Editor Sally Williamson Makes “The Call” to Writing Competition Winner
14 Comments April 3rd, 2008 in writing contest Posted by Malleby Sally Williamson, Assistant Editor
We know how much it means to aspiring authors to receive positive feedback from editors but it’s also extremely exciting for us to find new talent. Being the bearer of good news gives us a skip in our step and an all-round glow (or maybe that’s just from reading Presents day in day out!)
So I was delighted to be able to phone Lynn Raye Harris with the news that she’d won the Instant Seduction writing competition. When Lynn exclaimed that she was very glad she was already sitting down and that she really loved Presents, it was great to hear! It was obvious how ecstatic she was to have won and it was fantastic to discover we are both going to be attending the RWA conference in San Francisco this summer. It will be a lovely opportunity to meet with her face-to-face!Â
It was wonderful to see such a high standard in the entries we received for the competition but of course there can only be one winner! As you will see from her entry, Lynn’s fast-paced, spirited writing, glamorous setting, and intense chemistry between her incredibly sexy hero and feisty heroine make her very worthy of the top spot. I am thoroughly looking forward to working with her over the next year!
Lynn is a great example of someone who has never given up on her writing – how do you keep motivated to start afresh on each new story?
It’s been inspiring……and occasionally, downright scary, reading the last few posts. Wanting to become a published author is not an option for the faint hearted. Being one of the entrants who heard nothing back I’ve been trying really hard to stay positive. Thinking that maybe one day that could be me.
I’ve given myself deadlines by finding other writing competitions for romance authors. I then use the date of the results announcement to make sure that irrelevant of the results I do achieve something….another goal I’ve set myself like finishing a manuscript, a rewrite or a synopsis. I’m trying to find support by joining the best recognised romantic novelist associations and by no means least……………reading loads and loads of Harlequin/Mills and Boons to see what does get published.
So maybe one day………….
What a wonderful post, Sally, and HUGE congratulations to both Harlequin and Lynn! I love reading stories about ‘the road to . . .’ It seems so simple once someone has reached their goal we forget to realize the journey that took them there. I’m thrilled for you, Lynn!
I agree, Susie, saying positive is so important. It’s very easy to get discouraged, however think that every little step brings you closer, every book you write brings a new possibility! I always look at a book as a candle . . . every book you finish is burning hope that it might be IT!!
My best of luck to you!
Sometimes when a story isn’t flowing it’s very easy for me to avoid sitting down at the keyboard. When I do manage to get myself in front of the computer the temptation to go onto yahoo games also rears its ugly head :0 I’ve gotten better at resisting the temptation to diddle because I make myself open up my WIP and read through it. This can also be another delaying technique as I tend to want to edit it every time I read it through.
I’m working on just allowing myself to read just the last page. I find this gets my creative juices flowing and before I know it I’ve added another few thousand words. There are days though when I want to bang my head against the desk because the words won’t come. Most often when that happens I’ll take myself off to the gym and pound the treadmill for forty five minutes.
If that doesn’t help at least I don’t feel guilty when I sit down with a packet of chocolate digestives, a cup of coffee, and best of all, a Presents. By the time I’m finished I can feel my fingers itching to get back to the keyboard.
There is no better feeling for me than finishing a manuscript. I can see my writing improving with each that I finish. I love starting a new story. There is nothing that I’d rather be doing.
I’m really looking forward to reading the winning entries as well as absorbing all of the advice from the editor’s.
Chris.
I giggled a lot. I know I did. It was simply amazing. Reading these words about my story is amazing too. Thank you, Sally.
Susieq, one day it WILL be you. You simply have to stick with it, be willing to grow, learn from your mistakes, and keep writing. It’s overwhelming to consider the odds — so don’t consider them. Just keep writing.
Eve, I love “road to” stories as well! I’ve always been inspired by knowing how long someone’s been at it, knowing they didn’t quit, and that hard work paid off. And you’re right, we tend to see the success part of the story and forget all the slaving that went on behind the scenes. From the day I first tried to write a romance to now is 15 years. I haven’t been pursuing it the entire time because I let myself get discouraged. But what if I’d never tried again?
Chris: You aren’t the only one who sits at the keyboard and gets distracted.
Improving with each manuscript is exactly what you want! You’ve definitely got the idea, and I’m sure you’ll succeed.
Sally, it’s great to have you here. Those phone calls (or in my case email) with good news are life changing. I think every authors remembers so much about the day they got The Call!
