Six Month Countdown!

Just got back from RWA and had an amazing time and met so many fabulous people (many of which I met first online via this blog.) I'll have more RWA posts in the upcoming week.

I usually don't post on Sundays, but just wanted to stop in for the "My book comes out in six months" squee! And I'm sharing the squee with my RWA roommate and beta buddy Julie Cross whose YA thriller TEMPEST comes out the same day as mine.

Here are me and Julie in NYC:

Julie and I met each other blogging. When we started reading each other's work, neither of us had an agent or even a glimmer of a book deal. We each just had a pile of rejections. We were both newbie writers trying to figure all of it out. Less than two years later, we're six months from seeing these on the shelves...

Everything really can change in a blink. So those of you still in the pre-published trenches, don't give up hope!

Have a great fourth of july everyone!

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Five Promotion Tips for the Shy Writer by Lindsey Bell

For those of you who don't know, next week is the Romance Writers of America (RWA) Conference in NYC. This is the biggie, the grand poo-bah, the conference we romance writers start countdowns for the minute the last one ends. It's basically four days of non-stop awesomeness--workshops, book signings, parties, and best of all hanging out with writers/industry professionals from all around the world.

If you've never been and you write anything with a romantic thread (including you YA-ers), you should make a point to get to this conference one year. 

So anyway, this means that next week I will be too busy to blog. (Though I will be tweeting from the conference, so be sure to tune into that.) 

But since I won't be around, I've hooked you up with a week's worth of awesome guest bloggers. Yay! And I'm actually starting the guest blogging a little early. The fabulous Lindsey Bell sent me this post and I told her I had to put it up early because for those of you going to the conference (or any place where you'll have to pitch or promote yourself). This is great advice. 

So take it away, Lindsey...

How to Promote When You’re Too Shy to Promote

by Lindsey Bell

If there’s one thing you need to know about me, it’s this: I’m shy. I’m an introvert at my core. Public speaking makes me nervous. Talking to editors intimidates me. My voice even gets shaky when I talk to other authors. I guess there’s a part of me that still wonders if my writing is any good. You’d think getting published would alleviate these fears, but for me, it hasn’t. I’m still shy. But…I’m learning to manage it.

Last fall, I did something I’ve avoided for years. I pitched my book to several editors and agents at a writing conference. Yes, I was petrified. Yes, I was drenched in sweat by the time the pitches were over. (Seriously, I should have brought an extra shirt.) But it was worth it. I met my agent at one of those pitch sessions, and we’ve been working together for the past six months to get my manuscript polished and submitted.

As a writer who has finally learned how to manage shyness, I feel obliged to pass along some tips to other nervous writers.

1. Dress the part. I try to wear professional-looking outfits when I talk with editors, agents, or other authors. I’m telling you, it works. Just as wearing a fancy new dress makes you feel pretty, wearing a professional outfit makes you feel like a professional (even when everything inside of you is screaming that you’re not).
2. Come prepared. When you go to a writing conference and plan to promote your work, be prepared. Bring your book proposal and sample chapters. (In fact, I’d bring several copies of your proposal, just in case you run into another editor who likes your work). You should also bring business cards.
3. Perfect your pitch. The pitch should be a couple of sentences long and include the title, theme, and basic story line of your book. Once you’ve written your pitch, practice it. Have it so well memorized that you can say it without even really thinking about it.
4. Remember that they are people too. Editors, agents, and other authors are just like you. Try to take them off the pedestal and view them as normal human beings. It’s also helpful to remember that they are rooting for you. They want you to succeed.
5. Believe in yourself. So what if you’re a first-time author? So what if you are young . . . or old . . . or whatever thing you think makes you less qualified? Believe in your writing, and believe in yourself. Because when you do, you’re a lot more likely to find someone else who will believe in you as well. J

Good luck, and happy pitching!

Lindsey Bell is a nonfiction author, stay-at-home mother, wife, and blogger. She is working with the Blythe Daniel Agency to find a publisher for her parenting book entitled “Searching for Sanity.” When she’s not writing or chasing after her two-year-old son, Rylan, she’s likely spending time with her husband, Keith. Or then again, she might be taking a nap.

