Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Newbies
(Sorry, no musical influences for the week. I’m not Sin. She’s off playing somewhere other than the ship, and I graciously took over for the day. Sorry. No angst. No music. No murder. Or thoughts of murder. Live with it.)
2nd Chance
On with the blog!
We were all newbies once. We all took the first step to a conference or a convention or an RWA meeting or a classroom at one time…stepped into that room and wondered if the big neon sign above us, shouting out TOTAL IGNORANT BOOB was working.
Admit it, we all have these signs.
I know how terrified I was at my first event. The Romantic Times Booklovers Conference in Pittsburgh, April of 2008. I was lucky. I’d signed up for the Aspiring Author workshop and one thing Judi McCoy does brilliantly is set up a bulletin board for everyone to join who takes her class. Months in advance.
So, we all had a chance to babble about our nerves, to address the questions about what we needed to bring to class a bazillion times, how to format our writing… OMG! What if we do it wrong???? We’ll be cast into no-more-chances hell and never see daylight again! Nooooooo!
Yeah, total chaos and lots of diving into the chocolate bins. Would have been much worse without the BB. As it was, because of that BB, I arrived to meet Jane in person. We’d already found common ground on the BB and started a friendship apart from that link.
Last year, Judi asked Jane and me (should that be Jane and I? These grammar things confuse me sometimes…) Anyway, she asked us to join her newbie board as a pair of experienced students who could help her, and them.(I’ve come to the conclusion this gives Judi more time to write and helps her save patience for the convention. Smart woman!)
We agreed. And we had a blast. Made friends with most of them, several we are still corresponding with. And several I lured to the Revenge. (Hi! Sabrina!) We were told by many of them how our joking back and forth set them at ease and made them look forward to not only everything they’d learn, but how much fun they’d have. And they weren’t worried about arriving at the con feeling terribly alone.
Jane and I both felt this was our opportunity to give back to the community. And to help out with making sure the newbies don’t feel as scared as we did, despite knowing each other when we arrived in Pittsburgh. (I mean, what if we’d really disliked each other on site? What then? It could have happened that way!)
We’re doing it again this year, another crop of newbies to encourage and work with. And Jane e-mails me, “Were we this freaked out?”
And I e-mail her back, “Yes! Of course we were!”
How quickly we forget! Granted, what freaked me out didn’t freak Jane out. And vice versa. But yes, we both freaked about different things.
In Orlando, it was fascinating to see how certain newbies prepared for the conference. Sabrina had a color coded notebook of all the panels, when, who…she was über organized! Willie had a pack to haul away books and I think she ended up with around 200 in that pack. (Not all freebies.) Kathy and Darelle, a niece and aunt, put together the most amazing costumes for the fairy ball! Damn, I wanted to steal that crackle glass globe atop her staff!
We’re looking forward to what this next group will surprise us with. Last year, we had goody bags for them, a total surprise for Judi, who cried at seeing her newest book included in the bags. A surprise Jane’s husband sprang for.
(The dog that inspired Judi to create her new dogwalker series passed away right before the first book made it to the bookstores. Bryan, Jane’s DH, is a big softie and wanted to contribute something to make Judi feel better. This box of books arrives at Jane’s house from an unknown benefactor and we didn’t know until months after the conference that they came from Bryan. Now, that’s romantic!)
We filled the bags with some snacks, chocolate, small notepads, pencils, snacks, pens, bookmarks I made printed with the most basic of the acronyms that had confused me in the beginning…just fun stuff. Oh, and buttons. And info about the Revenge!
And several of the newbies had visited Disneyworld before the con. Brought me a pirate flag pin and Jane got a TinkerBell mug. Sweet girls!
Even though Jane and I aren’t published, or agented, we feel it’s important to do what we can with what we know to help out the how ever we can. Jane, the insane one, is going to volunteer at the con this year. I might tag along, but nothing official. I hate being scheduled at these things…
So, you remember what it was like to be so brand new you didn’t know what HEA meant? (I do.) How did you feel the first time you walked into a conference, did it feel to you like everyone knew everything while you knew nothing? (I did!) Have you been to a conference yet? Worried, at all? (I admit, I still worry.) How do you give back or plan to give back to the writing community?
2nd Chance
On with the blog!
We were all newbies once. We all took the first step to a conference or a convention or an RWA meeting or a classroom at one time…stepped into that room and wondered if the big neon sign above us, shouting out TOTAL IGNORANT BOOB was working.
Admit it, we all have these signs.
I know how terrified I was at my first event. The Romantic Times Booklovers Conference in Pittsburgh, April of 2008. I was lucky. I’d signed up for the Aspiring Author workshop and one thing Judi McCoy does brilliantly is set up a bulletin board for everyone to join who takes her class. Months in advance.
So, we all had a chance to babble about our nerves, to address the questions about what we needed to bring to class a bazillion times, how to format our writing… OMG! What if we do it wrong???? We’ll be cast into no-more-chances hell and never see daylight again! Nooooooo!
