Winner Lynn Raye Harris Tells What It’s Like to Receive The Call
29 Comments April 4th, 2008 in writing contest Posted by MalleThank you to everyone who congratulated me on winning the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction contest! And a big thank you to the editors. Wow, there’s nothing more exciting in this world than someone on the other end of the phone telling you how much she enjoyed your story. In truth, I can’t remember everything Sally Williamson said to me, but I know it was an amazing feeling. It was exactly how I imagined The Call would be – exciting, thrilling, and scary. Though I didn’t sell my story yet, that call felt every bit as good as if I had.
Everything changed for me during that one call. My dreams were suddenly that much closer to reality. I didn’t expect to win, but I had hoped for a request. In fact, I went to dinner with a friend the evening after the editors announced they’d picked a winner. My friend had also entered. We decided the winner must not be one of us, darn it, so on to the next challenge.
The next day, Wednesday, I worked on my book. Around 6PM, I realized I’d missed a call on my mobile phone. It was a foreign number, but I assumed it was my friend in Mexico calling. Still, I Googled the country code. When England popped up, my heart started to pound. I told myself no, it couldn’t be Harlequin. But maybe it was. Maybe I was a runner up. Or maybe they were calling to tell me that my entry was the worst writing they’d ever seen and please to never send them anything again as the editors were still trying to recover from the shock. 
Once I figured out the phone number was indeed Harlequin (it took awhile), my husband told me not to be so silly, of course it was good news. No one would make a long distance call, according to him, to tell you how bad you were. I figured he was probably right and spent the evening dreaming of being a runner up. I didn’t tell anyone else about the call because I didn’t want to get my hopes up and find out it was all a big mistake. But I was so excited I couldn’t sleep, and I carried my phone EVERYWHERE the next day. By noon, I’d given up. That missed call WAS a mistake. Someone had misdialed, realized the error, and was never calling back.
Around one, my phone rang. Sally Williamson informed me I’d won the contest. I think I said I was glad I was sitting down and then I probably laughed and babbled a lot.  I can’t remember much of what Sally said afterward, and since she knew that was going to be the case, we didn’t discuss what happens next. That was saved for a different call (when I would presumably be more coherent).
My husband and I went to dinner with my parents, drank champagne, and discussed every bad day as a writer I’d ever had – the poor contest scores, negative judges’ comments, and rejections – and decided they were all worth it because I learned something important each time. When my Golden Heart Finalist call came on the 25th, it was simply icing on the cake.Â
It’s been a heck of a trip getting this far. Writing is a thrilling and heart-breaking business. And it IS a business, so please remember that rejections aren’t personal. They are simply a challenge. You can overcome them. Keep writing, keep trying. The more you write, the more you grow. Your writing will get lean and mean, your skills will improve, and then an editor will call you and tell you how much she enjoyed your story. And every writing setback you’ve ever had will be worth it when you hear those magical words.
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29 Responses to “Winner Lynn Raye Harris Tells What It’s Like to Receive The Call”
- 1 Pingback on Aug 15th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Hi Lynn
I love reading call stories and yours was fab. What an exciting week for you – but it sounds like you’ve really earned it. I can’t wait to read your entry now.
Best of luck with your year ahead and I’m sure we’ll see your first book in print very, very soon. Sally’s an absolute gem and you’re going to love working with her.
Cheers Heidi
Hi Lynn,
I love that you are so honest about how the journey has been for you. It gives hope to other new writers which is a very precious commodity.
Congratulations on the Golden Heart as well…….the good things in life are always worth waiting for.
Susie
Dear Lynn,
It sounds so exciting. I’m so glad you persisted and never gave up. Now you WON this fabulous contest and you’ve got enough momentum to hopefully finish that book and get your first book contract! I hope you’re working away on it right now.
I’m so excited for you Lynn! This year is going to fly by. Enjoy every wonderful moment of it.
Thank you, Heidi! I’m very much enjoying Sally. We’ve talked again and she sent me notes on my story that will help me take it up to that next level. I can’t wait to meet her in SF.
Susieq, you’re right. Hope is a precious commodity. I know I sound like a scratched CD (or broken record for those of us who remember them), but you really have to keep moving forward. I gave up once. If I’d given up permanently, or gave up again with the book before this one, I would not have this fabulous opportunity. No writing is wasted, even if it gets shoved under the bed and no one but you ever reads the whole thing. Because it’s all about learning and growing.
Eve, I’m SO enjoying writing this story now! My chapter will be here for all to see very soon, but it’s changed since I wrote it for the contest. Sally gave me suggestions that required some rewriting. Which proves that you don’t have to write a perfect first chapter, only a compelling one to get that request for more.
Hi, Kira!! Thank you.