Contact Information:

Author Blog:

www.lindsey-bell.blogspot.com

Miscarriage Blog:

www.livingwholeagain.blogspot.com

Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLindseyBell

Twitter:

http://twitter.com/LindseyMBell

Thanks so much, Lindsey!

 So are you shy like me and Lindsey? Does the idea of pitching make you want to curl into the fetal position? What things have helped you get through conferences or pitch sessions? And who is going to be at RWA next week?

Tweet All content copyright of the author. Please ask permission before re-printing or re-posting. Fair use quotations and links do no require prior consent of the author. ©Roni Loren |Copyright Statement|

Top Five Mistakes Writers Make at Conferences

So, I've mentioned before that I'm a conference whore. I think part of it is that I've always loved learning. I have nerd DNA that can't be escaped. But the other part is that I have so much fun being around other writers. It's like finding your home planet after feeling like you were the only weird one all these years. So for the past two years, I've attended about three conferences each year. And over those two years, I've started to notice some patterns and mistakes that some writers make--especially when they are conference virgins.

So I thought I'd put together a list of the pitfalls to avoid...

Five Mistakes Writers Make at Conferences

1. Attending only "industry/career" workshops vs. craft workshops.

This is probably the number one mistake I've seen newbie conference-goers make (because I, of course, have never made this mistake. *cough*) We go to a conference and there are all these agents and editors that we stalk/follow on the internet. And OMG, they are going to be on a panel and tell us all the things they want to see in a query and all the super secret insider stuff to get published. Must. Go. Right?

Well, yes, these are often helpful. And believe me, those workshops run out of seats immediately.  Meanwhile, there's an awesome NYT author in Room B giving a course on deepening characterization or something and it's half-empty.

Hear this: If you aren't actively honing your craft, the "how to query", "what are the current trends", "are you still accepting vampire novels" panels are only going to get you so far. The writing needs to come first. So balance your schedule. Pick a few industry type classes, but make sure at least half of the rest of the workshops you attend can make you a better writer. This should be your goal. Look around in those classes, who's sitting in them? Published authors. And obviously this goal changes once you're multi-published. You always want to focus on craft. We can always learn. But there's only so many workshops you can go to on the same topics. Now you can swing your schedule more heavily to the career/business panels.

2. Focusing too much on the big pitch session with the agent or editor.

Getting a chance to pitch is often the initial draw for a person to attend a conference. Screw the slushpile, you get to sit and babble like a drunken monkey in front of a real live agent/editor! I never pitched in person, as I've accepted I'm better on paper than in person.

But here's the thing--yes, pitching can be a great opportunity, but really, it's only glorified querying. Most agents will ask for a partial (unless the genre is totally off or something) so you may get a chance to get more pages in front of them. BUT it's still about the writing. SO, don't waste your whole conference stressing and focusing on the pitch and go to your workshops in a haze. You're there to learn and network first. Pitching second.

*This also goes for agent-stalking in the elevators and bars. Don't spend all your time trying to corner your favorite agent to elevator pitch them and become BFFs. I'm sure by the end of the conference agents and editors feel like gazelle in the middle of a lion pride. Their eyes are shifting left and right looking for the next writer to pounce. Don't be one of those lions. (Same goes for stalking reviewers/bloggers if you're already published.)

3. Getting caught up in the "FREE STUFF!"

This is more an issue at the national conferences. For instance, at RWA Nationals, each publisher does a book signing where you literally go pick up books for free. Now, offering writers free books is like putting out a donut buffet after you've been on a juice diet. We're drawn to it, our eyes glazed over, mumbling "boooooks, booooookkksss."

I am all about the signings. Reading widely is part of the job. But you don't want to ONLY do that. You have to skip workshops to go to those signings. Balance it out. Make sure you're not missing something really amazing in the process. Believe me, you'll end up with a lot of books no matter what.

