Michelle Styles's Blog, page 41

Inspiration and character traps

Hang around in Romancelandia a bit and you will see many authors use pictures of actors, models, polo players etc for inspiration for their characters. Some authors return time and again to familiar inspiration while others choose different ones. Both approaches can work because ultimately it is not about how a character looks but what is under his skin. However the first approach can lead to character burn out as you keep mining in the same place.
As you write more books, you need to be aware...

RWA Workshop on Marketing for the Brave New World

I was very surprised to see that this particular workshop was not well attended. Personally I had thought there would be people sitting on the floor. It could have been the timing -- just after lunch on the Saturday  or didn't really say that this was SMP marketing and PR team plus a high profile book publicist and star agent. Mary Kay Andrews is a best selling NYT author and she brought along her team to say how they supported her and what could be done, particularly when budgets are cut to ...

RWA -- The PAN workshops/retreat

One very big reason to go to the RWA National conference is the Published Author Network retreat and workshops. These workshops are not recorded and the only people who can attend are PAN members. The lists of the workshops are in your packet or in the PAN section of the RWA site. PRO members have their own track. The keynote speaker for PRO was Donald Maass so I was a bit miffed that I couldn't go.
For PAN, the keynote speaker was Lou Aronica who served as deputy publisher at Bantam before ...

RWA 10 workshops -- Fire into Fiction (Part 2)

As long time readers of this blog will know, ever since Penny Jordan recommended Donald Maass's Writing the Break Out Novel about five years ago, I've been a fan of his work. So I jumped at the opportunity to hear him speak.
Donald Maass does a good workshop. And I now understand how to get people writing in a workshop without having to share or having a piece to work on.
The workshop was on scenes and transformations. It was all about making a flat scene work.
The exercises are in his book Fir...

RWA workshops -- SEP's 6 Magic Words

I will admit to never having read Susan Elizabeth Phillips. This is a failing of mine that I intend to remedy. SEP's workshop really impressed. There is a handout for this workshop, but it is not taped. Despite the early hour of the morning, the workshop was packed and there are reasons why it was packed.
The handout is good but SEP in person is even better. Anyone who can quote Aerosmith that early gets my vote.
Her motto is Dare to Suck.
The 6 Magic Words to creating a Bestseller -- Keep the R...

Workshops I attended at the RWA -- Unusual Historical

One of my fave workshops was the panel on Unusual Historical organised by my friend Carrie Lofty. Carrie has been a big moving factor behind upping the profile of historicals that are a little bit different. She is the main mover and driver behind the blog Unusual Historical for instance.

With this panel she assembled agent Kevan Lyon, Asian writer Jade Lee, paranormal historical writer Zoe Archer, and the winner of this year's Rita, Sherry Thomas as well as herself to answer questions. She al...

Top tips from the RWA conference

I learnt many things at the RWA conference in Orlando.

1. Always carry your business cards, even when you think you won't need them any more. While waiting for the shuttle bus, I encountered the editor in chief of Ellora's Cave who had the good taste to like my parrot earrings (I'm not interested in submitting but it was good to put a face to EC), an author who just sold to Carina and who scribbled down her email on the back of one of my cards and a Superromance author Jennie Watt who used to ...

Typing with cats

Heathcliff has decided that he is an edit-cat today. I am forgiven for having dared to go away. Apparently while I was gone, he went and sat on my husband's knee!Mostly as you can see, he climbs up and leans back against me. But occassionally I can get him to go into the top desk drawer. He got in trouble yesterday when he tried to sharpen his claws on my contract for Valeria and Piso. The contract is about to be posted... But he has decided that he needs attention.The revisions are...

Back from the RWA

I am back! My updates etc are on the Pink Heart Society.
I had a marvellous time.
For me, conference was all about meeting people. I loved meeting so many people that I had corresponded with. Everyone seemed to be pretty much as I pictured them.
The Hussies were great. I was so impressed with Blythe Gifford and her glasses as jewelery approach. She also wears turquoise and has this marvellous zest for life combined with a totally practical business like approach. Blythe and Julia Justiss have be...

Off to Orlando

Drum roll please! My revisions are done and hopefully my editor will now love the book.

I now have to pack. My daughter has been going over outfits with me and vetoing things. *rolls eyes heavenwards!*

I am tremendously excited about the RWA. Updates will be on the Pink Heart Society as News Flashes. I will also do something for the Harlequin Historical Author blog. And then will do a full round up of all my doings when I get return!!! I do know what it feels like to be left behind.

Wish me luck.