Hi, Lynn! *waves*
I’m so proud of you and know this is going to be a great year. Thanks for giving all of us the inspiration we need to keep writing!
Hey Lynn it’s good to know that the first chapter doesn’t have to be perfect even though that’s what we all strive for. I’m really looking forward to reading all of the entries and any comments from the editor’s on how to improve. Good luck with the rest of the book. I’m sure we’ll all be following along to see how it’s going.
Chris.
Hi Lynn,
I loved the story of your call too. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever read one I haven’t enjoyed – they’re all fabulous in their own way. It’s thrilling to see the door opening for someone.
Best of luck with the rest of your story. I hope it’s a great success. I’m sure you’ll have a great time working with Sally.
Annie
As the friend she had dinner with, I can tell you that even after the assumption of not winning, she hadn’t lost confidence or faith.
Congrats again, Lynn. You are a success story and we get to be along for the “making of.”
SQUEEEE!!!! We’re so excited for you, Lynn. Thank you for sharing your story. Hopefully there will be many more squee moments to come.
Hi, Kathy!! Thank you!
Chris: I thought I wrote a perfect chapter, LOL! But there were places to do a little more. I don’t want to say too much, because I’m sure that’s stuff we’ll discuss in future blog posts as the year goes along.
Thank you, Annie! I love call stories too. One of my Heart of Dixie chapter mates, Kelley St. John, has an entire section of her website devoted to them. Inspiring stuff!
PC: That’s so sweet of you to say! And remember, we must eat a meal together in SF.
Going to lunch and/or dinner with you is a good thing.
Danniele: I’m hoping for squee moments for everyone!!! And I know they’ll come.
Hi Lynn!
Great story! I have to admit to having an addiction to reading other people’s call stories – is there a help group for that? I love your words “no writing ever gets wasted… Because it’s all about learning and growing†the boxes of stories under my bed that no one will ever read seem to be growing exponentially and I’m having a blast! In light of that it’s very comforting to know that you don’t have to write the perfect chapter.
I was wondering if there are any “tools†that have helped you grow as a writer into who you are today. Have you used any texts or taken any courses/degrees that you’ve found really beneficial (or for that matter a complete waste of time)? Do you have any tips for turning negative competition feedback into little gems of opportunity and advice (aside from hiding them under the bed and hoping they’ll morph into a butterfly that sings praises, because from experience that doesn’t seem to work).
Thanks again for sharing!
Nikki.
Lynn,
Congratulations on winning the contest! As a reader, I am lookng forward to reading your first book in print.
Good luck with your writing!
Lidia
Lynn Raye, congratulations!
I’m looking forward to reading your chapter and I love your take on the writing process. For me the improvement in my writing came one step at a time, bits and pieces of craft that gave life to imagination, wonderfully critical feedback at exactly the right time, never being quite satisfied, always wanting the writing to be that little bit better, the gradual recognition and honing of voice… how I eventually chose to say something on the page and why…
I love that sometimes I think I’ve written a perfect chapter, and I haven’t, and that someone can tell me why. I love revisiting that chapter and looking for fixes. My fixes; fixes that suit my voice and the story I have to tell. Choices. Thinking. Layers, always layers. Surprises.
Winning comps and fabulous feedback is one step. Trusting your instinct is another, and publication yet another. Once published there are still more steps to take – there’s always another step to take.
Lynn Raye, congratulations. Everyone out there who received feedback, congratulations. Everyone who entered, congratulations. Think steps.
Kelly
Lynne, it’s lovely to read your call story
Like you, I entered hoping for a request, which arrived in the post this morning 
(So everyone waiting to hear, don’t give up yet, the eds are still sending them out!)Your advice about learning from everything you write is spot on and so encouraging. I know I’ve learned something from every rejected ms about what defines my voice, what I’m doing right, what I’m doing wrong 
etc
Sue
To Sue Child
Congratulations, it’s great to hear a post from someone who has recieved a request. You must be thrilled.
Susieq
Congratulations Sue, that gives us all some hope that a letter might be on the way
Chris.
Thanks Susie and Chris! Nothing’s managed to wipe the smile off my face yet, although I’m going to have to get my act together and finish the full from my cobbled-together synopsis so I can send it in asap!
Sue
Sue Child: That’s awesome! Congratulations!! And thank you.
Thanks Lidia and Kelly! I agree with you on the steps. Every time you think you’ve reached a new level, there’s something new to learn. Being open to new ideas is how you grow, I think. And yet, as you said, you also have to trust your instincts. If you constantly change your writing because a contest judge or a CP, or even your mother, tells you this or that doesn’t work, then you’ll never get a feel for the rhythm and how YOU write.
