It's been a while!

Well, it's been a busy week. I've been sticking to those priorities and managing to get some words on my new rural romance, Fixing Fences.

Whilst sticking to my studies, I've managed to knuckle down and write 22k since finishing Deceive Me in Ireland, (with the help of coffee of course), brining it to 25k. :)
Fixing Fences is about a city girl seeking her history in the Hunter Valley and fixing her existing relationship with her mother and her inner self. And finiding love along the way...

My skills at plotting are refining themselves and this time, I've managed to plot my novel from start to finish (with room for some kangaroos of course).

To keep myself inspired this week I've been feeding my muse with Jilted by Racheal Johns who I had the pleasure of interviewing some months ago. I'm thoroughly enjoying it and finding that it really helps to read the work of other great writers when the words just aren't flowing like they normally do. When the words don't flow it's best not to panic. So I keep calm and read and off my muse goes again.

Well, a new week has begun and my muse is chomping at the bit to have her way.
Happy reading/writing everyone!

W

Two Weeks Until The RWA Conference!

This year I'll be attending my first RWA writing conference. I'm so excited and can't wait to make friends, learn some craft and pitch my manuscript to some editors!

Over the last week I've been groaning over my pitch. It just wasn't working for me. So I sent it to my fellow writers and thanks to their advice and help and a read over one of my old pitches, I had a lightbulb moment.

Ta-da! I now have my pitch. One less thing to worry about.

Though I will admit, I am already feeling nervous. I'm a talkative person, you might have guessed so much from my length post and my lenghty novels. But despite my ability to 'talk under water with marbles in my mouth', I like my lastest heroine, Cara Barrow, get nervous when meeting new people. Especially when something I love and have been working on for months is riding on what I say.

So guess who will be getting alot of practice in?

I've been hearing little snippets on what is being planned here and there. And gosh I'm excited. It is going to excellent!

Well, I'm off. I have a synopsis to write, some pitch prep to-do and a novel to finish!

Wish me luck!
And see you at the conference,

Whitney

So, You Want To Be A Writer?

Just recently a friend of mine started writing. New to the life of a writer and completely oblivious to the 'symptoms' of becoming a writer, all week I've been recieving questions asking, 'Is this normal?'

So, I decided to blog about it, for you you beginners out there and for a giggle with those who understand.

And here's the list:

- Insomia:
You've spent the last six hours writing, your head is full of plotlines, characters and you're on a 'writing high'. Your eyes start to droope, the facial twitches set in, perhaps is time to go to bed?
You jump in, your electric blanket is on, you shut your eyes... And all you can think about is Conflict, Dialogue, what should I do next, Oh! that's a good idea.
You're up til 3am.
Which leads me to my next symtom...

- Caffine Addiction:
Not a big coffee drinker? Give it a few days and you'll soon be calling it your bestfriend. Coffee is 'Writer's fluid'. No coffee, no brain function.

- A Mild Case of Antisocial Personality Disorder:
Yep. You going to become an utter b*#&@.
Shoosh! I'm writing. I don't care about where the dog peed. Will you please leave me alone!
Sound familar?

- The Early Bird Gets The Worm...
Now, many writer's find that their muse is most active in the morning. What? Not a morning person? Well... you're about to join the early birds.

- I Hear Voices...
My characters are the kind that take shape in my mind. I can see them and I can hear them.
Yep, I sound like a crazy person. But guess what?

- A love for chocolate and Alcohol:
There's nothing like chocolate to ease the stink of that critique or rejection. And there's nothing like a glass of champagne or a JD to celebrate your first contract! So there you have it. Two more wonderful addictions that in excess, are bad for you.

- Paranoia
They're my friends, of course they are going to tell me this rubbish is amazing! Did it save? Did I send it properly? Why haven't they replied?
Consider yourself a cool cat? We shall see...

- Writer's Block
I know. You hate it already. You are on your first day off in two weeks, your computer is before you, you're ready to go... And it hits you. Yep, good old writer's block.

