I have issues...wait, I mean, I have themes.

I'm not sure I can really add to Mia and Brynn's great posts, but I do have a nifty quote I'd like to share. My dear friend Margaret and her writing partner have a saying (paraphrasing as best as I can because it's been a while since I've heard it) that goes something like this:

Once is happenstance.
Twice is a coincidence.
Three times is a pattern.
Four times is a motif.
Fives times is a theme.

According to this breakdown, I've got a few themes.

1.) Self Discovery - I think all of my main characters experience growth and discover parts of themselves they had no idea existed - or they rise above their perceived limitations to evolve as people.

2.) Self Worth - I don't write perfect characters because they're painfully boring. A lot of my characters have self-esteem issues. That's not to say that they're wallowing in a morass of misery, but yeah, they have issues that they need to overcome.

3.) Self Forgiveness - Guilt. Can't escape it - not in real life, not in fiction. It's important for characters learn to accept their mistakes, learn from them and move on.

4.) Trust - A lot of my characters have trouble with trust - either trusting themselves or others. I try to resolve this by the end of a character's book. While it may not be completely resolved, it's at least resolved enough for the character to illustrate significant growth.

5.) Magic/Paranormal Elements - Out of soon to be fourteen books, only four contain no paranormal elements.

I'm guessing that I gravitate toward these themes because most of them are active in my own life or in the lives of people I know. Writing is always cheaper than therapy.

Some Say Theme; Some Say Motif

I’ll admit right up front, when faced with this week’s subject, I thought it would be a piece of cake. I mean, I’m well aware of the themes in my writing. Then I read Mia’s post on Wednesday and thought, Whoa…wait a sec. What I write isn’t therapy. Wait…is it?

I think what I write has a lot more to do with who I am and issues that concern me. Occasionally, there are issues I might have worked through in the past or that I might still be working through now. Usually, I address these from more of a empathy standpoint than anything else because so many readers have dealt with or are dealing with the same.

Okay, here we go:

Theme 1: Discovering who you are. In every one of my books, there is at least one character, usually the heroine, who discovers who she (or occasionally he) is. It starts in Wedding Jitters, my first published book, in which Dara discovers her heritage as a fairy. She knew she was one but she’d always been afraid. She learned to accept her “freakiness”. This theme, this discovering who we are, continues through all my books right up to Punished where the heroine learns her spanking desires are okay and can provide her and her lover great pleasure. In my books, it’s usually by embracing our strangeness that we find freedom.

Theme 2: Strong heroines. A secret…I value strength in women. I am a strong woman and often have a huge weight of responsibility on me. Weakness irritates me. My heroines are always capable. They always have a plan. They’re willing to take risks and they’re willing to change their lives to help others—or sometimes to save their own lives. They might occasionally break under the pressure, but they aren’t sobbing masses of Jello in the corner. And this can be a problem. My heroines also often have the problem of letting go. They feel they need to take responsibility and they can’t trust other people not to let them down. That’s where Theme 3a and 3b come in.

Theme 3a: Strong heroes. Well, you knew they had to be strong to deal with the heroines, didn’t you? Do you know what irritates me more than shrinking flowers? Men who are weak and irresponsible. And the world is rife with them. It’s an issue I see: women forced to be the decision makers, the ones responsible for everything because they are surrounded by what can only be described as herds of Peter Pans. Argh!!!

Theme 3b: BDSM. I have a part a and b because in my books these go hand in hand. Now this is tricky. Not all my books are BDSM! BUT all of my books have it as a theme, just some to a greater degree. All of my men are dominant. And all of my women, while strong, are truly submissives. I understand that not all women are, but I also understand that there are women who are who won’t acknowledge it. Or who are afraid of that part of themselves. Or who can’t. Give. Up. Control. That’s the main issue there. The women in my books are so used to their responsibilities that they just need a dominant male to help them give up control. Gently, but forcefully, and with the heroine’s well-being in mind at all times. My heroes always want the best for the heroine. Sometimes it’s being tied up and losing control. Sometimes it’s the release of a spanking. Sometimes it’s just being controlled—having someone else be responsible for them for a change. This is why this theme is so prevalent in my writing.

