Alison Kent

It’s free! It’s 100% complete! It’s hot and sexy! Read it here. I’m supposed to be at the eHarlequin boards in August & September to chat about the Do Not Disturb series. I’ll post a link when the thread for my “kiss” stories goes live. Don’t let me forget!

Some of us stay home from conference and spend the time in our closet doing revisions.

Others spend the same time proving how abso-frickin-brilliant they are:

Idle Hands
Here’s what happens when Kathleen has too much time on her hands and reads too much Dr. Seuss.

The best thing happening at the conference this year, is the wedding of author Jo Leigh - her story is here. Congrats to Jolie & Dotes!

July 30, 2005!

Wishing you both a lifetime that brings
Raunchy and sexy and fun naughty things
And wishing each wish will be sure to come true
In an exhausting future ahead for you two!

I’m deep in revisions so will have to skip today’s mistake post. Then again, if I’m boring you all to tears then I don’t have to get back to that line of posting at all, heh. Just let me know!

So far I’ve found the best market reports on the conference to be coming in from Helen Kay, Cynthia Harrison, and Amy at Writeminded. (Of course, I’m sure I’m not seeing everything that’s out there.) Great industry tidbits about whose buying what - one thing about which I know everyone loves hearing!

Have I mentioned how much I hate revisions? This is not to say I don’t need to do them because nothing could be farther from the truth! When I turned in GOES DOWN EASY, I knew it was short and knew something was missing, but having written it in a white hot heat I couldn’t see the shark for the teeth. My brilliant editor nailed it. We talked a week ago Thursday, and I proceeded to jot down backstory notes to weave in. I was excited. I knew these people, so giving them a deeper history wasn’t hard at all.

What’s hard is weaving it all in naturally to a story already written - though I’m not sure it’s as hard as having to add in a viable subplot after the fact. Thing is, when I leave characters at The End, I’ve left them. I’m thinking about other story people now, and it’a painful to set them aside - and to set aside as well notes I’m making on a future idea - and revisit my past. I don’t like to revisit my past.

I know it’s part of the craft, and I knew when I sent off the manuscript that Jack and Perry’s book needed help. I even had a reader take a shot at it. I asked her to read it critically, and she did, giving me exactly the same feedback as had my editor.

Sigh. I hate it/love it when everyone is right.

I didn’t get started right away because of that nesting thing. Doing brainless tasks (cleaning, laundry, dishes, treadmill, etc.) gives the cells upstairs a chance to untangle and relax. It’s much easier to come back to something after several days spent as a zombie. I still don’t like it, but what’s a poor author to do?

Part of my biggest dislike is fearing I’m not going to address all the points in my editor’s revision letter. I know this is stupid. A borrowing trouble sort of fear. I’ve never had trouble with it in the past, but it hangs over my head and haunts me until I finally hear back that everything is a-ok. I know it will all work, but that doesn’t mean I don’t sweat every minute of waiting!

Now, another subject. In my revision avoidance time this week, I’ve been hopping to some blogs I’ve never seen before. I find them in sidebars of ones I do visit, that link to link to link thing. And I’ve found a couple with some entries that leave me worried for the poster. Remember this post I made months back? Well, these blog entries I’ve seen are chronicles of works in progress. And that’s fine. Except these are public blogs. And the entries are so detailed, anyone could swing by and lift the information. I’m not talking about story snippets. I’m talking about character outlines including full GMC work-ups, character backgrounds, all of it.

Please, please, please for your own sanity, if you want to post those sorts of things for say your crit partners to look over, password protect the entries. WordPress offers password protection - not sure on any other systems. I found one entry yesterday that I could have turned into a synopsis and sold. Just like that. Without a lick of prep work on my part. Unfortunately, there are people out there who don’t share my views on what is unethical. I fear for any author putting that much work into a story idea who then posts it for public viewing. Your story could end up in print one day, written by another author because you’ve left yourself vulnerable.

I officially refuse to obsess about Amazon numbers anymore.

Over a three week period this summer, the following sales numbers were recorded for a NYT bestselling thriller writer’s most recent book:

There is no better tonic than hard numbers

I haven’t done much trolling looking for conference bloggers until this morning, so here are a few links compiled courtesy of many others!

Romance in the air for writers
HelenKay Dimon
Robin D. Owens
Cynthia Harrison
Sage Grayson
Literary Chicks
Carolyn Jewel
Kelly Callihan
Barbara Ferrer
Writeminded
Jill Shalvis
Megan Frampton
Wendy Crutcher
Brenda Coulter
Linda Winfree
Karin Tabke
Alesia Holliday
Debbie Macomber

Update:
National Readers’ Choice Awards Winners
Patti O’Shea
Randy’s Rants
SquawkRadio

If you don’t know the origin of the mistakes, back up a few posts!

EMPTY ADVERBS
Actually, totally, absolutely, completely, continually, constantly, continuously, literally, really, unfortunately, ironically, incredibly, hopefully, finally - these and others are words that promise emphasis, but too often they do the reverse. They suck the meaning out of every sentence.

