and doubts that can creep in and paralyze even the most talented author. She also addresses goal setting, which overcomes procrastination; attitude, which overcomes discouragement; and problem-solving skills, which turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
Please Note
The meetings listed below have already taken place.Most WRW meetings are taped. If you would like to check out the tapes from a previous meeting or workshop, please contact our Library/Archives Chair, Julie Stewart.
February 16, 2008
Location: Church of the Covenant, 2666 Military Road, Arlington, VA 22207
Phone: 703-524-4115
10:00 — 12:00 — Marketing 101 for Writers: a workshop on self-promotion, marketing, and public relations for published (and yet to publish) authors w/ Jeanne Adams
Everyone wonders about bookmarks. Do they work? What about pens? Giveaways? What about advertising, should you do it? And public relations (PR) what about that? Is is different from advertising? (It is, by the way!)
Whether you’re published or AYU (As Yet Unpublished) you can profit from learning the basics of how to market yourself as a writer and boost the sale of your books. We’ll talk about everything from how to get your name out, the top ten places to send your press release (and how to write one!), and the basics of giving a fifteen minute talk about romance, writing and, specifically your book.
Jeanne Adams lives in Maryland with her handsome husband, two charming sons and her Dalmatian. A former marketing executive working for research parks, governmental concerns and not-for-profits, Jeanne is now a consultant and full-time writer. A member and frequent speaker for Romance Writers of America and its various chapters, Jeanne loves to connect with readers and other writers. Her book “Dark and Dangerous” (Zebra Romantic Suspense) will be published in June 2008. Visit her at http://www.JeanneAdams.com
12:00 — 2:00 — Lunch
2:00 — 3:00 — “Improv Techniques for Writers” (Or How to Drive a Stake Through the Heart of Your Inner Critic So Your Muse Will Come Out to Play) with Denise McInerney
The Art of Improvisation has been around for centuries and isn’t just for actors or comedians. Writers can employ the same techniques to jump-start their writing, to solve problems, explore characters—and much more. Learning Improv techniques can help people get out of their own way, cram a sock in their internal editor’s nagging maw, and increase production and productivity by learning to make connections by trusting their own subconscious. Improvisation techniques can be just the tool you need to help flex your creative muscles and pump fresh blood into your anemic muse.
This workshop is fun, lively, interactive and non-threatening. The cardinal rule of Improv is, “There are NO WRONG ANSWERS.” So you can’t possibly say anything wrong or stupid. The rest of the group will accept what you’ve said and then carry the idea forward. Gee, what an empowering concept! Where else can you go, where, no matter what you say, everyone else agrees with you—and also agrees your response was the very best possible of all responses!
Denise McInerney earned an undergraduate degree in English and a Masters in Theatre, but in spite of these impediments, eventually managed to find gainful employment as manager of the expatriate program for British Aerospace, where she also did corporate training. Two years ago, Denise developed an innovative new workshop to show writers how to use improvisational comedy techniques to spur creativity in their own writing process.
Denise resides with her husband and one spoiled border collie in Northern Virginia. In their precious little spare time, the humans perform improvisational comedy (a la “Who’s Line is it Anyway?") at the D.C. Comedy Improv Club in Washington, D.C.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Mary Lenaburg and Michelle Butler — WRW Programming Co-Chairs
January 26, 2008
Throw Out the Lifeline: Rescue strategies when your novel is sinking fast
Location: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center
Conference Room A
4805 Edgemoor Lane; Bethesda, Maryland
Directions: here
Phone: 240-777-8200
10:00 am—Noon: Throw Out the Lifeline: Rescue strategies when your novel is sinking fast
Noon—1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30—3:00: Small groups
So your first draft is finished, and you don’t need a critique group to tell you that the idea you carefully nurtured into a full blown manuscript never came alive. The potential is still there, but how do you really tap it on the second try? Do you splash around in the sea of your unconscious, changing this a little, adding a dollop of that? Do you toss the whole book overboard and hope the next one is better? Or do you throw out the lifeline and rescue only what’s good and consciously let the rest of it, well . . . float away?