Theme 4: Self worth. We all have issues. My heroines have them, too. It doesn’t come out with all of them, but some have body image problems like so many of us. Some just don’t think they’re good enough for love. These are things that are often struggled with in my books. I’d have to agree that in some ways, on this one, it is therapy…past, present, future, because that junior high heckler never really leaves us alone and we will forever wonder if our hair is messy, if we’re too fat, if the only thing people see is our freckle/birthmarks, if we’re boring, if we’re dumb… The list could go on forever.

I’m sure there are other things that reoccur in my writing, book after book, but these are the main themes. I think if you examine any writer’s body of work, you’ll find themes that flow throughout. Yet every book is different! Well, at least they should be. I know mine share the same themes, but I do strive to make every work unique—like people. Many of us share the same qualities, but we’re all different.

Double Duty

The biggest recurrent theme in my books is hot guys. So rather than ramble on about all of the various hot men that have graced the pages of my books, I figured I would just show you some yummy pictures. Happy Thursday.
















XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel

I think I've seen this plot before...

I'm a firm believer that complex problems in our lives manifest themselves in our work. For writers, that makes the possibility or need to solve our problems through fiction. I doubt any of us intend to put our laundry out there, and I doubt any of us use exact moments from our lives, but I do think we take a recurring life theme, inject it into the current work in progress as it applies to the events of the characters.

Vague, right? Okay, here's what I mean. I'm not a guy but I do like guys. A lot. A very lot. Men are yummy, but I digress. I'm not a gay guy. I'm also not a werewolf DNA expert savior of the vampire race. No, seriously, I'm not. In my book, Claimed by Darkness (Ellora's Cave), Rik is confused by his attraction to Damien. He recognizes it, fights it, struggles with the implications, is a little pissed off about it actually, yet makes it through just fine. At the time I wrote that book, I struggled with a relationship in my personal life which confounded me, annoyed me, consumed me despite the realization that it was bad for me. For Rik and Damien, it wasn't bad for them. For me, and at that time, I decided it wasn't bad for me either until I later changed my mind. By then the book was written.

Another example... Faery Surprising (Resplendence Publishing) was written after a rough break up. People see me as a strong, dominant female who is fairly self-contained. While I can agree with that assessment in a lot of ways, there are many times I feel vulnerable. Especially in relationships. There had been a breach of trust and you'll see that in FS when Flora doesn't know if she can trust Ian with her heart and her business. I guess I hadn't finished exploring the concept, or needed it more fully expressed, because I added to it the actual betrayal of her trust in the most intimate of ways. Would they work through it? Was it possible? Would she be whole afterward, or had he wrecked her? And could Flora stand on her own even if there hadn't been written a happily ever after?

I don't fuck people up against the office wall (yet), nor do I appear naked in men's locker rooms (as of today), nor do I have a cum covered football jersey (at least not until football season starts up again), but I do have a heart and feelings which come into play with my work. I think we all do.

So are the themes recurring? Well, I think they are if the issues you are working on aren't satisfied in the book prior. If you are still working through them, I think they reappear. Open Sesame (RP) has the trust theme, so does Faery Surprising (RP), so does Mind F*cked (RP), so does Melting Melinda (Total E Bound - not yet released). They are different interpretations of that theme and different aspects of it. Melting Melinda is about finding love in an unlikely place and knowing whether or not you can trust yourself, whether or not you think you are worth having love (shortly after my break up, I wrote this). Faery Surprising was written while dealing with the betrayal in my life and trying to find my strength as a woman and whether or not I could stand on my own two feet and remember to breathe. Mind F*cked was written prior to my break up and deals with self-worth as how we are seen by the one who professes to love us.