Yeah, total chaos and lots of diving into the chocolate bins. Would have been much worse without the BB. As it was, because of that BB, I arrived to meet Jane in person. We’d already found common ground on the BB and started a friendship apart from that link.
Last year, Judi asked Jane and me (should that be Jane and I? These grammar things confuse me sometimes…) Anyway, she asked us to join her newbie board as a pair of experienced students who could help her, and them.(I’ve come to the conclusion this gives Judi more time to write and helps her save patience for the convention. Smart woman!)
We agreed. And we had a blast. Made friends with most of them, several we are still corresponding with. And several I lured to the Revenge. (Hi! Sabrina!) We were told by many of them how our joking back and forth set them at ease and made them look forward to not only everything they’d learn, but how much fun they’d have. And they weren’t worried about arriving at the con feeling terribly alone.
Jane and I both felt this was our opportunity to give back to the community. And to help out with making sure the newbies don’t feel as scared as we did, despite knowing each other when we arrived in Pittsburgh. (I mean, what if we’d really disliked each other on site? What then? It could have happened that way!)
We’re doing it again this year, another crop of newbies to encourage and work with. And Jane e-mails me, “Were we this freaked out?”
And I e-mail her back, “Yes! Of course we were!”
How quickly we forget! Granted, what freaked me out didn’t freak Jane out. And vice versa. But yes, we both freaked about different things.
In Orlando, it was fascinating to see how certain newbies prepared for the conference. Sabrina had a color coded notebook of all the panels, when, who…she was über organized! Willie had a pack to haul away books and I think she ended up with around 200 in that pack. (Not all freebies.) Kathy and Darelle, a niece and aunt, put together the most amazing costumes for the fairy ball! Damn, I wanted to steal that crackle glass globe atop her staff!
We’re looking forward to what this next group will surprise us with. Last year, we had goody bags for them, a total surprise for Judi, who cried at seeing her newest book included in the bags. A surprise Jane’s husband sprang for.
(The dog that inspired Judi to create her new dogwalker series passed away right before the first book made it to the bookstores. Bryan, Jane’s DH, is a big softie and wanted to contribute something to make Judi feel better. This box of books arrives at Jane’s house from an unknown benefactor and we didn’t know until months after the conference that they came from Bryan. Now, that’s romantic!)
We filled the bags with some snacks, chocolate, small notepads, pencils, snacks, pens, bookmarks I made printed with the most basic of the acronyms that had confused me in the beginning…just fun stuff. Oh, and buttons. And info about the Revenge!
And several of the newbies had visited Disneyworld before the con. Brought me a pirate flag pin and Jane got a TinkerBell mug. Sweet girls!
Even though Jane and I aren’t published, or agented, we feel it’s important to do what we can with what we know to help out the how ever we can. Jane, the insane one, is going to volunteer at the con this year. I might tag along, but nothing official. I hate being scheduled at these things…
So, you remember what it was like to be so brand new you didn’t know what HEA meant? (I do.) How did you feel the first time you walked into a conference, did it feel to you like everyone knew everything while you knew nothing? (I did!) Have you been to a conference yet? Worried, at all? (I admit, I still worry.) How do you give back or plan to give back to the writing community?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Books by the Crew
69 comments:
I remember when I started writing, well, again. Technically I've been writing my whole life but I got serious a little over 3 years ago.
I didn't start with a conference, I started with Fanlit. Though I didn't finish or spend as much time with it as I would have liked (I was 9 months preggo) I remember feeling like I had a long way to go.
At my first conference, I was nervous. Until I met Tiffany Clare and JK Coi. I'd "met" them on line so I was nervous the in person meeting wouldn't go as well. But it did and we had a blast. :)
Since then, I've sorta fumbled my way through. It isn't my personality to be overly self-conscious.
I do remember the first times I sent my romance stuff to be critiqued. That filled me with nerves and angst. :)
I was fortunate that by the time I attended a conference, I knew a ton of people. Many of whom I'd already met in person. But I was still nervous. My first RWA chapter meeting was probably the toughest. Didn't know a soul and had to make myself go. But they welcomed me with open arms and by the time that meeting was over, I knew I was doing the right thing.
