Investing in Your Writing

Everyone is gearing up to go to writing conference this summer. Some have been and are trying to absorb all they've learned and apply it to their writing.


Conferences are a great place to network--you meet agents, publisher reps, other authors. You do learn a lot even from those seminars that don't quite fit what you're looking for. I've found some good info bits in some of them.


A writing buddy of mine, James Rafferty  recently attended a writer's conference shared some of it with me.

Recently I attended two conferences, one for my work in telecommunications and the second for my work in writing. The conferences were in very different fields, but I observed several common themes that applied to both events. At the conferences, I invested time in learning new things, networked with other professionals in the field and promoted my current projects.

I'm not a newcomer to conferences. I've probably attended 4-5 telecom events for the past 15 years. My participation in writing conferences is mostly much more recent. I attended a few SF conferences as a reader and fan many years back, but my participation at Boston area conferences the past two years has been as a writer. Why should writers attend conferences?

I view conferences as an investment. It's a chance to step out of the normal day to day routines and find out what's going on in the rest of the world. Publishing is undergoing a sea change which has much in common with the changes the high tech industry experienced during the past ten years. Business models are changing, there are new ways of getting products to the market and the roles of industry participants are shifting before our eyes. In this kind of environment, it makes sense for individuals to study up on the new trends, perfect one's own areas of craft and expertise and make contacts with the shakers and movers of your industry.

    Muse and the Marketplace, sponsored by Grub Street of Boston, offers a breadth of possibilities for              aspiring writers. The conference took place over a weekend and I chose to attend the Saturday portion of the event. From among a plethora of sessions, I decided to focus on a mix of craft, marketing and promotion.

Boston-based author Gary Braver conducted a session on ten essential elements for writing thrillers. A key point was that the mission of the thriller writer is to establish an atmosphere of dread and then build up tension throughout the novel. I'd previously read Braver's book Flashback and really enjoyed it, so he was a credible source for this kind of information.

Next up, I attended a session on promotion, which was useful, but tending toward being repetitious. The key point was an emphasis on the need for author to be ready to promote their work at all times and along the way, builds up a platform. Most of this information was familiar for me and the leader offered a useful reminder that we needed to be ready with an elevator pitch on our projects.

One of the unique parts of Muse was the chance to participate in their Power Lunch. For a reasonable fee, we could choose a lunch table and chat with four members of the publishing industry. I chose a table with two agents, a publisher and an editor. Three other conference attendees joined me at the table and we all had chances to talk with everybody at the table by changing seats a couple of times. I found this to be the best part of the day. My fellow authors and I each pitched our current projects and I even had enough time to chat a bit about a work in progress with a couple of my lunch mates. I put the prior session's emphasis on the elevator pitch to immediate use and got enough interest so that I've got a couple of action items to pursue in the wake of the conference.

In the afternoon, I shifted gears and went to a session called Agents on the Hot Seat. Agents are the gatekeepers for the traditional publishing industry and tend to be very knowledgeable about the market, so getting a chance to listen to four pros talk about how they chose authors to represent and how the agent's role is evolving was enlightening.

I concluded my day by participating in a Manuscript Mart session. This is another unique feature of Muse, since an author can prepare a submission in the form of a query letter, synopsis and a 20-page excerpt of one's work, and then get detailed feedback from an agent or editor. In my case, I submitted an excerpt from my first novel, Growing Up Single. The agent I chose had done her homework and offered a detailed review of both the query and the excerpt.

I had several takeaways from this session. One key point was to sweat the details on the query. The agent really wanted to get a clear idea about the book in just a few lines and offered her thoughts about whether I'd accomplished that. She'd also done a line by line review of the excerpt and gave me her take on what worked and what didn't. When I had a chance to take a fresh look at her feedback a couple of days later, I found myself agreeing on some points and not on others, but felt the overall critique was useful in giving me some direction on where I'll go with this project.

James Rafferty

By the end of the day, I felt like this day had been an excellent use of my time and that I'd learned a few things that will help me progress as a writer. I also had some great positive reinforcement that will help me to stay motivated on these projects. And I had those action items that will keep me busy for a while.

• If you're a writer, what steps are you taking to advance in meeting your goals?
• 
  
• Do you feel conferences are the right investment of your time and money, or would you recommend a different approach?

You can find James on Facebook or on his Writer's Notebook blog

Benefits Of Attending RT Conventions

It’s my pleasure to have bestselling author, Brenda Jackson, as my guest Over Coffee. Brenda has written for St. Martins Press, BET, Kensington, NAL, Harlequin/Silhouette and Harlequin Kimani Romance. She recently signed a five-year exclusive contract with Harlequin and will be able to bring all her books to one publishing home.

Long before I met Brenda, I was impressed with her warmth and genuine care for her fans and fellow authors. When I met her this past week I saw another side of her. Yes, she is very personable and friendly, but she is also a savvy businesswoman, with sharp insight regarding writing and the current market. I was able to attend some of the workshops where she was a panelist and I was impressed with her practical knowledge.

Brenda shares some thoughts with us about attending and preparing for writing conferences, and in particular, Romance Times Convention.