It's the same theme with different faces. So I challenge you. What theme are you working through and do you see it in your writing?

Recurrent Themes

I hate it when time gets away from me.

The topic this week is themes in writing, specifically my writing, which sent me running with hideous reminders of English Lit classes where the professor was looking for underlying themes in the story and the what this thing or that thing symbolizes. To be honest, I hate that part of English classes - the reading - love the reading - but analyzing - not so much. I write to entertain, to tell a story not to pass along underlying messages that require a pH.D to figure out.

Depending on the definition of theme that you look up either from an English class or google, leads you to look at things in a different way. I'm not sure what kind of recurrent themes I have or will have in my writing - but I'm drawn to hot men - I was going to post pics of hot men instead of staying on topic - but I didn't. Le sigh. Anyway, aside from hot men, I am drawn to martial arts, military, men in uniform, travel, mountains, and BDSM. I like mysteries and thrillers, so I know elements find their way into my books.

Right now, this is what I can think of as far as my themes go, it will be interesting to see how things progress as I gain more experience.

Happy Reading,

Simone

Franken-manuscript: The Thing That Came From Under the Bed

We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man.
We can make him better than he was before.
Better, stronger, faster.

I don’t have many manuscripts under my bed. I used to have twelve. These things happen when you take seven years to get published. There aren’t twelve any more.

I don’t believe in wasting my work. There is something good in every story I’ve written that didn’t get published—I need to add that some were never submitted anywhere either.

The first book I ever wrote, as well as the fourth book I wrote, are part of the Zed Force series I’ll put out later this year with Resplendence Publishing. The first book blew. So, it’s become Franken-Manuscript number one. Characters, one scene, a location and some dialogue will be used. Otherwise, this story it took me years to write has been gutted. Book four which is actually now book one in the ZF series, is Franken Book number two. Great portions of this book were rewritten on the quest to get it published. They’re solid and need reworking. Much of the original book however…you guessed it. Gutted.

All right. Books two and three are in the process of being completely rewritten. I’ll call these The Bionic Historicals. You know the 70s TV show (refer to the opening quote). I have the capability of building a better book. Stronger and better than it was before. But like the TV show…some gimpy things had to go.

Oh…book five. It was innovative. It did well in contests, and was even a finalist in a couple. I don’t know that I’ll ever have it in me to redo this book. It’s a high fantasy romance. A lot of world building. It will remain—mostly—entombed away where old files go. And every once in a while, I’ll take it out and look at it, blow off some dust and say “This is good” but then I’ll probably put it away again. Even so, some of it is alive. I stole the wedding ceremony in Blood Bought from the book. The mate markings in Dragon's Blood and Blood Bought also came from this book.

Book six, probably my best pre-published endeavor is in the process of being revamped into an erotic romance. It will see light in the next couple years. Book seven, is a self indulgent pile of muck. I highly doubt it will ever go anywhere—not if I have any say.

Book eight. Book eight is Tribute for the Goddess. It’s been out from under the bed for over two years now. It’s one of my favorite books. I should have submitted it places sooner!

And infamous, books nine through twelve. Well, these are real Franken-Manuscripts and if you saw the originals, you might barely recognize them for what they are now. All eight main characters and their workplace/field were plucked from the original books and put into a new series. Parts of book nine ended up in book 1, 3 and 4 of the new series. Much of the rest…ditched. They were sappy if erotic, but they certainly weren’t the Cress brothers they are now.

And that just goes to show you, very little ever really needs to be wasted.

It Came from Under the Bed!

I have at least two manuscripts that will never see the light of day. The are bad, bad, oh so very bad. Epically bad, even. They live in a folder on my laptop, and there they will stay. I say at least two, because the jury is still out on the third one. Sometimes I fantasize about revising it, but then I just think...nah, it's easier to write a new one.