I volunteer at Nationals, but not idea beyond that what I'd do to give back. I do know I wouldn't have enough patience to answer endless questions from newbies. I don't even like training new people in my day jobs, always been that way. Trying to teach someone goes directly against my "Just get out of the way I'll do it" mentality. I get it from my grandmother. This trait in her is the exact reason I don't know how to cook today. :)
My first conference experience was the 2006 RWA National in Atlanta. I wasn't registered for the conference but drove into the city on Wednesday for a BB Get-together with Eloisa James and the Literacy Signing. It was overwhelming and more than a little unnerving to walk into the hotel lobby, be surrounded by swarms of people and not know a soul. I found a quiet corner where I could sit for a bit and collect my courage. My saving grace was Liz Bevarly. I saw a woman sitting in the cafe that I thought might have been her (I was a regular Squawk Radio poster at the time) so I walked over and asked if that's who she was. (Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?) When I introduced myself, she squealed, jumped to her feet and gave me a huge hug. I turned around and there was Teresa Medeiros waiting for her turn to hug me too. They introduced me to the other authors at their table and drew me right into their conversation while giving me lots of helpful conference tips and making me feel "part of the gang." When Eloisa arrived for the BB party she was the same way - warm and gracious, treating us all like old, dear friends.
What I took away from that conference was the knowledge that all it takes is one person extending a hand to make your conference experience a positive one. Last year was my first National as a registered participant. I volunteered at the registration desk, checking people in, answering questions and offering tips based on previous experiences. I also made a point of smiling and saying hello to people who looked a little lost, and answering a few questions along the way, remembering what it was like for me in Atlanta. I hope I helped to make their first conference experience a positive one. Maybe this year, one of those people will be volunteering or extending the hand of friendship to someone else who looks a little lost and alone. I know I will.
PJ - I still can't believe you did all that just for the joy of it. You are one special lady. And I was so excited to get to finally meet you in person. (The chocolate was pretty sweet too. LOL!)
What you have here is paying it forward and I love that idea. They use it in lots of commercials these days. Not only is doing this sort of thing good for our own karma, it inspires others to do the same and that's a nice cycle to keep going.
Great blog, Chance, and what a fun way to help newbies! I was very, very nervous at the beginning, and so embarrassed to ask for help.
My first conference I knew the writing stuff, but for some insane reason, I was convinced that everyone else knew each other, and I was going to be the one out-cast. LOL! I don't know why I thought it would be such a close-knit group, but of course, it wasn't.
I don't know that I do anything right now to give back to the writing community, which is sad :( I'll have to think of something! I was trying to put together a blog analyzing conflict in fiction, and how to increase and use conflict and what-not, but I ran out of time and energy.
oh, contest judging! That can be giving back, if you're constructive and tactful (not so much if you're just bashing).
Speaking of which, the Central Florida RWA chapter is gearing up for their Touch of Magic contest, and they're offering judge training to their judges.
The email I got said to email tomcoordinator@gmail.com if you want to judge, and they'll give you free training. Woot!
Morning, crew! Glads ta see me little missive on the perils of newbie-hood is stirring up memories. When I dove inta this world, I was approaching the first anniversary of my sudden cardiac death, in fact, the last day in Pittsburgh was the anniversary!
Pittsburgh was my first step back into a normal life, where I could go places by myself and not be frightened every minute of every day that my heart would flake out, again.
Yup, I was medicated, but not a whole lot. Because of Judi's Bulletin Board and Jane, I did all right in Pittsburgh. Months later, I tried to attend the RWA in San Francisco, being in my own backyard, and that was harder.
There's a real determination at RWA events. People hurrying who know where they are going, intent on arriving. Like the rabbit in Alice, looking at watches and mumbling, "I'm late!" under their breath as they hurry along.
In my opinion, RWA could use some panels on newbie orientation on the first day. RT has two, The RT Virgin and How to Get The Most Out of the RT Experience.
Marnee - Judi had an author read 20 pages of whatever we were writing in Pittsburgh. My pro was a sweet woman who has continued to encourage me and gently steered me into better habits.
But yup, handing those pages over for the first time was nerve wracking. You want to hear "OMG, the best story since Gone With the Wind." And you worry you'll be advised to enter the 'dark and stormy night contest' ...
But once you do it, you're no longer a virgin and it gets easier. And funner! (I'm still looking for the funner. Finding it more informative, but havne't found the fun factor yet. Blast.)
PJ - Awesome first time experience! To meet such well knows and have them embrace you...wonderful way to go!
Jane and I keep telling the newbies to step outside their comfort zone and introduce themselves to people. Plus, since the aspiring author workshop is scheduled a few days before the main convention starts, they will have the upper hand. They will already be familiar with the hotel, the rooms, where to eat...all information they can share and get to know folks that way.
A lot of these ladies are very much beginners. And a few are old hands. So between them, it will be interesting to see how they scatter once the con begins!
Bo'sun - You may feel you don't have the patience for a newbie, but you did great helping me feel comfortable in DC!
The BB can be pretty trecherous. The questions that get asked again and again as new people join... Jane and I are trying to put together some FAQ downloads for them. We'll get Judi to look them over and by next year, we'll be golden.
Though they will always ask stuff we'll have to figure out! It's the nature of being a newbie.
I think I always knew what HEA meant. Even if it might have given me a second's pause at seeing it, I figured it out from context immediately. I've spent most of my life pursuing the HEA in stories: in the ones I read as well as the ones I write. The HEA is ingrained as a must-have for me.
