Venice and Links

Eons ago I said I had something of my weekend in Venice to share with you. While walking through the back alley ways i fell in love with the laundry lines of Venice. They were fabulous and competed with my love of flower boxes. So here are a few of Venice's beautiful laudry lines.

Back on a writing track though there are some great things about.

Amanda Grange on her web site has fantastic refence material for any writers. I particualry liked her check list for manscripts before they go to a publisher here

Then there is this great break down of genre that finally clarified it all for me here

And Novel Racer Zinnia has begun the most fantastic series on how to help bereaving families. She begins with what to write here.

The rain has begun here and as the garden now needs I am trying not to frown too much. With the rain I may figure out how to put a link to all the RNA conference pieces on the sidebar....but then again I may not be able to work that one out!

RNA Conference Part 8 and Award

First the lovely JJ had awarded me and Helen with the Inspiration Blogger Award for as she says 'because they both get on with the job (writing) without all the fannying around'. I am very touched. Now for my five nominations .......
1. I nominate Nicola for The Courageous Blogger Award; a while ago she bravely told her story and her strength has remained with me.
2. I nominate Therese Fowler for The Inspirational Blogger Award because she writes and shares what she had learned on the road to publication.
3. I nominated Amanda Grange http://www.historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com/ for The Thoughtful Blogger Award for all the help she has given to other writers to set up and make their blogs work.
4. I nominated Maht at The Moon Topples for The Creative Blogger Award because his blog is full with images and is so innovative.
5. And the last nomination goes to Caroline at In Search of Adam for The Thoughtful Blogger Award for her lovely comments she always leaves.

Now those nominated should pop over to here to receive their awards and find out what to do.



The next session of the RNA Conference 'Three Ways Into Print - Newly Published Panel'. Julia Williams(novel racer - Jane Henry) who book is due out this autumn by Avon, Jean Fullertonwhose book came out with Triskelion, and Natalie Rivers with Harlequin/Mills & Boon. The wonderful Katie Fforde chaired the session and each of the authors spoke of their journey into print.



Julia began by saying don't give up as it has taken her nine years to reach this point and she began as an editor! She reminded us that nothing is ever wasted on the journey and what doesn't work for one book may well work for another. Finally she said you need that all important dash of fairy dust to get you on your way.

Natalie's route started early and when she was so close she packed it all in. It was only many years later that she picked up again and reached her goal.

Jean's route has been hit by her publisher going bankrupt but she won the Harry Bowling Award last year and had just signed with an agent so things were looking up. he left us with a powerful image regarding editing your work. Remember that when you cut back the hedges you then see the weeds underneath!

RNA Conference - Part 7

The Romantic Novelist Association is broad church so to speak as it covers all fiction dealing with romance from Harlequin/Mills&Boon to main stream women's fiction. It is a welcoming place as they have this wonderful program called the New Writer's Scheme with helps new writers on their way to publication. Regular readers of the blog will know that I have just posted the much rewritten August Rock off to the scheme where a published author will read through and provide feedback. August Rock went through the scheme last year and the reader was one of the very helpful voices that hopefully will send AG on it's way. The scheme not only provides readers for your work but if it is up to publishable standard it will help you on your way by putting the script in front of an agent or publisher. Good stuff huh?


The first session I attended on the Sunday of the conference was on the New Writers Scheme. Roger Sanderson (pictured above with Sara Craven) who writes Medicals for Harlequin/Mills & Boon as Gill Sanderson heads the scheme and told us of the 250 new writers on the scheme.

He then handled over to Elizabeth Hawksley who gave us the readers view. She has recently co-authored a book with Jenny Haddon - Getting the Point: A Panic-free Guide to English Punctuation for Adults.



Elizabeth's pointers were:

Character, Conflicts, and Story Arc


-early on make sure that the heroine is likable; someone you could sympathize with; not a wimp


-set up a problem; make sure there are enough hooks in chapter one (at least 3 problems)


- run the hero past a real guy; have a man real it aloud; make him realistic


- distinguishing plot - not just a series of events; plot has consequence - emotional and/or real






Next the writer to speak was Amanda Grange and she tackled 'Why do my books keep getting rejected?' Her key points were


-Edit, edit, edit

-Be harsh

-Identify problems and fix them

-Keep characters consistent not wobbling
-Are they too stupid to live - TSTL
-Something that begins and chapter one and takes the reader all the way through the end
-Do the actions have consequences - is there enough conflict; external and internal
-Does every scene have a point
-Is the character the same at the end of the scene?



The session ended with the reminder of all those who have made it through the scheme are eligible to enter The Joan Hessayon NWS Award. This awarded to first novel published who have been through the NWS. This year my friend Fiona Harper, winner in 2006, handed over the award to another friend Phillipa Ashley for her debut novel for Little Black Dress - Decent Exposure. (Phillipa is picutred below with Jan Jones)

RNA Conference Part 4

The rain is falling here in Cornwall but not like the rest of the country. Hope everyone is afloat.

Next up on the conference was a talk by Lesley Pierce but thanks to Silverstone she was delayed reaching us. Amanda Grangestepped into the breach so to speak. She spoke about web sites and blogs. Questions flew in as people who hadn't taken the plunge into the web world saw the advantages.


A Quick summary of her key points:

Web Page Hints:
a. have a simple welcome page then add different pages for books
b. make sure you have a contact email on there and she suggested that use one of the many free ones available out there like hotmail.
c. have an amazon link so that it is easy for people to buy your books

Blogs:

She mentioned that blogs don't have to be maintained by just one person but could easily be done as a group so that the pressure to maintain isn't to onerous. She does a blog with several others historical writers, http://www.historicalromanceuk.blogspot.com/.

There are many types of blog formats available, blogger, wordpress and touchpad to name a few.

Newsletters are a good way of keeping in touch with readers and a sign up on both blogs and web sites is useful.

To make your web site of blog more professional looking she suggested using Slide at http://www.slide.com/ to display book covers.

Her final point was to use something like http://www.statcounter.com/ to keep track of who is visiting your site.

Eventually Lesley Pierce arrived and told us of her road to publication but the most important thing she said was 'write what your heart's telling you to do.'

On my own writing front I am just over the the half way mark of another read through of August Rock. I have had a bit more tweaking here and there. Once this read through is finished I will read it through one more time before I send it off to the RNA's New Writer's Scheme. I have to confess I am bored to tears with it at the moment which I am taking as a good sign. I am hoping it is a sign to let go.

Yesterday I finished reading Katie Fforde's Going Dutch. I loved it and it brightened a very dull day. What I loved about the book was the balance of the story of two women at different stages of life letting love back in........a deliciously satisfying read.