In three act structure, the character goes on a journey from inciting incident to midpoint to climax. Action rises and falls. At the end, if it’s a romance, there’s a happily-ever-after. For authors, we take our own journey, from the inception of an idea, to the execution of said idea, to—hopefully—publishing this idea in the form of a polished and complete story. For this chat, we’ll take a look at the overall journey, and focus specifically on the author’s low point, when self-doubt kicks in, all seems lost, and you wonder, “What if it’s a bad book?” Join us Sunday, January 7th, 7pmET/4pmPT.
Tag: author life
Coming Dec. 31st…Shaping 2018
The arrival of a new year always kicks off discussions about change and goals. This week, we’re not going to talk about goals plural. We’re just going to talk about one. We’ll be breaking down The One Thing you want to accomplish in your writing career in 2018, and how to make sure it happens. Join us December 31st at 4pm PT | 7pm ET to get laser focused on a successful new year.
Coming Dec. 24th…Being a Good Writer Friend
Sometimes you’re a CP, sometimes you’re the shoulder to cry on, sometimes you’re a productivity coach. What kind of strengths do you have and what do you need? Bring the most to your writer friend supergroup by joining us at 4pm PT| 7pm ET on Sunday, December 24th.
Coming Dec. 10th…Depression and Writing
Most people experience some form of depression in their lives, to varying degrees. For some, it’s a period of self-doubt and hopelessness. For others, it’s a debilitating state of mind that inhibits every aspect of their life. And there are many levels in between. In any form, depression impacts our writing—what we write, how we write it, our productivity and our ability to pursue the business of publishing. Come chat with us about how depression may have impacted your writing life and career, Sunday, December 10th, 4pm PT / 7pm ET.
Making A Writing Calendar (Or, Writing A Novel In A Month)
This Sunday’s #rwchat topic is about Stealing Time To Write and how difficult it can be to find writing time amidst our busy schedules. Here’s Robin Lovett’s strategy for planning her writing when real life threatens to steal it away.
I’m pretty lucky. For the most part, writing is my addiction of choice. When I run out of things to write, that’s when I have a problem. I also love deadlines. When someone is waiting for my work and likes it so much and believes in it so much they’ve contracted me to write it, I get even more excited.
But that doesn’t mean that life never gets in the way. Or edits come back with a half-rewrite (!) and eat a month out of my deadline to write the next book. So I make plans, honest plans, because if they’re not honest, they won’t work. Continue reading
Coming Nov. 19th…Stealing Time to Write
All year round, but especially with the holidays coming up, finding time to write can be difficult. How do you keep putting words on the page when you can’t block out big chunks of time to sit down and work? Whether you struggle with stealing time to write, or you’re an expert with all the answers, come share your knowledge and your struggles with us on Sunday, November 19th @ 4pm PT | 7pm ET.
Coming Nov. 12th…Series Proposals
Writing a whole book, or even a whole series, and having no publisher sign it, can be very discouraging. If you’re pursuing traditional publishing, writing a proposal (a series blurb, synopsis and first three chapters or so, depending on the publisher), can be a great way to see if an editor is interested in your idea before you put in the blood sweat and tears to write the whole book. Join us to discuss how you write proposals or learn from others how they’ve done it. Sunday, November 12th, 4pm PT / 7pm ET.
Coming Oct. 29th…In-Person vs. Online Marketing
Self-promotion is one of the biggest struggles we face as authors, but it gets even more complicated when you factor in introvert/extrovert strengths. You might have finally mastered (or at least come to terms with) the ins and outs of digital promotion, only to freeze up when pitching your book face to face. Or maybe you feel way more comfortable recommending your book to someone you can have a real, live conversation with, while digital promotion feels like shouting into the void.
Bring your strengths, or your utter befuddlement towards any kind of marketing, on October 29th, when we discuss in-person marketing vs. online marketing.
~Kimberly Bell
Coming Oct. 8th…Failure & Rejection
Writing is a craft, a calling, a creative endeavor, but it’s also a business. The writing process is intensely personal, but once your words are out in the world, it’s a whole other story. (Pun intended.) Rejection letters, canceled contracts, agent breakups, even unfinished manuscripts that never make it out from under the bed—writing careers have ups and downs, but it’s how we deal with the setbacks that make all the difference.
Let’s talk about it at the next #RWchat, Sunday, October 8th.
Coming Oct. 1st…Autumn Goals
Whether you’re in the northern or southern hemispheres, it’s a new season, which means it’s time to talk about goals! Let’s look back over the last nine months of the year and see how far we’ve come, as well as reassessing what we want and where we’re going.
See you at 7pmE/4pmP on Sunday, October 1st!
Romance Writers Chat 