But there have been acronyms that have thrown me off. I didn't know what TSTL meant when I first read it. But I appreciated it as soon as I was told what it was.
I agree it only takes one hand reaching out to make an experience a make-or-break moment. I was at a workshop--not even a full conference--and I was listening to Betina Krahn speak. One of the published authors at my table talked while Betina talked, scoffed at some of the stuff she said, and rolled her eyes the whole time. (It was like being seated next to Hilary Clinton while a Republican is speaking.) During lunch, while discussing writing projects, the published writer said she was working on a book which featured a heroine who was a certain sign of the zodiac. I, being a sort of zodiac nut, offered up some opinions--to which she scoffed and rolled her eyes. The lady across from me turned to the published author and said, "She sounds like she knows something about the topic. She'd be a good research person." To which the published author rolled her eyes and said, "I don't believe that crap."
Incidentally I never bought any of that woman's books, but I became excellent friends with the lady across the table from me. She was a Godsend. Her name was Dee S. Knight--and she writes marvelous books.
The first "conference" I went to was Debra Dixon's Goal Motivation Conflict, in St. Louis. It was a weekend conference with the MORWA chapter. I was very nervous. I never drove in St. Louis, you see. My friend Pam took off with me and stayed with me, driving me there; and my other friend Jackie met us there and stayed with us as well. They hung out while I went to the writing stuff. I felt very, very nervous, but it was great because my friends--who don't even write--went with me to support me. And then once I was there, it was like I found my long-lost tribe. A bunch of other nutters who loved writing.
Then I found out I wrote my book completely wrong. But it didn't matter because by then, I was committed to making it happen, no matter what. That was 2001. I'd been writing for years before then, but that was my first conference in my profession.
Hal - I'd trust you to judge my stuff. Otherwise, contest are verboten for me.
But there are always ways to help out newbies, even for the unpubbed, like Jane and I. I remember last year for DC, some lady put the most amazingly detailed directions to the hotel on her website. With photos!
With Hel's permission, I've ordered a stack of our RWR postcards to include in the newbie bags. Anoher author is purchasing the display place in the giveaway hallway. I'll mainttain it since she can't come, and get to put out the postcards to promote our site.
I like to think the RWR does a lot for newbies. Invite them aboard and get them drunk on the wonders of writing!
As for giving back, not sure. This is like the question of "what are you doing to save the earth?" and I have to admit I don't even recycle my cans.
When I first joined my local chapter, I judged some contests, but honestly I think entrants are better off without my input. I think I would be nicer now, but still...I'm not the judge they look for. They want the judge who's published. *LOL*
Hel - Wow, some good anti-examples there to pay heed to! We like to warn the newbies to be careful at the con. You never know who you'll be in an elevator with.
I point to Jane and tell them to do what Jane would do. I am not a good example. I babble and though I don't think I'd say anything terribly, terribly wrong, I would at least stick a foot in my mouth around someone I shouldn't.
I always assume no one is listening to me!
One day, I just know I'm going to say something about an author's books. Nothing horrible, just something not really good...and they'll be behind me with a pitchfork and a bunch of fans.
You'll all come looking for me when that happens, right?
Well, Hellie... The newbies have sent Jane and I a few things to read. We help with format, the newbie nightmare (Man, everyone gets their panties in a twist about getting in trouble about this!)...but also with POV, head hopping, simple things. And we both found things we just loved in one lady's stuff. It was rough, but lovely visualizations...
Sometimes, just knowing what we know helps them calm down.
And with RT, the questions about the costume balls, what to wear, do I have to bring a costume, do I have to dress nice, are jeans and a t-shirt OK. For raw newbies, it takes a load off of their mind to just calm the babble.
Which sounds ironic coming from me!
Encouraging newbies to find out ship...hey, this was my first venture into blog worlds and I had such a great time, I venture out much more. A lot of these ladies are totally blank on that stuff.
So, we calm nerves. That's a lot of it.
That was ONE anti-example. Most of the published authors in my chapter were gracious and wonderful (even if they were still slightly intimidating--Elizabeth Grayson was a lovely gracious, but intimidating person).
The bad behavior was one particular author. And if I'd had a bit more confidence, I would have told her to pipe down because just because she knew it all, I thought I could learn something from Betina (whose books I also happened to buy frequently.)
I do the hoof and mouth disease thing well. Invariably I'll be going off about how I hate regency novels with dukes in them, and I'll be standing next to a multi-published author who happens to write about dukes.
I suggest saving that sort of ranting for the blog or the hotel room with you and your best buds. In public, rave positively about the things you enjoy about romance. The things we get right. Because there are just as many things we love about romance as things we hate.
Easier said than done, of course. But the smarter decision.
Hellie - After only two RTs, I have authors I know to stay away from. The ones who spout off with gold plated opinions that I don't agree with. Or who act like being published gives them the right keys to the kingdom and lock the doors.
