By Michelle Butler
(From the September 2005 issue of the Update)
How do you make that first sale? Like many other aspiring romance writers, I am sometimes obsessed with that question. Write a great story that is marketable immediately comes to mind, but I often wonder if there is a more complicated answer. To try to find out the trick to making a first sale, I interviewed more than seventy authors who sold within the last five years or so and asked them how they did it. While I may not have discovered a secret handshake, I did learn a lot about the romance publishing business. In a series of articles, I’ll share what lessons their journeys to publication offer to other writers.
The authors I spoke to write all different kinds of romance novels. Twenty-four made their first sales to various category lines of Harlequin-Silhouette. Eight sold traditional regencies to Signet or Zebra. Thirty-three cracked into the single-title market first, and eight made their publishing debut with smaller presses. Some took many years and manuscripts to make that first sale, and several sold their first manuscript soon after completing it. While some had agents at the time of their first sale, thirty-eight did not when a publisher first offered to buy their books. One obvious lesson from these interviews is each author had her own unique path to her first publishing contract.
According to conventional wisdom, the most traditional way to sell your first book is to sign with a literary agent and let that publishing insider sell your manuscript for you. Less than one-half of the authors I interviewed had an agent who sold their first book. This can happen relatively quickly for some.
“My agent submitted the book for me and sold it to Berkley. It took seven months,” said Dee Davis (Exposure, HQN, Sept. 2005), whose first book was the time-travel romance Everything In Its Time (Berkley, 2000).
Most of the authors I interviewed took longer to get published. After many years of trying, several authors credit their agent with making that first sale happen. About a year ago, Tracy Anne Warren sold her book The Husband Trap (April 2006), the first novel in her Regency-set trilogy to be published by Ballantine/Ivy Books.
“Although I sometimes feel as if I have been writing forever, I’ve only been seriously pursuing a career as an author for the past five years,” Warren said. “After five completed manuscripts and a drawer full of rejection letters, I finally got the call on a glorious afternoon last July. When I began submitting my fourth manuscript, it took me nearly a year to find the right agent, but once I did things really zoomed along. I signed with her in May of 2004 and by mid-July had my first book contract.”
If you don’t have or can’t get an agent, there are still many different ways to sell your first book. As a few of the first-time authors I interviewed can tell you, it is still possible to get published from the slush pile. Jenna Kernan submitted Winter Woman (Harlequin Historical, September 2003), her fifth manuscript and third historical, to Harlequin. Winter Woman was a 2003 Rita Finalist for best first book.
Kernan (The Trapper, Harlequin Historical, Sept. 2005) said, “This unsolicited manuscript sat in a pile for two months when a very officious member of the cleaning staff chucked it out as trash, which it may be, but I’d still appreciate a letter with an editor’s signature as a second opinion. Harlequin apologized and asked me to resubmit. I did and then I waited five more months before I got the call.”
Several authors first sent a query to an editor who then requested to see their manuscripts. Teresa McCarthy wrote to an editor at Signet Regency and asked if she would like to see her traditional regency The Rejected Suitor (Signet, April 2004).
“A month later her assistant called me and asked for a full,” McCarthy (The Convenient Bride, Signet, Sept. 2005) said. “In the query I mentioned that the manuscript had been rejected a few years ago by the same editor but I had bolstered the plot. I don’t know if the editor even remembered the story, but I wanted to be up front about it. I got the call about six months later.”
In July of 2001, Victoria Bylin sent queries to several publishers for her second manuscript Of Men And Angels (Harlequin Historicals, July 2003).
“I received a variety of ‘good’ rejections from publishers who weren’t interested in westerns and a request for the full from Harlequin Historicals,” Bylin (Abbie’s Outlaw, Harlequin Historicals, April 2005) said. “I sent the completed manuscript in October 2001 and received the call from my editor in February.”
Kernan, McCarthy and Bylin submitted their novels to publishing houses that bought the kind of stories they wrote. In order to make that first sale, it is often necessary to understand what type of story is marketable and what certain publishing houses look for in a manuscript.
“For me, the most important thing is to know your target market. To study it inside out and to make sure this is where you truly believe your voice will be a fit,” Loreth Anne White (The Sheik Who Loved Me, Silhouette Intimate Moments, May 2005) said.
Even before she began to write her first novel, White researched the two romantic suspense category lines: Harlequin Intrigue and Silhouette Intimate Moments. After deciding Intimate Moments was the line for her and educating herself on the particulars of that line and craft, she sat down to write. Silhouette Intimate Moments purchased her first manuscript, and Melting The Ice was released in October 2003.
Other authors take a little longer to understand how vital it can be to write a marketable manuscript.
“I had written one and a half Russian historicals before I realized this wasn’t the best way to break into romance,” Kathleen O’Reilly (The Diva’s Guide To Selling Your Soul, Downtown Press, April 2005) said. “So when I heard that Duets was looking for authors, I wrote a Duets manuscript and submitted it before starting on my Regency-set historical.”
O’Reilly’s first book published was that Harlequin Duet, A Christmas Carol, released in December 2001. One month later, Berkley published her Regency-set historical Touched By Fire.
For other authors, the key to making that first sale was finding the right editor who loved their voice and wanted to buy their book. Gail Barrett’s editor first saw her work in the TARA First Impressions contest and requested it. Since another editor at the house already had it, the first editor told Barrett to let the other handle it. The second editor rejected it, but when the first saw it again in the Golden Heart, she requested it.
“The book I sold was rejected by one editor, yet bought by another at the same house with absolutely no changes,” said Gail Barrett (Where He Belongs, Silhouette Special Edition, Nov. 2005). “In my experience, it was a matter of finding the editor who loved my voice and was willing to go to bat for my book.”
Often finding that editor can take awhile. Kathryn Caskie’s debut historical Rules Of Engagement (Warner Forever) won the Golden Heart for Long Historical. A St. Martin’s Press editor who had judged the manuscript was interested in it and requested revisions but ultimately did not buy it.