Personally I don’t find it hard to get motivated to start each new story. Usually I’m thrilled about the new book and the possibilities waiting to be explored and discovered. I love openings, even if I do have to polish mine from time to time (no comments there, please, Sally), so embarking on a new project is a great feeling.
I find it’s later on that I need the keep up the motivation. Setting myself deadlines works, as does regular exercise (which sadly I’ve missed out on for the last little while). But getting away from the book for a short time can sometimes trigger new ideas that helps me move ahead, especially if I’ve just finished a major intense scene and am exhausted (they do take it out of you). My favourite motivation was when a friend sent me a thank you gift of the biggest blog of Lindt chocolate I’ve ever seen – I didn’t know they made them so big! I knew I had to control my impulse to scoff so I used it as a treat. I could only eat it when I was writing (new pages, not polishing the draft) and I could only have some after I’d written a certain number of pages. As an incentive it was brilliant. Not sure I’d have the self control to resist it a second time around but boy did I enjoy my writing!
Annie
Great post Sally! I was looking forward to reading Lynn’s entry but now I’m on the edge of my ergonomic seat
I was wondering if there’s a chance you will let those of us still clinging to our keyboards in hope know when all the promising entrants have been contacted? I haven’t managed to stumble across a post from one of the lucky ones yet and I was so hoping to! I’d love to know how many of those gems are out there so I can follow their journeys too.
Thanks so much for your time Sally,
Nikki.
Hi Susie! I just love your idea of setting a goal for when competition results come out. It’s so much nicer to have a feeling of achievement then being disappointed
I hope you don’t mind if I borrow it too.
Thanks so much for sharing,
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
I just raced madly today to get my entry completed for the Valerie Parv award with the Romantic Writers of Australia. And you know what. I know I won’t win but I still got a great sense of achievement that I had actually put together another entry and posted it.
Last year I would have just read about the competition and wondered about the sort of people who do enter. Reading the call stories does make you realise that authors are normal people……..not super heroes….but talented, dedicated and persistent people who don’t give up.
So if I don’t give up and write every day……….and with that little bit of luck…..
Susie
Hi Susie!
I love your post! I applaud you for getting your entry completed for the Valerie Parv Award! I didn’t manage to get mine finished on time because the universe conspired against me and won LOL! So I’ll be there next year (conspiracy or not:) ).
I love Valerie’s books, so much so that I’m trying to track down ever single one she’s written. It’s amazing that she gives up her time to mentor some lucky person each year, and you know what? It could be you!
Don’t give up, write every day and be lucky! I love that, I’ve printed it out and stuck in on the wall beside my computer
.
Sending out best wishes and luck with your entry,
Nikki.
Hi Susie,
Like Nikki, the world (or shall I just be honest and say school holidays) conspired against me entering the Valerie Parv Award this year. Even my usually reliable time slot of midnight to 3am
had to be reallocated to well, sleep. Go figure!
So, I think the fact that you were organised enough to enter is a major achievement. It might be your year, and at the very least you’ve got a bunch of helpful comments headed your way and a lovely two-month deadline to work against. Hmmmn… what can you get done in two months if you write everyday? Best of luck,
Robyn
Nikki & Robyn,
Thanks so much for your kind comments. I’m not sure how organised I was though…..sprinting to the post office at 5 to 5 to make sure the entry had the right postdate on it!
To date the main source of support for my writing exploits has been my four year old son. When I finished my first full manuscript (last month) he heard me talking to a friend about it, ran into the room with his arms open and then said (very seriously) “Mummy I’m so proud of you.” That’s was all I needed to return to the computer and start editing!
The support on these boards since the competition has been great…..let’s make it stay that way!
Susieq
Good luck with the entry Susieq- it sounds as if you definitely have the determination it takes to make it.It’s a good thing we all love writing for its own sake too- Lynne Raye’s fifteen year journey is an amazing triumph!
Thanks Mulberry, trying not to feel a bit down having read Lynne’s great first chapter…….sigh…………only fourteen years to go……
Susieq
Hey, y’all, don’t be too upset. Remember, it took me 15 years because, like a big dummy, I quit for 8 of those years while I went back to school and did other things. So don’t worry, you’ll get there much quicker than I did! From the time I started writing seriously again to now is 4 years — so that sounds better doesn’t it?
Enjoy the process, enjoy your characters, and keep learning all you can. You can only fail if you give up.