Creative Places and Creative People - Why You Should Travel to Conferences

Hello all from sunny Brisbane!

I am coming to the end of the Word Writers Getaway. How was it, you ask?

Well, I'm exhausted but feel my mind just simmering with ideas. Give me a bit more sleep and some space to meditate, and I think it will bubble over.

I've attended talks on writing proposals (very useful for my current stage), and creating marketing plans (oh, what a bad job I'm doing of creating a 'brand' currently, but  I have plans my friends, plans) and creating an online presence (sort of feel I'm doing okay on that one, thanks to all of you... but will be working on it).

I also spent last evening in the 'editing room', and pulled out the first chapter of Sally Hunt, the much discussed and wonderfully commented on first Chapter.

Guess what they said?

Yup, they want it shorter.

So, I have written a shorter version and will do some more editing on it then see what you all think. (Yes, I will use any royalties to run competitions on my blog so you can all have a share... if you stick around :D).

Was all of it totally mind blowing and new? Did I feel each session I was getting my money's worth in information?

To be honest, no not really. The proposal stuff was not much beyond what I had gathered from a day of internet research, the marketing was good but I don't think gave me all the tools for what was actually discussed (admittedly the session got pushed around and was therefore cut into at either end), and the online presence just gave me a few ideas and didn't even have as much on blogging as I already know.

Was it still valuable?

Definitely!

First, the talks, while maybe not new information, brought me back to thinking about Sally Hunt and what I could do with the trilogy. It gave me time and impetus to link what I might have already known to my current work and understanding of S.H.

Second, I know everyone says it, but there is the networking. Not just finding people I can push my blog and books to, but other writers doing something similar or someone who might be able to help me with graphic design or who has been through what I'm heading towards and can tell me of great pity falls to avoid (one girl had a bad experience with a 'first time author' contract which meant she hasn't been paid in four years for her work).

Finally, there is just the joy of being able to focus on writing somewhere that's not my chair. I spent the late afternoon getting an icecream shake from Cold Rock (without chocolate, I will add) and then walking along the beaching thinking about pitching my book.

So much better than staring at my brick wall at home.

I just want to encourage you all to get out there and meet other people writing. For your sanity's sake, if nothing else.

Though am open to anyone who wants to argue conferences are money making schemes that waste time. Anyone?

Away for the Weekend

For all of you in cold places: hah! I'm going up to Brisbane (which was a sunny 30 degrees Celsius yesterday) tomorrow.

I'm actually attending a Christian writers conference, which is super exciting - other writers, other Christians, hopefully just enough christian publishers that there is one gullible enough to take a look at my manuscript :D

It will be all good.

This follows the sad news that Karen Ball from Steve Laube literary agency was not interested in becoming my agent. Well, to be more honest, her assistants didn't even think it worth while her reading my manuscript. She herself might be very lovely and think my work is fantastic, but we will never know.

Though, at least I passed the query letter stage. Yes, I'm trying to stay focused on the positive.
Obviously my actual proposal could do with some work. Or I could just stop being Australian and become an American, that might help too.

But, rejection is all part of the game. Am going to get a nail and skewer all my rejection emails (after being printed off, not while still on the computer). It will be very cathartic I believe.

Basic purpose of this post was to let you know that I will finally be warm for the weekend, and that I won't be posting.

Also, just to let you know, I'm going to be cutting down to posting only 3-4 times a week, now that I'm also keeping up my fitness blog (which is fun, I have to admit).

Enjoy the weekend, everyone!

Georgette Heyer, Queen of Gore?

When I started writing this particular series I'm working on now (currently titled Castle Innis, as that is where the first one is set and I can't think of a better general descriptor), I was afraid that I was getting too gory for the genre of historical romance. However, I was reading Georgette Heyer's 'The Spanish Bride' today (keeping in mind that Georgette Heyer is THE regency romance writer, I think she actually created the genre) and I came across this section:

p.171

'A couple of round shots crashed amongst them, the second knocking the Spanish guide's head off his shoulders. His body stood for an instant, with the blood spurting up from the severed neck, and then fell, while the head was tossed through the air to bounce on the ground and roll away till it was stopped by a boulder. Someone laughed, and was clouted into silence by his comrades.'

Seriously, I have not made that up, you can check it yourself. And I know, that image could have been taken straight from a movie like 300 (except for the anachronisms, obviously).

So, have decided I'm not going to worry so much about how much bloody detail I put in, because it is going to be hard to beat that!

On how my writing is actually going:

As I was sick for a large part of this week and got almost nothing written on the second book in this series, I spent this weekend going back to the first book which I didn't complete and working on that (as well as sleeping, curling up and reading, and generally still recovering, though I did go for a jog today beside the river which was nice. Will see how much I have to pay for it tomorrow).

Got 2,000 words done Friday morning, 5,000 yesterday and about 5,000 today. And yes, I admit I said that I thought I had about 10,000 more words to write. However, having written around 12,000 words, I don't actually feel that much closer to finishing! But still, at least it doesn't feel rushed.

I also received the feedback from the reviewer of my first ever novel which surprisingly was really informative and useful. For beginning Christian writers, I am recommending the Caleb Writing Competition (yes, I have just worked out how to put links into my posts. Cool, huh?), which for their unpublished section offers the winners publication and everyone else gets a full report on their story. It also has a published section, but I'm ignoring that for now, for obvious reasons.

My report came back stating that there were a few things to fix up (which they outlined and I full agree with) and after that they would definitely recommend it for publication. Yah! The competition is run by Omega Writers in conjunction with Even Before Publishing, an Australian Christian publisher. Omega Writers group is sponsoring the Word Writers' Getaway, which I am going to not just because it is in Queensland and I could seriously do with some sun, but as my first foray into the world of Christian writers (beyond academics). Is in October, will post more about it when I go. 

So, slightly heartened that they liked my work and thinks it has potential. Now just got to get myself back into writing the mega numbers again. Tomorrow starting again on Book 2 (though book 1 still not finished, but closer.)

Tip for today: Hansom Cabs were not invented until 1836, so not very useful to reference them in a book set in 1790. D'oh. Learn from my mistakes, children, learn from my mistakes.

(Hackneys are the vehicles of choice at the time for general taxiing. Kept trying to think of the word but for unknown reasons kept coming up with 'Turnkey' which I knew wasn't right, or even related.)

This message has been brought to you by the amazing knowledge of Wikipedia. 

Good night.

Buffy.