Impressions from RWA2012

Before I begin, I want to congratulate all of the Winners of this year's Golden Heart^®. Your speeches were funny and touching. All of the finalists are winners (we truly feel that way), but I know that those of us whose names weren't called were just as thrilled for those who were—as if we were at the podium accepting the award with you.

So, the conference. My experience at this National was skewed by the whole Golden Heart Finalist thing — not that I'm complaining! It was an incredible experience all around; however, I didn't get to very many of the workshops. Between GH events (official and not), not feeling well for most of one day, and preparing to pitch/pitching, the time seemed to fly past. But, hey, that's what the conference recordings are for, right?

First impression, then. National is always abuzz with energy and this year was no exception. I didn't think anything could top the conference in Manhattan, but I have to say there was as much, if not possibly a bit more, excitement in Anaheim. That's due in part, I think, to the opportunities many people are starting to see in the self/indie publishing arena.

Which brings me to my biggest observation. For the first time at RWA National, there were a plethora of workshops relating to self publishing. Just a couple of years ago the mere suggestion of the same would have been anathema. That's how rapid the change from self publishing being relegated to "vanity publishing" to it becoming a valid, and potentially lucrative, form of publishing for authors.

In addition to the excitement of possibilities that self publishing brings to the table, there was a general sense of relief among the unpublished writers I spoke to on the subject (and some of the published writers, too). Relief that there is now a viable publication path that bypasses traditional publishing. Relief that perhaps for the first time, one's writing career is firmly in one's own hands.

I know personally, this relief meant that my view of the pitching process took a 180 degree turn from last year. I was still a bit nervous — after all, I want to do my writing justice when I talk about it — but I was also much more appraising of the person sitting across from me than previously. Was this person someone I felt comfortable with? Comfortable enough to pursue further discussion, if it came to that? It's said that first impressions are key, and I found myself thinking seriously about that, not just from what sort of impression I made, but also my impression of them. It was...interesting, to say the least.

There were some amazing speeches. If you haven't read Stephanie Laurens' keynote address, do yourself a favor and read it now. Robyn Carr's speech at the Awards Luncheon was truly inspiring. Cherry Adair was, as always, fabulous! at the Golden Network Retreat. So many encouraging and inspiring voices, all, ultimately, with the same message: write what you love and never give up.

Have any questions about the conference? Post them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer them! In the meantime, I'm going to take that excellent advice and get back to work on my current projects.

Deborah Wright
Website: www.Deborah-Wright.com
Twitter: @DeborahBWright
Facebook: Deborah.Wright.Author

Countdown to Anaheim: 4 Weeks and Counting

One month from today I'll be on an airplane headed for Orange County. This will be my fourth RWA® National Conference, but my first time as a Golden Heart® Finalist. I have to say, I still can't believe it when I type those words. The time since the Finalist announcements in March has passed so quickly, and it feels very much like a dream.

I attended my first National Conference in San Francisco, shortly after I joined RWA. I've spoken about it before, but I have to say I was totally unprepared for the experience. I've attended conferences before--bigger, even--but all of them were related to my previous career in High Tech. I was used to huge, noisy crowds, so the RWA conference should have been old hat. Shyeah, right!

Those other conferences? 90-to-95% male. I was used to walking into a room filled with guys and being one of a handful of women, and I was comfortable with it. I didn't realize how much I'd internalize that experience as the norm until I attended that first RWA® conference! The emotional impact of entering a room filled with upwards of 2,000 women, all there to advance their writing careers, was overwhelming. I'm sure there were men in attendance, but unlike the tech conferences where I could pick out the other women, I had a difficult time seeing them.

I went against all my previous conference experience and tried to cram every minute full. Not surprisingly, I spent a lot of that first conference in a bit of a daze. Thank goodness for the conference recordings! Learning to pace myself was a lesson I've since taken to heart.

I attended the Washington, D.C. conference the following year and that experience was just as incredible. I made sure to take some time for myself. I'd been to D.C. before, so I took the Metro to the Mall on a couple of afternoons and spent time revisiting the monuments and the Smithsonian. I don't regret a moment spent away from the sessions. My head was clearer when I returned and my energy level was up. I'm a card-carrying introvert, you see. I enjoy the energy of the conference, but I eventually feel drained if I don't recharge with alone time (and alone can mean being out amongst strangers, so long as it's by myself, if you get my drift).