Emilie Richards will explore the elements usually at fault in a sinking manuscript and give strategies for pumping life back into them. In the afternoon we’ll work in small groups on a “boring” synopsis, practicing artificial respiration and hopefully having fun while we’re at it. Come prepared to brainstorm.
Emilie Richards is the author of sixty-something novels, a RITA winner, and the recipient of a number of Romantic Times awards. Currently she writes a series for Mira Books using quilt blocks as metaphors for the lives of women in a small Shenandoah Valley town. Book four, Touching Stars, came out in July. She also writes a cozy mystery series, Ministry is Murder, for Berkley Prime Crime. The third in that series, Beware False Profits, debuted in November.
Please Note
The meetings listed below have already taken place.Most WRW meetings are taped. If you would like to check out the tapes from a previous meeting or workshop, please contact our Library/Archives Chair, Julie Stewart.
December 9, 2007
WRW’s Annual Holiday Party
WRW member Jeanne Adams kindly hosted this year’s holiday party at her house in Potomac, Maryland.
Thanks Jeanne!
A good time was had by all.
November 10, 2007—Michael Hauge!!
NOTE: This event is full. No new registrations are being accepted.
This meeting was not taped.
Date: Saturday, November 10, 2007
Time: 8:30 a.m.—5:00 p.m.
Location: Bethesda Marriott Grand Ball Room
5151 Pooks Hill Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
Directions
This will be a full day workshop with Michael Hauge. Continental breakfast, buffet lunch, afternoon coffee break/snack are included.
Registration/Continental Breakfast — 7:45 am - 8:45am
Introductions/Announcements — 8:45 am - 9:00 am
The Hero’s 2 Journeys: THE OUTER JOURNEY — 9:00am - 10:30am
Morning Break — 10:30am - 10:45am
The Hero’s 2 Journeys: THE INNER JOURNEY — 10:45am - 12:00 pm
Buffet Lunch — 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Love Stories and Romantic Comedies — 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Afternoon Break — 3:00pm - 3:20pm
Log Lines, Pitches, and Adapting Novels to Film — 3:20pm - 5:00pm
During this special, all-day seminar, Hollywood script and story consultant Michael Hauge, best-selling author of Writing Screenplays That Sell and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read, will present his unique approach to creating compelling fiction, and eliciting emotion in your readers through story concept, plot structure, character development and theme. Michael will then reveal his proven method for getting the people in power to read your manuscript or screenplay. For further details please check out Michael’s website .
October 13, 2007
Location: Chantilly Regional Library
4000 Stringfellow Rd
Chantilly, VA 20151
(703) 502-3883
Directions: here
10:15 – 12:15
Are Our Male Characters True to Live or the Way We Want Men to be?
As you develop your male characters do you ever wonder if you understand men and just what makes them tick? At a recent WRW meeting, the speaker made a statement that she thought most men did not have much of an inner life. Is this true? Come hear another WRW member’s point of view about men and their inner life and how they differ from the way women view the world and love relationships. Karol Orceyre, LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) is a therapist in private practice who has plenty of experience listening to men in both individual and couples counseling sessions. She will share with us what she hears from men. What makes them fall in love. What keeps them in love. Just how they are different from women--not that anyone knows that for sure.
This workshop was originally scheduled for February 2007 but was rescheduled for October 2007.
2:15 – 4:15
WRW member and romantic suspense author Karna Small Bodman talks about “Turning White House Experiences into Published Novels.”
Karna Small Bodman served in The White House for 6 years. She’ll tell us how she wove some of those experiences into political thrillers with strong romantic elements and got contracts for two hardcover novels.
