Victoria Janssen's Blog, page 128

RWA National Conference 2009 Report, Part One

I began my trip to D.C. for RWA Nationals on Wednesday morning at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. I spent the time before my track was announced in snapping pictures of the station's architecture; I'm there often, but rarely with a camera in my hand; the angel statue is especially photogenic. Remember it at the beginning of the film Witness? I took the Amtrak train, which is a comfortable

Confessions of a Luddite

I have a confession to make.I don't really like reading e-books.I spend all day in front of a computer at my day job. On the weekends, I spend at least half of each day in front of my laptop, writing fiction. Despite anti-glare and backlighting, when I read a book I don't want to have to pull out another device. I don't want to carry another device around. I don't want to press buttons and scroll

My thoughts on returning from RWA's National Conference.

Q: How many surrealists does it take to change a lightbulb?A: Fish.

Siegfried Sassoon, "Twelve Months After"

Twelve Months After Hullo! here's my platoon, the lot I had last year. 'The war'll be over soon.'              'What 'opes?'                      'No bloody fear!'Then, 'Number Seven, 'shun! All present and correct.'They're standing in the sun, impassive and erect.Young Gibson with his grin; and Morgan, tired and white;Jordan, who's out to win a D.C.M. some night;And Hughes that's keen on wiring;

Digesting Critique

I have a rule for myself. After I've attended my writers' workshop and had a manuscript critiqued, I don't work on that manuscript for at least a day or so, more sometimes. It might be tempting to go home and immediately page through my notes and the written comments and get started, or to start writing the next section of the novel, or redoing scenes, but I've discovered that just doesn't work

Dissecting Critique, Dissecting Manuscripts

Currently, I'm working on my third novel for Harlequin Spice, tentatively titled The Duke and The Pirate Queen. I'm about a third of the way through the first draft. I gave the first few chapters to my longtime writers' workshop, to get some early feedback. It's a little different asking for a critique on a partial manuscript, especially when the novel has already been sold. This time, I did

2009 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing

Tonight, I'm at the 2009 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing at RWA's National Conference."More than 500 romance authors participate in this two-hour autographing event, and each year we raise thousands of dollars, which are donated to ProLiteracy Worldwide. Since 1991, RWA has donated more than $600,000 to literacy charities.The 2009 "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing takes place on

My Top Five Conference Tips (RWA 2009)

This year will be only my second RWA National, but I've been attending science fiction and fantasy conventions for over two decades now; these are the main things I try to remember.1. Get cash beforehand. It's convenient to use a credit card, and then all your expenses are organized when it comes to tax time, but when eating out with a large group at an inexpensive restaurant, it's often easiest

Not Going To Conference Conference

Not Going To RWA Nationals in DC?Let Romance Divas bring the conference to you!Site registration is free – if you aren't already a member of the best free romance writing community on the web, sign up today!July 14-18, 2009. Workshops from some of the hottest talent in writing will make you glad you stayed home!Marley GibsonJoey W. HillSteve HockingsmithCarrie JonesShayla KerstenJosh LanyonRowan

Tate Hallaway Guest Post - "If You Built It..."

Please welcome my guest, Tate Hallaway!If You Built It...When Victoria asked me to write about world-building, I was stymied. What world-building? I didn't invent Madison, Wisconsin, after all. It's just this place, you know? I was particularly baffled because in my other life as a science fiction writer when people talk about building a world, they mean literally constructing a planet and