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The Write Way…(because there is no Right way)

Almost conference time! Amazing that it’s already rolled around again, but now that it has, the annual panic is setting in!

For those of us attending National, we’ve started the downhill slide into pre-conference madness.

There are the pages you didn’t get done, the dry-cleaning you still have to pick up, the packing you’re sure to start a week before you leave so you don’t forget anything and the plans you’re making to meet up with friends we see only once a year.

And in the middle of the hub-bub, there’s you know…..WORK. Conference, as much fun as it is, is also your annual chance to learn from the veterans. All of us can stand to learn a few things, not just the newbies among us. Agents, editors, multi published writers are all giving workshops and this is an opportunity not to be missed.

But do yourself a favor. Don’t try to make all of them. Go over the workshop schedule. Find a few every day that REALLY interest you and go to them. If you spend your whole conference racing from one spot to another, you won’t have time to appreciate any of it. You can by the CD’s of all the workshops and listen to them when you get home.

At National, make the most of meeting other writers, talking about your books, your plans, listening to someone else. If you’re meeting with an editor or an agent, don’t sweat the pitch, just describe your book BRIEFLY and listen carefully to what they tell you. Conference is our annual shot at reconnecting with the only people in the world who actually understand how we feel about writing. Relish it.

And make notes. I’m going to want to hear all about it at the August meeting………..

Maureen Child is the author of more than 100 romance novels and novellas and is at the moment, doing her mental packing….

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The Write Way (because there is no Right way)….

June 17, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category The Write Way by Maureen Child tagged as Maureen Child, The Write Way

Writing is a business.

Sure, being a stay at home, full time writer is the best job in the world, but it’s still a job. And you have to treat it like one.

Have set hours when you work. Doesn’t matter when they are–morning, afternoon, the middle of the night. But set that time aside and make it sacrosanct. This is work time. However many hours you can give it, once you’re sitting in front of the computer, you’re at work.

Now, this isn’t easy, I know. Some of us have full time day jobs. Some of us have little kids demanding (and rightfully so), your attention. And some of us (like me), have self discipline issues.

But to create a career out of this business, you have to be able to devote yourself to it. You have to want it more than anything. And you have to fight for it. If you’re lucky enough to be able to stay home and write, you’ll no doubt have family members or neighbors saying “Since you’re home, can you…..” Learn to say ‘no’ and mean it when you have to protect your writing time. If you treat this like a job, everyone else will too.

And remember that this job is like any other in that publishers, editors, agents, expect you to fulfill your contractual obligations. A deadline isn’t a guideline. It’s the time when you’ve agreed to turn in that manuscript. Editors make plans for reading books based on the contract you signed. If you’re a month late, then her schedule takes a hit. And she’s not going to love you for it.

Work hard. Be dependable. And dream Big. In this business, the only one who can slow you down is you.

Maureen Child is the author of more than 100 books and novellas in several different genres. At the moment, she’s making changes to her latest and is about to send it to that editor of hers. On time.

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The Write Way………..

May 17, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category The Write Way by Maureen Child tagged as Maureen Child, The Write Way

It’s so hot right now, it’s really hard to work……especially for those of us who do NOT have A/C–(that’s right, weep for me!) So, instead of writing my own words, I’ve been indulging in reading everybody else’s.

As writers, we all got into this because we love books. All books. Any books. I have so many books in my house, my dh insists that when the ‘Big One’ finally hits Southern California, they’re going to find my body under a mountain of books….For me, doesn’t like such a bad way to go.

Since I became a writer though, reading sort of took the back seat. I get so involved in my own worlds, with my own characters, I sometimes feel that I don’t have nearly enought time to simply read anymore. I can go a couple of weeks, even a month without feeling the overpowering urge to read….then it hits.

And boy, when it hits, it hits hard. In the last month or so, I think I’ve read more than fifty books. And I seem to be on a Regency England kick at the moment, which is odd since I stopped reading (and writing) historicals years ago. But I’ve rediscovered the magic of an earlier time. I’m thrilling to the Alpha male in a British drawing room. I’m loving the sweep of the moors and the delicate beauty of an English garden. And oh, the dialogue. The wit. The banter.

So in the midst of my reading binge, I’m realizing again just what first drew me to the magic of the written word. I’m remembering the passion for writing. The simple joy of being able to create worlds for a living.

And I’m hop

ing that somewhere out there, readers are enjoying MY books as much as I’m enjoying everyone else’s.

So what are YOU reading?

Maureen Child is the author of more than 100 romance novels, but at the moment, she’s sitting in front of her fan, pretending she’s in Mayfair………

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The Write Way…(because there is no ‘right’ way)…

January 17, 2008 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as The Write Way

Making a living at writing isn’t always easy. There are dozens–probably hundreds–of writers who are working toward that goal as we speak.

Well, one of the ways to help yourself in reaching that goal is…write for more than one house. Category and mainstream. Historical and contemporary. Romance and mystery. Paranormal and contemporary. There are lots of ways to do it. Heck, you can write the same KIND of book for more than one house! (As long as you have an agent who’s clever with the option clause).

The point is, don’t put all of your writing eggs in one basket. Spread yourself around a little. Take chances. Push envelopes.

Writing for more than one house gives you the opportunity for more releases per year. More releases means more advance/acceptance/and possible royalty money coming in. Then you’re one step closer to quitting the day job.

So the next time you sign a contract, instead of jumping right into that newly signed deal, do a proposal for something different. For someone else. Get that proposal done and out there before you start writing your contracted book. That way, while you’re working, you’ve got something else out there working FOR you.

Sure it sounds a little scary. A little intimidating. But you’ll never know if you can do it if you don’t try!

Maureen Child is the author of more than 100 books. At the moment, she’s writing up–what else? A proposal.

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The Write Way (because there is no ‘right’ way)….

August 17, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as The Write Way

I wanted to blog about writing contests, since we just announced the finalists in our own Orange Rose Contest for unpublished writers. And mega CONGRATS to all of you who did final!

See, this is contest season in RWA…every month now in the Romance Writer’s Report, there will be listing after listing of contests you can enter, both published and unpublished. Now I’m a big fan of contests. I like winning badge jewelry as much as the next writer. But there are inherent dangers to contests for the unpublished. At least, I think so!

The problem with contests is, it’s so subjective. Each writer or reader who will be judging your entries has her own likes and dislikes. Now, naturally, we’d all like to think that we put those prejudices aside and judge the work on its own merit. But hey, the judges are human. A perfect manuscript might get a low score because the judge doesn’t like westerns. Or heros with dark hair. Or heroines who talk too much.

And the danger to unpublished writers is, I think, that they’ll make every change suggested by the dozen or more judges who’ve read their work, trying to please everybody. And in the end, they please nobody because they’ve sucked the life force out of their own words. Of course, there’s a flipside to this, too. There is the occasional writer who thinks all the judges are crazy even if five of them tell her the same thing and she refuses to change any of her ‘pearls’.

So I guess what I’m saying is, once you get your score sheets, step back. Take the suggestions, the advice and let it stew for awhile before you leap in to make changes. Look at your scoresheets, see if all of the judges are remarking on the same thing. If they are, maybe it’s time to do a little tweaking. But bottom line is, the work is yours. You can’t please every reader. What you’re hoping for is to make your story and your writing the best it can be. Polish. Look for typos. Look for plot holes or repetition. Have one trusted reader go over it and then send it out. Let an editor be the real judge…since they’re the ones you have to please in the end……

And I hope you win lots of badge jewelry!!

Maureen Child is a multi published author of more than 90 romance novels. At the moment, she’s flipping through the RWR planning her assault during contest season.

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