September 29, 2007
What it Takes to Thrive — or at Least Survive — in Today’s Historical Romance Market
Location: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center
Conference Room A
4805 Edgemoor Lane; Bethesda, Maryland
Directions: here
Phone: 240-777-8200
Schedule:
(For descriptions of the sessions, see below.)
10:00 a.m.
Keynote Address, followed by Q&A
Susan King
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
How to Thrive - or at least Survive - in Today’s Historical Romance Market
Panel Discussion with Mary Blayney, Victoria Bylin, Diane Gaston, Sally MacKenzie, and Tracy Anne Warren
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
General Annual Meeting and New Member Welcome Lunch
3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Doddering Butlers, Pert Housemaids, and Faithful Retainers: Busting the Servant Myths
Presented by Janet Mullany
Session Descriptions:
How to Thrive - or at least Survive - in Today’s Historical Romance Market Panel Discussion
WRW has some of the best historical romance authors in the business. Hear a panel of them discuss their strategies for success in today’s market.
Panelists: Mary Blayney, Victoria Bylin, Diane Gaston, Sally MacKenzie, and Tracy Anne Warren
Moderator: Michelle Butler
Some of the questions addressed during Susan King’s keynote address and the panel discussion may include:
How did you break into the historical romance market? How has your career progressed? What is the most important thing you have done in terms of your writing career?
What is the state of the historical romance market today? Where do you think it is going? What changes have surprised you in the past 5 - 10 years? What do you think it takes to succeed in the historical market today? Do you need an agent? How important is historical research? How important are time periods and settings to the marketability of a novel? Have you ever changed your stories to make them more marketable? What kind of impact has your marketing efforts - such as participating in an online blog and having a Web site - had on your career?
Have you started writing in other subgenres? If so, why? How have you had to change your writing, your story-telling or your voice to suit the reader expectations for the new sub-genre? How has your earlier experience in historical romance helped you in the new sub-genre? What is the state of the market for your particular sub-genre? Where do you think it is going?
What would your advice be to somebody thinking about writing a historical romance? What sparks your creativity and provides inspiration? How do you balance the creative side of writing with the business side of writing? Why do you write? What have you struggled with most in your career? What craft element has been the hardest for you to master?
General Annual Meeting and New Member Lunch
Join the Board and general membership from WRW to review our 2007/2008 operating budget—Come on! We need a quorum!!—hear about the issues and programs for the next year, meet the officers, and welcome new members.
This lunch and meeting will take place in the meeting room at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center. Members are invited to bring their own lunches and drinks or you can arrange for a boxed lunch to be brought in. See boxed lunch options below.
Doddering Butlers, Pert Housemaids, and Faithful Retainers: Busting the Servant Myths
If you write historicals, you know someone has to haul hot water upstairs so the heroine can be surprised while bathing, straighten out the hopelessly rumpled bedclothes, repair the ripped petticoats, and lace up the stays. Servants in the noble and not-so-noble houses of England were everywhere, the discreet keepers--but not always--of the household secrets. Author Janet Mullany will tell you what life was like downstairs in the butler’s pantry and servants’ hall, and who did what where and when upstairs to add historical authenticity to your work.
Boxed Lunch Options
Lunch is being provided by the Corner Bakery.
Please make your selections from the menu below.
Fresh Salads
$6.00 per person (includes tip and delivery fee)
Chopped Salad: A Cafe favorite with roasted chicken, bacon, avocado, bleu cheese, tomato and green onions with sweet and spicy house vinaigrette on iceberg and romaine lettuce.
Chicken Caesar Salad: A classic Caesar with roasted chicken, spicy croutons and Parmesan cheese on romaine lettuce.
Harvest Salad: This unique salad features roasted chicken, green apples, walnuts, bleu cheese, currants and harvest croutons with balsamic vinaigrette on mixed greens.
D.C. Chicken Salad: Diced roasted chicken, green apples, currants, red onions, celery, mayonnaise and toasted almonds.
