When do you go from being an avid reader to developing an interest in creating your own story and finally, wanting to be a full time author?
I’ve been a reader of romance for around fifteen years and as much as I love the genre sometimes I found myself wishing the stories had a different ending or a different path to the ending.
This started me thinking and small stories started to develop, followed closely by some very interesting characters. After turning the ideas over in my head for a while I felt I could attempt my own novel.
Without any experience I gave it a go, I didn’t get very far. Opening a Word document and starting to type probably wasn’t the best idea but I had large amounts of enthusiasm to back it up.
I started to struggle.
It didn’t take me long to do some research and I uncovered a world of writing programs. (I didn't even know they existed) The one I thought suited me the best was Storyweaver, it took me through four points; Inspiration, Development, Exposition and Storytelling. In each point the Plot, Character, Theme and Genre were explored, expanded and refined. When all the steps were completed it left me with the skeleton of the story broken down into chapters.
I was very excited by this point, ready to start weaving the details together that made up each chapter. I was consistently working on it until I became pregnant with my daughter and had to give up writing for well over a year. I continued reading but was itching to get back to it. Except after reading so many well-written novels I felt I needed to do some sort of writing course. A bit more googling and I found a correspondence course through OTEN, Writing Course – Category Romance.
I couldn’t believe there was a course specifically designed for Romance Writing. It was very professional and gave me a wealth of information from how to get started through to contacting editors. The best part was the constructive feedback from the teacher. It was great to be critiqued by a published author and to find out I wasn’t totally out of my depth, it gave me more confidence to continue.
Another confidence boost came when I joined the Romance Writers of Australia. This has opened up a whole new world for me and the support is fantastic. It’s great to talk to people on the same journey.
Once I had completed the course I decided to start from scratch. After three years and two incomplete manuscripts I wanted a totally fresh idea to test out all my new skills. A new setting, plot and characters and so A Wicked Proposal was born.
I pour all my spare energy into working on my manuscript and coming up with conflict and dialogue to enrich my story. I was sneaking in some research at work and a colleague of mine commented, “I would have quit by now.” If you love something and are so passionate about it that your thoughts and ideas can’t be quieted, push on. For me it’s like a freight train racing down a hill with broken brakes. Will my enthusiasm wan? I don’t know. But for now I’m enjoying the ride.
I’ve been a reader of romance for around fifteen years and as much as I love the genre sometimes I found myself wishing the stories had a different ending or a different path to the ending.
This started me thinking and small stories started to develop, followed closely by some very interesting characters. After turning the ideas over in my head for a while I felt I could attempt my own novel.
Without any experience I gave it a go, I didn’t get very far. Opening a Word document and starting to type probably wasn’t the best idea but I had large amounts of enthusiasm to back it up.
I started to struggle.
It didn’t take me long to do some research and I uncovered a world of writing programs. (I didn't even know they existed) The one I thought suited me the best was Storyweaver, it took me through four points; Inspiration, Development, Exposition and Storytelling. In each point the Plot, Character, Theme and Genre were explored, expanded and refined. When all the steps were completed it left me with the skeleton of the story broken down into chapters.
I was very excited by this point, ready to start weaving the details together that made up each chapter. I was consistently working on it until I became pregnant with my daughter and had to give up writing for well over a year. I continued reading but was itching to get back to it. Except after reading so many well-written novels I felt I needed to do some sort of writing course. A bit more googling and I found a correspondence course through OTEN, Writing Course – Category Romance.
I couldn’t believe there was a course specifically designed for Romance Writing. It was very professional and gave me a wealth of information from how to get started through to contacting editors. The best part was the constructive feedback from the teacher. It was great to be critiqued by a published author and to find out I wasn’t totally out of my depth, it gave me more confidence to continue.
Another confidence boost came when I joined the Romance Writers of Australia. This has opened up a whole new world for me and the support is fantastic. It’s great to talk to people on the same journey.
Once I had completed the course I decided to start from scratch. After three years and two incomplete manuscripts I wanted a totally fresh idea to test out all my new skills. A new setting, plot and characters and so A Wicked Proposal was born.
I pour all my spare energy into working on my manuscript and coming up with conflict and dialogue to enrich my story. I was sneaking in some research at work and a colleague of mine commented, “I would have quit by now.” If you love something and are so passionate about it that your thoughts and ideas can’t be quieted, push on. For me it’s like a freight train racing down a hill with broken brakes. Will my enthusiasm wan? I don’t know. But for now I’m enjoying the ride.
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