W is for...Writers' Groups by Annie Burrows

On the first Friday of every month, Novelista Annie Burrows has been sharing a very personal view of what it is like to be a writer.  And is dealing with themes in alphabetical order.  This month, she's reached W...which she has decided should stand for Writer's groups.

Writing can be a very insular occupation.  I do spend a lot of time shut away in my study, writing down the adventures of my imaginary friends.  But one thing I learned fairly early on is the benefit of connecting with other writers, either online or in real life.

Shortly before I landed my first publishing contract, I'd decided that if I got another rejection I was going to join the Romantic Novelist's Association so that I could send my manuscript in to their New Writer's Scheme for critique.  I really felt I needed someone to read one of my stories and tell me why I was getting constant rejections, and, for a very reasonable fee, that is what the New Writer's Scheme provides.  Only then I got an acceptance instead.  So I joined as a full member and went along to my first local meeting.

It was wonderful to walk into a room full of like-minded people, and know I could talk about writing with people who would totally get what I was on about.  I made my first writing friends through the RNA, and also picked up nuggets of useful advice for UK based authors, such as that wonderful institution of PLR (Public Lending Right).  Basically, every time someone borrows my book from a UK library, I can get a few pence providing I've registered that book in the scheme.

And that is what writer's groups provide - not only support and friendships, but the exchange of knowledge.

Through friends I met at the RNA, I joined the group who later became the Novelistas.  Our meetings usually take the form of a round robin, over a pub lunch, so that each of us can share where we're up to.  Between us there is such a wealth of experience in the publishing industry that no matter what the topic brought to the table - from difficult edits to choosing an agent - there will be someone amongst us with valuable advice.  Or at the very least an opinion!  And if we have something special to celebrate, like a new book publication, there's very often cake.

As a writer for Mills & Boon, I've also joined the Association of Mills & Boon Authors (known as AMBA).  We have an online forum where we can share industry news and chat, and meet up once a year for a lovely lunch in a swanky location in London.  Since many of the members also belong to the RNA, that meeting takes place the day after the RNA a.g.m. so that people who live a long way from London can make an overnight stop and attend both meetings.

As I write historical romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon I've also joined an online chapter specifically for writers of Historical romance.  They are a really knowledgeable and talented bunch of ladies.  It doesn't matter what the question anyone asks, someone is bound to know the answer, or be able to point to a research resource where we can find the answer.  I have found research so much easier since getting in contact with the Harlequin Hussies (as we call ourselves), as there is always someone who knows exactly where I can find the specific historical detail I want to get right. Because the romance market is so big in America, I recently joined the RWA (Romance Writers of America).  Although I have only managed to get to two conferences, they both really opened my eyes to the way things are done in the States.

    

 Plus, I got to meet up with the Hussies over breakfast.

And got interviewed by a film crew during a book signing.  You can watch the video here.

Romance is big business over there, and writers of romance take their careers very seriously.  The RWA magazine (which I get online) contains a mine of useful information about the craft and business of writing romance, which I can't wait to devour monthly as it drops into my inbox.

And finally, through the RNA, I learned the importance of joining the Society of Authors.  This is an organization for UK based authors of both fiction and non-fiction.  They provide things like tax advice, legal protection, and will look over contracts before an author signs anything that might be detrimental to their rights.

So, I've gone from being a bit of a hermit, to someone who has plenty of friends, both real and virtual - all from joining writing groups.

Annie's next book, "In Bed with the Duke" will be released in May, from Harlequin Mills and Boon.  It is available for pre-order from Amazon.

Now she is wondering what on earth to write for next month's blog.  X is for...?

Any ideas?

V is for...Voice by Annie Burrows

On the first Friday of every month, Novelista Annie Burrows has been sharing a very personal view of what it is like to be a writer.  And is dealing with themes in alphabetical order.  This month, she's reached V...which she has decided should stand for Voice.

In some ways, this article continues from the one I posted last month, about your Unique Selling Point.  Because your voice is going to be a part of what makes you unique.

Publisher's websites are always saying they are looking for fresh new voices.  But what do they mean by "voice", I've often wondered?  And how am I going to get a fresh new one?

Well, having read a lot of articles about it recently, I've discovered that actually it's quite simple.  My "voice" is simply the thing that makes readers recognize me as the writer.  It is my personality coming through in my writing.

This explains something that happened when I had my first book published.  My husband was rather impressed, and agreed to read it.  Even though it was a historical romance, and had a cover with a picture of a couple in a clinch, he read it during his daily commute to work on the train. (Which earned him lots of brownie points.)

When I asked what he thought of it, he said, in amazement, that it sounded just like me.  Well, of course it sounded like me - I wrote it!  When I asked what he meant, exactly, he explained that the things the heroine said were just the sorts of things he could imagine me saying.

