Brenda Novak~Tugging at Readers' Emotions

Weekend before last I attended the NECRWA's Let Your Imagination Take Flight Conference. If you're an aspiring writer and have difficulties with the expense of a national conference, I urge you to check out a regional RWA conference. You're likely to have the same quality of speakers, an opportunity to pitch your work to editors and agents, and a chance to network with industry professionals at a bargain price.

NYTimes Bestseller Brenda Novak was one of the excellent speakers at NECRWA's conference. Her two hour workshop zipped by at lightning speed and after taking notes for a while, I finally decided to just let her wisdom wash over me. Here are the highlights:

To keep the pages turning, authors must engage a reader's emotions. If your book is a tear-jerker, make them go through a box of kleenex. If it's scary, make them keep the lights on. If it's sexy, make them need a cigarette!

OK, how?

Brenda says we engage readers' emotions by pulling them in close with use of really tight POV. We let our readers experience what's going on as our characters do. An omniscient viewpoint, sort of a "God's Eye" view is too far away. We have to get inside our character's head. Here's an example from my STROKE OF GENIUS (and I apologize for using my own work as an example. I'm just more familiar with it so it's easier to find a snippet that illustrates my point.) In this scene, if I used omniscient POV, I might say, Crispin leaned in and kissed Grace more deeply. She liked it more than she should. Instead, I take you inside Grace's head:

Crispin slowly leaned in again, covering her lips for a longer kiss. He slanted his mouth over hers, running the tip of his tongue along the seam of her lips.

Tasting her.

There was a loud roaring in her ears, an ocean pounding in her head. Her world spiraled down to the exquisite sureness of his mouth on hers, to the feather of his breath on her cheek, to the roughness of his chin against her smooth one. She couldn’t move. If she did, the spell might break. All she could do was bunch the extra fabric of the palla in her lap between tightly scrunched fingers.


The second thing Brenda suggested for pulling our readers in close is subtext. When a reader picks up a book, she brings her own experience to the work. She is able to read between the words on the page to infer meaning. In the example above, the sentence All she could do was bunch the extra fabric of the palla in her lap between tightly scrunched fingers shows readers this was a toe-curling kiss and Grace liked it far more than she should have. That's subtext. It's what's really going on beneath the words on the page.


For other examples of subtext, you might want to refer back to my Red Pencil Thursday with Gillian Layne. She used it deftly in her excerpt a couple of times.

If you get a chance to hear Brenda Novak speak about writing, I encourage you not to miss it. She's a fount of ideas for excellent writing practices. In the meantime, check out her website and look for her books! She also runs an annual auction for Diabetes that features goodies for aspiring writers--critiques by editors and agents for example. You get your work read by top people and a great cause benefits as well.

Have you ever read a book that made you feel you had lived the character's life?

Pointers for Pitchers

On Friday and Saturday, I'll be going to the NECRWA's Let Your Imagination Take Flight Conference. This is the first of several conferences for me this spring, and it'll be the most relaxing. I'm not presenting a workshop this year or pitching any manuscripts (my agent's got that covered!) but NEC is my local RWA chapter so I'm going to support my friends.

If the thought of attending a national conference gives you the willies, I encourage you to look into the smaller regional conferences. The fees to attend a regional conference are much less than for nationals but there are still wonderful writing craft workshops, the opportunity to network with industry professionals and pitch to acquiring agents and editors.

Pitching is nerve-wracking for most writers. The first time I did it, I felt my career would be doomed if my tongue tripped over a single word. Ridiculous. A pitch is more like a job interview than anything else and it goes both ways. The editor/agent is interested in hearing about your story, but they also want to know if you're the type of person they can work with for the long haul. A writer needs to find out if this editor/agent is a good fit for them.

Here's what they want to hear in your pitch:

1. What you're selling--title, subgenre, word count, FINISHED MANUSCRIPT (Please don't pitch less than a finished manuscript if you're not yet published. It's a waste of everyone's time. For first timers, an editor needs to see that you can deliver the finished product.), which of their specific lines you think it would fit (shows you've done your homework!)

2. Brief synopsis--Main character's goal and why it's not happening. Last week, Saranna DeWylde encapsulated her story in a single sentence. It's a tough roe to hoe for a Cupid who doesn't believe in love. If I was doing one for STROKE OF GENIUS it would be An artistic genius transforms an American heiress into the most sought-after Original, while trying not to fall for her himself.

3. Stop talking and listen. Let the editor/agent ask you questions. They know what they want to know better than you do. Don't try to control the conversation by talking without a breath.