“Since the book was now revised and polished, due in large part to that editor’s interest, my agent, Jenny Bent, had gone ahead and sent my book out to our ‘A’ list,” said Caskie (A Lady’s Guide To Rakes, Warner, September 2005).
The “A” list was interested. On the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, Warner made an excellent offer for a two-book contract that pre-empted an auction among Avon, Pocket and itself. Caskie’s first book went on to become a double 2005 Rita finalist for best first book and best short historical.
Caskie’s agent helped her get in the position where more than one house wanted to buy her first book. How do you get the attention of editors if you don’t have an agent to submit your work for you?
The two most common ways are through contests or networking at conferences. Both Barrett and Caskie caught the eye of editors though contests, and so did many of the other authors I interviewed.
“I entered the Beau Monde (Regency Writer’s RWA Chapter) Royal Ascot Contest and was one of the three winners,” said Meredith Bond (Dame Fortune, Zebra Regency, Sept. 2005). “The finalist judge was Kate Duffy. She couldn’t decide which one of the three finalists should win so we all did, and she gave us all two-book contracts.”
The other two winners were Glenda Garland (In Pursuit Of A Proper Husband, Zebra Regency, July 2005) and Nonnie St. George (Courting Trouble, Zebra Regency, May 2004). Like Bond, Garland, St. George and Barrett, many authors who make their first sale to Harlequin/Silhouette first caught their editors’ attention through RWA chapter contests.
“I was one of those writers who took the contest route to publication,” Tanya Michaels (Dating The Mrs. Smiths, Next, Nov. 2005) said. “I wanted to write for Harlequin and had a partial requested one year when I was a Maggie finalist. Then I entered the eharlequin.com Writing Round Robin contest. When I won that, they asked me if I had anything in-house, and I let them know there were three chapters under consideration. My full manuscript was requested that same week.”
While Harlequin spent a long time evaluating that manuscript, Michaels did not rest on her laurels. She continued working on new projects and entered them in contests.
“I targeted the competitions with Harlequin Toronto editors as final judges,” Michaels said. “I had more books requested as a result, although when I called to thank the editors, I was told I couldn’t send additional manuscripts until they’d made a decision on the first one. I was, however, building some name recognition and making them aware that I had other stories. They ultimately rejected the book that was in-house for so long but immediately asked for the next two that had been judged in contests and bought them both.”
Another way to get the attention of editors is to attend writing conferences. At these events, you may be able to pitch your story to an editor in an appointment. These may be group appointments or one-on-one, but they both give a writer the opportunity to talk about her story to an editor or agent and find out if the publishing professional would like to look at the manuscript.
“I attended the New Jersey Romance Writers’ conference in October 2001 and pitched to a Harlequin editor who requested the whole manuscript,” Anna DePalo (Tycoon Takes Revenge, Silhouette Desire, December 2005) said. “Eventually, I received ‘the call’ and, after ecstatically jumping up and down, revised the manuscript as requested and was given a contract.”
In addition to formal editor and agents’ appointments at writer conferences, there are often many opportunities to interact with publishing professionals in a more casual environment. You may have a chance to talk to editors at an opening reception, at a luncheon or dinner, or even at the hotel bar during a conference.
“I enjoy being with people, so the whole networking thing was a bit natural for me. I learned very quickly that being myself and just getting to know publishing professionals in non-intimidating social settings like the bar at Hilltop House was the most comfortable option for me,” Elizabeth Holcombe (Heaven And The Heather, Berkley, Nov. 2002) said. “Later, if they received a manuscript of mine, I hoped they would remember the friendly girl who asked them how their trip to Harper’s Ferry was instead of trying to shove my pitch down their throat. I have made friends of quite a few publishing professionals that way. They don’t have to buy my book to gain my friendship.”
It does cost money to attend RWA conferences. If your budget is tight and you can’t afford to attend a conference, you can still network online with certain publishers.
“The most important networking, I think, was on the eHarlequin community Web site, where I met my editor, Tanya Starratt, virtually, before I met her in person to pitch the book in New York in 2003,” said Julie Cohen (Featured Attraction, Mills & Boon Temptation, Mar. 2006). “I knew we shared a sense of humor, and she’d probably appreciate my characters and story, which is why I decided to send it to her.”
One cautionary note that several of the authors said about approaching editors or agents is to make sure you are submitting something that is of high enough quality to be publishable.
“Don’t try to sell before you’re ready,” said chick lit writer Shane Bolks (The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Men I’ve Dated, Avon, May 2005), who also writes historicals as Shana Galen (When Dashing Met Danger, Avon, May 2005).
“I wrote four books before I was ready to approach agents. There’s a lot of pressure from friends, family, other writers to submit, but make sure your work is up to industry standards before you try to sell because you never get another chance to make a first impression. You might also want to have a backlog of work.”
Waiting to submit until your work is ready is not a common message you’ll receive at RWA chapter meetings, but Bolks was not the only person to bring it up in her interview.
“RWA is so good at encouraging everyone to submit and sell that most of us submit far too soon,” Robyn DeHart (Courting Claudia, Avon, Aug. 2005) said. “It’s like getting senioritis your freshman year in college.”
“I’m with Robyn on this one,” Emily McKay (Surrogate And Wife, Silhouette Desire, Feb. 2006) said. “RWA is so great about encouraging people to submit. But I think a lot of people submit too soon. I certainly did. So I wish I’d waited until my second book to submit. I also wish I’d spent more time early on studying craft, particularly what I call the ‘big ticket items.’ GMC, story structure, character arc.”
The fact that McKay’s first published novel Baby, Be Mine (Harlequin Temptation, Jan. 2003) was a double Rita finalist in best first novel and best short contemporary shows that she mastered those big ticket items. She, Bolks, and DeHart all eventually reached the point that they were ready to sell as did the other authors I interviewed.
Their journeys to publications show you many of the ways you can sell your first book. When they wanted to make that first sale, some of the authors hired agents to approach editors on their behalf. Others, after taking the time to understand the romance publishing market, submitted to publishing houses directly, entered contests or pitched to editors at regional or national writers’ conferences. Some even combined these different avenues to reach that first sale, but they all persevered and eventually sold a book.
