A Very Bad Place To Start

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy

Tomorrow (the 19th) my fabulous critique partner Jo-Mama and I are giving a presentation to our local Romance Writers of America chapter. We were asked, along with another chapter member, to talk about contests and critique groups.

I am concentrating on contests for my portion of the panel, specifically contests for unpublished writers. One of my topics covers things in contest entries that drive judges BONKERS. But as I was going over my speaking notes, it occurred to me that this could just as easily be things in books that drive readers BONKERS.

Editors and agents aren't the only ones who make decisions on books after reading a page or two. I can usually tell right off if I'm going to like a story, and I know I'm not the only person who stands in the aisle of the bookstore reading the opening page.

It is so true that an author must hook the reader on page one. There better be something compelling, fresh, or different on that very first page for me to keep reading page two. I don't know about you, but lately, I've run across waaay too many stories whose beginnings leave me scratching my head or yawning. I've seen or read these openings too many times before, and I'll bet you have as well:

• A big fight is going on or a huge chase, but I (the reader) have no idea why or who these characters are, nor do I care.
• The heroine (or hero) looks in the mirror or out the window and contemplates her past and/or future.
• The heroine (or hero but again usually it's a female) is late for work or an important function.
• The heroine hates her job (usually justifiably), has just been fired or is about to get fired.

I'm not saying I won't read a book with one of these openings. Matter of fact, I have read GREAT books with all of these beginnings. But I've seen each of these scenarios so many times that the author better have a very unique twist for me to keep reading a story that opens with a such a cliche.

What about you? Is there a particular opening scene you've seen too often lately? Have you read a good book with one of Aunty's openings and it totally worked for you? What are some other things in books that drive you BONKERS?

In keeping with our Go Red celebration, Aunty is giving away a red box of six pretty lip glosses from Ulta and an AHA pin to one lucky commenter!
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The healthy heart tip for today is: If you want to get a start on health for your heart, take a walk! Walking costs nothing to get started and can be done in your very own neighborhood. Walking for as little as 30 minutes a day provides heart-health benefits.

Sign up for the Go Red Better U Program and receive two free romance e-books.

From Feb 1 through May 31, 2011, receive one free romance e-book when you sign up for the American Heart Association's Better U Program and one after you complete week six of the program. And look for the Eat Smart for Your Heart limited edition magazine (that features this offer) on newstands and in a grocery store near you.

Go Red for Women is trademarked by the American Heart Association, Inc. Romance novel downloads provided by Belle Books.

What's So Great About Contests?

by Caren Crane

Contests. We love them, we loathe them. And by "we", I mean all of us. Think about it. Did you ever, as a child (or maybe as an adult), squirm with anticipation waiting for the Miss America Pageant? How about the World Series? The World Cup, maybe? For the uber-geeks among us, the Scripps National Spelling Bee? Dancing With The Stars? Or, my personal favorite, the Winter Olympics? (what is cooler than the luge?!)

Competition appeals to some primal need we humans have to compete. To prove we are bigger, better, faster, more. Writers are not immune to contests, by any means. As a matter of fact, many of you know that the Banditas all have one thing in common: we were all 2006 Golden Heart finalists. Some of us have confessed to being a bit fixated on contests, entering more than a few at a time.

We sweat over entries, agonize over synopses, hammer those first three sentences or pages or chapters until they gleam and scream and beg for mercy. You will often hear us crowing (or is that the Golden Rooster?) about a Bandita being a finalist or placing in a contest. It works us all into a lather, let me tell you! A win for one Bandita reflects well on all Banditas (and honorary Banditas, too)!

But why do we care so much? Why not simply write and submit and write some more and submit some more? Frankly, it's the rejection. All we get from most of our submissions is some form of "not for me". And truthfully, all most of us get from a contest is a certificate or plaque or, if we're very lucky, a piece of jewelry. Ah, but there is always the brass ring. The ring, my precioussssss!


*ahem* In our case, the brass ring is a request from an agent or editor wanting to read more. To read the whole manuscript. To buy the manuscript. It happens. We have seen it happen to writers we actually know! So we keep writing, submitting, writing some more...and entering contests. Right now, many of us AYU (as yet unpublished) Banditas are polishing our Golden Heart entries. We hope - we pray - that the stars will align and we will once again be Golden Heart finalists. That some wonderful editor who shares our vision and adores our prose will read us, love us, publish us. Then we will all be winners, even you! Because you will get to read our books. *g*

Meanwhile, what are your favorite contests? Do you watch to see who wins or who loses? Do you ever, in a moment of mean-spirited weakness, hope someone trips on the Miss America runway or drops his partner on Dancing With The Stars? Did you ever vote for Sanjaya just to piss off a friend or coworker? Please share!