I have some strong opinions myself about a few of them. Especially the woman who taught the advanced aspiring authors last year.
I think the hard part is this... Jane tells me to just keep my mouth shut about her. But...I don't want to see her crush people with her bigotry, so I won't keep my mouth shut. I even wrote the woman in charge of RT complaining about her agenda.
Sometimes, to me, protecting the newbies and doing right means you take a chance at rocking the boat. If the author talking zodiac signs was completely off her rocker and misrepresenting things, I'd have been hard put not to correct her.
I just hate mis-information and opinion presented as facts. I always try to be polite, but facts are facts. And opinions are opinions.
I figure I'll know pretty quick whether last year's letter was shared with the author in question, since she's still teaching the class and I'll be in the vicinity helping out Judi...
If I don't come back, you'll all come looking for me, right?
Calming their fears and answering these newbie questions is a great service. IMO, fielding the formatting questions alone set you up for sainthood. That's where I'm not cut out to help.
I didn't think about the blog topics being a way of giving back. There are always a ton of "What Not To Do At Nationals!" and "The Best Way To Survive RT" blogs every year. I could handle that much. (Not that I have these answers, but something in this area.)
And Hellie is so right about not ranting in the public areas of these things. You have to figure, 2000 writers present, SOMEONE you're talking about is going to be around. And really, your rant is only your take, best not to spew in public. :)
Most pubbed authors I've met have been wonderful. In fact, other than maybe one or two, I can't think of an author I've met who had her nose in the air about anything.
I can see where calming other people can calm one's own nerves. I've done that. It helps.
I don't get the difficulty of formatting--mainly because I don't understand why writers would write in any other format than double-spaced, 12 point font (courier or NTR), indent paragraphs, and start chapters 1/3 of the way down the page. (OK, I didn't always start chapters that way--but I know writers who write single space in weird font. Why? That's insane trying to re-read.)
On the upside, I suppose that keeps the writer from editing because who would want to edit that font.
I'd probably be one of those people asking if I could wear jeans. And flip flops.
The clothing question is pretty funny. Judi just tells them to be comfortable! Jane doesn't own a pair of jeans, so she says casual, but not sloppy. I go to conferences and dress nice. Not like suits, but I don't want to look like I just crawled out of bed if I ride the elevator with someone I want to impress. Like an agent.
I know, I know...what do they care what you look like. Well, I care. So, I wear skirts, or slacks, nice jackets...
Until Saturday, when the book fair brings out my dog pajamas.
But all three of us warn the newbies to bring comfortable shoes!
The other thing about the formatting that I never understand is that it's just not a big deal. You can write in any damn format you want. What it looks like when you submit is all that counts. And that's a few simple clicks to change before submission. You want to write in one and a half spaced wingding shit, go for it. No one cares at that point but you.
Most submission guidelines tell you what they want, so then it's just following directions. I know it's easy to sweat the small stuff when you're new, but this one is really small.
What to wear drives me nuts. My knees are to the point that I wear tennis shoes every day, every where. I wear them to work, to the store, every where. But unless I stick a doctor's note on my forehead, that's hard to explain at Nationals.
I tried wearing some different shoes last summer and nearly couldn't walk by day three. They'll just have to live with my dang tennis shoes.
Bo'sun - I've met a few. And Jane met one she had to hold herself back from slapping. But she's a lady, and managed...
Sometimes it's the fans who are the worst. Fans and anti-fans. Honestly, I don't feel strongly enough about most any book I've read to go rabid about it. Pro or Con.
Though Jim Butcher will be at RT and I must restrain myself from trying get a DNA sample...I want to write like this man!!!!
Perhaps because RT is a for-profit conference, there is a slightly different layer of politicing going on. I saw it, even from where I stand in the hiarchy...just above mud. I don't do well with that crap. I lick no one's boots.
Well, maybe Jim Butcher. If he asked. And they needed it.
Formatting...but the newbies started writing their favorite way. And word can be tricky with all the various OS and versions. Trying to guide them through the exactly 25 lines per page stuff can take up days.
Judi has difficulty reading smaller text, so for her small author critique, she asked them to enlarge the font.
How to put your name and page number in the header? HORRORS!
Yup, once you get it, you get it. But we got one lady who uses one of those writing programs. She can't get her stuff out of it and into word so it will correctly format.
In the end, Jane and I reassure them that do the best you can, keep it neat. No one is going to throw it back in you face rignt now if it isn't perfect. And we'll help you figure out the program stuff when you get there!
For some reason, getting page numbers to show up is a struggle for a few of them. It's the OS and the versions of word, etc. All different, all a mess.
And I love word!
No, I know not to run around in my jeans and flip flops. If you're going to potentially be around agents and editors and you want your first impression to be a good one--when they're already tired--then you should dress like you're not a fruitcake. (It's taken for granted that you ARE a fruitcake, since you chose writing as a profession. You don't need to advertise it though.) Wear business casual. Try to remember matching shoes. Stuff like that.