4. Send in what they request. This seems like such a no-brainer, but editors and agents tell me they often get excited about a proposal at a conference and it never appears on their desk. Maybe the author said the manuscript was finished and they only had three chapters, so they're scribbling furiously to finish it. This is such a no-no. First, you started the business relationship with a lie. Not an auspicious beginning for a relationship based on trust. Second, the quality of your work is bound to suffer for the rush. And third, by the time you finally send it in, the editor/agent will have moved on and is interested in something else.

If the editor/agent asks to see your material, send them exactly what they request. If they want 3 chapters and synopsis, don't send the full manuscript. Following directions is a good indicator of how well you'll respond to revisions. And send it quickly! If you get the request on Saturday, put the package in the mail on Monday!

So if you're pitching, take a deep breath and relax. No one is going to buy or reject your work based on what you say in the pitch session. It's still about the writing. Don't feel you've blown it if you didn't get a request for material. They may already have enough of what you're selling. A pitch appointment is like a bus. There's another one coming.

And if you're in the New England area this weekend, I'd love to see you at the "Open to the Public" bookfair on Saturday:


NEC Book Fair for Literacy
March 27, 2010
4-6 PM
Sheraton Tara
1657 Worcester Rd.
Framingham MA 01701

Mary Janice Davidson, Judith Arnold and Brenda Novak will be there. I hope to see you as well!

Have you had a pitch experience you'd like to share? Any questions? Suggestions?

How Authors Help

Even though I'm blogging at Love is an Exploding Cigar today for the 2nd day of the 12 Days of A CHRISTMAS BALL blog tour, I wanted to continue offering my readers interesting things here at my blog as well.

Please welcome Ashlyn Chase! She's the president of the New England Chapter of RWA (and my critique partner!). She's talking about how authors give back. Take it away, Ash!

Romance authors are some of the most generous people on the planet. Not only do they offer their knowledge, time and even money to fellow authors, but they reach beyond their own local friends and help people they’ve never met.

Brenda Novak is one notable example. She started an auction to benefit Diabetes research—a cause close to her heart. This little auction has taken off over the last few years and is now a huge event. Everyone in the industry offers whatever gifts they have that others might want to bid on. An agent might offer a critique. Even a busy editor might offer to read the first chapter or two. And authors donate all kinds of things! Baskets filled with bath goodies, gift bags filled with books, percentages of their royalties, and even their writing talent when asked.

I’m one of eleven authors participating in a fundraiser to help a family who lost their nineteen year-old daughter in a fire. The hospital bills for two weeks in the ICU and then a funeral were astronomical. My story is called Giggles by Gabby, release date 9/15. That’s today! It’s in the Lara series. http://www.jasminejade.com/s-282-lara.aspx Please check out all the books in this fundraising project!

I also just sent off a check to the National Arbor Day Foundation, which I do on a regular basis from my print book royalties. They use the money to plant trees in areas that need reforestation, as well as to educate our young people about the importance of trees to our planet. They clean the air, help stabilize the earth, and are important in building and, of course, paper.

Events like romance conventions or conferences share profits from their huge book signings with the foundations for literacy. Since 1991, RWA (Romance Writers of America) has donated more than $600,000 to literacy charities. The authors receive no royalties for these donated books.

Most of the time, the beneficiaries will never know who they are. But that’s not why romance authors give. Most of us are very fortunate. I consider myself lucky to be able to spend my spare time doing what I love. I’m certain many authors feel the same way.

And just because I must also pay the bills, here’s the info about my next release which will earn royalties. My novella Oh My God is a modern day erotic comedy about the Greek God Dionysus in New Orleans. http://www.total-e-bound.com/ It will be released 9/28/09. This story is a rewritten and expanded version of one that was nominated for a CAPA (Cupid and Psyche Award, a reviewer’s choice contest) and in this incarnation it was published in an anthology and was nominated for an Eppie. On 9/28 it will be available as an individual download from my British publisher.

For a look at all of my available books, visit my website: www.ashlynchase.com
Please support the arts! Without you buying our books, we couldn’t afford to write them.

Thanks for stopping by today, Ashlyn. (We're good to go for critique next Tuesday, right?)

It's not exactly a charity, but Alissa Johnson and I are giving away one of our backlist to someone who leaves a comment at Love is an Exploding Cigar today. So please let us know you visited us there.

Of course, I love to hear from you here too! Please share the causes you like to support with your time, talent or money.