When asked for her advice to aspiring authors, Diane Perkins (The Marriage Bargain, Warner Forever, Oct. 2005), who also writes as Diane Gaston (The Mysterious Miss M, Harlequin Historical, Nov. 2005), said, “Write what you love because your heart will be in it, but also try to steer that heart in marketable directions.”
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
~~~~~
Michelle Butler writes the second sales column for RWA eNotes. If you have sold your first book and would like to participate in this series, please email her at .
By Sherry Morris
(From the September 2005 issue of the Update)
I’ve tried hard to resist the urge to write words of wisdom because it sounds preposterous for me of all people to try to tell anyone how to sell. But I feel compelled to let you know what I’ve learned, as if you were my children, trying to guide you around the bumps. If anything makes sense, I hope it speeds your journey.
Breaking into the Romance Writers of America Published Author Network is a complicated compound prescription mixed by that invisible mystical pharmacist watching over us. Everyone will have different ingredients, i.e.: eyebrow of buffalo + toenail polish of agent + reading glasses of contest judge + ancient Egyptian blessing.
Portable Word Processors
Alphasmart, Dana, etc. New, used, borrowed. Obtain one. Carry it with you when you’re writing a first draft. Five minutes here, thirty there. Knock that infernal internal editor off your shoulder and write an uninhibited first draft. Forget the “rules”. Give yourself permission to write crap. Just type the darned story. Crap can be fixed during revisions. A blank page can’t. Don’t go back and reread what you just wrote. Don’t edit it until you upload the week’s work into your document. You’ll be surprised to learn some of what you thought was pure crap is actually genius. I wrote the first draft of a 100K MS in three weeks (my second PAN sale, Immaculate Deception).
Start at the Top
Submit to your dream editors or agents first. Only move on down the line if they all reject you. I have never submitted to anyone I would not immediately accept a reasonable contract from. It’s wasting their time to boost your ego. This is a tiny industry. Editors and agents talk and move to new positions. They’ll remember if you play games with them. An offer you declined six months ago will probably not be waiting when you finally do get rejected by your dream editor.
Rejection
Every writer gets rejected. Some are more proficient in collecting R’s than others. Get mad, cry, wallow, vent to your friends. Then get over it and move along. Some rejections are devastating. Others are barely worth the notation. I think it has a lot to do with our biorhythms and where we are in our cycle of Writer’s PMS. Consider all criticism you receive. If it makes sense, change your MS. If a little voice says, “No, that would wreck my story; this person doesn’t understand where I’m going,” then ignore it.
Weigh heavily on editor criticism. Do try to see what she means. But if she just doesn’t get your story, don’t change what you don’t agree with. Move on.
Never badmouth an editor in a public forum. Never send her a retort. Again, this is a small industry. My first personal R was very blunt, and I was devastated. It took nearly six months for my ego to let me understand what she meant, and that she was right. I made the changes and sold it elsewhere. This rough R came from the editor that just bought my two PAN sales.
Voice
Everyone has a distinct “voice” for storytelling. The way you form sentences and their length. Your word choices - be they proper, alternative or completely made up. New writers often struggle to “find my voice”. Shh...it’s right there in your first draft. Don’t polish your MSs with line edits from other writers or readers, thus changing your words into theirs. Do consider advice about everything else, but don’t allow others to speak for you. You’ll end up with a grammatically correct, generic read. And probably a slew of contest finals, but no publishing contract. One harder learned tip: If a sentence reads roughly to you, and after a few days, you still can’t make it work; delete it. The paragraph will flow better without it. The meaning is still conveyed even though it’s invisible. Trust me.
Simultaneous Submission
My interpretation of ‘No simultaneous submission’ for those publishers who post that warning: It only applies to requested full manuscripts. Send out queries and partials to everyone on your wish list.
If you send an exclusive query, wait for the partial request, send that, wait for the full request, send that, wait for the revision request, send that.... wait for the offer.... then heaven forbid you ultimately receive a rejection, and have to start the query process with another house or line, you may as well be dead before you ever see your work in print. If on the other hand, you’ve been sending queries and partials out, then you’ll already have another request for a full and can then mail it right off.
Agents
Harder to hook than editors. Signing with a top agent does not guarantee your book will ever sell. The wrong agent is worse than no agent at all. But do try to land one. She could procure you an excellent first sale contract! Make sure they are members (or their firm is) of AAR and ask around on the loops before signing. Literary agents are not like real estate agents. They will only take on projects which they feel are easy sales. I have 205 agent R’s across three MSs. I don’t write what they want to represent.
Contests & Conferences
Check the score sheet before choosing a contest to enter. Make sure your MS has a fair chance and isn’t doomed because your H isn’t introduced in the first chapter or any other gradable area doesn’t exist.
If you are entering for anonymous feedback, don’t enter more than two contests with the same MS. Find critique partners, they are free. If you are entering in the hopes of getting your work in front of a particular editor, don’t. Even if you do final, there is no guarantee she’ll request your MS. Save your money and attend a conference instead. So long as you grossly write what she acquires at a conference appointment with an editor or agent, she WILL request a partial or a full manuscript from you.
I’ve spent over $1,000 on contests. I finaled once and did not receive an editor request. I didn’t agree with her feedback either. I didn’t change my MS. It sold elsewhere. For the money I’ve spent in entry fees, printing and postage, I could have attended two chapter conferences, enjoyed the company of other writers, learned new skills, and come away with at least two editor requests. Do enter the Golden Heart. Somebody has to final, and this is the prestigious contest where it means so much.
Remember
You are a capable writer with amazing stories only you can spin. Write for the joy you get taking dictation from the characters in your head. If NY soundly rejects your MS, consider ePubbing it. No, you won’t get rich or make the bestseller list. But your story will be told, readers will enjoy it, and you’ll have the satisfaction of validation, the experience of working with a professional editor and cover artist. Write another MS and send it to NY.
~~~~~
Sherry Morris writes WWII romantic suspense, mysteries and chick lit as Olivia Andrews. Visit her website at http://www.oliviaandrews.com .