Going to the Romantic Times Conventions always energize me, although I returned this time with a little cold because this Florida girl didn’t properly prepare for the Ohio weather. But while I was there I could not get enough of meeting with everyone, seeing my readers and meeting with fellow authors.

I’m often asked from readers what should they get out of attending a writer/reader conference? First, always remember you can only get something out of it if you put something into it. When going to any convention you should prepare yourself before hand with what will be going on at that conference.

Anyone attending a RT conference should get plenty of rest beforehand. Why? Because you need to be prepared for non-stop fun. One thing I enjoy about this particular conference is that it is so reader friendly and there are so many activities for both the reader and the writer, no matter where you are in your growth as an author.

As a reader it can introduce you to other type of writings than what you are presently reading such as mystery, paranormal, suspense etc, and as a writer it holds workshops to help you perfect your craft.


And then after a full day of various workshops, there are the parties every night to help you unwind. And they aren’t just your typical parties, these are the kinds that get everyone involved.

I enjoy going to RT conference to meet my readers, to discuss with them what they like about my books, what they don’t like, and things they would like seeing more of. And if you’re a reader it’s a place to mix and mingle with other readers and meet your favorite authors.

For authors it’s a place to determine what’s hot and what’s not, and to find out the changing trends. Over the years the expectation in romance stories for both the reader and the writer have changed, and as a writer I need to know that. I shouldn’t assume the way I was writing my romance stories years ago is the same way readers want to read them today. As an author I should be open enough to respect my readers and to believe they know what they want to read, and not particularly what I want them to read just because I might refuse to change my writing style.

For instance for today’s romance stories, hot is in. I’ve always wrote spicy and steamy romantic stories, but once in a while you have to turn the heat up a little more. Does that mean the story will no longer be romantic? Not true. The romance is in the individuals, not in what they do in the bedroom. Boy meets girl and boy and girl get together in the end in a happy ending. How they get from A to Z and how they take care their business in the bedroom and how often, is not what determines whether or not it’s a romantic story.

No one author can define what romance is or assume that they can. I think as authors it is important that we don’t decide that we are all knowing in what readers should be reading. Who are we to make this decision for them? We should make sure we’re flexible enough to change our writing to what people are reading while keeping true to what we’re comfortable in writing. The key to remember is the word change. The only thing constant in this world is change. Be ready for it.

There is a place for all kinds of romantic stories, the sweet to the steamy to the blazing hot. But just because you write the sweet isn’t a reason for you to assume everyone should be writing sweet as well. Or just because your hero and heroine prefer making love strictly in the bedroom is no reason for you to expect others to follow suit.

The same thing for readers. There are so many types of romantic stories out there, and you know what you enjoy reading. Don’t assume everyone should be reading the level of sensuality that you’re reading.

I suggest to readers to know those authors who continue to deliver the type of stories they enjoy reading. And to authors, to make sure you know your readers and write the type of story you’re comfortable in writing, but one that will be embrace by the wants and needs of your readers. It’s not my place to dictate what readers should be reading or dictate to those authors what they should be writing. There is a market for every type or story. Sky is the limit. Know your audience and write a good story for them.

So what do you think about the changing trend of romance going from sweet to hot? Do you think the level of sensuality in a book determines if it’s romantic or not?

Do you think a love scene that’s placed in the first chapter will automatically make the story not romantic?

Who should define what’s romantic and what is not romantic? Author or reader?

What are your thoughts?
###

Spontaneous Back Cover:

She never saw him coming...

Kimani Cannon knows she's in trouble the second she lays eyes on 6'4" of luscious male. The best kind of trouble, too…mm-mmm! Duan Jeffries turns out to be the perfect man—charming, considerate…and the best lover she's ever had. Too bad Mr. Delicious is just a one-night stand….

Until Kim needs a date to her mother's (fifth) wedding! Duan's willing to act the part of her fiancé…as long as it means full benefits. More amazing sex? No problem!

Then Kim finds out that Duan's got his own private agenda. Suddenly, she doesn't know what to believe. Her head and heart are telling her to be careful. But the sensual thrumming in her blood is turning out to be much more persuasive….Excerpt

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Brenda is a die-“heart” romantic who married her childhood sweetheart and still proudly wears the "going steady" ring he gave her when she was 15. Because she began believing very early in the power of love and romance, she can't help but write stories with happy endings. She is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 70 romance novels and looks forward to increasing that number. She and her husband live in the city where they were born, Jacksonville, Florida, and have two sons. She has a B.S. in business administration and retired from a management position with a major insurance company.



She loves to weave love stories and it is the highlight of her day. She and her husband spend time together traveling and discovering romantic places she could use as settings in her books.

Brenda would love to hear from her readers and you can find her on her website and she's on FaceBook, MySpace, and on eHarlequin (which will give you a list of books available and soon to be released).


SPECIAL PRIZE TO COMMENTERS TODAY!

COMING NEXT MONTH (JUNE 2010): Brenda's 75th book, Hidden Pleasures.

BRENDA WILL BE AWARDING 5 COPIES OF HIDDEN PLEASURES.