Tuna Salad: Tuna, crisp celery, red and green onions, and mayonnaise with a hint of Dijon mustard and fresh basil.
Sandwiches
$11.00 per person (includes tip and delivery fee)
Served with bakery chips, a fresh baked sweet and seasonal fruit.
Sandwich Selections:
Chicken Pesto, Ham on Pretzel, Southwest Roast Beef, Turkey Frisco, Turkey Swiss, D.C. Chicken Salad, Tomato Mozzarella, Tuna Salad
If you would like WRW to arrange for a boxed lunch for you at this meeting, please email Mary Lenaburg at
Orders must be sent to Mary Lenaburg by NO LATER THAN Monday, September 24, 2007.
I will be collecting your lunch money that morning, please bring cash if you are able, exact change is preferred. 
Thank you for your patience. I am looking forward to seeing everyone.
Fondly,
Mary Lenaburg
WRW Programming Co-Chair
June 9, 2007
Let WRW jump start your creativity before the two-month summer break!
Location: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center Conference Room A
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
240-777-8200
Click here for Directions
10:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.
Jumpstart Your Next Book
Researching, plotting, or just plain procrastinating about your next manuscript? Attendees should come armed with a notebook and index cards for this intense workshop. Writers will be expected to: create characters, plot, and theme. In addition, “voice” and “tone” will be addressed as well as research and creating a working calendar.
Presenter: Sophia Nash’s first three novels won eight national awards including the prestigious RITA Award and a spot on the American Library Association’s “Top Ten Romances of the Year.” Sophia was born in Switzerland, raised in France and the United States, but says her heart resides in Regency England. Her ancestor, an infamous French admiral who traded epic cannon fire with the British Royal Navy, is surely turning in his grave. Before pursuing her long held dream of writing Historicals, Sophia was an award winning television producer for CBS, a congressional speechwriter, and a nonprofit CEO. Look for Sophia’s first Avon Historical ~A Dangerous Beauty~ to hit the shelves June 2007.
2:00—4:00 p.m.
Deep Inspiration Through Collaging
Using photos and other visual “cues” can jump start your book! Collaging is a fun and insightful way to begin your book or to breathe new life into your creative process when you’ve reached the dreaded sagging middle. Acting on your creative instincts in a visual way can help make your characters, setting, and plot come to life. No artistic experience necessary! Bring scissors, glue sticks and magazines AND bring a sketchbook, poster board or other surface for your collage creation. This workshop is 99% hands-on!
Presenter: Elizabeth Holcombe has spent most of her life writing and crafting. Her first romance, Heaven and the Heather, was a 2002 Holt Medalion Finalist for Long Historical and a Romantic Times nominee for Best First Historical. Her first contemporary manuscript, All Shook Up, won the San Diego RWA’s Spring Into Romance contest for Long Contemporary. While awaiting the sale of her next book, Elizabeth continues to write every day and to create totes and other whimsies for her successful eBay business Beth’s Bagz.
Get-A-Clue, the program originally scheduled for June 2007, has been postponed.
May 12, 2007
Digging Deeper with Deb Dixon
Time: 10:15 am - 4:45 pm
Location: Herndon Fortnightly Library (Please note, this is a NEW location for us)
Click here for directions
Deb Dixon is returning to speak to WRW members to help them dig deeper in their own work and write the best books they can. Building on the craft concepts of GMC (goal, motivation and confict) and the hero’s journey she explored during her book-in-a-day workshop in June 2006, Deb will present four different workshops that will dig deeper and take your understanding of writing craft to a whole new level. She will use examples from her two Bantam Loveswept Novels DOC HOLIDAY and HOT AS SIN, and copies of those novels are available at half.com for about $5 total including shipping and handling.
Please note that there will be no registration for this workshop, and the chapter will not be serving refreshments.