I really don’t have much to say on this one except that I’m horribly guilty of using these empty words. Probably the ones on this list more than those which are more descriptive. Thing is, we use these words daily. They’re a huge part of our vocabulary. While typing this entry, I’m watching the Primetime episode I mentioned in my previous post, and the woman being interviewed by the reporter answers, “Absolutely,” time after time. Because of that, I’m more forgiving of myself for using these words in dialogue.

But in prose? Check out the examples Ms. Holt gives in her article and you can see how much stronger the book excerpts she chooses are with the empty words removed. She adds this next bit as well:

Another problem with empty adverbs: You can’t just stick them at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a general idea or wishful thinking, as in “Hopefully, the clock will run out.” Adverbs have to modify a verb or other adverb, and in this sentence, “run out” ain’t it.

What’s funny about this is that I rarely write sentences structured thusly and end up editing them out during revisions when I do. (I’m sure now someone will find one that got through, LOL!) They don’t sound right to me, but since I have absolutely no English skills beyond identifying nouns and verbs, I could never give a reason. Just that they don’t work. Guess it’s because subconsciously I realized I’m modifying air! My favorite bit from the article?

(When in doubt, try this mantra: Precise and spare; precise and spare; precise and spare.)

After working through the revisions on KISS & MAKEUP, I had a long talk with my editor about things that had been cut during the editing process. This was a subject that came up: overwriting vs writing that is spare and precise. When I wrote my Red Letter Nights novella, I purposefully wrote spare. And my revisions were nil. That mantra is now plastered across my forehead!

If you’re interested at all in the story that was the basis for LARGER THAN LIFE, tonight’s PRIMETIME LIVE will air a brand new episode based on the same polygamist sect. Also, if you’re interested in the list of RWA workshops and would like the .pdf order form, email me and I’ll be happy to send it to you. I got it from a fellow writer today!

UPDATE: I got an email asking me why I’m offering to send out the workshop order form when I’m so obviusly anti-RWA. Sigh. Again. The organization as it stands has ceased to be of benefit to me. I wasn’t happy with the handling of the romance definition and graphical standards fiascos. This doesn’t mean the organization was never of benefit or doesn’t benefit many now. (I think I’ve said that about umpty dozen times.)

That said, I did get a copy of the RWA Hot Sheet from the recent board meeting - and there may be enough of a future reason to belong. One of the items on the list reads as follows: PAN-eligible members will be able to purchase a BookExpo America badge at the RWA reduced rate. Not too shabby. But what interested me the most was this one:The Board established an ad hoc committee to investigate the feasibility and advisability of RWA creating a for-profit subsidiary. And according to a friend who emailed from the conference and attended the chapter president’s retreat, this would open up health insurance for the authors and the ability to advertise, which they can’t do now. Then they could set up co-op author ads in the major papers and magazines. The for profit arm would only benefit published authors, but of course that makes many of the members very happy.

Health insurance. Nirvana. A benefit that would keep me around.

Holly quotes me on her blog and asks:

I love cons. I love the people who throw them. I look forward to the day when I’ll be able to start attending again (freakin’ deadlines.) So again I’ll ask: Where are the romance fans, and why aren’t they doing this? Why is the RWA with its pricey conferences the only game in town for romance writers? What gives, guys?

RWA’s conference is writing/business-centric - to the point that there were members of the org recently bemoaning the atmosphere of the Romantic Times convention and not wanting RWA to turn into the same. RT holds the industry’s major fan/readers con. Both are similarly pricey. There are smaller reader/fan cons. Celebrate Romance is one. Lori Foster and Dianne Castell started another this last year.

Holly’s first question is about the $2000 price tag I threw out for the RWA conference. This is, of course, a YMMV thing. But here’s the breakdown. My hotel this year would have been $588. I don’t do roommates unless it’s the dh or my long time career partner. She wasn’t going, meaning I would share the $588 with the dh. Yes, that’s my choice, others save by splitting a room 3 or 4 ways. The conference fee itself is around $400. Maybe $380. I can’t remember. Then there’s airfare. Since I travel with the dh, for me that means another $600. I’m at $1600 right there. Add in the dinners and lunches out with friends (in Denver, I did a high tea at the Brown Hotel, too much fun), the tapes and books bought, etc., and I hit $2000 without blinking. Even in the days when the dh wasn’t around, my cost was still easily $1200.

Romantic Times’ annual conference is a closer fit to the fan cons Holly is talking about. There are costume balls and the cover model competition, etc., as well as writing workshops. The registration fee is still around $450, and there’s the airfare to Daytona Beach (for 2006). Single room for a night there is $119 plus taxes - the same as the RWA Reno hotel this year. Ergo, the cost for the RT combo fan/writers con is the same as that for RWA. There is just a broader spectrum of events. It’s not all writing. Check out the photos from the 2005 conference at this site.

I haven’t been to an RWA conference since 2002, but have always considered the trip to be a working conference. A business conference. A learning / career conference. I’ve never considered it a vacation or a night out with the girls. *g* But I’ll have to talk more about that later because I have an FVT and a dentist appointment calling my name!