The main problems with the those early manuscripts are numerous. Head hopping like WHOA! Oh, the point of view jumps, I made. They were dizzying. Back and forth like a game of drunken ping pong. On the rare occasions that I've peeked at this manuscript since abandoning it, I felt the need for Dramamine. Yep, it was that bad.

Then there was the lack of conflict. My characters just fell right in luuuuuurve and were all happy to be happy together. (Retch, gag, spew) Seriously, it was just that nauseating. There was no discernible conflict until about three quarters through the book and even then it was all external. Lame, lame lame. Plus they ate Chinese food. All. The. Freaking. Time. Constantly. Non-stop crab rangoon. I think I was having cravings. At least once during the writing of this book, Brynn brought me Chinese food - perhaps in an attempt to get me to stop writing about it. Alas, it didn't work.

The book I attempted after the Novel of No Conflict, was the exact opposite. It was the Novel of More Emotional Baggage Than Any Twelve People Can Bear. I'm just gonna start out by saying, it's only by sheer force of the author's will that these two people fell in love. If I had been being realistic, the hero would have been in the bottom of every bottle he could get his hands on and the heroine would have offed herself before the middle of the book. There was emotional drama, childhood wounds, recent wounds - both physical and emotional, plus lots of people wanted the heroine dead. Hell, after a while, I wanted her dead.

I sincerely doubt that these manuscripts will ever be seen by anyone other than me. Once upon a time, Margaret and Brynn read them because they're kind and good friends who love me, but no one should ever have to suffer like they suffered.

Ultimately, these books were the writing equivalent of the skinned knees and bruised feet an tailbone one gets while learning to ride a bike. Eventually, I learned through the pain of repetition, and I like to think I'm a much better storyteller, now. And if I ever need to see how far I've come, I can open one of these files and cringe.

Ok, so what had happened was....

It's funny that this week's topic is "MS under the bed" because that is exactly where I used to keep THE manuscript. It is a TOME of a novel that I finished at the tender age of 16. I worked my behind off on that thing. I was so proud of it. This was back when you sent actual hard pages off to agents in hopes of getting them read. And boy howdy did I ever send them out. Every penny I made was used to submit my query and 10 pages to every agent that worked with the genre I could find in my monster Writer's Guide to Literary Agents.

I collected a fair sum of rejection letters before the book retired itself to live under the bed. Some of them were generic, some were hand written "sorry not for me" and some of them were pretty rude, which I actually loved because it meant someone had taken the time to read the pages at all.

Finally I realized that this book was not going anywhere so it retired to the bedroom floor. It moved from Jackson to Detroit and there it lived under my bed again. Then I moved in with my husband and it has yet to be unpacked. But it is there. And it is TERRIBLE. I mean just awful. Now that I have gotten a better grasp on the whole being a writer thing I am amazed I ever thought this MS was ready to go out in the world.

I will say that the nugget, the core, the main thing is still pretty good. The plot itself is TOTALLY workable. But the execution of the plot...well, that is pretty awful. And hilarious.

Eventually I will pull out the dusty doorstop of a MS and work on it. I will probably scrap the whole thing and start fresh with the plot, but it will go somewhere. Someday. I keep telling myself that this MS will be my break out novel. The one that gets me a shiny New York agent. The one that starts a publishing industry bidding war. This will be the book to catapult me to the bestseller list and make Dakota Rebel a household name.

Though to be honest, I would be more than happy with a mid-list title on a bookstore shelf.

XoXoXo
Dakota Rebel

Monsters, Dust Bunnies, Manuscripts and Other Frightening Things Hiding Under The Bed

We all have them. Those manuscripts that were rejected or weren't finished or were finished but have so many holes in them it looks like Swiss Cheese... I have plenty. And there are a couple that I still think about dragging out of their hiding spot and reviving. But, right now, I'm not at a point where I feel that I have enough time to dig into, gut and rewrite them. Not when I have about a dozen more that are pounding for their turn at the sunlight, which right now, for me, I think is the best option. Someday, I will revive them, and put the work into them they need, but not now.