The Slippery Slope: Building the Big, Black Moment
Learn how to pack some character baggage and create a character arc that builds to an emotional crisis that can help you fuel the resolution of your book. During this talk, Deb will pull apart her Bantam Loveswept Novel DOC HOLIDAY to show how she built its big, black moment from the first page of that story.
The Step-By-Step Interaction of GMC and The Hero’s Journey
Exactly what is Dixon’s GMC (goal, motivation and conflict) doing while Campbell’s Hero takes a Journey? Debra will deconstruct a book, showing you step-by-step how GMC supports each stage of the Journey. How does theory translate into scenes? How do you create scenes that fuel your plot and give you opportunities to get emotional baggage on the table? Using real world examples, Debra puts some meat and bones on GMC and the Journey. During this talk, Deb will pull apart her Bantam Loveswept Novel HOT AS SIN to show how its GMC interacted with the hero’s journey from start to finish of the story.
First Chapters
You gotta have ‘em. They might as well work for you instead of against you. Simple concepts will help you focus your openings so that you pull the reader into your character’s world. Please bring the first few paragraphs of the book you are currently writing.
Another Whack At Conflict
Conflict comes in so many shapes and sizes that it’s hard to get a handle on it. Debra promises to pick up a big stick and whack Conflict into submission. Or at least get it to hold still long enough for writers to wrap their brain around some of conflicts different angles and how to use them to create the tension we need to keep readers turning pages and caring about our characters. During this talk, she will cite examples from the movie Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade.
April 2007
WRW’s annual retreat, “In the Company of Writers,” will be at beautiful historic Hilltop House in Harper’s Ferry, WV, April 27 - 28, 2007.
March 31, 2007
Location: Centreville Regional Library located at 14200 St. Germaine Dr. Centreville, VA 20121-2299
Directions: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ce/direct.htm
10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Behind the Red Curtain: an Insider’s View of the Inner Workings at Harlequin/Silhouette
Have you ever wondered what exactly happens each day at the Harlequin/Silhouette offices? Now is a chance to peek behind the curtain and find out how the staff of Harlequin/Silhouette operates and some of the tough decisions editors need to make each day. This session will give insight to writers on the demands editors face and how it can influence what type of work they request.
Meredith Hurt worked for Harlequin/Silhouette from 1997-2000 and continues her relationship with them as a freelance editor. You may email her questions in advance at , however not all questions may be answered due to time restraints and appropriateness.
2:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.
PR Tips for Pitching and Networking
At writing conferences such as WRW’s own Harper’s Ferry Retreat and the RWA National Conference, RWA members often have the opportunity to pitch their stories to editors or agents. What lessons can they learn from PR professionals who have to pitch their stories to reporters cross the country?
After a discussion of how to pitch a book to an editor or agent, attendees will break into groups of two and work on improving their pitches for 20 minutes or so. Everyone will then regroup, and volunteers will give their pitches to all attendees. A panel of experts, including Meredith Hurt and Diane Perkins, who also writes as Diane Gaston, will offer suggestions on how to further improve those pitches.
February 17, 2007
Location: Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Service Center Conference Room A
4805 Edgemoor Lane
Bethesda, Maryland
240-777-8200
Directions: Here
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
The Writer’s Life
In a recent survey on programming preferences, WRW members indicated that the one topic they were most interested in besides craft was the writer’s life. In this panel discussion, several successful WRW members will share how they have mastered the writer’s life. Panelists will include: Darlene Gardner, Elizabeth Holcombe, Diana Peterfreund and Mary Jo Putney. A fifth panelist - a successful writer published since the 80’s in several genres - may be able to participate depending on when her first grandchild is born.
Questions that the panel will cover may include:
Why do we write?
What sparks creativity and provides inspiration?
How do you balance your writing, your family and your day job if you have one?
With a very sedentary profession, how do you maintain your health?
How do you handle professional jealousy?
How do you deal with rejection?
How important is persistence? What helps you persist?