- Da Dum. Da dum. Da dum, da dum, da dum... (Yes, that was my attempt at the 'Jaws' theme)
You've submitted your first MS. You're happy, you're worried. They haven't emailed you it. It's been five minutes and they haven't emailed you  back yet. So you get onto facebook, twitter, you do a google search on the internet. What was that editor's name?
Yep, you've become not only a writer but a stalker. The editor is your celebrity and you're the paparazzi. You check you inbox 20 times every hour and you send yourself an email just to see if its broken. No not broken and still no email.
Sounds like a crazy person right? Nah, you're not cray cray. You're a writer. :)

- Crazy Hair:
Expect your hair to have a little more volume in it from now on. You'll be running you're fingers through it a little more than usual and it's going to take it's toll.

Well, there is my list. Yep, it sounds pretty awful. But think about it, all this for the abosolute joy of pointing to that good looking cover in Big W and being able to say, 'That's my book', 'I wrote that'. Sounds like a good deal to me. :)

Whitney :)

A Busy, Busy Week... And It's Only Thursday!

Hi everyone,
Well, I'm finally back into writing and working hard on both my WIP's one for I hope to get a contract for sometime soon and it's sequel to pitch at my first RWA conference. The week has been full on, I've been making some changes and I've even started up a new group on facebook.

When I first started taking my writing seriously I started looking for writers like me. What i discovered was that there was no Rural Romance groups to be found. So after talking with a few of my fellow writers, including the lovely women I've been interview over the last month, it was decided that today was the day.

So the Rural Romance Writers and Readers group was launched on facebook. It's a place where I welcome all reader and writers to join and  where you can  find out more about your favourite authors and perhaps even discover some new ones.

We'd all love it if you stopped by: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/110981399045776/

Maybe you can help me pick out a profile picture? We've been thinking Hugh  Jackman would look nice, but to pick one is a struggle. :)

What do you think? Does he make the cut? ;)

Last night was also a very exciting night. I won 19 ebooks from Crooked Cat Publishing. I can't wait to read them, though I fear with my future schedule, they might have to wait till after the RWA conference.

Well, it's been a busy start to the week and I think it's time I returned to editing. I'll have my fingers crossed for the next few weeks in the hopes that I recieve some good news soon and I'll continue you to type frantically.

Slán!

Whitney :)

The Voice

Now, I've been hooked. The new TV show 'The Voice' is hypnotising. Such amazing singers.
You might ask why I'm writing about singers on a writing blog? Well, I considers singers and writers of all genres and content, artists.
I'm inspired by a great deal of things, one of them being, amazing singers who sing beautiful lyrics.
Now there is a purpose for this post and that is to show a very solid connection between singers and writers. Now you may have been like me and many others I have already spoken to, and have been sitting in from of the TV (sometimes standing and screaming) for the entire show. And like me, you might have wondered, 'What the F*#$%! Why didn't they turn around ?' (Please excuse the french, but I'm not going to lie, that was my reaction).
Now, my Nan just messaged me asking the very same. She said she didn't understand. But you see as a writer, aspiring, unpublished and yet to make her first submission, I knew exactly why those judges didn't turn around.
And I'm going to put it into perspective for all you writers if you haven't already figured it out.
Think of those judges as editors. Think of those singers as writers submitting, pitching their works to the judges who know nothing about them.
Editors read your submission and they sit there and they think, 'I love them... But are they for me?'
That is exactly what those judges are thinking. They are asking themselves if that person, that person with an amazing talent is suited to THEM. Can that judge take that contestant to the top?
When you submit your novel you might not get rejected because they don't like your style, your voice or you story. They might actually love those things about your writing. Truth is, in the end it comes down to the individual reading your manuscript. They can LOVE your book, but they might not be able to help you.
Publishing is a business. They aren't going to accept every amazing Tom, Dick and Harry. They are going to pick stories that suit their lines, readers and most importantly, their purpose.
So think about that next time. Don't lose faith in yourself no matter how many rejections you get. Harry Potter was rejected 17 times and Gone with the Wind nearly twice that.
Yet, look at those two books now. International best sellers, household names.You don't have to have read Gone with the Wind to know about it.

