A Gift from a Friend

It's a fact (unfortunately) that no matter how many books you've written and had published there is often (usually) a moment or two in the writing of the current one when, no matter if its #6 or #67 - which this one is - the hateful ravens of doubt come circling and you try to remember how you ever did this before - and are you sure you can do it again? Really?


I have always had a special little message to myself that sits on my


desk that helps me work through times like this - it's from my dear friend the great Michelle Reid and it says 'Just tell the story'. So that's what I do, and so far it's worked out right.


But now I have a new message to add to that one - this is on a mug from another dear friend. And it just proves that there are friends who know you and are there to support you even when they're on the other side of the country. Thanks Marie Frances - you're so right - and your mug, filled with tea has been a real boost when the words have flagged

Craft Post

Do you like posts on the craft of writing?  I haven't done one of those for ages - but to mark the publication of the new paperback edition of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance,  I've done a couple for sites  I'm visiting.

The first on is over on Kelly Steel's blog Happy Ever After  where I'm talking about conflict.

And there's a kindle version of the 12 Point Guide to give away to one  lucky comm
enter!

More on the blog tour

I'm still trying to catch up on things  - this always happens when  a book goes off to my ed. Because I've concentrated totally on the book, focusing all my attention on that, and  ignoring a lot of things for 'when the Book is done'  (affectionately  know in this house as WTBBID!) then I have  so much to do when I have a moment to breathe.

And this time of course, when I wasn't focusing on the book then I was dealing with admin for the course for Relax and Write at Weetwood Hall!  So  my house/office/life is in a bit of chaos  right now.

Anyway - talking of courses  and teaching and such. Today's post on the mini blog tour to celebrate the publication of A Question of Honor is a craft post written specially for this blog tour.  It's also to mark the republication of the revised ebook of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance which is selling wonderfully - my thanks to everyone who has bought a copy !

 You can find it over on Revising  and Editing and  in  this post  I'm talking about How To Handle Transitions between Scenes  - or Chapters. 

If you're trying to get published and are interested in learning more about the craft, I hope you'll find it useful.

Revising and Editing

I was asked to write a craft post over on Revising and Editing -so that's where my main post is today -  it's about  Originality and Voice - I was asked to write a bit about plagiarism but I think we've done that topic recently!

It's publication day - in America anyway!  A Throne for the Taking is out in Harlequin Presents now  so thank you to everyone who has already been out to buy a copy.  

And perhaps it's time to remind you  that Author, Author! still has the very special offer on the Presents Edition of A Throne For The Taking -  the book normally sells at $4.99 but  Author, Author! has it on special discounted offer for just $3.25. Take a look.

We Write Romance Day

It's the 15th of the month so that means that  today's blog is  my regular Kate's Corner over on the blog on We Write Romance.com

 

So  that's where you'll find me today.

The Q&A on Delivering Emotional Punch on the EHarlequin site ended to day - but the lessons, and the questions are still there if you want   to take a look.

I'm late . . . I'm late . . .

I feel  like the White Rabbit, rushing around, muttering 'I'm late,   I'm late . . .'

I'm late picking the winners for this giveaway -  but sometimes life just gets in the way

Anyway - here we go

The winner from Liz Fielding's Blog  is Samantha Veerasamy

Other winners -
Unknown/Anonymous - sorry, I don't know your real name

Julie M  - Happy Birthday for the 16th Julie. If you send me your addres fast then hopefully the prize will arrive to be  an extra birthday gift for you

CC - I reckon you deserve a copy for finally remembering all those dates! And maybe your husband's mother would like to read it?

 And as Charlie was too greedy to stick at just 5 copies -
Eli  - you can share a copy with your bookclub friend - and maybe read it to  your mother!
and
Mary Preston -  an early birthday gift - as long as you share with yout Mum too!!

Ok ladies - you  know the drill.  Send me your postal addresses to the email  at the bottom of the page  and I'll get the books in the mail to you!


