My First RWA National

I know, I know… It was a month ago that the RWA National conference was held! I really wanted to post blurbs while I was there even though every experienced attendee assured this conference virgin that it just wasn’t going to happen. Well, they were correct, but I did plan to write something up when I came back. I plead at-home craziness and now the insanity that surrounds a book launch. Sandy and the YRW gals have been so gracious in forgiving me – or maybe my punishment for being errant was being placed in the spotlight at the meeting on Saturday, huh Sandy? LOL!

The challenge now will be to sum up the experience in a few paragraphs. First, let me direct to the essays I did manage to post on my blog for my adventures:
RWA Nationals Day #1
RWA Conference Official Day #1
RWA Conference Day #2 & 3


I also have a bunch of photos in my gallery: RWA Nationals 2009

As I said, this was my first RWA, or conference of any sort. I joined the RWA exactly one year ago after briefly popping in at San Francisco last year to meet with my editor and publisher. That tiny taste was enough to inspire me. But I still asked myself some of the questions that perhaps you have asked yourself: Is it worth the cost?

Well, YES! I will admit that I felt a bit lost that first day. I knew very few people other than the fellow Sourcebooks authors who arrived early like me. But by the time the Literacy signing was over, I knew this was the experience of a lifetime. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, was nice. A rather lame word, I know, but it fits. Obviously I had conversations, attended workshops, and met people that are significant to me in a personal way. Yet I imagine there is a commonality that every person feels, and that is the support and sense of community. I literally did not meet one person who wasn’t gracious, open, and interested in sparking up a conversation.

I am a newly published author and as such am still learning the business and growing in my confidence. The conference is filled to bursting with opportunities to mature, and most of them are not the workshops! Hallway, luncheon, and bar conversations are the best ones. It is also THE place to network. I came home with about fifty business cards, many whom I have friended on Facebook and/or connected with via blogs. The education and networking continues long after you fly home.

Writing is a lonely affair. We know that, but when you hear Nora Roberts speak of those precise feelings, it strikes a chord! When you sit next to Stephanie Laurens and talk about the joys of writing and meeting fans, you forget that she is light-years ahead of you. When you chat with Gaelen Foley and Lauren Willig and Julia Quinn about writing historicals, discovering that they share your opinions and obstacles, you are washed with relief. When Janet Evanovich starts to cry while talking about the day she got “the call,” you are moved profoundly.

The sheer energy of being surrounded by thousands of people who love romance and appreciate writing infuses you with a passion that is astounding. I did not want to leave, was already yearning for Nashville, and was so afire with inspiration that I whipped out the trusty laptop on the plane! I could gush on and have done so for long periods of time until my family reached for the earplugs! Happily I will answer specific queries if you wish. But mainly I just want to encourage. Yes, it is not cheap. But if you are serious about writing as a career, no matter where you may be along the road, RWA Nationals is an invaluable pit stop. Start budgeting now because I want to par-tay with ALL my YRW sisters in Nashville!

Career-Minded: What Does it really mean?

I might ruffle a few feathers, but that's okay. I'm a rebel at heart. "Career-minded" If you haven't been under a rock for the past eight months you've read this term in the RWR's Letter from the President. You've seen or heard a few authors head explode when it's mentioned. The President has her own definition for this that I won't get into. I'd rather give it my own spin, because I need to watch my blood pressure.

Overall, the meaning, for me, is that there are two kinds of authors:

1. An author who wants to make writing a career. They make a goal each year to complete a certain number of manuscripts. (Could just be one. Could be 18 months to finish one, but the goal is there.) They study the market. They study the craft. They network. They are in this business for the long-run. They know that once they are published none of the above stops. It only gets harder. It only makes the next level more important. Be it, writing more books a year. Teaching classes. Enrolling in more workshops dedicated to the industry or craft. Getting a support group to help through those tough times.

2. An author who enjoys writing just because it allows them to express themselves creatively.

Note: One type of author isn't better than the other.

The important point is to know which one you are. If you are not falling under the one you prefer then you need to re-evaluate what you can change. I have to admit even after my first book sold, I was still number two. I didn't think past the first sell. I'm a craft junkie so signing up for workshops or being a part of a craft-based forum wasn't a hardship.

But, you had to put a gun to my head to read about the industry. For me, writing was a creative activity and I didn't want to dirty the experience by learning too much about the industry. But then I started to look at the successful authors around me. I came up with five things...