Happy Reading,

Simone

The Choices I Make

It's no secret that the vast majority of writers love writing - I say vast majority, because at any given time, someone's having a love/hate relationship with it. Sometimes that someone is me. Writers write because they need to - it fulfills a deep seated need to create. Granted, most of us would like to be making money at writing, but the truth is, we'd write anyway. Although, I'll admit, Dakota makes a good point about piracy, the money we lose and considering packing it in because of it. But even if I chose not to write for publication anymore, I'd still write for me. Probably not at this current, frantic feeling pace, but I'd do it.

Because I'm lucky, the day job and the writing can be done from the comfort of my living room couch, often with the warmth of a catghan. However, because both my writing schedule and the day job are so demanding, I'm on the computer all day and well into the evening. There's rarely a point where I say, "Okay, quitting time," and walk away. Someday, I hope to be far enough ahead of my schedule where I can do that.

But, that's not to say my family suffers. Of course, there are those evenings when I'm on a particularly tight deadline and I put in the Do Not Disturb headphones. But most of the time, when my family is home, I'm actively engaged with them. We hang out while they do homework, I make supper while they do their chores, sometimes we'll watch tv together, I hang with the hubby when he gets home and we talk.

I love to write, but I love my family more. If someone held a gun to my head and said, "Choose." I wouldn't hesitate. My family brings me more joy than anything else. Would I miss writing? Absolutely, but not as much as I'd miss my family. When I'm deep in work mode, I remind myself that my kids' childhoods are whipping by. Do I want to crank out that next 1000 word right this minute or do I want to have fun with my kids while they're still interested in having fun with me? Fun wins. Are there days when they drive me nuts because I can't get anything done? Sure - they're kids and I'm a mom. It happens. Come to think of it, it happens with the hubby from time to time, too. But ultimately, I feel like we have a good system.

I also think that there's an unspoken life lesson here for my kids. Following your dreams and achieving them doesn't just magically happen. You have to be dedicated and work towards them, but you also have to make time for all the important aspects of your life.

Decisions Decisions

Family is pretty powerful. You make decisions for your family that if you were on your own you would never make. As an author my number one ambition is to write full time. To be able to survive on my writing alone.

Unfortunately, I have a day job that I see no escape from. Thanks to horrible, terrible, no-good, filthy book pirates more of my work is being stolen than is being paid for and I cannot afford to write full time. There have even been days when I've looked at the total number of downloaded books and thought about giving up writing completely. There doesn't seem to be much point in writing for free.

However, this is another decision that is made for my family. When I am not writing, I am not a nice person to be around. In fact, most people can't stand me...which is fine because I can't stand them either. Writing is like an addiction, and everyone in my life knows when I am going through withdrawal. So I continue to write, and continue to get mad at people who think they deserve something for nothing, but it is a vicious circle that we have been forced to tolerate for the time being.

If there are any book pirates reading this I would like to point out that when the time comes that we can press charges on you, I will be first in line to throw your thieving ass in prison. Just saying.

Anyway, if I were alone things may be different. I might have long ago given up the security of my job to dive head first into writing. I might even be with a New York publisher where the majority of my books are released in print and pirating is a non-issue. If I had nothing to rely on but my writing I may have a bigger drive to succeed in markets I am as yet too afraid to try.

Sometimes I feel as if my career is on hold, just sort of putzing along at best, so that I can keep a job that I hate and support my family, whom I love more than life itself. Most days I am okay with this decision, but I would be lying if I said that there is a spring in my step when I leave the computer to head into the drudgery of the day job.

XoXoXo
Dakota

Sacrificial Mia

Decisions, Career and Family...

This is our topic? I'm so going to suck this week.

Career-wise, my job is a soul eating succubus of hellish proportions. I have a boss who sits on his ass and whose biggest busy effort is trying to find out who keeps putting personalized sticky notes all over his office things (me), and how to make my workload heavier. There was a hottie who supervises over him, but he didn't last long.

