Back again - at last!!

It's been a hectic few months, finding judges for Romance Writers of Australia's Valerie Parv Writing contest, sick kids, entering RWA 50K Callenge, left little free time... But I did manage to get my head around my characters conflicts and move forward in my story while torturing my hero and heroine and I love it!

I'm a pantser (a writer who has no outline or plan where her story is heading) but recently I've realised you have to have some sort of plan otherwise you waste too many precious words not to mention hours. I write category and with only 50K words to play with and a tight format I can't waste a single word. Last week I wrote a blog post for the lovely Melbourne Romance Writers Guild and it's called Confessions of a three chapter junkie, it's not been posted yet but worth checking out.

This month when I meet up with fellow writers and authors at MRWG we have the multi-published and wonderful author Anne Gracie presenting a workshop on Getting off the Slush pile!

In the early hours of this morning I received a newsletter from Holly Lisle which reiterated what I was thinking.

This week I wanted to share Holly's pearls of wisdom. At the end of the post you'll find details of how to sign up to her email and it's a great source of all things writing.

May the words flow and that dreaded internal critic be silenced.

 Holly Lisle's Tip -- Plot loosely
http://HollyLisle.com

No-charge course on creating a plot outline here:
http://novelwritingschool.com/free-plot-outline

 
Get your own copy of this newsletter here:
http://howtothinksideways.com/newsletters#tips

 


 
 
Here it is my first blog in a while but I have excuses...

As Romance Writers of Australia's judge coordinator I've been totally absorbed  finding judges for the Valerie Parv Competition. 

Now, I'm back writing and working on my latest story about a dippy genius and her billionaire lover. It's so much fun I'm just a touch in love with my hero already as my story unfurls in flashes and bursts.

Yes, I'm afraid I'm a 'panters' (a writer who writes without a detailed outline). I dash along never knowing for sure what will happen or where my characters will take me. It's an exciting ride but it can also be the pits when you come to a sudden halt after 20,000 or 30,000 words with no idea what happens next or where the big black moment is! 

I envy fellow writers who use outlines. I've completed many courses on creating outlines, how to use them and how many re-writes you save but still I plod on - that was plod not plot!! I've tried plotting and have dozens of stories outlined and characterized to within an inch of their lives. My writing buddies tell me they are great ideas, I'm only 10,000 or 20,000 off completing them, yet I've lost interest, or is it the plot. If you're a writer, what sort of writer are you? A plotter, a pantser or somewhere in between?

Been talking to friends and writing buddies about traditions. My kids are in their twenties now, my baby just turned twenty-one, and they're all busy with friends. Makes me wish we had started family traditions - apart from the Easter Sunday egg hunt! Do you have traditions your family follow?  I'd love to hear about them.

I'm meeting up for lunch tomorrow with the JEMS, my writing buddies,  and looking forward to it! Lots of laughs, good food and great company.

Until next week have a lovely Easter, keep safe.

Bye for now,
Maggie



 
 

I didn't win this time but I'll never stop trying, never give up! 

There are some amazing first chapters and I wish the other entrants all the best. 

If you have the time drop by, read and mark the fantastic chapters.
http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/News/49-The-Top-20-revealed


Cheers,
Margaret
 
 
Well, I've done it again this year and posted a chapter to Mills and Boons New Voices 2011 and I made it with five hours to spare. My story idea was definitely a Sexy but after I'd written my first chapter I knew it had transformed into an Intrigue, given time I'll modify it. 

You can check it out or vote on this link -http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Users/4829.168304


Good luck to all those who had entered.
Cheers,
Maggie
 
 
Hi, 
I'm back! I've been busy chasing judges for the RWA HighFive Competition and polishing off my chapters ready to be emailed off to the lovely Lucy Gilmour editor at Harlequin Mills and Boon London.

Today I've been updating my website, hope you like the changes. I have to confess Weebly is so much fun it's easy to lose track of time. 

I hope you'll check out my wonderful friend and talented editor's new editing service, Serena Tatti is sure to give your masterpiece the polish to get it noticed and hopefully published!! http://story-editor.com/

Hope you have a fantastic weekend and find somewhere warm and dry to curl up with a good book or get into that writing.

Bye for now,
Margaret
 
 
On September 13, 2011 there will be a new search for fresh writing talent to join Mills & Boon. The winner of the competition will win some fantastic prizes, including publication by Mills & Boon and a Mills & Boon editor for a year!

Good luck and hope to see you there, we have lots of talented writers down here in Australia!!!

·       http://www.romanceisnotdead.com

·       http://www.millsandboon.co.uk