There's politicking everywhere. No matter the conference. Don't let RWA fool you that they're not there to make money.
I think if your tennies are clean and your pants drape over them, why not!?
I take about three pairs of shoes. And I change them often during the day. Because I don't care how comfy a pair of shoes is when you first put them on, after lunch, I want to change them. And again for dinner. I just rotate them the whole week.
I suppose you're right, Hel. I'm trying not to be an ostrich with my head in the ground. The woman who started RT is there every year and the entourage surrounding her, the kissing of the mantle stuff, just drives me batty.
Yup, she had a good idea. Glad it worked. But I have other figures on my altar, no room for her.
I think Nationals this year is going to be a bit different, with Samhain and Ellora's Cave invited. Whoop!
I should stay hidden in the corner on this one since I don't go to conferences and, except for judging a few contests, don't give back. But I have to say a word about the importance of online communities for me. Without Squawk Radio and the original Eloisa James bb, not only would I not be an aspiring writer of romance fiction, I'd also be an isolated romance reader and be missing a large group of people who enrich my life in countless ways. I think it's important to remember the newbies in online communities too, and RWR does a terrific job of doing so.
I'm with ya on that, Janga! Climbing aboard the Revenge and learning how to take part has helped me incredibly with moving forward and staying excited. It's hard to do it all in a vaccume and kudos to those who did!
Being open with a blog, welcoming and all, is a way of giving back. Snarky blogs, IMHO, can scare off newbies and stifle innovation. Support with encouragement on a blog is a real gift to the community.
Janga - I have no idea what my life would look like right now if I hadn't stumbled into Eloisa's BB, but I don't want to think about it. Darker and emptier, that's for sure.
Janga, I'm listening to a book on CD called The Element, by Ken Robinson, and it's a wonderful, wonderful book. Very inspirational. He talks about Finding Your Tribe being very important to nurturing your creativity. I think many of the online blogs/groups offer that. On Eloisa's board, I found a huge following of unabashed romance readers; and on smaller blogs--like the Vixens and Vagabonds--I found peers who also had a dream to be published and wanted to talk about the ups and downs of writing. It's very much like finding your tribe.
I also felt that way when I went to my local chapter. I mean, there were people I didn't fit in with; but then it only really takes one person to connect with and then you feel like you fit in with the whole group. *LOL*
...but then it only really takes one person to connect with and then you feel like you fit in with the whole group. *LOL*
Or it only takes one person, and one person and one person...until you build your own tribe!
I like my local RWA group, but I feel like I've only really connected to one of the ladies. And that, alas, appears to be the story of my life. One here, one there...
I think I'm just a one-r sort a' girl!
But they add up and it works for me!
Time to take my show on the road, crew! Bonnie beckons, sighing in her kennel with dreams of romping through wet grass dancing in her eyes... Be back in a bit, all cozy and ready to continue with my Starbucks at hand...
Anyone else find themselves at loggerheads with an established persona in convention world? Or am I the only lucky one?
It's funny that I mentioned my local chapter embracing me since I've left the group recently. Sometimes what seems like a good fit, turns out to be a not so good fit. There are attitudes I have no tolerance for, and some in this group had them. But there are others who were wonderful and a few I stay in touch with. I still wish them all well.
Can't think of anyone I have a personal issue with regarding conferences. But I think I've gotten better at tuning out what I don't care to hear. And at this point, I'll walk out of a workshop faster than you can say glittery hooha. If it's bad, I'm not wasting my hour or two.
I think it only really takes one. The chapter is just a formalized meeting place and time. You find your tribe within the group, if that is truly where you belong.
I don't mind being a small tribe. A lot easier to agree on important decisions like: where are we eating tonight and what movie will we see?
Reading Hellie's comment then mine is a blaring reminder I have less patience than she does. Who'd a thunk?
I've had tiny tribes (and at time no tribe) since the early 90s. My online tribe is good sized, but in person, no more than two or three.
No. I simply have more tolerance/patience for different things than you and 2nd.
You have infinite patience for things I'd never have a scrap of patience for.
It's how it rolls.
That's true, I can read Dukes with no problem.
Exactly. *LOL*
Anyone want to hear how the sun is shining, upper 50s, flowers are starting to bloom...? ;)
I admit, I'm more likely to driven away by those who are just so adament. And, again, those who state opinion as fact. Or who take one small fact and turn it into a mandate. And bigotry, of any sort will see my totally scratch someone from my list of attention.
Prejudice is so subtle in modern society. Seldom is someone going to come out and spout off racial rules of conduct. But sexual? Religious? Size? Age? All still glossed over. Sigh.
I can't. So, I've got a few higher ups possibly gunning for me at RT. But the fight is worth it.