Well, I hope this has been an encouraging and interesting post. Feel free to leave a message and share your thoughts. Theres nothing I love more than feedback. :)

Whitney K-E

My Greatest Enemy...

If there's one thing I struggle with when it comes to writing its Word counts. I always go over them. By hundreds, sometimes thousands of words!

Last year I entered the Emerald award. The cut-off was 130 000 words. My novel was 170 000. You should have seen my face. I didn't know if I could do it, but to be honest, it wasn't that hard to accomplish. Through refining and rewriting my manuscript, I accomplished it. It was weeks of hardwork but I did it.

Then came the next word count.

Most publishers don't accept contemporary romances over 100 000 words. It's not a massive issue for there are publishers out there that will accept my novel at its current length. But everyone needs to optimise their chances of being published. So I guess that will be my next project. It won't be easy and I always feel like I'm losing something, but I guess its a matter of prioritising.

Last year, I also intended to enter the Little Gems competition. I had a great story planned and I began writing. I was going well until I got to the 3000 word limit and realized the first 3000 words were just the beginning, that what I was actually writing a novel! So there you have it, a future work. A historical I can't wait to write.

I'm also currently working on another peice of writing. Four linked narratives, four different female perspectives. My limit: 8000 words. I haven't finished them as its a slow progess, but already I can see the redline that marks the wordcount behind me.

Then there's my Synopsis I require for 'What Happens In Ireland...', my Val Parv entry.
1000 words is the limit and I was over 1300 words to begin with. And let me tell you, its hard to summaries a 130 000 word novel into just 1300 words. What's hard is to do it in 1000. I spent all morning on this and when I reached 1040 words, I was ready to throw in the towel. But almost half an hour later, I got there. 998 words.

So now that I've shared my tale, you might understand exactly how much I hate wordcounts. They are my greatest enemy as a writer. Perhaps one day, I shall conquer them. :)

Have you ever had a battle with a wordcount?

Whitney K-E

My Battle with the Synopsis

As some of you may know, the Valerie Parv competition opens for entries at the end of this month. As a newbie writer, I aim to enter at least one competition a month for the value of the feedback. Of course, it's great when you get a place and even better when you're No.1, but when you sitting a little lower on the ranks, that feedback is your gold star. I've had some great feedback and truly, sometimes it's what keeps you going.
Anyway, to enter the Val Parv Award I need a synopsis that will be judged. I've never done a synopsis and I tell you what, now thati have i can say its easier writing a novel!
Thankfully, I was a little prepared. I'd done my research. I searched a few sites and I took their best points and used them. The week before my editor requested a summary of my novel and so the job was more or less, half done.
Now, to write the 1k word synopsis for the 130k word novel...
It wasn't easy. It was hard. Very. I had so much to write and yet I couldn't fit it in. I need to say this and I need to say that, but I just couldn't get those words to form the way I wanted them to. I felt like I wasn't giving my plot justice.
And then, my computer crashed. BLACK went the screen and GONE was my synopsis. I wasn't happy.
So, I rebooted my evil, demise-plotting computer back up and I searched, hunted that synopsis down. I found it eventually - after the panic attack and the mental break-down, of course - but I still had to finish it.
1215 words later and I was finished. A first draft of course as I need to cull some words, but hey! it's a start.

So a few tips to help you when you write your synopsis:
- Summarise Your Chapters - That way you'll know where you're going. It's harder to ride a bike blind is it not?
- Highlight the Highs and Lows - These points are the bones of your synopsis. Use them.
- Brainstorm Some One Line Hook - If my research is correct, start your sysnopsis with an opening hook. It'll draw in the reader and you'll get a gold star for it. And if you can, maintain that exciting persona, maintain that voice.
- Present Tense - Always write in present-tense, no matter what tense your novel is in.
- Update Your Computer - Don't let what happened to me  happen to you.

And remember, your synopsis is NOT a blurb, is an evocative re-telling of what happens in your novel.
I hope this has help someone and I hope whoever you are that you don't experience any of the technical difficulties I did.
Happy reading/writing everybody!

