Just got back from the Romance Writer’s of America annual conference (this year in NYC where my Starbuck’s coffee was $5, not $3.75 – youch!).  Here are 4 sure ways to re-energize your writer’s muse while attending 3 days of workshops, wearing nice clothes so editors (and your agent) don’t think you’re a schlup and trying not to eat like you’re on vacation (dessert, dessert, dessert – what was I thinking? my son is getting married in a month!).

1. Talk to other writers. My critique group and I had a 30 minute chat with Suzanne Brockmann (choir sings – she is a goddess – if you have not read her, start with The Unsung Hero).  She made one statement that will stick with me forever: “The romance is the spine of the story, holding everything else up, even if you are telling a story of an 80 year old war veteran who is the heroine’s uncle.” Makes you think there’s more freedom to write, doesn’t it?
2. Listen to editors. Paula Eykelhof gave a session on the importance of romance stories in our culture.  She said: “The stories that give readers hope and let them know they aren’t alone…the stories of shared experiences…things we’ve all been through or fear that we might experience…these are the stories that readers remember.” Yes, I’ve written my share of secret babies, 9 months later, twins and so on, but I’ve also tackled themes that resonate – PTSD, date rape, child abuse, altzheimers – and with a light hand that disqualified me from being an Oprah book, but didn’t deter readers from picking them up.  If you’re going through a difficult time, try using the theme as a backdrop in your book.
3. Listen to agents. Pam Hopkins, mine, said she was seeing the market opening up a bit, but that more houses than ever are buying based on committee.  She says: “Don’t rush.  The writing has to be there to get past 6-8 editors sitting around a conference room table.”
4. Let your mind wander. Yes, you’ve heard somebody speak on how to write a one-page synopsis before, but if you start to think about the story you’re working on, your tired, weary brain doesn’t have the chance to edit story ideas.  Don’t hop in and out of sessions on a quest to find a “good one”, disturbing other attendees and disrespecting the speaker (not good form).  Letting the story ideas flow makes you a winner!

And conference always re-affirms that writing is hard.  Listened to Candace Havens speak, envying her energy.  But her mantra is:  “The only excuse for not writing is if you’re dead or in a coma.” I’m sure you can fit whatever hard work needs to be done to attain your dream instead of writing (perhaps “practicing” could replace “writing” if you aren’t an author?) in her statement.  So I’ll leave you with that instead of a song quote.

Mel