By Michelle Monkou
(From the June 2005 issue of the Update.)
Hmm—What else to say with the final chapter of my Tough Love series?
I recently held a workshop on finding the time to write. I shared my experience, duly providing tips and solutions to conquer apathy and other bad habits. One tip in particular concerns the destructive force called negative energy.
This ball of energy does not discriminate with its victims. It can come in the form of family, friends, and even within yourself. Regardless of the source, negative energy easily conforms like a well-fitted glove molding to your thoughts and goals. Cloaked in ignorance, you model the extra baggage until it replaces the natural vigor you once exhibited.
There is nothing high-browed about this analysis. I have earned my expertise through my own actions and thoughts. I know what a drain it can be on the creative spirit. I have learned to stay constantly vigilant and protective of my personal space. Keeping my space clean and sacred makes me productive.
I will address each contributing factor: family, friends, and you.
Family members can be your worst critics. They have known you from birth. They have seen you face challenges and adversity with varying outcomes. As a result they have an opinion about your abilities. They may even remind you about that spectacular failure you made in your college days while you now are an adult with family and kids.
When you approach them with a spring in your step and twinkle in your eyes that you want to be a writer, the heavenly choir does not sing. As a matter of fact, they yawn and go back to their regular duties. Presuming that you are not a procrastinator, you diligently write, attend conferences, network, and submit your proposals. It is bad enough that you are biting your nails nervously waiting for a positive response from New York. But your family takes sadistic pleasure in asking everyday if you have heard from New York. On occasion, they may also provide a tip that most people get rejected and Author Blah Blah was rejected twenty-three times before getting published. Then if you do happen to get rejected, you want to suffer in silence because the gleam of anticipation practically snapping, crackling, and popping off the family member makes you cringe.
A wimp would close up shop and post a sign that says “May Return Soon.”
But you are no wimp. You know your family, so you know whether you need to share every leg of your journey. Some people get a charge out of other’s misery. You decide whether you want to be their stimulant. Your mantra should be: I will write despite [FILL IN THE BLANK]. I will be successful despite [FILL IN THE BLANK]. I will own my destiny despite [FILL IN THE BLANK].
Friends are important. I do not think there is a magic number that is necessary for a happy life. But friends help with our socialization process and can stretch us in healthy ways. Of course, your friends could be experiencing a bad moment in their lives and master projecting their misery outward, mainly in your direction. Or your friends may have always been a miserable soul, but you did not notice until you made the solitary pursuit of writing a priority in your life.
I had a friend who wore her negative energy like a lighthouse beacon, shining on all who came into her path. It had a long and wide reach. Many times I would make a detour tracks to avoid the poor soul. If I had good news that I finished my writing goal, she whined about her situation. If I had bad news that I did not place in a writing contest, she whined about her situation.
You decide on the value of your friendships. I did and decided that although I did not want to end the friendship, I did not have to participate in this funk. There is a time and a place for being attentive to your friends. But when you are writing, and I mean seriously writing—like a job, like a passion, like this is your life—you have to guard your personal space. I told my friend I was working on a project and would not be able to spend as much time with her. Then I deliberately kept the distance until my writing was underway because I will write despite [FILL IN THE BLANK]. I will be successful despite [FILL IN THE BLANK]. I will own my destiny despite [FILL IN THE BLANK].
You have heard of the saying “you are your own worst enemy.” How true.
We may not be able to remember all the computer passwords that we use for different software packages. We may not even remember whether we turned on the dishwasher earlier that day. But, boy do we remember to be a royal pain in our own butts.
Do you or have you ever said or thought:
- I’ll get serious about my writing right after the next holiday/the next conference/the next week.
- I need a vacation or quick break to re-generate my muse (not referring to crisis-driven breaks).
- I can’t write on Tuesdays, that’s Freaky Housewives television series night.
- That bloomin’ editor has rejected me ten times. I’m not sending anything else to her.
- As soon as the weather gets nicer, I’ll write on the deck. I’m really prolific on the deck with a glass of lemonade.
- As soon as the planets have aligned and I’m happy again, I’ll write.
Stop the BS. Practice a bit of tough love.
I will write despite [FILL IN THE BLANK]. I will be successful despite [FILL IN THE BLANK]. I will own my destiny despite [FILL IN THE BLANK].
Good luck on your (continued) journey.
~~~~~
“TOUGH LOVE for Authors” is Michelle’s bimonthly article that will tell it like it is! So far, she’s spent more years as an aspiring author than as a published author. The two points of view give her a unique perspective that she wants to share in the hopes that many more aspiring authors can gain the title—published, while also providing insight for the newly published authors. Creating a special mix of a cowboy, city girl, stalker, and Kwanzaa, Michelle Monkou’s fourth title, Making Promises, a BET Books Holiday feature, hit shelves in October 2004. Visit her website at http://www.michellemonkou.com.
By Alix Rickloff
(From the May 2005 issue of the Update.)
I should start by saying this couldn’t have happened anywhere but in a small town. I mean Norman Rockwell or Mayberry small. Kent County, MD is a rural area with more cows than people so any news is big news, and big news travels fast.
It began when a critique partner of mine organized a series of writing workshops in town. She wanted to bring together the growing community of aspiring authors and poets in the area. After renting out space in a small coffee shop on the main drag, she began advertising lectures and talks on everything from formatting your manuscript to characterization, plot elements to writing synopses. When she asked me to speak at one of the sessions, I was floored. Me? I’ve been on the listening end of plenty of lectures, but give one? What on earth could I teach someone—an unpublished author whose last foray into public speaking was twenty years ago in 4-H?
Relying on heavy doses of both flattery and guilt, she got me to reluctantly agree. Talk about what you know, she suggested. So while I struggled with putting together a coherent and compelling talk on the romance genre, she placed a small ad in our local paper advertising my lecture debut in two weeks time. Start the clock on my 15 minutes.