Writers -
I'm also late with this - sorry! But there's still time to catch up -
Over on eHarlequin.com they are having a Harlequin Presents Spotlight and I was asked to run a teaching week for those who were preparing a novel for the Presents line - and in preparation for  a Presents writing event coming up on the site.

So I'm running a class/Q&A on  Delivering Emotional Punch  this week. I've already posted 3 lessons, but you could soon catch up. 

Anyway - you'll find the lessons - and the  questions here

Courses Coming up . . . The Watermill

The joiner is building more kitchen units - there is even a  space for a cooker and a hob now!  Lots of noise - too much noise - but at least it means progress.

Anyway, people have been asking, and I promised that I would give details of the workshops/courses etc coming up in case anyone wants to  come along to any of them.  I've already mentioned the five session course at Caerleon.  This hasn't been posted on the web site yet, but I've asked the organisers to get on to that.

The course I want to talk about today  doesn't start until October, but I thought you'd want some advance notice of this -it's not the cheapest of courses so yo0u might want to save up for it. 

But it is a course set in one of the most beautiful places I've ever taught - and everyone I've ever heard speak about The Watermill says how wonderful it, and the hospitality offered, can be.

So - here's the info from the official flyer

“Writing Romantic Fiction:

Beyond the hearts and the flowers”

A special week-long creative writing course with best-selling Harlequin, Mills & Boon author

Kate Walker

Saturday 6 October to Saturday 13 October 2012

Your tutor - Kate Walker

Kate Walker has been writing for Harlequin, Mills & Boon since 1984. During that time she has had almost 60 novels published all over the world.

Her recent titles have all been on the Booktrack Top 100 list in America, they have also been on Borders’ Top Ten list for at least two weeks. Her 2010 title The Konstantos Marriage Demand recently won the Best Presents Extra 2010 Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Time magazine.

Kate is also the author of the award-winning 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance (Aber Publishing) which gives an introduction to the essential skills needed to succeed as a romance writer.

During the week Kate will pass on the benefits of her intimate knowledge of what publishers are looking for in a romantic novel. And as well as group presentations and discussions, there will be writing exercises and she will also discuss some of your work with you on a one-to-one basis.

Your creative writing course

Courses at the watermill are designed to help both enthusiastic beginners and more experienced writers. Kate’s course will undoubtedly help you to become a better writer: you will have opportunities to experiment with new techniques and fresh ways to express your thoughts and ideas.

The ethos of the course is creativity and enjoyment, but if one of your aims is to sell your work, you will also learn how to provide manuscripts that are more likely to be accepted by literary agents and publishers. This service and the critique of your work are worth more than the cost of the course!

Prices start at £GBP 1,149 per person per week (based on two people sharing), with a generous discount of £200 for a non-writing partner. Single rooms are £GBP 1,230, or £GBP 1,316 if you want an en suite bathroom.

Everything is included in the course: tuition, accommodation, all meals (including lunches and dinner at nearby restaurants, with local specialities and wine), pick-up and drop-off at Pisa airport and transport to all locations.

“You get to Pisa -- we do the rest!”

There’s more about the watermill and all our courses onwww.watermill.net

or you can email us at info@watermill.net

or call (UK number) 020 7193 6246

For more details and the format of the  course check out the special page on the Watermill site here

I was just about to post this when something happened in the work in the kitchen - and all the electricity blew. I'd better post this fast now while I have the power to do so!

Liz's Little Book

I will be posting more details of courses and workshops - including that very special one in Italy -  soon - but if you're interested in learning to write romance then I have a new  how to book to tell you about  that could help you with your  novel.

It's Liz Fielding's  Little Book of Writing Romance

Liz has just released this book  as an ebook  this week. I knewshe was working on this project when we met last year, so I;ve asked her to give me a mini-interview about it to give you all the information you need.


Liz, can you tell me a little more about your Little Book of Writing Romance?

