I just want to share a link to some wise words from a fellow romance writer, Nancy Cunningham.
Nancy writes uniquely Australian stories about history, love and science, in genres from historical romance to crime and short literary fiction. This year she’s smashing it in the writing contest scene, and published in an anthology, so she’s definitely one to watch.
Like me Nancy has been working on her craft and her stories for a while and she wrote a blog post that sums up many of the hard lessons of becoming a writer and taking feedback. Even if you’re not a writer, there is some top shelf advice on being true to yourself that will resonate for most people. (I’ll pop a link below if you bear with me for now.)
I particularly liked her advice on how to deal with the feedbank that stings and momentarily put your off your game: “consign it to history, or use it as a motivator, cross-stitch it and put it above your writing place”.
Because its weird how that one little throw away line will eat into your heart more persistently than Kylie Minogue’s Can’t Get You Out Of My Head stays with you all day if you hear it on the radio. It’s in your brain now isn’t it? You’re welcome:)
As Nancy suggests, I’ve learnt if the feedback doesn’t resonate, but hurts, you need to take away its power, have some fun with it and move on. (Ironically, moving on after a rejection is a key theme to my upcoming novella, Ryan’s Return, but more about that later.)
So: contests.
Along the way many aspiring novelists choose to enter writing contests. Why bother? So many reasons, but the main one is unbiased feedback from people who read, and often write, what you write. They love the romance genre too and want you to be the best writer you can be.
As a volunteer contest co-ordinator for my favourite romance contest, The First Kiss, run by Romance Writers of Australia, I’m a true believer that it’s a great way to get valuable feedback.
The First Kiss is a key scene in any romance novel and it’s one readers eagerly anticipate. Getting it right is a craft that can be learnt. It just makes sense to hone that scene till it shines and our lovely RWA volunteer judges work hard to give valuable feedback to each entrant. But taking feedback, that is another skill we all need to learn, in writing and in life.
Eventually as a writer you have to put your work out in the world. Strangers will be passing judgement on your stories. It pays to be mentally prepared for that. Not everyone is going to like them. Entering contests is one step towards developing the resilience you’ll need to keep going anyway.
Speaking of sharing…
Soon I’ll be taking that step with my novella-length story Ryan’s Return. I’m in the final stages of polishing it now and it will be published in an anthology called Secrets in the coming months. I look forward to sharing more details about Secrets soon.
Ryan’s Return is an Australian outback rural romance about what happens when Aurora’s teenage crush returns to help run her brother’s bar while he’s in rehab. I am so excited to be able to share this story soon.
Here’s a snippet, from the first kiss scene (of course!):
The breeze picked up, warm air caressing her skin. Ryan stood with his hands on his hips, gazing at the township below. He glanced at her and she was struck by yearning so hard she couldn’t breathe. Her heart whumped in her chest.
“What?” he said.
“Just admiring the view.”
She stared at his familiar face in the softening golden light and bit her lip against the slow burn of desire thickening her blood.
His gaze darkened and the corner of his mouth lifted. “Aurora…”
“Hmmm?”
“You’re playing with fire, Red.”
She smiled. “I like danger. Now kiss me, Ryan Harrington, or get the hell out of my bar and my life.”
One side of his mouth quirked at that, just a little, and the energy sparking between them changed from restraint to anticipation. His eyes mirrored the challenge in hers. “Yes, boss,” he murmured and his mouth descended.
Aurora’s eyes fluttered closed and her lips were still smiling as her mouth met his. But when Ryan’s lips settled gently over hers, the sounds of the bush, the sunset, the scenery, the smells, all fell away. There was only the contact, his lips first brush against hers, his arms reaching to encircle her, the thump of the heartbeat in his chest and the answering clamour in her own.
His lips ignited something that had simmered so long she’d forgotten its potential.
Because light and tender burnt out within seconds of contact, turned into moist mouths parting and meeting with a hunger to know and to cherish and to claim. Fire scorched through Aurora’s veins, across her skin. She heard him make a sound of capitulation, felt it reverberate through his chest as he hauled her closer, the hardness pressing into her belly telling her she wasn’t alone in the storm of need his lips were unleashing. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of his shirt and his arms wrapped tight around her as her knees faltered. This was not a kiss, this was a chemical chain reaction, and nothing could ever be the same again. When they broke apart panting and dazed, Aurora looked to the ground expecting to see scorched earth.
I had such fun writing that scene and Ryan and Aurora’s story. I’ll post some more tastes soon, and in the meantime, if you’re curious about writing contests, Nancy’s blog post is here: https://bit.ly/NancyC20