Whitney
Aspiring Romance Writer and owner of an Evil, conspiring computer

Twenty-Four hours and I'm re-addicted...

There's a lot of debate about the  pro's and con's of writer's building a platform through social networking. One of the biggest ones for me has got to be my addiction to it.
Just recently I re-established my facebook presence and for the next day, I was hardly off it. I haven't edited, nor have I written.
It's awful really. I want nothing more than to write, but Facebook has other plans for me.
And I know I'm not the only one. It happens to a lot of people.
You see school kids on their phones all the time and if you ask them, nine times out of ten, their probably on facebook talking to the friend they just said goodbye to.
Yes, Facebook, Twitter, BLOGGING and Goodreads are great ways to build up your audience, to gain readers. But please, don't  let it distract you from what really matters: The book YOUR readers are waiting for.
So, in order to break my addiction, I've devised a plan. And you might like to do the same.

Number One: Two birds with one stone:
Set goals! Set a word goal. It might be 500 words a day or 5000 a week! And make time for it. Not only will you be inclined to finish that manuscript, but I'm hoping it'll keep you from clicking that 'like' button on all your friend statuses. :)

Number Two: Get a watch:
Set yourself some limits. Block out a period of time during your day that you dedicate to social networking. Your writer's platform is important. Don't neglect it either.

Number Three: Save some money!
If you're like me, the second that modem clunks out, its hard to find the effort to get out of that comfy chair and turn it back on. So why not try it? Turn it off. Say goodbye to the Mr. Green Light. And if that doesn't stop you... It's time to play Hide and Seek.

Number Four: Hide and Seek.
If your living with someone, be they friend, sister or hubby, get them to help you. Once you social time is over, hand over the modem. That's right, give them the modem. And get them to hide it.
Now I haven't tried it with the modem yet, but I'm telling you, it works for everything else.
Your social network is an addiction. So treat it like one.

Number Five: Cut down!
If your really someone who struggles, perhaps a change of plan is your only hope. And I mean your Internet plan. Contact your server and get them to cut down your usuage. Limit yourself. That way, if you get a little Facebook crazy, your won't be able to go on for the rest of the month. It's like being grounded.
You didn't stick to your plan. You did want you shouldn't have. And now it's been taken away.
I'm on a phone plan and my internet usage is very limited. So I make it stretch. And if I go over, I'm punished with a bill.
And  hey, I haven't had a bill yet!

And finally: Stick to it!
Discipline is the key. Exercise that willpower. And please, don't go on Facebook as a reward...You're just asking for trouble there :)

Well I hope this helps someone! And I'll be sure to let you know if it helps me.
Whitney

Stereotypes

An interesting topic that has come up in conversation this week is stereotypes. So I thought I'd write about it.
Now let me explain. I'm writing a novel about an Aussie woman who goes to Ireland to take on a  co-managing position on a horse stud.
She's a redhead and typically, she's stubborn and  a fiery woman who likes to dish-out more than she get's dished. Stereotype number one.
Now the male protagonist is Irish. He's got green eyes and black hair and of course, he's name is Jack. Stereotype number two.
Apparently, I have a problem.
Jack is a common and many like to think, Irish name. Just as Connor, Seamus, Patrick and Sean are. So why is a name a problem?
My Aussie girl's name is Kate, a very common and what some might consider, bland name.
Jack has an Irish accent. Kate has an Australian accent. Jack says Irish things, Kate says Australian things.
Now that I've informed you of my two sterotypes, let me tell you the reason they are a problem.
Editor's don't like Redheads that a stubbon and feisty. They don't like Irish guy with emerald green eyes. And they don't like sterotypes.

Now is it just me or am I not the only person who has read a thousand books about blonde females and dark-haired males?
So why do they have problem with redheads? Or traditional Irishnames?
I can't very well call my Irishman 'Pierre'. That would make him french. So why is 'Jack' a sterotypical name for an Irishman? I have met many Jack's and none of them have been Irish.

What about brunettes? Are they always plain and go by the name of Jane? Of course not! But if you've written a novel and she's your main character, you've got a problem.