Family-wise, I don't share shit. I have family out there. They speak with accents and say things like, "you betcha!" and "oh, yeah, sure, don'tcha know" with long "o" sounds and narrow lips. I also have family out there that kiss on both cheeks and think everything in your life is up for review or opinion. The joys of a bi-cultural upbringing.

But decisions? Well, I decide to hit the snooze on my alarm every morning, yet still get up and go to work. I also decide that working my ass off at multiple things makes for a more promising future ahead. I'm giving myself four years to have my retirement well set up and invested for.

On the writing side of things, also considered career, I decided to commit to monthly releases. I know, some of you shake your heads, but honestly, this is good work if you love it. No, it doesn't pay well, but it keeps me sane and the people in my head very, very happy. So why not put it on paper and get some extra cash. This is where I interject, I fucking hate ePirates. They think it's their right to steal from me. My effort wasted to little thieves who think they can justify anything. The pricks.

On the family side of things, I'm enjoying the single life. My family decisions are minimal. Thank God.

I've got plans, hopes, and dreams like anyone else. If something's worth doing, sacrifices have to be made. Right now, my sacrifice is sleep and time. Is that so wrong?

Having My Cake And Eating It Too!

Writing is a business, it's an art, but is also a business. For everyone.

The reality is that it is hard business and not all of us can be as famous as Nora Roberts or JK Rowling. That means then that most of us probably also have real 9 to 5 type jobs. A 'real' job means that we are writing at night, time a lot of people devote to family or hobbies. There are alot of decisions that have to be made when those three worlds collide.

Which career is more important to me? What do I sacrifice so I can write? How do I continue to fortify myself against people who constantly tell me to quit playing at that writing thing or who demand to know why I am letting my child suffer? These are some of the questions that need to be asked of oneself periodically.

For me, writing is where my soul needs to be. Sounds all new-agey, but it's more truth than not. For me, writing is as necessary as breathing and it is where I know I will be happiest. But, I have a child who is a pre-teen and is growing and likes to eat and have a warm, dry place to sleep, so that means I must also work a day job.

Up until now, I've also been a full time student, which means my writing time dwindle exponentially over the last few years. And as I looked seriously into my future goals, I realized that to pursue a career as a physicians assistant, not only would I pretty much miss two years of Bug's life, I would have no time to write. Those two sacrifices were not sacrifices I was prepared to make, so I changed my job path to something less time consuming in order to have time for Bug and to write.

My choice is to keep a less stressful, less time consuming job somewhere in the middle-ish, and have more time for writing and Bug.

I bring my laptop and a notebook or journal everywhere with me, so that I can write down an idea or paragraph if the need hits, even if I'm waiting for Bug to get done with practice. I set aside time each night to read with Bug each night and to talk with her. And I made a decision that when she says "Mom, can I talk to you?" I finish the sentence I'm on, make some notes and turn my focus to her. She on the other hand, having grown up with me always writing, tries to catch me when I'm staring at the computer screen waiting for the words to magically appear before asking me questions.

I am fortunate to be a night owl, so I try to keep my writing time to after she goes to bed. But it doesn't always work that way. But then, I also know that when I can support myself with just my writing, I'll still work part-time, mostly because I need interaction with people. I get a lot of ideas talking and working with people.

Happy Reading,

Simone.

Pack your bags, it's conference time!

I love a good writing conference. There's something so rejuvenating about hanging out with other writers. The excitement to create is contagious - it's a high that cannot be duplicated. Think about it, you're surrounded by hundreds of other people who "get" you. You might write vampires and they might writer murder mysteries, but they understand the need to create, and they also understand just how much time we spend in our heads.