2010 was the year of personal setbacks and heartaches that I won't go into here, but suffice it say, I skipped the 2010 conference. I have, however, listened to the conference recordings. May I say, getting the recordings, especially if you don't attend the conference in person, is a GREAT way to get the workshops and stay up-to-date.

I almost didn't go to last year's conference in New York. I'm very, very happy I did attend. I credit Chapter-mate Barbara Cool Lee with encouraging me to not only attend, but also to pitch to an agent--as well as for all her invaluable advice on preparing my pitch! I'm not sure I would have committed to entering the Golden Heart® if I hadn't gone to New York. And if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here now, feeling as if I were living a dream!

I already know the Conference in Anaheim will be special. I'm one of a group of over 60 other incredible women--my fellow Firebirds*--many of whom I've had the privilege to get to know online since the Golden Heart® announcement. I can't wait to meet them in person. I have a feeling I'm going to have to learn that whole "pacing myself" business all over again!

What about you? Will you be attending the RWA® National Conference in Anaheim this year? Do you have any Conference experiences or advice you'd be willing to share? Or, if you haven't attended Nationals yet, and/or aren't planning on going this year, do you have any questions about the conference?

Deborah Wright
www.Deborah-Wright.com
Twitter: @DeborahBWright
Facebook: Deborah.Wright.Author

* Each Golden Heart® class chooses a name for itself--one which they feel represents the feelings/experiences/etc. of the group. We have chosen the name FIREBIRDS. Our motto is: FIREBIRDS: Forged in fire and flying higher!

World-Building: It's Never Just One Thing

In my last post I promised I'd write about my Golden Heart^® finalist manuscript: THE LAZARUS GAMBIT. TLG is a finalist in the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category, which, frankly, doesn't tell you anything at all about the story or genre, except that the romance portion is a (major) sub-plot.

In this post I'm going to start with the foundation of the book: genre and world-building. I promise to get to the actual, you know, story in my next post. THE LAZARUS GAMBIT is a STEAMPUNK novel set in New Amsterdam, an alternate version of Manhattan. Before I wrote a single sentence of the story, I spent a great deal of time world-building (though hopefully most of that world-building lurks below the surface in the book). My goal was to create a world which was "similar but different" from our own.

While I love the late Victorian/Edwardian era, I wanted the freedom to make the differences in my world from that era pronounced. I was struck by something I read on Wikipedia while researching Queen Victoria (about her suitors): "William IV, however, disapproved of any match with the Coburgs, and instead favoured the suit of Prince Alexander of the Netherlands, second son of the Prince of Orange." It turns out Victoria made the better choice; Prince Alexander died at the age of 29.

Just like that, I had my hook for the differences I wanted to make in my world. I went all the way back to William and Mary (1600s) and created new royal alliances and genealogical charts, removing the Hanoverian Georges from the line of British kings and creating a succession which culminated in Alexander, Prince of Orange-Nassau (of the Netherlands) becoming King Alexander I of Great Britain. And, Alexander I marries...Victoria of Hanover (in my world, Alexander dies at 52). I still get my Queen Victoria, but in my world, she's queen through marriage and her role, while important, is diminished.

Of course, once you make such a major change, it's like starting off knocking down a long line of dominoes. The face of Europe--scratch that--the entire world changed, as well. Different rulers, different alliances, different decisions. I ended up having to create an historical timeline of events, just to keep track of everything.

There's one event that plays a major role in the history of this world, and which forms the underpinnings of the plot of THE LAZARUS GAMBIT. In the 1700s, this Earth has a close encounter with a mysterious comet, which changes the Earth forever. At one point I wrote a prologue to TLG explaining the Comet. I ultimately discarded the prologue, but here's an excerpt from it, to give you an idea of the Comet's importance:

The comet appeared as a tiny speck of light among the northern stars. Over the course of months it grew bigger and brighter until it dominated the night, a cold fireball with a glowing tail stretching halfway across the sky. The superstitious called it a harbinger of doom and believed the end of the world was nigh. The rational-minded saw it for the rare astronomical event it was and marveled at its unearthly beauty. Scientists worked feverishly to accurately predict its path and privately wondered if the superstitious might not be right after all.

For six months the earth traveled through the comet’s tail. The sky blazed with an aurora from exotic gases streaming into the atmosphere, and cometary debris flamed across the sky in a nightly spectacle. At first only the occasional larger bit of rock survived the journey through the atmosphere, but over time the meteorites increased in size and frequency, often impacting with devastating results. The worst event occurred in mid-October in the early morning hours when hundreds of meteorites bombarded the northern hemisphere, leaving more than just death and destruction in their wake.

