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Tag Archives: community

Winning and Grinning

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Paula Beavan in Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

cathryn hein, Charlotte Ledger, Claytons, community, competition, development, Harper Impulse, manuscript, missed call, Paula Beavan, Romance, rural romance, RWA, winner, Writer, writing

Well hello reader, how’ve you been?

It’s been an awesome week for me. Frightening and exciting all at the same time. But I’ll come to that later.

The first thing I have to share is that last week was the Romance Writer’s of Australia’s annual conference. It’s held in beautiful Freemantle, Western Australia.  I wished I could have made it. Without being too worried about why I couldn’t, I’ll get on with telling you about what I was able to attend! The Clayton’s Conference. The wonderful people at RWA hold an online conference that runs over the same weekend as the live event, so that we, who couldn’t make it to Freemantle don’t miss out.

claytons2013logo

I signed up and I wasn’t disappointed! The online event ran from Friday evening to Sunday night and was jam packed with online sessions ran by several authors, an editor from Random House and the content developer for Harper Impulse. It was fabulous to be able to ask questions of these industry professionals in real time. Not to mention the fantastic questions that other’s asked.

I wrote last week about the wonder of the writing community and I consider myself blessed that I have found most everyone to be welcoming, encouraging and helpful. Well things have just got better.

Beyond my wildest dreams, better!

dream field

<image credit>

I won a three month manuscript development opportunity with Harper Impulse content developer Charlotte Ledger! I was so excited reader, I could barely speak! I know, hard to believe.

So, let me tell you how I came to be a winner!

When I first joined RWA I had no idea what a fantastic move it was going to be! I have Cathryn Hein to thank for recommending I join. (Cathryn writes fantastic Rural Romance, check her books out here)

Pretty soon after joining up, I saw there was a June write-a-thon about to start and I thought, why not? I had Festival barely started and going off track, so I signed up for #50ks30days and got stuck in. I met some awesome writers in the 50ks chat room and we clicked and clacked and kept each other company. Great fun and a 60K first draft done in 30 days. I was pretty happy with this, as you can imagine reader!

One subject that continued to pop up in the chat room was the RWA conference coming up! I began to wish I could go, but a only 2 months notice and lack of funds, I knew I couldn’t. Next year is in Sydney and I will be going!

Well RWA keep their members well informed and so I heard about the Clayton’s Online Conference and I signed up, I know, I’d already said that, but!!! Wait for it! An email appeared in the inbox and all the Claytoneers were invited to send in an email entry. Send in contact details with book title, word count, genre and where I was up to with the ms. I sent in Something in the Water, 65K, romantic suspense, 4th edit!

Whoo hoo, guess what reader?? Yep, I won!

winner is

<image credit>

Me, who has not won anything other than a leg of ham at the Christmas Raffle. I did! I won a THREE MONTH MANUSCRIPT DEVELOPMENT FOR SOMETHING IN THE WATER!

With Charlotte Ledger of Harper Impulse! Ha!

The funny thing was, I went to visit a friend in hospital and turned my phone to silent and missed two phone calls to tell me I’d won!

The next day I went to Sydney and on the way home I saw I’d a missed call so listened to the message! It was Dana Scully, of RWA not X Files, and she left a message to tell me that I’d won! I also received a couple of emails from her and another from Charlotte Ledger.

Anyway, I’ve sent off the synopsis for Something in the Water and the first three chapters for Charlotte to have a look at and now I wait for her response. In the meantime I’ll be finishing the 4th, or is that the 7th edit on SITW and trying to calm my crazy palpitating heart.

Have you ever won something reader? Do you even enter competitions? I don’t usually, which is probably why I never win anything. But this is one time I came out a winner. Please share your winning and grinning moment, I’d love to hear about it.

The writing community, I love it

19 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by Paula Beavan in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

awards, books, community, literature, Paula Beavan, writing

Reader, one of the things I love most about being a writer is the community. Writers actually want to help each other! I know, it’s amazing.

support

We have a transport company and I can tell you there isn’t much genuine help and community in the industry. You have to guard your work and contacts as if they were gold nuggets. It’s common for people who you may have helped out to undercut you and steal your work. Everybody is suspicious and a lot are dishonest.

In the writerly world things couldn’t be any more different. In the writing community we join groups. Writer’s groups, Critique groups, support groups and any other kind of encouraging group you can think of! I thinks it’s grand.

Since joining the online writing community of facebook I’ve become friends both online and in some instances the relationships have flowed over into face to face meetings.

I don’t know why, but for some reason rather than clawing our way over the fallen bodies of our fellow writers, we help each other up and encourage each other to keep going. It’s an incredible community full of people who want to help and encourage you, not just use you as a step on the ladder and leave you behind.underwater

I’ve been plodding (ok, tearing my hair out) along with the edit of Something in the Water, and at the same time trying to write a synopsis. Now reader, I’m not going to try to tell you how hard it is it break down a 65,000 word novel to a dry 1 – 2 page description. You try to do it with your favourite movie! Suffice to say it’s difficult. Especially for a first timer like me. But, I am honoured and privileged to have a huge amount of help from two different online writing groups. People from both have spent a huge amount of time helping me with the synopsis and I can’t thank them enough.

tear out hair

As much as I’d like to name them I don’t know if they’d appreciate it. So I’ll just say thank you and know, that you know who you are.

So reader, are you a writer who has found the writing community the same? Have you found similar support in other groups? Have you had a totally different experience?

Paula Beavan Author

Paula Beavan Author

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