I've taken my model from the great thriller writer Elmore Leonard and I've left out the bits people skip over, kept it to bones of what a new writer needs to know. How to begin. Character. Emotion. Conflict.


What gave you the idea to write this? Did the ideas come from any workshops you've done in the past?
What will would-be authors find in this book

It all began quite a long time ago when I was approached by a publisher to produce a "little" book on writing for Mills and Boon. For various reasons it didn't happen, but I'd written the first chapter - Grabbing the Reader on the First Page - which you'll find on my website under "Writing". Then, this year, I did a talk on Humour and Emotion at the RNA Conference, talked to people interested in taking part in Mills and Boon's New Voices competition, mentored a finalist, and I realised that it was time to put together all the stuff I've learned over the years.



You say your book is a primer - will authors who have already tried submissions or read other books find things to help them in it?  (Personally I'm pretty sure they will -  so often it's not the advice that's being given but the way it's told that makes that light bulb moment happen and I'm sure your voice will reach so many people and help them.)

Thanks, Kate! There are some terrific how-to books out there. I always recommend your own 12-Point Guide, which is a fabulous book on the art of writing romance. Where mine differs is that I've gone with the basics, holding the hand of someone who isn't familiar with the publishing world, who is a total beginner. I've used lots of examples, broken down a scene to show what I'm doing. Can a more experienced writer benefit from this? I believe it will be useful for someone who has been submitting for a while without success. And I use the vital bullet points myself to make sure I'm getting the most out of every scene, thinking deeply enough about conflict, getting to know my characters. (Walking around a supermarket with your heroine will tell you a lot more about her than her star-sign!)


Where can readers who want to buy this book get hold of it?

My Little Book is online at Amazon (you don't have to have a Kindle, you can download it to your PC) and should be available on all other eBook platforms very shortly. It will be online everywhere  an eBook  (except Barnes and Noble - but will come as soon as Waterstones sign up for the Nook) by the end of the week, or so I am assured.




Thanks so much Liz! Congratulations on the publication of your 'little book' - I hope it's a great success!

As I said above I do believe that  the good thing about having a variety of how to books out there is that sometimes one author's way  of explaining things can work better for  a writer than any others - and it's always good to have two different approaches to anything in writing so you can see what works for you best. And  having been to some of Liz's workshops - and of course knowing her writing, I  know how helpful this book  is going to be.

I amost forgot . . .

Oops, I've only just realised the date! (Yes I am that confuzzled at the moment!)

It's the 6th of December and that means that following on from the Big Blog Tour,  several people asked me to come back and do an extra blog or two with them in the run up to Christmas (and beyond). The first of these was the lovely Michelle Fayard who  won a  copy of the 12 Point Guide way back at the beginning of the tour, then hosted me as a guest blogger a bit later.   She so  appreciated the  12 Point Guide that she asked me to do a special interview with her about the book and how it came to be written and the result is posted over on her blog today.

Lots of hints for writers there too.
And if you're hoping to drop a hint to Santa to put a copy of the 12 Point Guide in your  stocking at Christmas, there is news of another chance to win a copy of this guide coming up soon.

See you there!

And if you're in the UK and either a member or hoping to be a member of the  RNA's New Writers' Scheme - then there's a series of blogs on the scheme and how it works, what writers have got out of it on the RNA blog now.

And Repeat as Before . . .

This is basically - no, just about  exactly, the post I put up on this blog at this time last year.  And I'm making no apologies for that because it seems to me that, sadly,  what I said last year needs saying all over again - and then some.   Already the kickback at the choice of the Top Twenty (one) has started) So , sadly, I need to repeat myself - Only the numbers have been changed in the cause of accuracy. 

Yesterday was   a big day for aspiring romance writers. The day when the next stage of the New Voices contest was  announced. When the  20 (21)  writers whose work was selected to go into the second stage and write another chapter of their story learn which of them will now be asked for the final entry - to write the pivotal moment between their characters.

