Opening Night with Bob Mayer

Excitement in the air, how was he going to present himself.  Walking into the CNYRW mini con opening informal discussion was exciting, Book everywhere and Mr. Mayer waiting patiently.  After reading his books, images will form of a military strick man. However, last night he was human, funny and carsmatic.  His speak was on The Orginial Idea and Conflict Box, without these you really don't have a story.  Consepts I had read and heard before, but never truly understood what exactly they meant until he exampled them.  The Orginial Idea is one sentence the main reason why you are writing this novel.  It's not the life story, but it's the spark of the reason. It's what made you get your fingers running on the keyboard.  But as a writer it is so hard to get it done to one sentence, because you have to weed through all the layers you have applied to the novel to get the idea of it.

The Confilict Box it shows the Anatgonist and Protagonist goals and conflict and when you cross them, there should be conflict.  You can do this for each scene, but you must have one for the story, if there is no conflict you have no story.

Now it's time to get ready for today. Lots to learn.  Can't wait.

Countdown to the Mini-Conference

 Yesterday, I received my master documents for Sunday. I enrolled in extra Writers Workshop on Sunday with Bob Mayer where he critique your novel and so does everyone else.  I had to submitt a query, synopsis, and first then pages of my work.  It didn't seem real until I got that master document yesterday.  Wow, my first professional critique on my work, now the butterflies are bubbling.
The Mini- Con is in Sryacuse, NY this weekend hosted by the CNYRW. I went last year and learn so much, I know this year the experience will be the same.
My business cards are together, I have my laptop ready.  It all starts tomorrow night, with a informal discussion of Who Dares Wins, then a full day workshop on Saturday of how to be a warrrior writer than the option novel critique. It will be a whirl wind experience, but I am hoping that on the other side of it, I have a better understanding of the craft, and my works will be on the road to publication.

New Article on CNYRW

I wrote an article today on the upcoming Mini Con in CNYRW held in Syracuse in a few short weeks. I am so excited because I will get to focus on my novel, which can be hard for me. As I write for Examiner, I am focusing on others works. As I final Read for a e-Pub, I focus on other's works so much that I find editing my own work hard.


It should be overly exciting to get to listen to Bob Mayer best selling author talk about improving yourself as a writer, something all us writers should be doing anyway.

It has motivated me to jot down my query letter, my synopsis and I think I have a title for my book. I will have to feel it out. I have a critique group in a couple days hopefully they'll be able to help me flesh out my pieces.

The excitement is palpable, I have the workings of a query and synopsis, wow!

LCRW Meeting On Internet Marketing

Yesterday, I went to my local writers group LCRW for our monthly meeting. For all those looking to writer novels, let them be any genre from Romance Novels to Fiction or even Non-fiction there is typically a group out there to join. I highly recommend it, not only for the information but the comradely.


At this particular meeting the workshop was on On-line Marketing 101, very helpful for us writers who are tiring to get people to read our own work. It helped me understand keywords and other aspects of internet lingo. Especially for my Rochester Romance Novel Examiner page. It was all great, but the part of the meeting that always helps me is the chatting with other writers, the push to meet our goals as writers and the information that will help with the writing craft in general.

As a member of RWA I belong to some loops that are specific about chatting of the craft, but it is more beneficial to get out and talk to someone face to face. I have a friend who says, "Writing is a lonely professional, as a rule we all huddle around our computers and pour our imagination and pain into the pages. It is always good to get out and see people." I have to agree with her at this point.

Yesterday, I spoke with one of our members and her knowledge helped me work out some kinks I have ran into in my novel. Just talking to her gave me the confidence to keep writing.

So off to finish my partial Query, to type in my Synopsis and of course... Figure out the Title of my book. Any suggestions? It's paranormal with witches, vampires and were animals. About good and evil roaming the hill of WV. I'll take anything at this point, cause I'm at a draw.

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Life

Yesterday, I realized that not only do I need to finish up to my first turning point but I need more right now.
I am going to a writer's Conference in March.  The CNYRW Mini- Con and taking the Sunday critique session with Bob Mayer.  The book I am currently working on is the one I want to have critiqued, so I need a Query Letter and a Synopasis all before the Conference starts in March.

At least I have a short brief outline of 'this is what I want to accomplish,' so the Synopasis won't be too hard, its the Query letter that is going to bite me in the ass, so I have lots of work to do.  Time to pull out my The Novel's Writers Toolkit book and get hacking away at the keyboard.

Not only I am trying to write, but my local writers chapter is hosting a contest and I still have a few more entires to judge.  I am helping with some transcibing and of course my favorite, I am a final reader for a e-Publishing company and I have a story to read.  It's time to get cracking.  Lots to do, more to write.

Tuesday

Well, I hope all had a lovely Valentine's Day weekend. My husband isn't much of a Valentine's fan and my birthday the day after results in all the attention surround my day versus 'v'day. Personally, not a bad thing in my book.

My friends and I went on a Wine trail on Saturday...so much fun. If any one is in the Western NY area and want to check out some great wines you couldn't go wrong with any of the Finger Lake wineries, just pick one. But I went on the Truffles and Tastings event tour on Keuka lake Wineries, the wine's were delicious. Beyond superb. As a writer going to different locations and finding out interesting new adventures always sparks the imagination. The key is write what you know. I took some photos of the lakes and bought some wine. I am sure one day soon, the memories I had of this weekend will one day make it into a book somehow in one form or another.

That being said where am I in my novel in year? Exactly where I left off with it on Friday night. So fingers to the keyboard and imagination on full, it's time to get going. Because no one else can write your book, only yourself.

Writing a Novel in a Year

For the past few months I have been struggling with my writing.  But just recently while brainstorming, the characters and ideas popped into my head screaming for a fighting chance.  A chance to tell their story to expect the unexpected.  I have to say, I haven't been this happy in a long time. 
It's a Paranormal Romance, I don't have a title.  I have the characters, I have the reasons, most of the plot but more important I have the drive to write this.
So here is my novel in a year.   I have the backbone written, I have the characters voices were they need to be right now.  So now, it's get to work and write.
So my wood count is just around 6,500 words and I haven't reach the first turning point.
So here's to writing, everyday.