Chapter Two - New Voices Top 21

The link for my second chapter of The Not So Secret Seduction of the Surgeon is here.

My mentor ROCKS, M&B ROCKS, basically - EVERYBODY ROCKS

To Prologue or not to Prologue - Question, much?

Sue Grimshaw (who is lovely, and approachable, and a breath of fresh air) really threw the cat amongst the proverbial chickens when she advised us during a cold read at the Romance Writers of New Zealand conference, that she like prologues.

An editor who likes prologues?
Serious?

Yes, apparently Sue was serious and, to tell you the truth, I couldn't be happier because if there's something I love, as a reader, it's a well thought out prologue. One that makes me think I've been let-in on a seriously cool secret right from the beginning.

Of course, that doesn't mean I think we need a lot of prologues at the beginning of books and I don't think that's what Sue was saying.

My rule of thumb?  Nut out the pertinent information, drill it right down to the most important facts, then write a prologue that creates the feel and tone you want for your manuscript.

And,

If you're having problems with it. If it doesn't flow or come out right,

Then,

admit that maybe you don't need a prologue - as all it is, is a lump of backstory - which may be interesting but not the best way to hook your readers (or an editor).

Homework Post the Post

If there's one thing I hate about starting a new manuscript - it's the Homework.

LOL - too much information!

I have fairies coming out my ears (oooh, that's actually a good idea, wait - a - minute - while - I - write - that - down (with a pen that doesn't run out of ink))

I need to type at about 1000 words per minute to keep up with the story in my head - and it's getting complicated. Frustrating much.

Gotta admit though - I'm probably more on edge because I'm waiting for the announcement of the finalists for the Clendon and the RWNZ First Impressions contests. I absolutely can't wait to meet Jessica Faust at the conference, and if I can win ten minutes with her I'd be over the moon.

Speaking of moons - and therefore shapeshifters - I'm about to take a break and pick up Nalini Singh's latest "Kiss of Snow" - just to get a different tone in my head for a while. I've been waiting for this romance - I can't wait to see how Nalini handles the age gap. Definitely a must read.

Picking up the Pen

In November 2007 some 'things' happened in my life that reminded me

1.  Life is short
2.  Life is what you make it

With this in mind, I picked up a pen.

I'd always wanted to write - and never had. Why? Because I thought authors were pretty amazing people who oozed creativity and were somehow born with a quill in their hand. I had an inferiority complex (which occasionally still knocks the feet out from under my confidence) and never gave it a try.

It took a brief moment in time, when my life was suspended due to illness, and I thought "what the hell, there's only one way to find out if I can write". As the God Nike said - Just Do It.

The way you pick up the pen is your own business. I personally surfed the Internet and found Romance Writers of New Zealand. A number of competitions were advertised on their website - the Clendon Award aka Finish the Damn Book (deadline for entry February) and the Chapters Bookshop Short Story Competition (deadline for entry March).

Motivation found, I sat down and wrote my first 55,000 word manuscript. A Mills and Boon 'Sweet' set in New Zealand. I wrote it in one month  - I guess you could say 'I was on a mission'.

At this stage I hadn't had the confidence to venture along to a local area meeting of RWNZ so I sent the manuscript into the Clendon Awards with the best edit I could - namely a spell check :). Thank you to Barbara Clendon for the wonderful critique (I can't believe she persevered through the entire, overly descriptive text - a great story/very slow pace).

I then went to the February meeting of RWNZ, Waikato/BOP group, and found out what a real edit was (lol - too late to get my manuscript back). I talked with my new found, like minded, friends about my intention to enter the Chapters Short Story and received amazing support for the idea, including offers of critiques. With the knowledge that I was no longer going it alone I wrote my short story. Tui Feathers. I got it critiqued and found out about the words WAS and HAD and all the 'ing' mistakes that make great ideas weak on paper. Annoyingly these lovely ladies didn't re-write the story for me. They only told me the 'rules' that I naively broke. It improved my writing immeasurably within the first six months. The critiqued short story Tui Feathers won the Chapters Bookshop Short Story Comp and published in the Womans Day Magazine in 2008. Success.

I'm not a particularly amazing person and I don't think I absolutely ooze creativity.

I CAN write - because I picked up the pen.

I CAN be a successful author - because I keep picking up the pen.

My intention is to never put it down.

Competition Time

It's February, my ms is finished and off to Publisher/Agent, and I now need to plan what competitions I'll enter this year.

I haven't entered many in the past and I think this needs to change - because my success rate is 75%!!
 I need to ramp my writing up.  Deadlines make for the best motivation and competition deadlines are non-negotiable (chiseled in stone), so they motivate big time.

RWNZ Clendon, Strictly Single and Romantic Short Story are a must this year. (The one and only Romantic Short Story I entered was in 2008 - and I won - so surely I should enter it again - where has that thing called confidence gone?)

Also looking at Valarie Parv and various RWA Chapter competitions to practice tight synopsis and first pages writing.

The hook, it's all about the hook. This mantra is to be repeated when I wake and when I go to sleep.

Speaking of mantra's I also often repeat to myself 

"Thou shalt not write a boring book, thou shalt not write a boring book..."

I think it works...

Strictly Single - First Place

Oh Wow! I've won the RWNZ Strictly Single - absolutely brilliant.

I received a phone call from Sandii (competition coordinater in L.A.) on Thursday and the even bigger news:
I GOT A FULL REQUEST from the Editor Judge (Berkley Publishing, N.Y.).

As I've spent the summer break polishing my manuscript - which lead to a total revision of the last chapters - I'm now frantically reviewing my changes before I send them off.

Exciting times :-)

RWNZ Annual Conference

The Romance Writers of New Zealand Annual Conference was on last weekend.

One word - Superb!

From the minute I arrived on Thursday night I was immersed in the romance genre and didn't surface again until three days after I returned home.

Workshops with Chris Vogler (Hollywood Script Guru), Stephanie Laurens (Historical Romance Queen), Natalie Anderson (Sexy Sensation), Nalini Singh (Paranormal Extra-ordinaries) , Dianne Moggy (HM&B), Laura Bradford (Agent), Alex Logan (Editor, GCP). Absolutely inspiring, approachable and generous with their time.

Successful pitch with Alex Logan for my urban fantasy and a successful cold read with Dianne Moggy (first chapter of medical ms has now been sent to HM&B - nervous wait - will they like my story arc???)

I'm on a high! Membership in such an incredible organisation is mandatory if you want to be a success in the romance genre. You can't beat 'face time' with the best of the best.

(Also spent the 'spare time' at conference brainstorming with my critique partner, Kamy Chetty. We have a big year ahead of us.)