20 entries out of 1088 - it's a very small proportion of the oringinal entries who will now be seens as winners of this stage. But does that make the other 1068 entrants 'losers' - not in my book. 1088 people put their words and their dreams on- line and on the line. And while they all did it with varying degrees of success in editorial assessment terms - they also all succeeded in doing what writers do - they wrote.

There has been a variety of responses to the announcement of the results - but one that has saddened me by prevailing is the wash of disapointment - natural disapointment - that has tended in some cases to slide over the line into negativity. If this chapter didn't succeed as it is, then it's no good. And if it's no good then I'm no good as a writer seems to be the assumption. Or - I can't see what was wrong with my chapter - everyone on the web site loved it - they must be 'moving the goalposts' or 'changing the rules'. Neither of which is true. But it can feel that way. I know - I've been there.

As you know I'm celebrating 25 + years of being published. The Chalk Line was published in December 1984 . . . but my next book wasn't out until 1986. The reason for the gap? You can call it second book blues, but the truth is that I didn't get another book right until then. I can excuse myself by saying that my mother was dying or that I was ill myself but the fact remains that the two books I wrote after The Chalk Line just did not work. Particularly not the one between The Chalk Line and Game of Hazard, which was the book I managed to revise to publication standard.

The one in the middle was called Chase The Dawn. And as I write this I have in front of me the revsion letters that my then editor sent me about this book - five different letters ! After each one I tried top do the revisions - and just couldn't get them right. The letters are also spread over four years because I ended up doing the sensible thing - and looking back - the best thing - and put the book away for about 18 months so that then I could look at it much ore clearly when I brought it out.

What was so wrong with the book? With the benefit of hindsight, I can now honestly say not that much. Or rather, not that many things but the fact that I hadn't done one basic thing that I now hear myself advising would-be authors to do all the time.

Keep it simple. Dig deep.

Or to quote one of the revision letters - probably the first - I didn't 'delve deeply enough into your central characters' motives and personalities to integrate their actions into the devlopment of the relationship.' But honestly, remembering back, I really thought I had done that. I remember staring at the revisions letters wondering just what it all meant. How could they say this? I was a failure - a one book wonder who would never be published again.

Today, looking at those letters, I see where so much of my teaching and commenting, the sort of things I put in the 12 Point Guide come from. And the important thing is that although those letters were written back in the 1980, by an editor who hasn't worked for M&B for - what - 20 years? - they show that the things editors have been looking for have always been the same.

Delve deeply into your characters' motives and personalities

Go all out for emotional identification with your heroine. If you live inside her head then your reader will too. (These days it would be identification with both hero and heroine - there wasn't scope for dual point of view then)

Make the reader understand that what she(they) thought and did were her (their) only possible reactions at the time

Get inside your characters' skin so that the developing relationship is no longer swamped by the convolutions of the plot.

It all seems so obvious to me now - but then I was too close to my book to see what they meant.

And the end of this story?

If you look on my backlist page, you'll see it there -

Chase the Dawn 1988

It took me four years but I got there.

And what has always intrigued me is that while I ended up feeling quite sick at the sight of that manuscript, and eventually that book, Chase the Dawn is one of the books I have written that I have had most personal mail about, that so many people have said is one of their favourites. Readers say 'Chase the Dawn - oh, I loved that book.' It might be 20 years old but people remember it.

And no one has ever said anything about being able to see all the blood sweat and tears (lots of them!) that went into that book.

So what am I saying? I'm saying that I and every author I know has been through the rejection of 'this doesn't work'. I know how it feels to think I'll never be a writer - I just can't get this. And I know how it feels to have your precious work sent back to you and to feel you have to start all over again.

I used to have a routine when I got rejections/rewrites/revisions. I used to go into the garage and scream, stamp my feet - and fling the rejected manuscript at the wall. Then when I'd calmed down, I'd pick it all up, put it back in order - and I'd reread the rejection letter to see what I could do about it. It was that 'what can I do about it' that got me into being a writer.