Just days later, my husband arrived home to inform me that his co-workers couldn’t believe his wife wrote romance novels. Does she use you for inspiration? They wanted to know. Having never actually read more than a few pages of any of my manuscripts, he couldn’t say for sure, and I wasn’t admitting to anything.
The next day, my next-door neighbor leaned across the back fence. “I hear you write books,” he said. “Are you famous or something?”
Not yet, I had to admit. But I’m trying. That seemed to satisfy him, and he went back to mowing his lawn. What was going on? Had one little ad in a paper whose circulation couldn’t be more than 3,000 people generated this much press?
The next morning, my daughter’s bus arrived to pick her up for school. She scooted in, and the driver leaned towards me. “I saw in the paper you write novels.” I could only nod, stunned. Soon, people I barely knew were asking me about my writing. I would answer, slightly embarrassed at my newfound celebrity. Yes, I write historical romances. No, I’m still unpublished, but I’m shopping my three completed manuscripts around with agents and editors. I’ve got my fingers crossed.
The lecture came and went. I got through it without embarrassing myself and actually enjoyed sharing some of what I’ve learned with others just beginning their writing careers. The questions and comments faded away. The attention came and went. But something profound happened in the meantime. Until then, I never mentioned my “other” life. Not that I hid my writing, it just never came up.
It took my 15 minutes to make me realize that not only was I a mother and wife, I was a writer. This wasn’t a hobby or a phase. This was a career. I worked at my craft with diligence and care. I attended seminars and lectures to hone my skills. I persevered through rejection letters, critique revisions, hours of research, and writers block.
I AM A WRITER.
And I can tell you for certain: when—not if—I get published, I’ll be sure to put an ad in that same paper. I’m ready for at least a half-hour of fame this time around.
~~~~~
Alix Rickloff is a member of Washington Romance Writers. When she is not busy being a mother and wife, she writes on her historical novels.
After the Call or, “What I did on my Summer Vacation”
By Susan Donovan
All Wrapped Up with a Bow
By Linda Voss
Are You Invisible?
By Maggie Toussaint
Avoid Submission Traffic Jams
By Sherry Morris
Banishing Your Wolf of Self-Doubt
by Maggie Toussaint
Be Fearless
by Cathy Maxwell
Booksigning with My Friends
by Diane Whiteside
Confessions of an Online Neatnik
by Laura Armstrong
Conflict Vision
By Maggie Toussaint
The Contest Empress Speaks
by Diane Perkins
Cooking Your Way Out of The Slush Pile
by Maggie Toussaint
Critique Groups: One Writer’s Experience
By Gail Barrett
Critiques and Belgian Chocolate
by Lisa E. Arlt
Do They Judge Your Submission by Its Covering?
by Annabelle Corrick Beach
Do You Have a Minute?
by Judi S. Fadeley
Editorial: Men and Emotions
By Steve Ciccarelli
A Final Goodbye to Nancy Richards-Akers
by Michelle Monkou
Finding Forrester, Stephen King, Quills, and Inspiration (Or: We All Have to Start Somwhere)
by Elizabeth Fedorko
Finding Your Rhythm
by Michelle Monkou
A Golden State of Mind: 1998 RWA National Conference
by Michelle Monkou-Samuels
How to be a Romantic Hero
by Diane Perkins
How to be Unapologetically Unpublished
By Dara Girard
How To Enter Writing Contests and Survive (Part One)
by Laurin Wittig and Pam Poulsen
How To Enter Writing Contests and Survive (Part Two)
by Laurin Wittig and Pam Poulsen
In Remembrance of a Life
By Linda Voss
Is it Safe for an Author to ‘Genre Jump’?
by Julie Moffett
Lessons from my very first book signing
by Gail Barrett
Make it Sparkle! Seven Steps to Polish Your Work
by Maggie Toussaint
Making Connections by Visiting Other RWA Chapters
by Robin L.L. Allen
Making That First Sale
By Michelle Butler
Making Time to Write
by Lisa E. Arlt
Maybe It Was the Right Call After All
by Judi S. Fadeley
My Fifteen Minutes of Fame
by Alix Rickloff
A Newbie Survives Her First Contest
By Laura Armstrong
Notes in the Dark: Inspiration at the Movies
by Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko
One Writer’s Odyssey
by Maggie Toussaint
Positively Charged
by Lisa E. Arlt
Promo Tips For Authors Or Soon-To-Be-Published Authors
By Binnie Syril Braunstein
Queen for a Day: Journal of a Golden Heart Winner
by Gail Barrett
The Quest
by Kathy Altman and Judy Eary
Research—In The Oddest Places
by Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
by Cathy Maxwell
Shirley Hailstock: Phenomenal Woman
By Michelle Monkou
So You’re Going to Scotland . . . The Inside Scoop on What You Need to Know Before You Go
by Pam Poulsen and Laurin Wittig
The Story of My First Sale (Or, After I Regained Consciousness)
by Heidi Betts
The Stuff of a Writer’s Guilt
by Elizabeth Fedorko
10 Nitty-Gritty Hints on Being a Professional Writer . . . in No Particular Order
by Patricia McLinn
Ten Steps to Guarantee You’ll Never be a Writer
By Karen L. Smith
To Muse or Not to Muse—That is the Question
by Marilyn Trent
Tough Love for Authors . . . Are We There Yet!
by Michelle Monkou
Tough Love for Authors: Being a Full Time Writer
by Michelle Monkou
Tough Love for Authors: Dream—I Dare You!
By Michelle Monkou
Tough Love for Authors: Negative Energy Sucks!
By Michelle Monkou
Turning Real Life into Fiction
By Danielle M. Angeline
Twelve Ways to Graciously Accept Rejection
By Dara Girard
What I Did On My Summer Not-Quite-Vacation
By Robin L.L. Allen
Where Do You Do It?
by Elizabeth Fedorko
Writer Terms
By Danielle M. Angeline
WRW’s Undiscovered Treasure Chest
By Robin L.L. Allen
Yikes! A First Time Judge! What am I getting myself into? (Updated)
By Danielle M. Angeline
Yikes! A First Time Judge! What Am I Getting Myself Into?