My local RWA can be a bit strident. And I have one a member who belongs to the historical group who crucified Eloisa... I'm just too laid back for stridency.
Jane and I fight to keep the RT board open to everyone who has something to say...as long as it's coached as an opinion. Too easy to crush newbie dreams!
We got a glimpse of spring over the weekend. I was in heaven. Now they're calling for a dusting of snow tonight. Though we've been more furtunate than most other parts of the country. That one snow storm was really it. But I hate the cold, so snow or no snow, the cold makes me cranky.
We're doing the rain dancing for the most part, with some brilliant moments of spring breaking through. Happy sigh.
I don't know.
I don't think it's that easy to crush a newbie dream if it really is your dream to write. You're going to write regardless of what people say--you just might not be apt to seek publishing in the groups that are being that exclusive.
I don't deny it may hurt a newbie for a while, but in the end, I think we all come back to what we are meant to do.
As Ken Robinson was talking about in The Element (and my apologies to him if I butcher his concept): there's a huge difference between conformity (which many chapters or genres can tend to emphasize) vs. finding your tribe (your niche). Sometimes you find your tribe and find you've just found a smaller place to conform to rules.
It's why it's best to stick to smaller groups if you don't wish to conform. And insisting on staying so you can convince them otherwise, just means you're trying to get them to conform to your opinion. Sometimes it's just best to sail separately and just arrive at the same port. That's the best part of sailing: none of those nasty regulations insisting we carpool.
I can't say all conformity is bad or means badly, because writing for a mass-market means writing to the middle ground. It requires a certain amount of conformity to appeal to the widest sector. If it is not your intent to write to a mass-market, then it doesn't matter. I think a lot of chapters, et al, assume the writers there want to write to the mass market. I don't think writers need or have to conform on all things. But I think they have to be willing to conform to some things.
I agree with you, and Ken, for the most part. The thing I see with too many newbies is that list of rules tossed on them can bury them in minutia.
I left my first RT and looked at all the handouts, considered all the advice - mostly contradictory - and had maybe a two minute conversation with myself about whether I could do this. Crushed a bit under the weight of everything that needed, cried out, to be examined for what I could use. Or toss.
I eventually tossed most of it unseen. I know now that I could have reached a better level of writing if I'd taken the time to cull it thoughfully, but I fear trying to do that would have just sent me running away.
But that is me!
I work to keep the newbies from trying to feel the same sort of weight. Some will welcome it "Finally, a rule book!" Others will back away, "Never did well with rules." And somewhere in there, I'm trying to give them the chance to see it's up to them.
They can write to mass market and follow those rules, they can write to genre niches and follow those rules, they can write for themselves and damn the rules...there is room for all of it. If they allow it and don't wall themselves up into windowless rooms of conformity.
I say, let them discover they can sail before they have to choose a course.
Well, the other saying that is always bandied about (other than: Sit and write already) is: Writing isn't for sissies.
Your anecdote suggests you are a writer who is not afraid to trust your instincts. All newbies have to know and understand this--or they're not going to get anywhere because they're going to be too busy trying to please everyone (which only ends up pleasing no one.)
I'm not going to go around reassuring newbies that the rules don't matter. Because it's not true. A certain amount of respect for the rules can help you with your writing. I will say, trusting your instincts matters more.
I didn't see the "crushing newbies" so much about conformity, but that makes sense. But the fact that they are newbies means they don't have the confidence yet to know what to ignore and what to take as gospel. Rules tied me up for a long time.
It's the absolutes and as Chance says, the opinions aired as fact. And I've found it's the nature of writers to jump in, with the good intention of helping, and only hindering because they either don't have enough info or the writer isn't ready/prepared to process what they are offering.
I can see Chance and Jane's desire to buffer them a bit, give them a chance to get their legs under them. But Hellie is definitely write about this journey not being for sissies.
Then again, not much in life is. :)
It should be a bumper sticker Trust your instincts, but know the rules
Those of us who are crippled with a deep abiding need to follow rules waste too much time being blocked by rules. I lived here. Well, I exhisted here, before my near death.
In the dynamic between Jane, Judi and I we reach most of them where they need it. Jane preaches know the rules and break them. Judi preaches listen to me, I know the rules. And I'm off at the side saying...There are no rules, only the joy of actually writing. Or, to be precise, "They're more like guidelines."
Most importantly, I think, I present my philosophy as simply that. Not a rule, but a philosophy!
write = right
Gah!
Yup, you got it Bo'sun. Give them a chance to find their sea legs, feel the wind on their faces and build some love of the journey first!
BTW, how did we end up with just the three of us today? Is there a party someplace else and no one invited us?
That happens to me a lot lately... The boards in general everywhere have been really dead. Spring fever?
True, they don't know what to ignore.