I learned so much from those rejections. And from reading and studying the books that did make it. There weren't contests then but I wish there had been - not from the winning point of view but from the value of the lessons in writing romance that the chosen chapters and the editors' comments on them can reveal if you just take note.

What is it they say - that success is picking yourself up one more time than you are knocked down. If you think you're a 'loser' then you will probably stay down - but if you look at what you can learn from all this and work with it, I'll be willing to bet that there will be way more than the 21 winners on one list - or the 45 on the 'see again' list.

But the only person who can make that happen is you.

Writing Tips from M&B

Are you still polishing your NV entry?
Or have you uploaded that and now you're hard at work finishing the book that goes with the the first chapter?

Or are you working on something new?  You're not just sitting back and waiting for that contratct/the prizewinning announcement to come to you  are you?

Anyway,  to encourage you to keep going - give you lots of ideas and tips to help you on your way M&B have produced a free ebooklet  with  advice in it.

The book’s here – though please note it’s in epub format, so you’ll need Adobe digital editions to open it. (Or, if you’re using an iPad, the Bluefire app will sort it for you.)

Writers' Forum

Out any  day now  -  see page 7

Author interview    -  A life of romance
Mills & Boon’s Kate Walker    talks to Helen M Hunt

Writers' Forum

With thanks to Rachael who alerted me to this - I didn't know it was out now.

Writing Help for New Voices

Over on Facebook there is a page for the New Voices Contest  - and it's buzzing. Everyone has questions they want to ask and  they are posting their queries and getting plenty of great answers.

But there are still more and more questions. To help with some of the queries, Nas Dean posted some links to posts I'd done in the past here on this blog - posts on Conflict when I did the Conflict series and Q&A  back in 2010.  That made me think of the other series of posts on writing I've done - All About Alphas for one. And the Writing Q&A  where I answered questions you sent in.

But these are scattered through  my blog, here there and everywhere. So I thought I'd try to make things a bit easier for you and I checked through, collecting up the dates  where I put most of these posts about writing, so that I could list themn for you to go back and find and have a read.

Writing for Presents-   1-4
Basic information about what I think is important if you want to aim for the  Modern Romance/Harlequin Presents line.
All About Alphas  1-22

A long  series of posts on the often vexed topic of  the 'Alpha Male' - love him or hate him, Mills & Boon editorial  have been heard to say that they only ever publish alpha heroes.  But  if you think Alpha means bully and brute, trampling a poor little heroine underfoot, you couldn't be more wrong. Read the contributions from so many successful  published romance writers and find out why there's so much more to this guy than being tal dark and handsome, successful - and snarling!

The link will take you to the first post - after that just scroll further and you'll find all you ever wanted to know about the Alpha hero.

Keep It Simple Dig Deep


Writing Q&A
A series of answers to questions readers sent in

Conflict 1- 21
Another long series of posts following on from the time that I taught a workshop on Conflict at the Romantic Novelists' Association conference  in 2010.  Why conflictr? Well, without conflict you don't have a story - but so many people get themselves in a tangle about internal conflict/external conflict/sustaining conflict/resolving conflict - it's all here. Just  start at post one and read on through.

And over on Sally Quilford's blog, I did a guest post for her  May -  You Write Your Novel  section - you can find that here.

Writing Category Romance

That should keep you quiet for a while - when you've read through all that lot, if you still have questions  - on these topics or anything else, then  come back and post them here and I'll start another Writing Q&A to  post some answers.

And of course, there  is a lot more information and advice in my 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance which is available in paperback or  on KINDLE both in America and the UK.

60!

I'm  sixty!

Well, no - not me - but the number of books I've written for Harlequin Mills & Boon.

I  just heard from my editor and the  'tweaks' -  aka the unravelling and knitting up the book again - have worked for her so the book is now accepted and sent off to copy-editing. And I can relax for a little while at least.