By Danielle M. Angeline
Yikes! I’ve Been Critiqued!
By Danielle M. Angeline
Making Connections by Visiting Other RWA Chapters
by Robin L.L. Allen
What I Did On My Summer Not-Quite-Vacation
By Robin L.L. Allen
WRW’s Undiscovered Treasure Chest
By Robin L.L. Allen
The Quest
by Kathy Altman and Judy Eary
Turning Real Life into Fiction
By Danielle M. Angeline
Writer Terms
By Danielle M. Angeline
Yikes! A First Time Judge! What am I getting myself into? (Updated)
By Danielle M. Angeline
Yikes! A First Time Judge! What Am I Getting Myself Into?
By Danielle M. Angeline
Yikes! I’ve Been Critiqued!
By Danielle M. Angeline
A Newbie Survives Her First Contest
By Laura Armstrong
Confessions of an Online Neatnik
by Laura Armstrong
Critiques and Belgian Chocolate
by Lisa E. Arlt
Making Time to Write
by Lisa E. Arlt
Positively Charged
by Lisa E. Arlt
Critique Groups: One Writer’s Experience
By Gail Barrett
Lessons from my very first book signing
by Gail Barrett
Queen for a Day: Journal of a Golden Heart Winner
by Gail Barrett
Do They Judge Your Submission by Its Covering?
by Annabelle Corrick Beach
The Story of My First Sale (Or, After I Regained Consciousness)
by Heidi Betts
Promo Tips For Authors Or Soon-To-Be-Published Authors
By Binnie Syril Braunstein
Making That First Sale
By Michelle Butler
Editorial: Men and Emotions
By Steve Ciccarelli
After the Call or, “What I did on my Summer Vacation”
By Susan Donovan
The Quest
by Kathy Altman and Judy Eary
Do You Have a Minute?
by Judi S. Fadeley
Maybe It Was the Right Call After All
by Judi S. Fadeley
Finding Forrester, Stephen King, Quills, and Inspiration (Or: We All Have to Start Somwhere)
by Elizabeth Fedorko
Notes in the Dark: Inspiration at the Movies
by Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko
Research—In The Oddest Places
by Elizabeth Holcombe Fedorko
The Stuff of a Writer’s Guilt
by Elizabeth Fedorko
Where Do You Do It?
by Elizabeth Fedorko
How to be Unapologetically Unpublished
By Dara Girard
Twelve Ways to Graciously Accept Rejection
By Dara Girard
10 Nitty-Gritty Hints on Being a Professional Writer . . . in No Particular Order
by Patricia McLinn
Be Fearless
by Cathy Maxwell
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
by Cathy Maxwell
Is it Safe for an Author to ‘Genre Jump’?
by Julie Moffett
A Final Goodbye to Nancy Richards-Akers
by Michelle Monkou
Finding Your Rhythm
by Michelle Monkou
A Golden State of Mind: 1998 RWA National Conference
by Michelle Monkou-Samuels
Shirley Hailstock: Phenomenal Woman
By Michelle Monkou
Tough Love for Authors . . . Are We There Yet!
by Michelle Monkou
Tough Love for Authors: Being a Full Time Writer
by Michelle Monkou
Tough Love for Authors: Dream—I Dare You!
By Michelle Monkou
Tough Love for Authors: Negative Energy Sucks!
By Michelle Monkou
Avoid Submission Traffic Jams
By Sherry Morris
The Contest Empress Speaks
by Diane Perkins
How to be a Romantic Hero
by Diane Perkins
How To Enter Writing Contests and Survive (Part One)
by Laurin Wittig and Pam Poulsen
How To Enter Writing Contests and Survive (Part Two)
by Laurin Wittig and Pam Poulsen
So You’re Going to Scotland . . . The Inside Scoop on What You Need to Know Before You Go
by Pam Poulsen and Laurin Wittig
My Fifteen Minutes of Fame
by Alix Rickloff
Ten Steps to Guarantee You’ll Never be a Writer
By Karen L. Smith
Are You Invisible?
By Maggie Toussaint
Banishing Your Wolf of Self-Doubt
by Maggie Toussaint
Cooking Your Way Out of The Slush Pile
by Maggie Toussaint
Conflict Vision
By Maggie Toussaint
Make it Sparkle! Seven Steps to Polish Your Work
by Maggie Toussaint
One Writer’s Odyssey
by Maggie Toussaint
To Muse or Not to Muse—That is the Question
by Marilyn Trent
All Wrapped Up with a Bow
By Linda Voss
In Remembrance of a Life
By Linda Voss
Booksigning with My Friends
by Diane Whiteside
How To Enter Writing Contests and Survive (Part One)
by Laurin Wittig and Pam Poulsen
How To Enter Writing Contests and Survive (Part Two)
by Laurin Wittig and Pam Poulsen
So You’re Going to Scotland . . . The Inside Scoop on What You Need to Know Before You Go
by Pam Poulsen and Laurin Wittig
By Danielle M. Angeline
(From the April 2005 issue of the Update.)
I don’t know if it’s my age or just plain stupidity, but lately I’ve had some crazy mishaps that I have been able to incorporate into my writing. Since I turned forty, I’ve been much more adventuresome and have developed this willingness to “try new things.”
Two years ago, my immediate family of twenty gathered in the mountains just north of Colorado Springs for our annual summer vacation. Since we are spread out across the country and only see each other once a year, it was exciting to be surrounded by my four sisters, their families, and my dad.
A few days into our camping week, my rambunctious nieces wanted to go horseback riding. I thought I’d tag along and watch because I wasn’t all that hyped about horseback riding—it’s something I’ve never done. My sisters encouraged me to “try something new”. Then the trail rider—conveniently he was a very handsome gentleman—explained I had to sign a release in the event I was injured. The words screamed in my head, “Don’t do it!” But, my stupidity and my sisters won, and I signed on the dotted line. The top of my horse’s tail was even with the top of my head, and I had to use steps to mount the too-big-of-a-horse-for-me. I managed, despite the hour and half trail ride, temperatures in the mid-nineties, and lack of water.
