Writerly Wisdom

From Natalie Andersons Plot and Structure workshop:

Which comes first – the plot or the draft?

The answer is neither – it is the CHARACTERS who must come first. If we’re writing a romance, then

it’s all about the characters and their EMOTIONAL (inner) journeys. Yes, you can put your characters into a highly complicated plot position, but how they will ACT and REACT depends on WHO they are. And how they act and react is going to influence the rest of the plot!

So before you can do anything in terms of crafting plot, you must know and understand your characters.

So true! My biggest problem is that I can't get to know my characters that well until I've written the book; hence the multiple drafts. Fortunately I'm in good company with Natalie, who plots to a point, creates basic characters and then writes what she calls a discovery draft.

I like it, think I'll call it that from now on.

Sami

PS. Our guest blogger at Down Under Divas today is the fabulous Denise Rossetti. If you'd like to win a copy of her latest Ellora's Cave release, pop on over and leave a comment.

Weekend wrap up

Oh wow, what a weekend. Luckily for me it’s a public holiday up here in Queensland so I have a day to recover before heading back to work, because the Claytons Conference activities utterly fried my brain. My session on Saturday seemed to go really well and I had a blast. So much more participation than I expected—here I was thinking people might be shy about discussing sex! I should have known better. All the participants rocked. Thank you to all who attended and made it such a fun and busy session.

Thank you as well to the organisers, Anne, Mel and Neely. I don’t envy you girls your job, I could never be organised enough to do it! The usual family commitments prevented me from joining in the other sessions in ‘live time’, and my computer didn’t like the RWA chat room so I wasn’t able to jump in on the social stuff. Bummer. But I have many many notes to catch up on, starting with Natalie Anderson’s plot and structure workshop. Plot and structure, you are ever my arch nemises, the Lex to my Superman (delusions of grandeur I have, yes indeed).

I may post the stuff I find useful throughout the week. First of all I have to get back to my writing, or more specifically to rewriting a scene that’s been bugging me. Let me just don my cape…

Sami

Behold the Oracle

Putting finishing touches on content for my workshop at RWA’s Clayton’s Conference tomorrow. Think I have something that will keep everyone with me for the full hour—here’s hoping! When the conference coordinator first asked if anyone was interested in donating some time for the online conference that runs parallel to the face to face deal, I thought, why not? I’m not going to Melbourne and I haven’t even attended a Clayton’s before. This is my year of saying ‘yes’ to things.

Then the follow up emails started coming. The word ‘workshop’ was mentioned. Hmm, I thought. This sounds like it needs some planning. I did that and felt pretty good about the whole thing. Then I start finding out who the other presenters are. Natalie Anderson, Tracey O’Hara, Diane Gaston to name but a few. In other words people who have published a butt load more than I. Bugger. I started feeling pretty freakin’ inadequate at this point. But I’m in it now. My name’s on the program. I have to present a bloody workshop like a know something. I mean I have a lot of opinions, but do I really know anything?

Fortunately the topic I’m to cover is Writing Hot Scenes, aka, sex. I think I can handle that. I do after all write hot scenes. It’s one of the few areas of writing that has never really troubled me. All that remained is to work out exactly how I do that, deconstruct it and pass on my unique wisdom to others. Yeah right. Just call me the oracle—the oracle of sex. I’m thinking of changing my twitter handle.

Well, perhaps I’ll wait til I get some feedback after the workshop.

Sami

Announcements and Updates

Okay so here's the thing. The firemen are taking longer to edit than I anticipated (quelle surprise), as editing has turned into rewriting and I'm frankly limping to the end of this one, just trying to make it at this point. I can't think ahead more than one scene at a time or I'll give up entirely, so can't be sure when it will be finished.

Which is a shame because I was hoping to have it done by April 1. Why? Well that's my announcement. Can hardly believe I'm doing it myself but I'M GOING TO RT IN APRIL!!!!! HOLY S*&#!!!!!

For the uninitiated, RT stands for Romantic Times, and I'm talking about the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention to be held in LOS ANGELES! Yes, that's in CALIFORNIA FOLKS!!!

Sorry if I'm shouting but I'm a bit blown away at my own audacity, really. Still struggling to submit a book since the last one two years ago, two kids under six at home and a job that I have to make up a lie to take leave from because there's still no way I'm telling them I write humpy pumpy books. Am I a suitable candidate for this trip? Not bloody really but there you have it. I'm a rebel.

Fellow attendees from Down Under are my Diva pals, Jess, Rhian and Lexxie. Yes, I blame them for this. They influenced me with their blasted willingness to do whatever the hell they want. I was so getting accostomed to being a matyr. Don't think I'll miss it though, at least not between 6th and 10th of April (happy happy dancing).

I'll be attending as many workshops and cocktail parties as I can fit in, and yes I'll even be signing books. My hope is that the lines at the big authors' tables will be so long people will get bored and come see the woman sitting by herself with a hopeful smile on her face.

And let's also hope this guy is a nutter and not as switched on as the article and its harbinger of California's impending doom suggests. Gulp.

Sami

RWA Conference

Am heading to the Romance Writers of Australia's annual conference in under two weeks now... Friday 13th. What a wonderful day to fly. Got my conference confirmation and I got into Vicki Lewis Thompson's workshop, which is good because she's the major drawcard for me. Am also looking forward to catching up with all my online friends and talking writerly stuff all weekend. Number of discussions on toddler tantrums, poo condition, fussy eating disorder etc expected... absolutely zero!!!! Yay!!! I shall be a human being again!!!

I've also taken the bold step of setting up an appointment with an American agent. No, not a hot FBI agent (you romance writer/reader types always jump to that conclusion. Oh wait, was that the fault of the hot man torso cover I posted there on the right?). A literary agent. God knows if I'll be able to impress her with my revamp of A Man Like Mike, but I have to try darn it. Why the hell not? Rejected once does not mean forever dead and I have some great polishing ideas that I've been working on, and will be working on like the proverbial dog for the next two weeks.
 
Ah, I better get back to that now...
 
Sami