Online Writers Workshops 2012

Before I do any more blogs about this topic or that, I’d like to present my current schedule of online writers workshops (always subject to change) for 2012. If you’re interested at all in any of these, I’d encourage you to sign up for my newsletter, where you’ll get reminders about upcoming workshops and details about the topics. All the below workshops are presented by Savvy Authors, an online community of authors helping authors.  The workshops are very reasonably priced, even more so if you sign up to become a premium Savvy Authors member, and are forum based, not “live webinars.” Once you’re signed up for a workshop, you can read the lesson posts at your convenience and make comments or ask questions as desired.  I love interaction with the people taking my workshops, and no question goes ignored.

In the past I’ve also done online workshops for various RWA chapters, and I hope in the future to continue working with RWA chapters.

“How to Find an Agent and NOT Get Scammed” – March 5 – 19, 2012

Presented by Savvy Authors

Registration Link

“Mistakes Authors Make When Submitting to Publishers” – March 19 – 26, 2012

Presented by Savvy Authors

Registration Link

“Cop Characters: How to Make Them Click and What Makes Them Tick” – April 2 – 29, 2012

Presented by Savvy Authors

Registration Link

“Conflict – How to Build It, Sustain It & Resolve It” – April 9 – 15, 2012

Presented by Savvy Authors

Registration Link

“How to Hook Your Reader” – May 7 – 13, 2012

Presented by Savvy Authors

Registration Link

“Conflict – How to Build It, Sustain It & Resolve It” – June 4 -11, 2012

Presented by Savvy Authors

Registration Link

“Let Your Characters Do Your Plotting” – July 9 – 16, 2012

Presented by Savvy Authors

Registration Link

~~Jaye Roycraft

My Website

Passion Needs a Partner!

The cold hard truth is that passion alone will not sell a book to a publisher or agent. Nor will simply having what you believe is a great story. Even if you DO have a great story. You need to understand all the various mechanics and elements of writing.

No, it’s not exciting stuff.  And no, don’t expect your editor to fix all your errors for you. That’s assuming you’re fortunate enough to even get your work in front of an editor.

This blog, as “romantic” as the graphics may look, is all about what I fear many think of as the unromantic task of helping writers to improve their craft skills. In reality, though, learning should be and can be fun and exciting, and that’s my goal.

I sometimes see the sample chapters and queries that writers send in to the publisher I work for. Some are frankly so unprofessional that it’s easy to reject them. The submissions that are hard for us are those that clearly demonstrate that the author is intelligent and has put a great deal of effort, time and thought into their manuscript, but lacks skills. By skills I mean punctuation, grammar, sentence structure, and elements such as point of view, characterization, conflict, use of description, and voice.  Rejection is hard for authors, but, believe it or not, it’s hard for editors as well. But the hard fact is that somewhere along the line the author neglected to take the time to hone their skills. In many cases, writers are missing basic skills.

If you’re serious about getting your work published, take the time to learn your craft. Do research. Take a class or workshop. Find a critique partner, and I don’t mean your sister, your neighbor, or a newbie writer.

Sign up to receive my newsletter if you’d like to hear more about my workshops – what the topics are, when they are, and how to register. I’ve done a lot of workshops over the years, and I’ve received lots of positive feedback, so I know the process works.

~~Jaye Roycraft

My Website

Is Passion Enough?

“In Writing Romances…my soul exists.” OK, so I’m clearly a romantic at heart. For romance writers, passion needs to extend from love of romance to love of writing. 

When I first began writing, this meant that every spare moment was spent either at the computer or with a pad of paper and pen. I didn’t clean the house, I wrote.  The weeds in my backyard, ignored so I could write, flourished and grew to such a height that my next door neighbor, in all seriousness, asked me one day if I was intentionally growing those barbed, three-foot high monstrosities. As embarrassing as that conversation was, I didn’t care.  I had more important things to do – like writing!

I worked full-time, so I wrote on my days off and even on vacation. I have vivid memories of sitting by a hotel pool in Florida with paper and pen, working on my novel Double Image instead of enjoying the local attractions.  But it’s not just me. Every passionate writer sacrifices other things in their lives to write. They stay up late. They get up early. They squeeze writing into every niche of their lives that they can—moments that in many cases should probably be spent doing something else.

Passion for writing, as with any kind of passion, isn’t something that can taught or learned. You either have it, or you don’t. It’s there, or it isn’t. I have various friends who on occasion tell me they’d like to write someday. But then they tell me, “The thoughts come too fast for me to get them down,” or “I’m out of practice,” or “I can’t think of a topic.” Or, life intrudes. Rather, they allow life to intrude. Writers with passion don’t allow life to intrude.

But sadly, passion—while needed—isn’t enough.  Next...what do writers need?

~~Jaye Roycraft

My website

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