But the fact is they went looking for it to begin with. They arrived here, looking for structure and how to write "correctly"--and then found themselves overwhelmed by all the information available and conflicting about the subject. I've been writing at least half my life, and I'm still drawn to how-to books in bookstores like they're crack. Though as Stephen King says in his how-to book: "They're full of shit."
Writing and the "rules" is an institution; and in my opinion, there is no point in banging your head and shooting your guns off at the institution. They have thick walls and bigger guns. However, gathering up newbies before they can throw themselves off a building in despondency is good.
But in the end, it depends on what the newbie wants to do. If the newbie wants to write to The Middle, to the mass-market, she's going to have to make some peace with rules and conformity and figure out how it works for her. If she wants to write just to write, then whatever. I don't think any writer wants to conform to all the rules. We're all rebels at heart. But if you measure your success by booty and treasure, you're going to have to learn to pirate like the others.
There is no Spring here. It's only 23 degrees here today.
Sin is off relaxing. Not sure what Hal and Marn are up to. If I was Marn, I'd be working in a nice nap while I still could.
I think we need to remember there are rules and then there are *rules*. The second being those thrown around my individuals based on heresay, conjecture, and personal prejudice. Things like "You can't write a hero that's married to someone else" or "You can't write a contemp without really rich and powerful characters" or "You can't write a romance with a H/H over 35."
These are the *rules* that annoy me. LOL! For one, (and PLEASE pass this to the newbies) you can write ANYTHING if you do it well enough. And for another, all of these things have been done and sold and worked because (everyone now) they were done well enough.
*steps off box and sits down on it* That was exhausting, pass me a drink, Chancey.
We'll be pushing back toward 50 over the weekend and all next week.
You remain in the mid-west because......?
That I would agree with. Anything can be done so long as it's done well.
But the rules about having a beginning, middle and an end; a hero who grows during the story; a satisfying ending--those are rules I don't think can be truly tampered with for mass-market appeal. (I'm not saying you couldn't do it for literary markets.)
I'm afraid to leave my father in the care of my two older siblings.
we're getting 3-5 inches of snow tonight (WHY??? AAAHHHGGG!!!!), and then back up to the 50's, thank god. I'm sooo ready for spring!
I'm here now. I had class all afternoon.
I'm definitely one of those writers who said, "Thank god, somebody finally gave me the rule book." The first time I googled, "How to write" and stumbled upon my first article I almost wet myself. I still have an unhealthy addiction to those books. But I'm the kind of person who craves structure, who needs to know exactly where I fit in. Once I'm comfortable there, I can start branching out and spreading my wings, and breaking the rules where it makes sense to break them.
Yeah, I'm the pirate who would make up a rotating schedule for chores and a hierarchy of who gets to decide where we sail and then harp on people to stick with it. LOL! Good thing this is a virtual ship - I'd be walking the plank otherwise!
geez, where'd everybody go? I ran you all off, didn't I? *g*
Yes, Hal, you mentioned liking STRUCTURE and RULES, and they bolted. *LOL*
I imagine Terri drove home. 2nd is probably just hiding. I'm hammering out my schedule for tomorrow, my day off.
No, not hiding, just in transit... I think the key with the newbies is to not just toss a massive rule book at them. And to make it clear that for the most part there are very few set in concrete rules for absolutely fricking everything and everyone. I agree about the basics. H/H...unless you're writing a threesome. Then we need H/H/H ... And growth, yes. There must be growth.
I'm not sold on a definative HEA. But that's my stance. I think HFN is fine. As you all agree, so much depends on where your market is.
I think I try to encourage them to explore. Figure it out, look around and in the meantime, just write! If it goes nowhere, well, at least you'll be writing! And telling stories and as you learn, you'll get better at it.
I look upon myself as the one who tries to put out the fires before the newbies end up on fire.
I actually think structure is good, if they don't hang themselves on it!
I realize this is symantics (sp?) but I don't consider story elements part of the rules. Just like needing wood and a level and lots of nails are all part of building a house that will stand, action, conflict and character growth are elements necessary for building a story that will stand. Common sense more than rules. That's how I like to see it.
Great blog, Chance, and kuddos to you for giving back and paying it forward.
I haven't really attended a conference per se (no workshops or anything), but showed up for an Eloisa James get together a few years ago. You are all absolutely right about it taking just one person to make you feel comfortable and accepted - thanks Hellie!!! I wish I knew then she didn't like hugs cause I didn't even know her and gave her a big one. LOL
At this point in my life the excitement outweighs the panic and fear. I'm seriously thinking about Nashville just cause I so want to see so many of you in person and just hang out. As Janga has said on so many occasions - until meeting all of you I was in this all alone, kind of in my own little world. I think it would be such a high to be around people who understand a part of my life that is for the most part hidden, for lack of a better word.
Irish - I do hope you get to come to Nashville. On top of getting to meet lots of people you *know*, it's a great place to visit. And I admit, I'd love to finally meet you in person.
Yes! Nashville! A pirate party in Nashville!
Post a Comment