It really doesn't get any easier, waiting for a response!

Anyway, the book will be out in March 2012 - This is Carlos Diablo  and Martha's book  and I'm still waiting for a title to be confirmed. My editor loves my working title of The Devil and Miss Jones, but it has to be approved by all the Presents team - so watch this space! 

Now I need a new idea and a new hero - I shall have to do some really hard research . . .

From Mills & Boon Facebook page

Nottingham Library Royal Romance Workshop - led by Kate Walker
Location Nottingham Central Library

Angel Row, Nottingham, NG1 6HP

Mills & Boon are hosting a series of royal romance writing workshops for aspiring authors to learn the secrets of writing a successful royal romance novel. Mills & Boon author KATE WALKER will be leading this writing workshop at Nottingham Central Library.

This is a FREE event but booking is recommended.

Tickets are available from the Help Desk on the Ground Floor of Nottingham Central Library, contact 0115 915 2825.
Check out the author's latest books before attending this event:

THE PROUD WIFE http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Modern/The-Proud-Wife.htm

MEDITERRANEAN TYCOONS http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/books/Special-Releases/Mediterranean-Tycoons-.htm

This is only one of the planned workshops - for details on other events coming up in different parts of the country, check out  Mills & Boon Facebook page here

Royal Romance - Workshop

Mills and Boon are really getting into the spirit of the upcoming roaylk wedding -  they've brought out a  ommemorative Limited Edition Royal Wedding mug – with a Mills & Boon twist.


The mug features William and Kate’s names and the wedding date on one side and the Mills & Boon logo on the reverse.

They're also running workshops on how to write a royal (or any style) romance   where aspiring novelists can meet and learn from established M&B authors in libraries all over the country.

I've been asked to run one of these workshops and the details have just been finalised  so I can let you know that I'll be running my workshop in Nottingham.
Here are the details:
Mills & Boon Royal Romance Writing Workshop

Nottingham Central Library,
Wednesday 13th April, 2 - 4pm.


With the nation swept up in the romance of the Royal Wedding, Mills & Boon are hosting a series of royal romance workshops for aspiring authors to learn the secrets of writing a successful royal romance novel.


This is a FREE event but booking is recommended.

Tickets are available from the Help Desk on the Ground Floor of Nottingham Central Library,

 Contact 0115 915 2825

I've also been approached and asked to run another week long  writing course - probably starting in 2012 - in a very special place - more details as soon as they're finalised and I can let you know.

Oh - and today I'm blogging over on Romance Bandits  where I'm talking about covers - old and new - so why not join me over there and you'll have a chance to win copies of  my latest USA release The Proud Wife and the award winning Konstantos Marriage Demand.

Writing Contest

I know a lot of visitors to my blog are interested in writing to be published - so I though I'd let you know about this  new contest -

Romance Junkies 2011 Writing contest

Taking the plunge into the new year contest!

Sponsored by Carina Press!
They will accept contest submissions beginning February 1, 2011

http://www.contestjunkies.com/

The Prizes for the Writers!

The Editorial Staff of Carina Press will select winners from among the Finalists.

The Grand Prize will be a Kindle plus a critique* from a Carina editor.

Second, Third, and Fourth place critiqued* by editorial staff of Carina Press.

*Critiques will be offered for a set number of pages, not just the contest entry. Length of critique piece will decrease from Grand Prize to Fourth place, but will not be less than 15 pages.

The Prizes for the Readers!

The voting process allows readers to provide feedback to the writers through our online form. Each week an email address will be selected at random from these posts and will receive a digital Carina title of the winner’s choice.

The Grand Prize will be 25 digital Carina titles of the winner’s choice and will be selected at random from all of those who voted.

And - I have donated 2 copies of the third edition of  the  12 Point Guide to Writing Romance   that will be extra prizes for two of the finalists.

Check out the link for further details, rules, and to enter. 