4. Keeping to yourself or only socializing with your little group of friends.

The vast majority of writers are introverts. And when we go to a conference (especially our first conference) we have the urge to keep our heads down and stay focused on the task at hand. This can be even more the case when you're pre-published and still wrestling with your own feelings about calling yourself a writer out loud. But a big part of the benefit of a conference is the networking aspect. People are SUPER friendly. And you're all writers, so you automatically have something in common. For you shy people (like me), force yourself to turn to the person next to you in a workshop or at lunch and ask "So what do you write?" You'll be amazed how easy the conversation is and how you can meet some really great new friends. (And sidenote if you see ME at a conference, I have resting bitch face, y'all. Don't be scared. I'm friendly and happy to chat. You just might have to make the first move, lol.) 

5. Not going to conferences at all.

This is the biggest mistake of all. Yes, sometimes it's a location or finance issue. That's understandable. But if you have the means to get to a conference--there are fabulous local ones all over the place--then go! Online conferences are great, but there's something about being present in a room with others who are doing the same as you. It's awesome. I've learned so much at conferences, have met great people, and I never fail to leave them feeling re-energized about my writing. So put yourself out there.

Alright, for those of you who have been to a conference, have you made any of these mistakes? What other tips would you give conference-goers? And if you haven't been to a conference, how come? 

Rebel With a Cause: Rule-Breaking

Another workshop I attended at RWA was called Breaking Rules to Break In or Break Out.

Hop around the blogosphere (including this very blog) or flip through the writing craft books at your local bookstore and you'll be hit with what?  A whole lot of rules.

Don't use adverbs, don't open with weather, make sure your hero and heroine meet on page one (romance), don't kill off a beloved character because readers will hate you, etc.  All the advice is often overwhelming and at times, contradictory (as we demonstrated on Monday with the debate of whether are not to list your genre at the top or bottom of a query letter.)

But we're all so focused on getting published that we want to follow every rule to make sure we give no one a reason to reject us.  However, what that can result in is perfectly correct, lifeless prose.

The editor on the panel said that she often judges contests where the person hits all the right points on the scoresheet/checklist and gets a high score, but the story has no life, no magic.  Writing is not paint-by-numbers and when it becomes that, readers can tell.

However, having said that, when you break the rules, you need to do so consciously (hence the blog title).  Know the rules before you break them and know WHY you are breaking them.  If you ignore all the rules willy-nilly and send in something that's full of passive verbs, long chunks of flowery descriptions, and replaces every s with a z like the LOL cats, you'll probably get rejected.  Rules are there for a reason.  But when done right, rule-breaking can be spectacular and make your book stand out.

I remember when I first picked up Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, I was like--oh wait, alternating first person POVs? This is going to drive me crazy. (I think I was still scarred from that technique in New Moon.)  But it worked so well and turned out to be a terrific book--not to mention it just won the RITA award at RWAs for best young adult romance of 2010.

So don't be afraid to do something that's considered rebellious.  My little acts of rebellion so far: I've been told that writing about rockstars is a no-no, especially if you're writing a Harlequin, because rockstars have those notorious lifestyles and a stigma attached.  But I love rock music and think rockstars are swoon-worthy, so I wrote it anyway. Now, Harlequin hasn't given me an answer on my full yet, but Wanderlust has won first place in two contest so far, so hopefully the risk was worth it.

Then, in this latest manuscript, I took a bigger risk.  I wrote a dual-timeline story.  Each chapter alternates from present to ten years ago, basically two story arcs that eventually merge.  Admittedly, I tried NOT to take this risk because it made me nervous.  But you know, some stories just demand to be written a certain way and this one refused to give in.  So I did it.  Now, I'm not the first to do this, but I can only think of two other recent novels that have done this Megan Hart's Deeper and Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas. So I'm praying I didn't shoot myself in the foot trying this.  We'll just have to see.

So, what rules have you broken?  Which books have you read that broke the rules in a totally effective way?  Which rule do you hear all the time that you would like to overturn?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Rebel Yell" - Billy Idol

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

Lessons from Queryfest

One of the most helpful workshops I attended at RWA was a two-hour event called Queryfest.  The premise was pretty simple. Queries were collected from the audience, then a panel of five agents listened to the queries read aloud by a moderator and gave feedback.

For the first few, they listened to the full query before commenting.  Then, about halfway through the workshop, they switched to a format where each agent would say "Stop" when in normal query reading, they would stop reading and reject the person.