Nikki: Thanks again for the congrats! Hmm, you asked about tools that have helped me grow into the writer I am now. Well, I’m still growing. That’s first. Second, I don’t think there are any specific tools that I can tell you about. There have definitely been personal “aha!” moments for me, and those help tremendously.
But, I’ll tell you the basics and you can decide. Like so many who want to write, I have the English degree. I have a master’s degree with a concentration in English Lit (don’t know what the equivalent to that is outside the US, but it’s after the first 4 years and before you get a doctorate). I don’t think this degree helps me in the least little bit as far as being a fiction writer. It certainly helped me in that I wrote a lot of papers for my courses. And that I was forced to read classic literature. Not that you want to emulate Hardy or Faulkner in your writing style! But reading the classics certainly helps with a sense of story. Or did for me anyway.
Most importantly, I think, is that you must read — and read widely. Read the line you want to write for! Read stuff that interests you, even if it’s completely removed from romance writing. The more you see good language in use, the more you absorb it.
As for specific texts, yes there are a few that I feel helped me. Dwight Swain’s Techniques of the Selling Writer. Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation, Conflict. Leslie Wainger’s Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies. Stephen King’s On Writing. Renni Browne and Dave King’s Self-Editing for Fiction Writers.
You asked how to turn negative feedback into gems of opportunity. Well, I can’t claim perfection there! I’ve certainly put the entry away and pouted for a while! But then, some little thing will keep nagging me, and I’ll reread the comments. You can usually safely discard comments that say stuff like, “I hate your hero! He’s childish!” without telling you WHY he’s childish. Yes, I once had a judge tell me my heroine was juvenile. But she pointed out why. Every instance, and I could see it so well.
Another comment I got had to do with where the story started (often a trouble spot when you’re unpublished and trying!). My heroine was driving, thinking about how she’d gotten to this point in her life. The judge told me that if the heroine is driving in the first scene, she’s usually driving to the beginning of the story. LOL! I cut that scene, reworked the next one, and that story is my current Golden Heart finalist (there were other rewrites, but the beginning is exactly what that judge told me was the beginning).
Anyway, this is getting long, but I wanted to answer you with as much information as I thought might help.
Lynne!
Love your call story!!! How wonderful! Get that full finished and in!
Will you write under Lynne Raye Harris?
MARIAN
Thanks Lynne!
Marian: the short answer — I don’t know. The long: I’ve always been open to the idea of a pseudonym, but I didn’t want to pick one myself and build a website, etc, then find out it was unsuitable somehow. I’m just clueless enough to pick an inappropriate name, so I’ve always planned to wait until that decision was upon me and I could ask for help. I have no problem using my name, though.
This is so exciting! Thank you so much for sharing more of your journey to this point Lynne- it is so inspiring. Is the version of your first chapter that we will see here be the contest entry, or your latest version?
Hi, Mulberry. You’ll see my contest entry, nothing additional.
LOL on the pen name, Lynn!
I pretty much feel the same! Though I have thought about it a lot, like you–just sort of waiting until the decision is upon me. Looking into websites, many companies are 3 months out from even getting to you after you contact them, so I was looking around at info. But . . . until the call comes . . . well, you know how it goes.
Your name does stand out as it is, though. Catchy. Nice.
Hi Lynn!
Thank you so so much for your comments. They are printed and stuck to my wall never to move again…
.
Predictably all of the texts you were kind enough to list will soon be invading my home
thank you for recommending them. I found your comment about your studies interesting, I don’t have a degree in English (I’ve been down the business road) and I’ve always wondered if that’s what’s missing 
, but at the same time when I read course descriptions they don’t sound right and now I know why! So thank you so much for clarifying that, you may have just saved about five years of my life lol! No doubt my internal debate will continue over whether to study or not to study but I think I’ll try a few of the other more specific writing courses I’ve stumbled across first.
I love that I’m not the only one who pouts when getting criticism! Draws get a good work out here.
Thanks for sharing the judges comment about the heroine driving to the first scene, I’d never given it any thought before and I would have popped it in there without hesitating before reading that! Which worries me a bit because it seriously begs the question: what else am I missing here?! Lol.
I’m off to worship your first chapter
Thanks again!
Nikki.
Thank you, Marian! There is only me when you Google the name, but on the other hand, I’m not sure it has the right flavor to it. See, I’m clueless about names!
Nikki: I really, seriously don’t think you need the English degree to be a writer. In fact, having experience in other areas brings so much to your imagination and your wealth of knowledge. Now, taking specific writing courses, like the workshops offered by RWA, can be good for sure.
But the best way to learn good storytelling is in the trenches. By that, I mean reading a lot, writing a lot, and learning to feel the rhythm. It’s obvious from your posts that you know how to write well. Now, you just have to study the craft and experiment.
I hope you enjoy those books!