Now if there's one thing everyone is looking for in a novel it's a character they can relate to. Now we all possess some form of stereotypical trait. So what happens when a writer creates a character who is unlike anyone else.  Well, you have a character no one can relate to.

So what do we do? Do give our protagonist purple hair, green skin and make them sociopaths? You never know, there might be someone out there who fits that description. And their going to love your book because they think it's about them!

I personally love stereotypes. I like to take two and put them together. I like to challenge them and if I haven't met that character (because their so perfect they don't exist) I can see them, I know them.

But these are just my musings. I find the whole topic rather laughable. I hope you do too.
Feel free to post your favourite stereotypes and of course, your thoughts on the matter.
:)
W

When the time is WRITE - Is it your time?

I've meet very few author's in my career so far and if there's one thing I've noticed it's this. Age.
Many have been writing for years, others decades and some only a few months. And what is often discussed is, why have you chosen now to start writing?
I am very fortunate in that I seem to have the time and the mind to write at this early stage in my life, busy though it is. Others I have met however, have had aspirations to write for decades and yet, they have only recently, in the middle of their life, began to fulfill those aspirations.
I have a twin sister, who of course, is the same age as me (I'm honest when I say I have had to emphasis this to a handful of people in the past) and she too has aspirations to write.
As a teen, she had a poem published by Random House, but since, has not written a thing. And she worries. But I don't think she should. If there's one thing she lacks at the moment, if there's one thing holding her back, it is her lack of obssession.
You have to be obssessed to write a novel. You need to go one step further than being comitted. Set yourself goals and endeavour to met them or beat them. And then reward yourself.
Just last night I said with gritted teeth, 'I've lost it. I can't write'. But I pushed through it, forced myself to continue and Ta-Da! in an hour I'd achived my goal and started on the next.
But the whole point of this post is to say this:
Don't set those goals if the time isn't 'Write'. Don't give up, keep planning, but until you're ready and you have that story up there in your head, ready to go and you know those characters like the back of your hand, leave the pen and paper.
It's like growing up. You've got to go through stages. Things have to happen.
And never give up. Wether your writing now, or you're planning to, don't ever give up.
But if your stuggling, perhaps your time is yet to come. Find your passion, find your voice and then, write the bestseller.

Well, I hope this has help some people and if not, given you some food for thought.
Wishing everyone the best this year in their writing careers!
Whitney

Writer's Wrath - DO NOT DISTURB!

I thought it would be hard coming up with interesting things to post, but it turns out, when you love writing and talking to people, be they writers are readers, it's rather easy.
After talking with a fellow RWA member, Sarah Schell, I diagnosed myself with something the dictionary has defined as: 'a psychotic disorder characterised by systematised delusions'. Or in other words, Paranoia.

In the near future, I will be publishing a post that outlines the top ten fears experienced by writers. In my quest to get some answers, I was diagnosed with the above condition.

Sarah and I share a... I'm not sure what to call it. But the bottom line is, one of our pet peeves as writers, is being interrupted when we are 'In the Zone'. My twin sister has suffered my writer's wrath a number of times and if I didn't shut myself away, I think many other's in my household would suffer it too.

'Paranoia' is a little strong... I don't think my actionas are phsychoatic, but hey! I can't say I've never wanted to throw a brick at an Interrupter's head. Lucky for them, I no brick have been at hand and I treasure my books too much to throw them.

So my question is, do you suffer Writer's Wrath? You do? Well, I have a few suggestions for you.

Firstly, using Sarah as an example, I made the following:

Secondly, you might like to buy the following:
The Foam Brick:

http://www.latestbuy.com.au/foam_brick_prank.html

And The Foam Hammer:

 

http://bytesngrins.stores.yahoo.net/foamstresham.html

An interesting thing about these foam objects, a few secondary english teachers I know own all of them and others! So I'd like to thank them for their contribution haha.

So readers, what did we learn today?
Never, EVER, interrupt a writer while he/she is writing.
And if you follow that one, simple rule, you'll live you life without having several foam objects thrown at your head.