Nearing the end of our adventure, I was parched, my derrière hurt, and my legs were numb when this beautiful, majestic creature broke into a trot. Panic set in; the horse went one way and I the other. I ended up face down in the dirt with bruises appearing almost instantly on my body. The oh-so-handsome trail rider was more concerned about the horse than me. He ended up taking our horses back to the stables, and I was left behind—alone and in pain! I cursed, walking that last quarter mile in the blazing sun, hoping and praying one of my sisters would come to my rescue, but no one did. Later, I found out that the “hottie” trail rider told them I was fine.
While my horseback riding adventure seemed tragic at the time, I now laugh when I retell my story. This is what being a romance writer is all about—turning real life into fiction! Instead of me as the main character, how about substituting a fictional character named Kate, a powerful, corporate lawyer from New York City into my trail riding experience. Unable to cope with her fiancé breaking off their engagement, Kate hops on a plane to visit her one sister—not four—at her Colorado horse ranch. One of the ranch hands, Nick, (Mr. Hottie Trail Rider) encourages Kate to go horseback riding with him. Unfortunately, the horse is too much for her to handle, and she takes a fall. Kate’s horse breaks out into a gallop, and Nick goes after him, leaving her to fend for herself. As she wanders the vast countryside, her temper is raging and so is the storm on the horizon.
When she returns, Nick is nowhere to be found and neither is her sister, who went into town to pick up her feed order. As daylight turns to night, Kate is still fuming. She decides to do what she knows best—use her lawyer smarts to sue the ranch hand. But when there is a knock on the door, Kate is surprised to be greeted by a clean-shaven Nick, gripping a huge bouquet of wildflowers and possessing a smile that could melt any woman’s wounded heart.
I was so inspired by this real life event that it’s already been turned into a manuscript. And while I continue to try new things, I am still encountering mishaps, like the snow tubing tumble I experienced this past weekend. Again, I have another real life occurrence that just might end up in one of my books. These adventures may eventually become hazardous to my well-being but for now, I find it fun and challenging to turn and twist these factual events into fiction.
As for my family vacation this year, we’re going to the beach. I’ve already stocked up on the sun-block but I find myself wondering if “Jaws” will be lurking too close to the shore line, or if one of my sisters will dare to suggest parasailing. Regardless, I’m sure there will be another event in my life that may be worth turning into fiction.
~~~~~
Danielle M. Angeline is an associate editor for the WRW Newsletter. She is currently working on a new project, entitled Someone’s Hero.
By Kathy Altman and Judy Eary
(From the April 2005 issue of the Update.)
Once upon a time, two critique partners heard a voice. (No, it wasn’t Charlton Heston and stop getting ahead of the story.)
The Voice said, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to travel to North Carolina to glean some gem of wisdom from Lisa Gardner’s workshop on plotting and rewriting.
“Since you are female, you are allowed to stop and ask directions whenever necessary, change your minds if you make a wrong turn and find yourself driving in the wrong direction, stop frequently for potty breaks or merely to stretch your legs, and talk, laugh, and above all, have fun. Maps are optional. Yahoo is better.
“But,” (and here came the kicker) “you are to retain at least one thing you can use in your own writing. And find your way home again.”
“Who was that?” Julie* squeaked.
“I don’t know,” Katie* quavered. “Maybe it’s those pain meds you’re taking.”
“But you heard it, too.”
Katie scrunched up her brow. Julie could tell she was really worried because Julie has been working hard on POV.
“Do you think it was the Muse?” Katie ventured.
The Voice quickly set them both straight. “The Muse is fickle. Pursue Knowledge and Craft.”
“But I really would like to talk to my Muse,” Katie said in a tiny voice that held just a hint of a whine.
“Look, if I have to twist your arms, I’ll find somebody else.”
“Does that mean they’ll get published before we do?” It doesn’t matter which of the CP’s said this. They were both thinking it.
“You’re pitiful,” the Voice intoned. It sounded like it was running out of patience.
“We’ll go! We’ll go!” cried the CP’s in unison.
If there was one thing the CP’s didn’t want to do, it was tick off the Voice of Authority or whatever the heck it was. You don’t need any enemies in this business.
So off they went, armed with a spirit of adventure, a bagful of chocolate, a stack of MapQuest printouts, and dangerously high hopes.
Two hundred and fifty miles later the directionally-challenged duo arrived at the hotel after hours of driving, a record number of U-turns, and a short but frustrating game of hide-and-seek with an exit sign. But they did make it. An impressive beginning.
“You go, girls!” (Mmmh, that did sound remarkably like Charlton Heston. Deep, rumbly voice. Or was it just wishful thinking?)
So what did we—I mean, they—learn?
First of all, that Lisa Gardner looks just like her picture (young and pretty). But try as they might, the two CP’s could not hate her. She was too darned nice. And she willingly imparted her knowledge in an honest, forthright, and humble manner.
Secondly, they learned voice is important. (Not the kind of Voice you may hear. That is a totally different topic and one you might want to explore with a member of the medical profession. We, or rather the two CP’s, are considering that themselves.)
No, we mean the type of voice that sold Lisa’s editor on The Perfect Husband. Lisa knows this because after her third or fourth rewrite, she asked the editor. Now Lisa uses note cards to help her plot. She says it’s much better than rewriting the same novel five times.
Of course, part of what makes Lisa’s novels so intense is her thorough research, and hearing her speak about it, the process sounded almost painless. Except the part about interviewing real, live people. Not appealing to a couple of introverts like our CP’s here, but Lisa convinced them it could be worth it.
We (oopsies—slipped again)—they learned so much that they couldn’t possibly put it in one short article. (See? They did retain something other than the weight they gained from eating all that chocolate!) They highly recommend any Lisa Gardner workshop, her website http://www.lisagardner.com/tricks/index.html for writing advice, and road trips in general.
* Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Can you blame them?
~~~~~
Kathy Altman and Judy Eary are both members of Washington Romance Writers. Kathy writes romantic suspense, and Judy writes historical fiction and fantasy—sometimes in combination.