Contest Schedule


February 1st– April 1st-- Take in Entries

Feb 14th– thru May 14th– Post entries

(every week a group of entries are posted on the contest page to be voted on by readers)

May 30th– Winners Announced

I'd like to know . . .

I'm working on a post about  Voice -  developing/identifying/pushing your voice to maximise its potential as asked by Jane on Facebvook but while I'm doing that - I was reading another post this morning and I'd really really like to know your thoughts and opinions on it.

So - over on the Mills & Boon web site  editor Flo Nicholls has a great regular column - and right now she's asking an interesting, provoking and possible controversial question -

Cheating: The Last Taboo?

This is a topic that was raised  briefly at the RNA Conference in  summer and I just kew it wold come back again. So now Flo is opening up the discussion  and she's asking these questions -

+ Can infidelity work as a romance theme for you, and why?
+ What would cause you to lose or retain sympathy with the protagonists?
+ Does it make a difference if it’s the hero or heroine cheating?
+ What actually constitutes cheating – sex / kissing / emotional infidelity?
+ When and where have you seen it work well before – think TV / films / books?

+ And, most crucially to us, is it something you want to see tackled more often in your M&B books?

I have my own opinions - and I'll discuss those later - when I get a moment - and I also don't want to influenced anyone right now.   But  I really would love to know what you think.

On the M&B site  you have to join the community to answer Flo - though that just takes a couple of seconds and you'll be able to join in any of the other discussions too.  I'm sure Flo will appreciate any contributions to the discussion.

Or you can answer here - or both! If you do post a response in either [place please let me know because I really would like to know what you think.    
Thanks!

New Year New Book

Well, that's what it'll  be for me . . time to get back to the desk and putting words on the page/screen

But what about you? 
Is one of your New Year Resolutions the determination that this year you will  write that novel - maybe even get it published?

Well if that's the case then I - and several fabulous author friends  - have some help for you. 

First of all, there's Donna Alward,  author of  lovely  emotional  books for the Romance/Cherish line - books like  Her Lone Cowboy  or  Proud Rancher, Precious Bundle (out USA in Feb) is running a weekly Writer Wednesday post on her blog.

The there's scary Kate  - Kate Hardy - who write for both Medical and the new Riva - A Christmas Knight (Medical UK) and Champagne with a Celebrity (USA  Jan 2011)

Finally  there's RITA winning Jessica Hart    writing tutor and  romance writer whose Juggling Briefcase and Baby is one of the new launch titles for RIVA this month,  and whose 3 in 1 collection Convenient Engagements  is out  in January too.

What do all three have in common? 

Well this week  to help you get your New Year - and your Writing Resolutions off to a great start - they'[re all offering you  a chance to win a brand new copy of the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance.  All you have to do is to read their blog, add a comment . . .  and you'll be in with a chance of winning.

And on the  subject of writing and craft -   if I do some more craft posts/ special workshops/Q&As on writing - what would you like me to talk about? Anything you really want to ask? Something you'd love to have explained?  Anything you just don't 'get'?

Now's your chance. Just post your queries in the comments and I'll note them for future posts.
And who knows - maybe this year will be YOUR year!

New Voices revisited

So the Top Ten entries in the New Voices Contest have been announced and congratulations are in order.

Congratulations for the 'winners' ? Well, yes - but for me the emphasis should be the other way. The first congratulations should go to the total of 822 entrants all of whom are, in my mind, winners. Winners because in a world of people who want to be writers, they put their words where their mouth is and wrote.

And, as the saying goes 'Writers write, everyone else makes excuses.' (Jack Bickham)

So everyone who submitted a chapter fulfilled the demands of being a writer by sitting down and writing a chapter aimed at a particular market. Well - yes - OK - some of them clearly were not aimed at the market that was being offered, and some had a strangely distorted view of just what that market was looking for - but they all wrote 2- 3- 4,000 words. Because being a writer means writing - not being published. That's being an author. Writing is what writers do. I was writing for almost thirty years before I was published. I have written for publication for 25 + years (the + bit being the times when I was writing for publication and getting it rejected regularly) So let's say I have been writing and been published for 25 years - writing for publication a bit - add on a couple of years.

