Another Day in Wonderland...RWA Nationals Day 2

Photo by Denny S. Bryce

Yesterday was another fabulous day at RWA#10 (for Twitter hash mark folks). Had editor and agent appointments - one asked to see the first three chapters and a synopsis, and the other asked for the full manuscript (OMG!). So there goes the next month of my life. I'm going to polish and clean and make as shiny as possible and send it off.

Had dinner with a great group including Susan Dansby, who gave a great presentation called Romance That Snaps, Sizzles and Pops. The Emmy Award Winning soap writer and director provided excellent insights and smart tips to help the writer spot how to keep character, exposition (or lack of) and scene-building on track. One of my favorite comments was when she said find the "aria" moment in a character's arc. She used film as an example - and it was not only an aria moment but a "light bulb" moment for me. The example really resonated, and I could clearly see the character journey, and the growth or changes in character that can lead to that aria...dialogue is music...

What else can I say? The joy of RWA National always surprises. Today is the last day and it's a long one. My first get together is at 7:30 and then I'm off to a day full of workshops and book signings (in particular visiting St. Martin's Press).

Tomorrow I set off for my time share and a week long writer's retreat with Alicia! We'll blog on it, but only after 6 p.m. because we are writing all day long. Every day.

Writers, Writing and Nora Roberts

Photo by Denny S. Bryce, Universal Studios

Writers, writing, Nora Roberts and general good stuff.

That's it in a nutshell. First full day of RWA Nationals in Orlando kicked off with a luncheon where I hung out with romance authors Renee, Kelly, Jodi and ShaSha (couldn't pronounce her name if I wanted to, but I asked first before giving her a nickname:).

The ballroom was packed. All 2600 attendees decided to drop in on the luncheon, and it was worth it to hear Madame Nora Roberts' keynote address. She has some 165 novels in the can as they might say since she started in romance in 1979 (I think I got the year right). But add to her writing credentials the joy of listening to her presentation. and voila!! She's funny, poignant, honest and just one of the best speakers I've had the pleasure of enjoying inside or outside of the publishing industry. So after getting fully charged I went to a workshop to find out whether I was a plotter, plotster or something else. What I found out is it doesn't matter what you do as long as you finish the book. Yep. That was it. But the three authors who did the presenting were funny, and gave good insights as to how the approach they used worked for them.

Next, I fell in love. Roxanne St. Claire's dynamic, incredibly eye-opening workshop - How to Mend a Broken Scene - was what she hoped it would be (at least for me) life-changing! The room was packed (there was a slight challenge with handouts), but frankly, it didn't matter. This workshop was all about content, dissecting a scene and getting to the heart of conflict, goal, tension and choices. It was info that you just had to be there to 'get' (and that's in more ways than one!).

Big day tomorrow. I have editor and agent appointments. It will make for a good Friday.

Also, found new friend over sushi. I'll tell more in later posts. Except to say, she's been in the TV writing business for more than a decade with a few Emmys to her credit. Delightful conversation. I intend to drop in on her workshop tomorrow.

Today at the RWA National Conference

Found on the web - Thandie Newton.

The best thing that happened today is that I spent a crazy amount of time at the pool and didn't need to take a three-hour nap afterward. Yeah me!

However, seriously, it wasn't the best possible thing that happened today. I registered for RWA and got my editor and agent appointments confirmed. We'll see how I do going into year three of the quest to get some substantial feedback from an editor or agent. I've made improvements to the story. The comments I received from the Fab Five Contest I placed in were divinely helpful. So I'm pitching TOR and an editor from Book Cents Literary Agency. We'll see how those go later this week.

In the meantime, I've got some plotting to do. Way too many workshops to choose from and I intend to be focused. Make certain I get the most out of every minute of the next few days. So tomorrow, after my morning walk and swim, I'm going to spend time with my conference planning tools and get this puppy mapped out. good times!

On My Way to Orlando

This was taken at Universal Studios in April 2010
by Denny S. Bryce

Getting ready for Orlando has been in the forefront of my mind for a month. I've categorized it as vacation time, writing time, getting re-connected time - but I'm really just ready to be there instead of here. But I've got a problem...my son swiped my big suitcase (he's in Europe) and now I'm struggling to get two weeks worth of clothing (I'm staying an extra week at my time share) into a carry-on bag. Well, it ain't happening. So, I've got to get up tomorrow early, finish cleaning the house - really early - and buy a new suitcase!

Now that I've shared all of the fun packing nonsense, what I really need to do is finish my manuscript, nail down my pitch, and organize my brain for work, work, work. But I'm also excited about the prospect of being around so many writers. So many stars in the publishing business, so many talents yet to emerge. It just gives me energy to be around them. I wish I could capture that energy and sprinkle it around my house for the 11 months in between nationals.

Of course, I could get more involved in my local chapter WRWDC, volunteer, get into a critique group. All of which I did in 2010 now that I think about it, but there's something about RWA nationals.

So what are my goals for RWA in 2010? There's only one...finish the book. Bold statement. I paused before writing those words. But it has to happen sooner or later. Right!

Lets Get Serious

Photo by Denny S. Bryce


Here is the question of the day. How much time do you spend deluding yourself about your writing? I'm not being super-negative. I'm just realizing - and okay, maybe this is all about me - but I'm not giving my writing the RESPECT it deserves and warrants because I'm a decent writer. I may well be a good writer, but I'm too busy thinking about writing and wishing my life was more organized so I had the time to write.

No excuses...make the time. Commit. Get it done. Tell me about your biggest  'excuse'? Does it fly? What will it take to turn the corner? Do you know? If so, come on and pull on your big girl pants and SHARE!