I can't stress enough how important it is to make these connections. Your writer friends are the ones who understand your need to have a notebook and pencil in the bathroom while you're showering - just in case that plot problem works itself loose. They're the ones who not only understand that you were so engrossed in the love scene you were writing that you forgot to make supper for your family, but they've likely done it themselves. Writer friends are irreplaceable and conferences are some of the best places to meet them.

Like the other writers here, I have a few conference DOs and DON'Ts.

Do wear comfortable shoes. I know it sounds trite, but you're going to be getting up early and going to bed late with lots of standing and talking in between. Sore feet are no one's friend.

Do hang out in the bar or lounge areas. Get to know your fellow writers. By nature, most of us are comfortable being alone and creating our own worlds, but it's important to get out there and meet people. Don't underestimate the value of a chance meeting over a soda or a glass of wine - entire continuity series have been born this way.

Do talk to readers as well as other authors. These are the people we write for - get to know a few. Find out what they like to read. We're all readers, and what's more fun than discussing books we love.

Don't drink so much that you make an ass out of yourself. Conferences are great places to let loose and have fun, but you don't want to be so loose that other attendees are blogging about your escapades and whispering tales about you for years to come. You don't want to be known as that girl.

Don't transpose hotel room numbers. More likely than not, you'll end up interrupting the beginning of a threesome had by attendees of the Mary Kay conference that is taking place at the same hotel. You'll be invited in, offered alcohol and and a makeover. It will continue to spiral alarmingly out of control from there. (It's true. I'm really bad with numbers.)

Don't sing songs from Buffy the Vampire Slayer's musical episode in hotel elevators - even if you and your friend think you're alone. The elevator doors will inevitably open, and you will find yourself face to face with the very editor you have to pitch to later. (Yes...I am a cautionary tale.)

Actually, scratch those last two - I really don't regret either one of them. Both experiences were hilariously surreal, and maybe I can work them into a story some day. Or not. Either way, they never fail to make me smile. Best of all, they're special memories I share with several of my writing friends.

A lot of business takes place at these conferences, but it's fun business. Relax and enjoy yourself.

Conference Call

Ahh the conference. I had a whole post hand written out. There were bullet points and in depth discussion regarding the finer points of conferences. But of course then I got sick, lost the notebook and was WAY too lazy to rewrite the whole thing. So you get this:

Be wary. Conferences are expensive and sometimes the best contacts you are going to make will happen in the hotel bar. I had a blast at the one conference I went, but the fun was had hanging out with other authors...in the hotel bar.

Granted, I was already multi-published when I went. There may be some important panels and classes and contacts to be made for the unpublished at conferences. However, publishers and editors will almost always retire to the bar after the meetings are over. They are hungry, thirsty, and looking to unwind. A candid conversation with an unsuspecting editor on the patio can net you a much better reaction than a strict 10 minute scheduled meeting where you are nervous and they are fidgety.

I know, it really sounds like I'm mailing this post in. But to be honest, my in depth post about conferences said about the same thing. Make contacts outside of the conference, they will be more memorable to everyone involved.

Also, be careful of all the parties and stuff. These are money pits. I spent a flippin' fortune on costumes for all of the different parties, plus I had to ship them to Florida and haul them back home. There were parties I didn't bother to go to and there were parties I spent 12 minutes at. I would have been better off saving that money. The parties can probably be fun, but I didn't see it. And the food wasn't even that good, even if it was free.

All I'm saying is that these things are really expensive, you have to make sure that it is 100% worth it before you throw down all of that money.

XoXoXo
Dakota

Expect the Unexpected

Theoretically, I haven't been to a writer's conference. In fact, I have incognito. What, you thought Mia Watts was my real name? Pshaw. It's actually Wia Matts. No, seriously. *sober blink*

The sign in: This is the hop-scotch moment where you try to remember how you registered and who you are this time around. Am I Wia Matts, Mia Watts, Aimy Swatt, or Jane Doe? And for fuck's sake, if they misspell your name, they'll never locate the right identity.