I know, brutal right?  I have mad respect for those people who submitted their queries to the gauntlet.  But the experience was rather eye-opening. Even I started to say "stop" in my head when I would hit the point that I'd lost interest or got confused.

So here's what I learned:

Do not put your title, genre, and word count at the bottom of the query.

I always did this.  It was usually my last paragraph because I wanted my hook at the top.  But every agent on the panel agreed it was better upfront.  After hearing the queries aloud, this suddenly made total sense to me.  When you don't know the genre, reading the query can be confusing because you're constantly trying to place what kind of story it is.  Then sometimes you get in your head it's A and then the query drops the bomb that it's actually B or Z.  (There was actually a gasp from the crowd after one query that sounded like adult urban fantasy turned out to be YA.)  So first line should be something to the effect of "I am seeking representation for my 70,000 word historical romance, TITLE."

Don't bury your hook.

Okay, I know I just said you should have genre up at the top and I still mean that, but then you need to drop in your hook as soon as you start talking about your story.  And let it stand out.  Some people had a great hook and then they went on and on AND ON.  By the time the query was done, we'd all forgotten what the story was about and that sparkly hook.  So use your hook and then get to the guts of your summary, but keep it brief!

Agents like accurate comparisons.

I've heard mixed things on this topic, but all four agents on this panel liked the idea of the comparison pitch.  I.e. Glee meets True Blood.  Okay, so that story probably wouldn't work, but you get the idea.  The one query that did this had the agents requesting they send material on the spot--FROM  JUST ONE LINE. Seriously.

Know your genre.

Many of the queries seemed to be labeled with the wrong genre.  There were queries for romances that didn't talk anything about the primary relationship of the book.  There were also a few that tried to merge too many genres.  You can't pitch an urban fantasy, historical, inspirational, middle grade, cross-over paranormal romance.  The agents wants to know where you would be placed in the bookstore.

Voice is always vital.

Beyond hook, voice was what sold them on things.  So make sure you inject the voice of your prose into your query.

Agents don't care about your personal information if it doesn't relate to the book.

They don't care if you've been writing all your life, wrote your first book at age five in crayons, and that you love to water ski in your free time. Writing credentials aren't necessary for fiction, so don't fluff that paragraph if you don't have any.  However, if you DO have something relevant: contest wins, previous publications, write articles for a magazine, etc. then put that in there.  Also, this is where you can put in that you blog.

They assume overwritten query means overwritten manuscript.

Some of the queries had adjective soup, like the person was trying to SOUND like a writer.  Don't do this.  Many assume the sins of the query will be the same sins in your book.  (And not all of them jump to the sample pages to find out.)

They are human--everyone likes to be kissed up to a little.

Personalize those queries.  Let the agent know (in a very brief way) that you have researched them and consciously selected them--not that you're just throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks.  Maybe you saw them speak at a conference, maybe you love their blog/twitter, maybe you admire their clients.  Be genuine and tell them why you are interested in their representation.

Alright, those are the main points I gleaned from the talk.  Hopefully, these tips helped.  We'll see if they helped me soon since I'm now actively querying my latest novel, lol.

So did any of these tips surprise you?  Have you incorporated these in your query? What other tips have you heard?  And am I the only one that has a HORRIBLE time trying to come up with those comparisons?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Ice, Ice Baby" - Vanilla Ice (I couldn't resist, sue me)

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

RWA Nationals and My Contest Win!

As most  of you know, I had the privilege of attending my first RWA Nationals a little over a week ago. The conference was amazing, fun, and overwhelming.  I highly recommend going if you ever get the chance.  I think I'm hooked now and will be saving up to attend every year.  Next year it's in New York!

Now, the amount of information to be had was daunting and I tried to attend as many workshops as possible (often forgoing getting stacks of free books from the publisher-sponsored signings in order to do so.  See how dedicated to learning I am?  :)  Okay, so I still came home with about thirty free books but I didn't miss any workshops to obtain those.)

I plan over the next few days to share as much as I can about what I learned including: lessons from Queryfest, a practical way to do a synopsis, notes on voice, digital publishing/ebooks, breaking the rules, the awesomeness of writers, and a number of other things.

