Contest Winner Lucy Roberts on Reading and Writing M&Bs
14 Comments November 6th, 2008 in Modern Heat, reader, writing, writing contest Posted by Amyby Lucy Roberts, Feel the Heat contest winner
Following an epiphany in a charity shop at the age of about twelve, I devoured Mills & Boon romances throughout my teens. In fact, I’m convinced that it was the fantasy and escapism bursting from those pages that got me though five years at an all-girls’ boarding school. I was addicted. But then university and the world of work intruded, my M&B reading tailed off and the idle dream of actually writing one fell by the wayside.
Until September 2004, when I found myself with a month off work and decided that that was the time to pen my masterpiece. Now, for every job interview I’ve had, I’ve done the research. Checked out the website? Googled the directors? Sampled the products? Of course. So what planet was I on when I thought I’d just dash off a publishable M&B, having never done any creative writing and having not picked one up for twenty years?
My first attempt, which had every character’s viewpoint and a ludicrous plot, should never have been printed out, let alone submitted to the poor unsuspecting editors in Richmond. My second effort contained so many manufactured plot devices (jealous other woman, interrupting phone calls, big misunderstanding) it was a 50,000 word cliché. And the third starred a heroine who grumbled her way through a highly improbable marriage of convenience. Hopefully the fourth will turn out somewhat better.
Despite these gaping flaws, each manuscript has been an education, and I’m totally hooked on the whole writing process. Somewhere along the way I joined the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme, discovered Kate Walker’s 12-Point Guide to Writing Romance and attended an RNA conference, all of which have been utterly invaluable.
I still have a long way to go before I produce something of a remotely publishable standard, and am counting on a whole year (whooppee!) of Kimberley’s advice and suggestions, but it just goes to show that persistence does sometimes pay off!
Many thanks to everyone who congratulated me, and to the competition organisers for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Join us again tomorrow when Lucy will tell her about receiving her winner’s call!
Tagged with: Feel the Heat Writing Competition • Lucy Roberts • Mills & Boon
Hi Lucy
Congratulations again – and thank you for mentioning my 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance on your post. I hope it helped you.
Next time you’re at a RNA conference you must come and say hello
Kate
Hi Lucy
It must be so exciting having an editor all to yourself for a whole 12 months!! WOW.
Congrats for winning the competition, and I hope everything works out fine for you.
I’m sure it will. All we girls need in our lives is another tall, dark, sexy and mysterious stranger to read about. Can’t wait.
xx Karen
Congrats on your win, Lucy!
Three completed manuscripts . . . wow. Another example of how persistence pays off.
I found Kate Walker’s book extremely helpful as well. It really helped clear up alot of issues for me.
Barbara Burnham
Hi Lucy
So glad you found the New Writers Scheme useful (as well as Kate’s invalueable book!). The scheme is how I got published – two weeks after sending in my second ms to it I got a call from Bryony at Modern Heat saying she’d been passed the ms and loved it! Cool.
This year I started working as a reader for it and will be doing so again next year (I hope), and I think some of the Modern authors work as readers too. So I’d highly recommend it for budding writers…
Have a wonderful year with Kimberley, it sounds like you’re well set to make the most of it.
Heidi
Well done with your win, Lucy! I have a revision letter for my entry from Anna and that was just so incredibly useful (and daunting) – I can only imagine what a year of such fabulous advice must be like. You’ll have a sale for sure.
I had to laugh at just ‘dashing off a publishable M&B’. Sounds like my thinking when I entered the Instant Seduction contest earlier this year. Guidelines? What guidelines?? You mean Modern Heat is a separate line??
Hahahaha! No wonder my first mss got a big fat R!
Jackie
Hello!
Thank you again for the congrats. Am very much looking forward to Kimberley’s words of wisdom!
Jackie – hope the revisions go well
x Lucy
Thanks Lucy! So do I. Going to wait for my phone call before tackling it though – in the middle of Nano at the moment and am concentrating on that.
Jackie
Wohoo again Lucy! And fab story… kinda reminds me of my beginning to category, in which I thought I could read a bunch then pen one to publishable standard straight away!! Haha!!
Good lucky with Kimberly.
Jackie – great to hear your revision letter was useful. I’ve been ploughing on through my entered mss as I’m having a baby in three weeks and wanted to finish, so I’m just hoping I’m heading down the right track. Can’t wait to know for real
Rach!
Congratulations Lucy, I’m looking forward to reading your winning entry.
It’s really interesting to read your post as I’ve been thinking about joining the RNA’s New Writers’ scheme.
Unfortunately their quota for unpublished writers seems to be full at the moment so I can’t join but I do have Kate Walker’s book sitting on my desk!
Lorraine
Congratulations Lucy. As a runner-up I was so thrilled. So you must be totally over the moon to have her at hand for twelve months. Well done and look forward to reading your entry.
Cheers, Felicity
Lorraine – You can join the NWS from January 2009 I think. I may be wrong, but I believe it starts all over again with 0 members until it gets full!
Thanks Lucy – I was hoping that was the case and I didn’t have to wait for the unpublished members to either drop out or get published
Lorraine
Congrats, Lucy! It definitely takes persistence in this biz, and it sounds like you have it.
My very first mss was a medieval — riddled with cliches so bad it’s embarrassing to think about. *g*
It’s amazing how you learn, even though your writing was good enough to capture the editors’ attention, that you still have work to do to make a story publishable. That was a huge lesson for me, and I’m so grateful I had the chance.
So have a great year working with your editor! You will learn tons, and you will be amazed at how your writing grows with guidance. I look forward to reading about your journey.
And, I also have to give a shout out for Kate Walker’s Twelve Point Guide! I bought it AFTER I got The Call, lol, but it’s fabulous and I know it will serve me well as I go forward with the next story.
Lucy,
Congratulations! Can’t wait to read your entry. This must be a very exciting time for you!