Meanwhile, I have to finish polishing my new manuscript for the Golden Heart...

On Losing

by Susan Seyfarth

The best romances are so messy, aren't they? Falling in love for real means tossing aside your cool, embracing your inner geek and splatting your heart right there on the pavement at the feet of your beloved. It means showing the entire world (figuratively speaking, of course) what you look like naked. Writing a romance is no different. Readers want to see that kind of emotional committment on every page, and that means the writer has to feel it. Has to mean it. It's exhilarating, exhausting, wonderful work, and we love to see it rewarded. So we Banditas bust out the bucket boots and rum (or was it bucket boots of rum? It all gets so hazy...) every time one of our fellow writers gets The Call.

You know, The Call? The one where the faithful and patient agent who's been hawking your work all over NYC (or the insightful and prescient editor who's been looking at your manuscript for a year or two) picks up the phone, dials your number and says, "Hey, want to sell a book today?"

At least that's how I've been told it goes. :-) I'm still waiting for a Call Story of my own, but that's not what I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about not getting the call. Not winning the contest. Not being the best or the brightest or the fastest. I want to talk about -- let's just say it -- losing.

Yeah, losing. We don't talk about it much because, wow, does it hurt to splat your heart across the pavement -- or the page -- and have somebody reject it. But losing has a lot to recommend it. Seriously. Stick with me here, I'll explain.

I earned my way into the Bandit Lair the usual way: I finaled in RWA's 2006 Golden Heart contest for excellence in romantic fiction. And that's a Big Deal, right? I mean, it's only the biggest contest in our field. It's supposed to get the finalists attention from People Who Matter, shoot us straight to the top of the slush pile. This was vindication for three years of scrounging out a little time to write while the baby slept and the laundry piled up. I was finally On My Way. Right?

Well. Not so much. First of all, I didn't win. I didn't sell the book that finaled, either. But no matter. Onward and upward, right? If I wrote one book that could final, surely my next book would sell. So I kept carving out that writing time, kept scribbling away. I wrote what I felt certain was The One. I labored over those all-important first three chapters, polished them to a blinding glare and sent them off to the 2007 Golden Heart contest with supreme confidence. This time I would win. I was a former finalist. I knew what it took, right?

Well. Not so much. This time, I didn't even final. I didn't even score in the top 25%. I'd splashed my heart all over the page (again) only to have the reading public go "meh." Ouch. But this is where it gets good. This is where losing starts to mean something. Because then I had a decision to make. Should I keep going? Was it worth it? I'd been breaking my heart with this writing business for four years. What if I'm never going to be good enough? What if I'm never going to have anything to say that people want to hear, or the skill to say it in a compelling way? Was it time to quit?

I don't know what I should have done, but I'll tell you what I did. I sat down and wrote another book. And every single day I sat down at the keyboard was an act of courage. It was a conscious decision to strip naked in front of an unconcerned audience, splat down my heart and try again. Fail again, if that was what it took. Losing forced me to screw up my courage and commit. It forced me to admit that I'm not good enough yet and dedicate myself to closing the gap. It both humbled me and lifted me up, if that makes sense. Have I learned to love rejection? Well, no. But I'm still writing, and I'm counting that as a win.

So what about you? Tell us your losing story! What was the best lesson losing, being dumped or being fired ever taught you? Where's that silver lining?

Caren Begs Shamelessly

by Caren Crane

If you read our blog even occasionally, you know the Banditas love a contest! I am participating in a contest run by Gather.com and Pocket Books called First Chapters Romance Writing Competition. The prize is a cash advance and having the book published by Pocket!


I'll admit to having a somewhat *ahem* competitive nature, so I threw myself into the spirit of the competition. The first chapter I have posted is from my Golden Heart finaling manuscript Kick Start. Please go read my chapter (the link is the book title preceding), rate it using the Rate this article option under the chapter (before the comments) and leave me a comment. They are only officially counting ratings of "10".

It would mean the world to me to see my Bandita friends there. And if Pocket publishes it, it will be one more great Bandita book for you. A win-win! Anyone with a question can contact me at: carencrane AT gmail DOT com.

Thanks, everyone, for your help and support!