But first, before I get to the meat of those topics, I just wanted to share (in case you didn't see on Twitter or notice in my sidebar) that my manuscript won FIRST PLACE in Passionate Ink's Stroke of Midnight contest!!!  Winners were selected by the senior editor at Harlequin Spice.  :) This is the second first place win for Wanderlust (and is the last contest I entered it in), so I was really excited.

Also, on that note, I actually saw the Harlequin Blaze editor who has the full of Wanderlust in one of my workshops. Despite my extremely introverted tendencies, I knew if I didn't approach her and introduce myself, I'd be kicking myself on the way home.  So, after the workshop, I stopped her to chat.

She was very gracious and actually remembered the title of my manuscript without me mentioning it (so I thought that was a good thing). And though I told her I wasn't asking about status (because I'm not one of those crazy conference stalkers), that I just wanted to say hi and let her know about my contest win, she did let me know that I'm still in her to be read pile and that she hopes to get to it in the next few months.

So, it was good news (not rejected!) and bleh news (more waiting.)  But I'll take more waiting if that's what's needed. We're going on nine months since they requested the full, so even though that seems interminable in my own Roni-time, it's really not that long in this industry.

So, all around, the conference was a terrific experience and totally fed my writer soul.  If you ever get the chance to go to a conference, even a smaller, local one, I say go!  Yes, you can learn a tremendous amount online and (if you're like me) that saves you having to push past your shyness.  But nothing can substitute for the feeling you get being surrounded by other writers and talking to people who truly UNDERSTAND this crazy existence.

*And for those of you who care, the picture above is of me with some of the members of my local RWA group at the conference.  From left to right: Michelle Welsh, Kim Quinton, Me, Jerrie Alexander, Marsha West, author Nikki Duncan, my bestest conference buddy Jamie Wesley, author Shayla Black, and author/blogger Heather Long.

Have you gone to any local or national conferences?  What was your experience?  If you haven't gone to one, besides the cost, what are your concerns?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" - Fall Out Boy

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

RWA Nationals: Help! Which Workshops to Choose?

So I'm hitting the oh-crap-it's-already-here point with regards to RWA Nationals.  I'm not packed.  I haven't made my necessary "don't forget" list, and I haven't decided which of the bazillion workshops I want to attend.  Therefore, I need your help!

I plan on taking back what I learn from the conference and sharing it with you guys, so I'm curious to know what you guys are most interested in.  Craft?  Agent panels?  The business of writing?

When I go to conferences, I tend to stick to craft things, but now that I'm hitting the querying stage again, those business related workshops are also appealing.  So I'm torn.

Here's the list of classes in case you want to peruse and help me out.

So you tell me, what do you want to know more about:  queries, agents, pitching, dialogue, building sexual tension, POV, GMC, characterization, high concept, world-building?  I'm not promising that I'll be able to go to all of those, but maybe if there is some burning topic all you guys are curious about, it will help me decide when  I'm trying to pick between two workshops held at the same time.

Thanks!

So which ones do you think I should go to?  How do you decide which ones to choose at a conference?  Do you tend to go for craft, agent/editor panels, or career-related ones?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Brain Stew" - Green Day

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

WIP Wednesday: Facing Down the Query

Cartoon: inkygirl.com

So I've been productive this past week after a few weeks of banging my head against the wall.  I finished the chapter that was giving me fits.  Then, I realized because of how that chapter worked out, I needed ANOTHER chapter.  It was starting to feel like the neverending draft.  But anyway, I banged out both, added a scene I needed somewhere else and ended up adding 4k words to the manuscript.

That means I can finally say that this sucker is D-O-N-E done at 88k.  Now I'll just be editing and revising as I work through it with my betas.  And I'm facing down the super fun task of writing the query letter and synopsis.  I'm hoping to have a query letter at least drafted before I leave for RWA Nationals next week, so that when I come home (with my head chock full of information and the agents I want to query), I'll have something to work with.

On the flipside, I'm hoping that I don't come home after going to all those workshops and want to change everything about the book, lol.  Sometimes too much information can be dangerous.  :)  But we'll see.