And if it all ended tomorrow then I would keep on writing. I'd be telling stories - I have to - it's what I do.

Being an author? That's different -and more difficult. It depends on other things, like market forces and individual publishers and individual editors within individual publishers.

But the current editors have chosen a top ten - ten writers who they feel they could work with to build on those chapters submitted, take them further and hopefully turn them into the next stage on - another chapter, the development of a plot, the building of characters. The telling of a story. As the editors said : "We weren't looking for a perfect story . . . but we were hoping to find fresh voices and raw potential.' The editors' comments on why they picked each individual entry are going to be one of the most interesting parts of this contest.

And they are the bits that writers who really want to be authors for this particular company can learn most from. Where they can learn what these editors are looking for, why they like something when they see it. What reached out and grabbed them, lifting this entry out from so many many others.

Did I have the same Top Ten? No - but then I've not had time to read every single one of the 822 chapters ( kudos to the editors who did - it's no mean task!) But the ones I felt wouldn't be there weren't.

What mistakes did I find that stuck out?

Chapters that hadn't done their marketing homework - writers who submitted work that just wasn't what this very specific publisher is looking for

Showing not telling

Narrative . . .. lots of it without the dynamism and drama of dialogue

Chapters that were trying to be too clever for their own good - that 'cute meet' thing .

Chapters that were pale versions of stories that had been published so often - the advice was 'don't imitate - innovate'.

I hope the 812 writers who are not in the selected ten will find lots to help them in the posts in the next few days. Information about what the editors are looking for, advice about what works and what doesn't. It's going to be intriguing to see how the next stages of the process work - how the chosen chapters are worked on, developed . . . turned into a story - or not. Because for me the important bit is that.

Because there are writers and there are writers who are storytellers. And telling a story so that people want to read it takes a different set of thought processes from just putting down and opening that you feel is going to grab an editor's attention. It's not the same thing as refining, editing, polishing a clever chapter till it squeaks. There are reasons why an editor's job is very different from a writer's and for me the difference is right there in that 'story tellling'.

So some of these top ten might make it. Some might not. Some of you 812 could very well (as Maisey Yates did) go away, complete your novels and turn them into a book that might not have the 'best' opening chapter but tells a story that reaches out and grabs people so they want - have to read on. I hope so. Because a chapter is a chapter but a story is a book.

As a result of my last post on this subject, I received an email from one of the entrants to the New Voices contest. She was reading one of my books - Sicilian Husband, Blackmailed Bride - and she wanted to tell me how brilliant she thought the opening was. (Thank you Jennifer if you're reading this) I was complimented, honoured, obviously - but as a writer/storyteller/author what meant most to me was the next bit 'I wanted to tell you that you're queen of opening chapters and I am riveted to this story.'

That's where the real compliment is - that's why I write. To have readers wanting to read the story.

So congratulations to the 10 whose chapters were chosen this time. I hope this is the start of your journey towards becoming a published author and writing stories that people want to read. Congratulations to all the writers who submitted a chapter - I hope this is the start of your journey towards doing more with your writing, submitting again, finding the story you want to tell, 'winning' first chapter or not.

I can't give you the 'secret', the 'formula' to being published - because if there is one then I honestly have never ever found it in the past 25+ years - or the 30 before that! - but I can tell you the one thing that will guarantee that you'll never ever be published and that is if you give up now. If you can't take the risk of rejection, then you're making sure you'll never know the joy of success.

Thinking about my 25 years of being published and the books that have my name on it, I'm also well aware of the 'ones that got away' - the stories that never made it into books. The ones that were rejected. But did I let them stay rejected ?

But that's a different story. Today, I've rambled on for long enough and -

Writers write, everyone else makes excuses

I have writing to do - and (I hope) so do you.