The meteorites contained Carolinium, a previously undiscovered element named in honor of Caroline Herschel, the astronomer who first discovered the comet. Carolinium combined with the aurora gases in a volatile reaction that charged particles lying dormant in the earth, creating a new substance. While scientists raced to investigate these new phenomena, the more romantic thinkers of the day named the new substance Aether. And since the charged particles tended to collect in narrow bands that criss-crossed the globe, they were dubbed Ley Lines. To the chagrin of the scientific community, those terms stuck.

Many believed aether had a dual nature: one part science and one part magic. Bizarre comet cults sprang up overnight around charismatic charlatans, attracting thousands of followers despite fierce condemnation from world and religious leaders. For weeks rioting by panic stricken citizens, inflamed by end-of-the-world rhetoric, swept through the capitals of the world. Only the inevitable and inexorable retreat of the comet allowed the world’s governments to promote calm and restore order and stability.

The vast majority of the Carolinium vaporized in the reaction that charged the ley lines and created aether. Approximately seven percent was out of reach, lost somewhere in the great plains of North America behind an impenetrable barrier, dubbed the Great Aetheric Curtain. The Curtain appeared without warning on the night of the first winter solstice after the meteorites fell, cutting off the middle of the continent from further European encroachment. The remainder of the Carolinium was scattered across the northern hemisphere.

This rare element was said to have amazing properties that scientists couldn’t measure in their laboratories or test tubes. Carolinium, true believers whispered, was beyond the ken of science; it belonged to those individuals who possessed an innate affinity for aether. For those few, Carolinium enhanced the ability to manipulate aether, making even the smallest of talents great. And the person who could control and manipulate aether, could control the world.

So, that's a tiny look behind the world-building curtain of THE LAZARUS GAMBIT. I tried to create a world which was rich in its own history, but familiar and recognizable at the same time. In addition, I wanted a world which I could possibly re-visit in a sequel (or prequel). I guess time will tell if I was successful!

Debbie
www.Deborah-Wright.com
Twitter: @DeborahBWright

I Have the Most Amazing News!

I have a new holiday—a new day of celebration. March 26th. Why? Because three weeks ago, on March 26th, I was given some pretty fantastic news. My manuscript, THE LAZARUS GAMBIT, is a Finalist in the 2012 Romance Writers of America^® Golden Heart^® Awards, in the category: Novel With Strong Romantic Elements. (unfortunately, no romantic elephants were spotted in the list of finalists*)

It's only been three weeks, but already it feels like a lifetime—in a good way. I've met an amazing group of women (online) in my fellow finalists, and we're continuing to get to know one another. Everyone seems genuinely thrilled, both to be finalists themselves and for all of the other finalists. They exemplify the kind of enthusiastic support for other writers I believe is the hallmark of RWA^® and my own Mid-Willamette Valley Chapter members. Winning would be icing on the cake, but I think we all feel as though the real prize is being named a finalist.

But beyond the award itself was the immediate boost I felt about my writing. I've worked hard to improve my craft and I'd hoped I told an engaging story which would connect with readers, but there was always that doubt in the back of my mind. You know that voice that whispers to writers? The one that tells you that you're wasting your time. That tells you that you're fooling yourself. Well, the validation I felt on the 26th was like getting a shot of adrenaline, and it hasn't worn off so far.

I'm going to the RWA Conference in Anaheim in July and I'm looking forward to all the hoopla surrounding the Awards. From what I understand from previous years' finalists, this ride is just beginning, and it's an E-Ticket all the way (appropriate, I think, seeing as the conference is being held across the street from Disneyland!).

I have a feeling that in years to come I'll view this as a watershed moment in my writing career. You know, before the 26th, I didn't realize just how huge finaling would be. It really is overwhelming and something I wish were possible for every writer to experience. Since that isn't the case, I'll do my best to share as much of it here as I'm able. And if you have any questions along the way, feel free to ask!

I just realized I made it to the end of this post without telling you anything about THE LAZARUS GAMBIT. I think I just flunked self-promotion! :-) Next post will be about the book — I promise.

Debbie
www.Deborah-Wright.com
Twitter: @DeborahBWright

*I sometimes get tongue-tied. Not too long ago, at a MWV-RWA meeting, I was describing what type of romance I write and I said that romance was always a strong sub-plot—you know, I write Steampunk and Urban Fantasy and Post-Apocalypse Adventures, all with Strong Romantic Elephants. O.o

... I've since named my elephants Beatrice and Frank, and they truly are romantic!