tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post114841421236827861..comments2024-01-06T11:19:53.852+00:00Comments on Kate Walker: Workshops 2 - the other side of the coinKate Walkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17277223651288830541noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148491219046842842006-05-24T18:20:00.000+01:002006-05-24T18:20:00.000+01:00Kate, Anne, Michelle - I knew you;d all agree. Pre...Kate, Anne, Michelle - I knew you;d all agree. Preaching to the converted. Michelle - i love that McKee quote.<BR/><BR/>Hi Jude - nice to see you here and I'm glad that my post spoke to you. The journey to publication, whether it's long or short can be a really difficult one - but if we enjoy the journey not just aim for the destination then we can learn a lot too. I'm glad to be able to help.<BR/><BR/>Sharon - asking about money is not only rude, it's pointless! All I can say with any authority is what I earned for past books - I don't really have any idea what I'm going to get in the next royalty statement.<BR/><BR/>Rules -you said:<BR/>"On the one hand I hear that there aren't any, and on the other I hear that you can't write this and you can't write that because this won't appeal to the US bible-belt and that won't appeal to... well, whoever. "<BR/><BR/>Well, those aren't really 'rules' - more like advice, suggestions . And I've honestly never worried myself too much about what this part of the readership might like and that one might not. . . It's partly a strong sense of what is currently popular now - and (at the risk of repeating myself) that comes from reading and keeping aware of what is being written now. It's also what my son calls. 'having my finger on the pulse' of contemporary trends and themes. The other thng is that if there is some theme that is not very popular there's not total rule that 'you must not' - just that you would need to work harder to make ti work as it initially could meet with some resistance. <BR/><BR/>If you let yourself get bogged down in writing what one group might like then you can find yourself writing something that some other section won't like. My advice? You can please all of the people all of the time. If you're trying too hard to do that then you're in danger of trying to write some sort of 'formula' novel. Work from inside your characters and tell their story. Then if an editor thinks there is a problem with you you can revise - but don't edit all the life out of it before you've eben started.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Mags you sweetheart - you'reĆ” one woman advertising campaign for the 12 POint Guide bless you! I'm told the ms under the toilet door is true - at RWA National one year !<BR/><BR/>Tiana- hi and welcome! Yes, it's amazing how many people think that M&B books are chaste and innocent - they should read more! Good luck with your Meds - and enjoy the wide range of all the stories. At least you know what you're talking aboutKate Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17277223651288830541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148482468507533722006-05-24T15:54:00.000+01:002006-05-24T15:54:00.000+01:00Hum, no sex. I guess they haven't read Kate Hardy ...Hum, no sex. I guess they haven't read Kate Hardy or Sarah Morgan's Medicals. Or your Presents. :)<BR/><BR/>One of the reasons I'm trying to write Medicals is the wide range of stories. No formula. And doctors are pretty darn sexy.;)<BR/><BR/>tianaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148476663996119592006-05-24T14:17:00.000+01:002006-05-24T14:17:00.000+01:00Fabulous advice as always. And for anyone new sta...Fabulous advice as always. <BR/><BR/>And for anyone new starting out or people plugging away yet to succeed, you have to read, read, read Kate's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance Fiction. As I may have said before!!<BR/><BR/>I can't believe someone actually went so far as to slide their ms under the door of the cubicle in the ladies!!!!! What are people like?!<BR/><BR/>Hope you have fun with Sicilian 2.<BR/><BR/>Best wishes,<BR/>MagsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148467315449673942006-05-24T11:41:00.000+01:002006-05-24T11:41:00.000+01:00I'd think it very rude of anybody to ask somebody ...I'd think it very rude of anybody to ask somebody how much (s)he earns, regardless of whether they're hoping to move into the same business or not. Maybe I'm old-fashioned but I was always taught that income was a subject you simply didn't discuss with anybody other than those closest to you.<BR/><BR/>I'm really not sure when it comes to the 'rules' though. On the one hand I hear that there aren't any, and on the other I hear that you can't write this and you can't write that because this won't appeal to the US bible-belt and that won't appeal to... well, whoever. It can all be very confusing at times.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148462883575408162006-05-24T10:28:00.000+01:002006-05-24T10:28:00.000+01:00Dear KateWow - that was wonderful. And as a wanna...Dear Kate<BR/>Wow - that was wonderful. And as a wannabe who often thinks 'will it ever happen' as the time passes - your advice is so great.<BR/>Feeling it matters. The heart and the 'making it worth it' factor are what counts. Thanks for the focus and the urge to keep trying.<BR/><BR/>Jude DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148462616956402082006-05-24T10:23:00.000+01:002006-05-24T10:23:00.000+01:00Dear KateAs someone who has spent all weekend cutt...Dear Kate<BR/>As someone who has spent all weekend cutting and pasting craft gems from eharl - reading your blog today was wonderful. The heart and the 'worth it factor' is what matters! <BR/><BR/>Your advice about keeping going in the fact of rejection made me smile inside. Every wannabe needs that kind of pep talk! Thanks for just the moment I needed.<BR/><BR/>Jude DAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148460842323552482006-05-24T09:54:00.000+01:002006-05-24T09:54:00.000+01:00To quote Robert McKee:Anxious inexperienced writer...To quote Robert McKee:<BR/>Anxious inexperienced writers obey rules; rebellious unschooled writers break rules; an artist masters the form. There is no formula, only forms that need to be mastered.<BR/><BR/>Catagory writing like any genre is all about mastering the form. It is what the individual writer does with that form that counts.Michelle Styleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03400990189443593076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22055731.post-1148420178467061842006-05-23T22:36:00.000+01:002006-05-23T22:36:00.000+01:00Well said, that woman.There is also the story of s...Well said, that woman.<BR/><BR/>There is also the story of someone who came to a conference, dumped a carrier-bag full of M&Bs which had been carefully highlighted in different colours (i.e. for plot, emotion, characterisation, dialogue) and asked why she couldn't work out the formula...<BR/><BR/>You have to write from the heart, not the head. Care about your characters. And make the conflict sustainable and WORTH the fight. (But then, why am I telling you this? Preaching to the converted!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com