Wisdom Overheard

Last week, I attended the Romance Writers of America (RWA) national conference in New York City. The conference featured craft workshops, industry updates, and social networking opportunities. Boy, did we work those social opportunities! And of course, New York City itself is fascinating with a diverse population, shops, restaurants, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square. You get the idea.

RWA also provides writers with the opportunity to pitch to agents and editors. It’s valuable because you get to present the agent/editor as a professional. You’re not cold pitching via e-mail or ground mail. You’re not a faceless name on a page. You can establish a personal connection and hopefully, they will ask you to submit your work. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s a start. I’ll write about my appointments in the future as well.

I’ll be more specific in future blogs but wanted to share a few words of wisdom I heard while at the conference. Behind each sample is a wealth of information and food for thought. Enjoy.

“Romance readers want romance.”

Flannery O’Connor wrote in a letter, “Nothing you write will lack meaning because the meaning is in you.”

“Your voice is you on the page.”

“Everyone, at one time or another, thinks their book is crap.” (I love this one!)