Well, that's all for today, but keep your eyes on my post. I'm in the Irish spirit this week and Saint Paddy's day is just around the corner.

W

Beat the Block! - Writer's Block

It seems no matter if your a bestselling author or an aspiring one, writer's block gets us all. So I've decided to put forward my best cures in hopes that I might save a few of my fellow writers from the dreaded 'BLOCK'.
So here they are:

 - Number One: Hit the Books!
Now I don't know if this happens to anyone else but as a writer I find it hard to read novels, not because I don't have time, but because I can't read another book without getting excited about my own and ditiching it to write. So why don't you try it out? Have a go.
And for those writing Non-fiction and historical novels, why not do some research? If your passionate about your writing research won't be a chore but an inspirational tool. So your books based in a country or you've never experienced. Look it up and find out what its like. Build your story through historical and cultural character.

- Number Two: 'The hills are alive, with the sound of MUSIC...'
Get some tunes pumping and surround yourself with inspiration. The novels I write are set in Ireland and there's nothing like getting into an Irish-frame-of-mind than listening to Traditional Irish music. So give it a try. If your historical, trysome classics. Or even just music that inspires you. It doesn't have to be themed, it just has to move you.

- Number Three: Can't travel to that far away destination? Google it!
If there's one thing that gets me going (particularly when it comes to description) its Google Earth. From the privacy of my writing space, I can explore Dublin, walk the steets of Killarney and stare over the Cliffs of Moher. Its like a virtual holiday. And it works a treat!

-Number Four: Get out there and find your 'Jack'.
The best way to build genuine characters is to find them in real life. And the best way to rid yourself of The Block when it comes to characters is to study them. Go out and find them. They might be your friends or your family, or like My 'Jack', they might be an irishman. On a number of occassions I've run into a few Irishmen. And I thank them all for curing me of The Block.

- Number Five: Re-read and Edit
It works a little like retracing your steps when you lose your car keys. Go back a chapter and read it the way you wrote it to be read. Not only will it hopefully rejog your creative flow, but you'll find the mistakes you made along the way. It's a good idea to re-read your work and check for flaws as it is. Why not utilize it when you need inspiration most.

- Number Six: Perhaps its time for a break?
A few months back I was unable to write due to some new commitements. And so I used it. I was constantly brainstorming, planning it all out. Soon my notebook was full and I was starting my next. And when that month was up, I was bursting with inspiration. I had so much to write about and just a simple glance at my notebook rejogged my memory. So try it! Take some time off to think about it. Get your head in the right space. And then go for it when you know your ready.
Think of it like a short sprint runner. They can only run so far at the peak of their performance and then they slow down. So, they take a break, re-engerise and do it again.
We writers work hard. We deserve a break too.

- Number Seven: Get Talking.
We're always being told how important it is for us as professional writers to have a good social platform. So why not get your inspiration and mind flowing and talk about your book. Promote it!Talk to people! If your as passionate as I am about your writing you'll be able to talk for hours about it. And by the end, you'll be bursting with the need to continue your story.

- Number Eight: Join a writing group and find a writing buddy.
It works the same as number seven. Find someone in your genre or who in some way has a shared element with you. And make the effort to exchange ideas and work frequently. There's nothing like someone else support to lift your spirits and some helpful suggestions that you can build upon. Not only will you make a new friend, but you'll be helping each other to keep yourself motivated.

- Number Nine: Put the romance back into your life.
I think we'd all be lying if we ever said our lives outside of writing had no influence over what we write. Our life is who we are and every novel we write holds a part of our soul. Whether your main protagonist is an extreme of one of you personal characteristics or the setting your novel resembles Home, life beyond the words creeps in.
So why not look to your significant other half for some help? Take some time off, look back on the old days and many be, if your feeling adventurous relive a few. And I'm sure your other half will thank me.

Everyone wants a little love in their lives and that why we write romance. We create fairytale, dreams and we mirror reality. We create that warm and fuzzy feeling.

I hope these tips have helped you and if they haven't I can only say, don't ever give up.

Whitney K-E