I'm going to break this post up into two parts. I'll be back tomorrow. Tell me what you think so far. What are five things you believe every successful authors has? Do you think of qualities? Do you think it's a mindset? Or do you think it's something they do?

What's Your Routine?

I'm one of the really new newbies to the writing world. Not even twos years yet from the date I made the decision to do try my hand.

My first attempt at writing was done on the typical old yellow legal pad - in the car on the way to an RWA chapter meeting, no less. Then I graduated to the computer. On my own that's all the forward movement I've had.

In collaborating with a friend, we did sit down together and brainstorm - storyline, characters, etc., etc. I enjoyed that quite a bit. Haven't really done it since then, however.

Chapter meetings are always a learning experience and eagerly anticipated. I've learned to storyboard and critique, just to name a couple of things. And I know there will much more learning to come.

But sometimes I say to myself, "There has to be more." "There has to be a better way." "How do others do it?"

So that is my question to all of you today. "How do you do it?"

Do you have a ritual when you write?

Do have a certain procedure that never changes when you write?

Do you have a designated area where you write?

Do you have certain items in your writing area that you utilize now and then during writing?

Do you have a favorite resource you keep handy when you write?

What do you do when you get stumped while writing?

Do you do anything special to become motivated to start writing?

How do you keep distractions to a minimum?

Or is all you need your computer?

I'm not sure why the answers to the questions may or may not help me in my endeavor. Especially since I know there's probably a million questions I didn't think of to ask. I think writing would go better if there is some type of routine, but I haven't found anything that works yet.

Did any of you start out feeling this way? Or is writing one those things that just seems to come easy to you? If not, how did you remedy your situation to make things more conducive to continue your craft?

So tell me, what's your routine?


Sandy

The Learning Curve by Sarah Simas

I’ve been a new wife, a new mom and now a new writer. Each time, I had the bone-headed idea learning curves didn‘t apply to me.

Although my days as a “new” wife are long gone, my husband won’t let me forget the horrid Three Mustard Chicken I cooked our dog even refused to eat. Lucky for me, he didn’t channel the male species’ innate sense of self-preservation. Had he declared me the next Paula Deen, I wouldn’t have forced myself to open Betty Crocker’s Bridal Edition Cookbook.

Obviously, Betty knew husbands were out there starving to death.

Now I can cook most anything. I’ve yet to see him take a bite and go running for the sink with his hand over his mouth!

When I had kids … well, let’s just say I’m flabbergasted the nurse let me leave the hospital, much less, waved as I drove off with a defenseless baby. I’m sure every time I called the pediatrician, his nurses fought over who’d have to take the “Crazy Lady’s” call. Yet after three years, I feel confident, safe even, being locked inside a house ALONE with three toddlers.

Then I decided to write a romance novel. I’ve read the darn books for years, which is the same as experience, right? I even practiced my signature in preparation for my future book signings. Wanting an adoring fan club, I joined a writer’s group, knowing I’d be hailed a literary genius.

I’m fairly certain my face mirrored the same look of shocked horror I wore when I saw my hubby gagging on his mustard chicken. Yikes! My pages bled! I was afraid I’d leave a trail of red ink out the door.

Was I shocked? Yes.

Did my disappointment keep me from moving forward? No.

Instead, I refused to give up. I asked questions and took notes. I latched on like a barnacle to writers who were willing to show me the ropes. Now seven months later, I no longer write with my head in the clouds or in the 1980s.

I’ve learned things like the importance of word choice and sentence structure. By not giving in to my fears, I’m a lot closer to achieving my goals. I belong to two writers' groups and can’t believe how much my writing has improved. My continued progress keeps me motivated. I’m going to savor the feeling of writing “The End” as much as the day I got my son to sleep through the night.

So join a group! Get out there!

I’ll be just as grateful to the woman who told me my son’s desire to eat dirt was just a phase as I’ll be to the people who said stop worrying and just write the book. Yes, I’m still learning, but I’m enjoying the ride a lot more, because I’m surrounded by people who have the same desires.

The only way I can fail is if I were to throw in the towel. I didn’t then and I won’t now.

So ask yourself, how bad do you want to succeed and what are you willing to do to achieve your goals?

For me, it was simple: I took a chance. Will you?

Sarah