The gift bag: SWAAAAAG!! I love this part. It's all gifty and presenty. It's at this point where I've usually found several of the other authors I know and we've checked in. Now we go up to the room to see what the goods are, form a plan of action, and generally get punchy. Not the kind involving physical violence, but the "everything is ridiculously funny and OMG did you see that HAT she was wearing?"

The Bar: Do not discount the importance of The Bar. Above and beyond any classes, panels, parties, dinners, book signings, there is The Bar (insert low base chords). Yes, it's for drinking too, but mostly for being social and talking to those people you've missed since the last conference. This is the place where you get to see just how friendly Regina Carlysle is (she is. Very. One of the sweetest women I know), how sassy Brynn Paulin is (and she is, complete with the wicked snarky smile and eye twinkles), how adorably hilarious Bronwyn Green is (big blue blinky eyes, a full laugh, and the wafting scent of incense when she hugs you, and she will hug you), the quick wittedness of Dakota Rebel (tis true though I've yet to be AT a conference with her, I know this because I've met her), the surprising wit woven with wisdom of Anny Cook (OMG this woman should be quoted constantly), and the shy watchfulness of Cindy Spencer Pape (clever, clever lady... who ALSO HAPPENS TO BE POSTING ABOUT ME TODAY ON HER BLOG HINT HINT HINT).

The Bar is your most important part of the conference. Editors linger with Authors, who linger with Publishers, who Linger with Cover Models, Prospective Authors, Cover Models, Publicists (hello, TopazPromos.com), Reviewers, Fans, Readers, Cover Models. It's all here. Sometimes there can be found a gyrating, dancing Suzanne Graham, a quietly reserved Helen Woodall, a slightly conference terrified Tessie Bradford, and thoroughly drunk and groping... but you don't want to hear about that.

The Bar is where it all happens. It's beneath the veneer and above your expectations. It's the place of congregation which may or may not require booze, but always requires participation. It stays open extra late for YOU and if you dry hump the juke box... No. One. Cares. Just ask... oh, yeah, you don't care about that. :)

Feeling the need for a drink about now... wonder if there is a The Bar in the office cafeteria.

So, I'm Going To My First Writers Conference, Now What?

I remember my first writer's conference. I also remember what a more experienced author and conference goer said. It was in reference to a conference I didn't go to, but it makes sense.



"Don't run in a pack"



This makes soooooooo much sense. Very few of us are rich enough to be able to drop $200/night for a weekend = give or take depending on the conference - bigger conferences have higher room rates - most of the time, so we room with people we know from our writer's group or critique group. Even though it is way more comfortable to stay with people you know, you don't make contacts or friends that way.



So, what else do you need to know or do... Talk with your friends that are going to the conference and look at the workshops that are available and see how many of the same ones you are all interested in and which ones are at the same time, because most conferences have two or three workshops per time slot. So if the workshops at 9 am are character building, world building, and plotting 101, each person go to a different one and take really good notes that way when you meet up later you can exchange information, so everyone benefits.



At meals, sit at a different table then your friends, maybe sit with the man or woman you met in the previous workshop and started talking to and continue your conversation. Talk with the other people at the table. You might be sitting next to the editor from the editor panel discussion.



Bring your laptop or other writing apparatus, you are a writer and you are at a writer's conference. If none of the workshops sound good, take your computer, find a comfy spot in the lobby, get the beverage of your choice, and write.



Aside from your computer and tolietries, what do you need to pack? Business casual clothes with whatever type of accessories you want for the look you are projecting. And if its a conference like RT or RWA Nationals, then you'll need dressier clothes or costumes for evening activities. Bring comfy shoes if you are going to explore the city and leave the conference. Meet up with your friends, discuss what you learned and did. Learn from each other.



I have met several people that have become friends, if I had stayed where it was comfortable. It's a writers conference - ultimately its a place where introverts pretend to be extroverts and writers network, learn, support, and meet other writers.

Happy Reading and Writing!



Simone