(Which was fine, until a couple of chapters later, he mentioned that he thought the heroine was "a stroppy cow".  Half the brownie points earned for reading my book at all promptly deducted.)

But there you have it.  Your voice is just your personality shining through in your writing.  Your attitudes, your take on life, your values.  And in my case, my tendency to stroppiness (apparently - though I think I'm very easy-going.)

Another thing which helped me understand what a writer's "voice" is, happened during a writer's workshop I held, in the days when I thought that because I'd had a book published, it qualified me to teach writing as well.  I set the students a very simple writing task - to describe their hero.  Every single person in that class came up with a wildly different article.  Not only their heroes were different, but so were the reasons for picking them, and the way they described them.  Each article told me as much about the person who'd written it, as the hero they'd picked.

Every single writer has their own distinct take on the world, because of the way they were brought up, their values, their interests, and so on.  If you were to ask six people in the room where you are now, to describe the room, you'd probably get six wildly different accounts.  Some of the writers would describe the room in detail, right down to the style of architrave round the door.  Others would focus on the other people in the room.  Even the ones who wrote about the other people would each come up with something different.  Some would be more interested in what the others were wearing, some on what they were doing.  Someone might even take the opportunity to have a dig at you for making them do all the work when they'd paid good money to learn how to write.

So, your "voice" is just you.  Your way of putting things.

However, when you first start writing, you will probably emulate writers you admire.  It can take time, and practice, to gain the confidence to just be yourself, to allow your own, unique voice to come through in your writing.

Unless of course you happen to be naturally stroppy and opinionated.

Annie's next book features a heroine who might be considered "stroppy".  Especially when she's confronted by an infuriatingly autocratic hero.

"In Bed With the Duke" is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released in May 2016.

My Secret Double Life by Sophie Claire

I have a set of questions which I think of as my annual review:

            What did you embrace in 2015?

            What did you let go of?

            In 2016 where do you want to be? 
And so on...

I love these kind of questions. They’re useful for keeping me focused on my goals and reminding me of my achievements, and obviously this was a big year for me with the publication of my first novel. However, one of my answers stopped me in my tracks. I had completely forgotten that 2015 was also the year I came out and told everyone in the real world (as opposed to online) that I am a writer!

Until May, when Her Forget-Me-Not Ex was released, my writing life was a closely guarded secret known only to my close friends and family. Why?

Let me take you back a step. When I first began to write fifteen years ago, I treated it as a hobby. I wrote while my baby was napping and I mainly wrote short stories because that was all I had time for. After a few years, I plucked up the courage to start a novel. I worked on this for two years and by the time I’d finished it, the seed was sown: I knew I wanted to be a writer. So I tentatively told a few people about my hopes of one day being published.

I knew achieving publication would not be easy and I braced myself for rejection, but when I sent my first book to publishers and agents I was stunned by their response. My book was like a boomerang. It used to come back, sometimes by return of post. (With hindsight, I’m so glad – that first book was a learning experience!)

However, I wouldn’t give up. I wrote another novel. And another. I went on writing courses, and I constantly searched out books and articles to try and improve my craft. Gradually, the rejections became less standard and more encouraging, telling me I was nearly there. I saw this as progress (though it was incredibly frustrating too), but some people – non-writers – couldn’t understand my optimism. Their interest turned to sympathy and eventually to pity. So I decided to keep my writing dreams to myself.

Then we moved house. As far as my new neighbours and friends knew, I was a stay-at-home mum of two who did the school run and worked part-time proofreading academic papers. In reality, I proofread at night when the children were in bed, and wrote feverishly from 9 till 3 every day. Although I still hadn’t earned a penny from writing, I treated it as my job and that was all I wanted to do.

I would sometimes vanish for the weekend to attend a writing course, and when people asked where I’d been I kept my answers vague: ‘Oh, seeing friends’. Which was true. I didn’t want to give the game away, but I didn’t want to lie either. It was difficult keeping up the deception. So this year when my book came out and I could finally tell everyone the good news I was so relieved.

What’s your book about? friends asked; Where do you get your ideas? Why didn’t you tell us you were a writer?

The truthful answer is: because I needed the validation of being published to feel I really was a writer.

And how do people react now when I tell them what I do? They’re mostly intrigued. Writing, for whatever reason, is regarded as a fascinating career. I love that some people are bemused by imagination and the concept of making things up (Did you base your book on an ex-boyfriend? – er, no). I love that people want to give me ideas they’ve had for books they think should be written. I love that there is a general perception that writers are all as rich as J.K. Rowling (oh, that this were true!). I love the discussions I get drawn into about other authors and their books. It’s my favourite subject, my passion, and I’m thrilled that I can now openly share that passion.

I am Sophie Claire. And I am a writer.

Sophie.x