Do you belong to a critique group? Why or why not?
How do you listen to critiques or reviews without feeling attacked?
How do you manage your time?
How do you handle a deadline when confronted with a crisis?
How do you manage copy edits?
How do you address writer’s block?
How do you balance the creative side of writing with the business side of writing?
How did you manage to get published?
Once you’re published, how do you schedule your time so you can keep publishing regularly? Do you finish a book and then write a proposal for the next book? Or do you try to have a proposal on an editor’s desk while writing your current book? If so, how do you manage that?
2:00 - 4:00
The workshop originally scheduled from 2:00 - 4:00 — Are Our Male Characters True to Life or How We Want Men to Be? — has been cancelled due to the health of the speaker.
Instead, we’re being treated to the workshop that Jeanne Adams presented at RWA in Atlanta: “Limbo-Limbo: A Fun Survival Class for the Not Yet Published ”
By Jeanne Adams
Are you an RWA Member who’s still waiting, waiting, waiting to get The Call? You’ve finished the manuscript. You’ve queried agents, editors, and everyone you can think of to sell your story.
Now what? How do you stay excited about writing the next manuscript when you haven’t yet sold the first one? Or the fifth?
Dance into this presentation, get lei-d and join us for a laugh-filled, entertaining and useful class on how to stay motivated when you’re in limbo. Your somewhat-musical host is an RWA PRO member and Golden Heart Finalist who also awaits The Call. Learn secrets to blast the blues, when all feels bleak. With a great deal of humor, she’ll walk you through establishing personal milestones and show how to use those to keep writing. Working together, we’ll craft a Feel Good Plan for handling rejection. Most importantly, we’ll share tips and tricks for keeping your bum in the chair.
Be silly, get flexible and dance away the rejection blues while learning essential strategies for thriving, not just surviving, unpublished limbo.
January 27, 2007
Location: Tysons-Pimmitt Library in Falls Church, Virginia
Directions: http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/branches/ty/direct.htm
10:15 - 1:00 — Voice
Voice . . . editors always say they want books with strong, individual voices, but what on earth does that mean? When Kathleen Gilles Seidel last spoke to WRW on this subject, she focused on the moments in a book during which a reader is aware of the author’s voice. In this workshop she will guide the participants through a set of exercises designed to help writers grow more confident about the nature of their own voices.
2:30 - 4:30 —The fifth almost-annual “Judging Writing Contests” workshop
If you plan to judge a contest, if you plan to enter a contest or if you’re just thinking about doing either, we’ll have plenty to interest you.
Denise McInerney has been a WRW member since 1995 and has presented this workshop numerous times along with Pamela Palmer Poulsen. Denise and Pam, co-chairs of WRW’s own Marlene Contest for three years, were invited last year to bring the Judging Workshop to the Virginia Romance Writers Chapter in Richmond and also to First Coast Romance Writers in Jacksonville, Florida.
The workshop is fast-paced, lively and interactive, and each attendee receives a set of detailed handouts. Everyone is welcome--published or yet-to-be published, contest judging newbie or veteran. Many members attend more than once, often as a “refresher” prior to either entering or judging a contest.
We’ll discuss the differences between critiquing and judging and also how to avoid “bleed-through” and personal biases. We’ll also spend time on how to evaluate craft elements such as plot, motivation, conflict, etc. and also discuss Denise’s favorite subject, the all-important “Making Comments.”
Chocolate will be provided to keep up our energy. Hope to see you there!
Please note: you do not need to have a PayPal account in order to pay for your registration online through PayPal.
Click the button below to pay the $45 WRW Member Registration fee:
Click the button below to pay the $90 RWA Member Registration fee:
Click the button below to pay the $135 Nonmember Registration fee:
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Once we have your information and confirmation of your payment, you will receive an email from our Programming Co-Chair, confirming your registration.
Your registration will not be complete until we receive both your information and your payment.