By Danielle M. Angeline
(From the March 2005 issue of the Update.)
I had not planned on writing a follow-up article to “Yikes! A First Time Judge! What Did I Get Myself Into?” but in the course of working on recruiting judges for the 2005 Marlene, I finally decided to have my writing critiqued. I happily donated my forty dollar check to the Trisha Jenson Critique Fund, knowing it would serve two purposes: one—it was helping out a fellow author in need and two—I would get back some very much needed feedback from a pro.
My critique finally arrived after numerous e-mail and computer glitches. I had the same sweaty-palm-heart-pounding affliction as I did when I had signed up to be a judge for the 2004 Marlene contest. It was my hope this critique was chock-full of praise and that I was going to be the next breakout author. After all, I had dared to let someone critique my work, so I should get a five-star review—Right? Wrong!
The first sentence of my critique was, “I’d dump your prologue. It was hackneyed and trite. An editor will not read ANY further based on your prologue.” Slam! I thought I had been hit over the head with a two by four, which caused several unprintable expletives to fly out of my mouth followed by, “She’s got some nerve telling me this!”
Still, I forged forward and was surprised when I read the following, “HOWEVER, I do like the idea of your hero trying to satisfy his sister’s dying wish as the impetus for this novel. I just think it needs to be done differently. This, of course, is only my opinion. Remember, critiques are subjective. Someone else may disagree with me.”
Finally, I breathed a sigh of relief for she had reminded me that it was just her opinion. But then I was blasted for too many characters, too many flashbacks, too many dialogue tags and switching or “headhopping” with my point of view.”
I was ready to throw in the towel and give up my writing career, but not before I forwarded the critique to a trusted author friend, who graciously but firmly pointed out: “Repeat after me: I will never again talk about giving up on my writing!”
Her e-mail continued with, “I really don’t think her critique was a slam. If she didn’t see any potential in your novel, she wouldn’t have given you so many specific suggestions, and it’s clear from her comments that she likes your storyline.”
As for point of view, my friend offered this, “I agree with her about POV switches; sometimes the story requires the plot being told from the heroine’s perspective.” She gave me additional, productive advice, and I am thankful that she did not sugarcoat the situation. My friend ended her e-mail with, “Above all, don’t ever give up. I’m constantly reading “how to” books and advice from writers in an effort to improve my writing and will probably never stop trying to strengthen my writing in one way or another. Each month, I pick one area to study; January is Active Voice Month!” That final tidbit made me giggle.
Since receiving my critique and e-mail response from my author friend, I have woven together what these other two authors have suggested. For the month of January, I am focusing on point of view research. But I must add this final note. I have, once again, learned more about myself as a writer than from the critique itself. And that is, being critiqued is indeed someone’s opinion, but it is how I chose to react, digest, and act on the information that makes all the difference in the world.
~~~~~
Danielle M. Angeline is an associate editor for the WRW Newsletter and along with Courtney Hunt, a judge recruiter for the 2005 Marlene.
By Maggie Toussaint
(From the March 2005 issue of the Update.)
Better one or better two? Anyone who has ever had vision correction will recognize the previous sentence. During an eye exam, small lenses of differing strengths are placed in your field of vision until the image on the far wall comes into focus. Through a process of elimination, the correct lens is chosen. The perfect lens results in a crisp, clear image.
The perfect lens results in a crisp, clear image. The more I thought about that profound statement, the more I realized that it was something that could apply to my writing.
Donald Mass, Debra Dixon, Alicia Rasley, and many more fiction-writing experts agree that conflict is an essential element of crafting a quality story. Maximizing conflict maintains high reader interest in your story. I had read these words of wisdom in multiple places and thought I had a handle on conflict.
In my infinite wisdom, I treated conflict as another item on my checklist. Setting? Yeah, I got that. Characters? Yeah. Got them. Conflict? Yeah. That’s in there.
It wasn’t until I started dissecting stories by published authors that I realized how restricted my conflict vision was. Just having conflict in my story wasn’t enough. Conflict is too big to be relegated to a checklist. It has to be integrated into the very seams of the story. Two dogs and one bone. That’s conflict. Make it matter. That’s conflict. Make it emotional. That’s conflict.
I crafted more elaborately detailed plots, invented characters with multiple flaws, and beefed up my settings. I cut pictures of my characters from catalogs, drew up storyboards with multi-colored tiered charts, and created electronic filing systems for quick recall. But my rejection letters still featured the same tag line: “I wasn’t captivated by the story.”
Argh. Nothing worse than an editor thinking your story isn’t captivating.
So, back to the drawing board. How to bring conflict into the crispest focus possible? For any given scene, what is the most compelling way of presenting the conflict? For this to happen, I had to be open to new possibilities, to new ways of story elements fitting together.
The best way to illustrate this new mindset is to use an example. Let’s assume we are writing a scene about a woman needing to get her driver’s license renewed. This is a conflict inherent process involving multiple long lines and a shortage of clerks. It can easily take three hours to navigate through the bureaucratic process. Now imagine that our character doesn’t have three hours to spare because she has to pick her handicapped child up at school. The process will, of course, take three hours. That feels like conflict.
But is it enough? Is it captivating? Probably not. Let’s sharpen the focus. If the clerk who finally waits on her is someone our heroine doesn’t want to deal with, that brings in a deeper emotional element to the conflict. If we show that the handicapped child needs a med change and that it’s critical the mother gets the child to the doctor’s appointment on time, then that adds tension to the conflict. If the woman’s son’s missing gerbil has been sleeping in her purse but jumps out when she goes to pay and the clerk is experiencing a rodent infestation at home, that’s using the setting to increase the conflict.
Adding additional story layers to the conflict sharpens the focus and makes the reader care. Next time you create a scene, ask yourself if the conflict is as strong as you can make it. If not, why not try the “better one, better two” process? Add power and depth to your writing, and you’ll ensure that your readers are captivated. Use the perfect lens, and you’ll see the difference in your writing.
~~~~~
Maggie Toussaint is a member of Washington Romance Writers and Mystery Writers of America.