So, hopefully I'll be entering the query wars soon.  It's been a while, so I'm looking forward to it.  I just want to make sure everything is ready to go before I hit send.  I've learned the hard way that you need to have everything all set before querying.  My first novel, I received a full request one week after querying and they wanted a synopsis.  So I don't ever want to be rushing like that again.

How is your WIP going?  Have you ever gone to a workshop that made you want to change everything about your story?  Is anyone else going to RWA Nationals next week?

**Today's Theme Song**

"The Letter" - The Boxtops

(player in sidebar, take a listen)

WIP Wednesday: Submissions, Crit Groups, and Nashville

I received an update on my submission to Harlequin this week, so I thought this would be a perfect time for a WIP Wednesday.  I haven't done one in a long while and there are a number of things that could stand for a little update love.  So here we go...


My Wanderlust Submission


I queried Harlequin Blaze eight months ago.  Three months later they requested my full and told me to expect a 3-5 month wait on turnaround.  I will hit the five month mark in a about a week.  So, when I won the Great Expectations contest (and got a recommendation from the Harlequin editor who judged the contest), I sent a follow-up letter (Harlequin does everything by snail mail) and settled in to wait again.


This week I received the terrifying soul-sucking bane of my existence self-addressed stamped envelope.  My husband handed it to me with that look - like he was preparing his I-love-you-and-you're-awesome-no-matter-what-some-editor-says speech.  So, I tore open the letter and--thank the heavens--it was only an update.  *phew*  The editor congratulated me on the contest win and assured me that I'm on top of her to be read pile.  So, I need all  of you to send positive thoughts in Canada's direction (where their offices are) that the read goes well.


My Critique Group


After feeling like a literary agent for a week, reading through all the contest entries, we have chosen not one but two new members for our group!  The amount of talented people who applied to the contest was awesome, so it was not an easy decision.  But I am excited to welcome Suzanne and Katrina to our little group!


The Beta Club


I'm on the fence about whether or not I should continue the Tues/Thur Beta Club feature here on the blog.  Comments have been dropping off and yesterday the number of comments was downright dismal.  And that was not due to the entry--which was a delight to read.  I know putting yourself up for public critique is difficult enough, but it's even harder when you put yourself out there and then you get no comments.  So I don't want to put authors through that if they are not getting a decent payoff from it.  And I don't want this to just be about me giving someone a critique.  The variety of opinions is what makes the feature so helpful to authors.  So if everyone is tiring of the feature, that's fine.  We'll move on.  If not, then let me know that too.  (Either way, if you have already submitted to the Beta Club, you will get a crit from me.  If I do decide to discontinue the feature, I will just send the crit to you privately.)


My Current WIPs


I'm 41k into my erotic romance.  I still think I'm a little nuts to do this dual timeline thing, but I feel like it's what the story needs, so I'm striding on in my insanity.  I'm not sure how long this one is going to be, but at 40k, I figure I'm at least halfway through.  So yay for that.


My contemporary romance WIP is at 18k and I'm starting it with my crit group.  I'm hoping to get the other WIP fully drafted before diving headlong back into this one.  As I discussed on Monday, drafting two at once is a major challenge for my one-track mind.


RWA Nationals


As many of you know, I recently signed up to attend RWA Nationals in Nashville, which I was very excited about.  Unfortunately, the city of Nashville have suffered a devastating flood--which has also ruined the Gaylord Opryland hotel, where our conference was going to be held.  So, right now, things are up in the air.  RWA is looking to move it somewhere else if they can.  But they book these things ten years in advance and it's a big convention, so not an easy task.  Hopefully they don't cancel it altogether.  But more importantly, I hope you will all keep the people of Nashville in your thoughts.  Having grown up in New Orleans, I know how horrible flooding can be, so I hope the city can get on its feet soon.  And speaking of New Orleans, please send positive thoughts to the Gulf Coast as well with that terrible oil spill.


Alright, I think that's all the updates!  Sorry for the mishmash, but I wanted to make sure I hit all these topics.  


So, how is your WIP going?  Do you have any submissions out there that you're waiting on?  What's your feeling about the Beta Club--nix it or keep going?

**Today's Theme Song**

"Everything" - Buckcherry

(player in sidebar, take a listen)