Category Archives: For Writers

All You Need is a Six-Pack Feb 2021 with RNA Learning

I’m delighted to be able to offer an updated and expanded version of my popular All You Need is a Six-Pack Workshop through the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Learning Programme.

This workshop has been given at several Romance Writers of America chapter meetings, including NJRW and BCRW, and at the Romance Writers of Australia conference. Articles on this topic, based on the workshop, have appeared in various RWA chapter and RWAus newsletters.

Baffled by the number of craft books out there? Bewildered by all the different workshops and courses telling you how to write your book? Bothered that you’re doing it wrong? This workshop will help put your mind at ease by showing you how to develop a writer’s tool kit that works for you.

Participants will learn about the various writing processes/styles and be given the opportunity to think about each of the six elements which make up the Six-Pack: Character tool, Plotting tool, Blurb, Idea Generation, Research and Editing/Revising.

This course is uniquely designed to help writers find a path through the crowded forest of courses, workshops and books.

Previous attendees have praised the workshop for giving them the confidence they need to grow and develop as writers. They said it enabled both beginners and inexperienced writers to focus on their own process, the tools that work for them and to think about the tools they might be missing. In addition, they were reassured that they are not alone in being overwhelmed by the wealth of information available or in lacking confidence that we’re ‘doing it right’!

If you’d like to know more about this course and/or to enrol, please click here. Note, you don’t have to be a member of RNA to enrol (though members do get a reduced rate!). You can also check out the other wonderful courses available through this fabulous learning programme.

Hope to see some of you in the virtual classroom!

Romance University Articles

Many thanks to those of you who pointed out that Romance University doesn’t exist any longer, and for asking if I could provide the posts for you to access here.

Yes, of course. 🙂 Instead of links to the now-defunct website, I’ve given you the ability to download the articles for yourself.

The first, entitled Surviving Nearly There, looked at how to get through what I think was the toughest part of my journey to publication. I provided some tips on things you might try – things I did! – to help keep going on the path towards achieving your dream. You can find Surviving Nearly There here.

The second, If At First, You Don’t Succeed …, looked at ways in which you can keep your faith, motivation and courage alive while on that often long and arduous journey to publication. You can find If At First, You Don’t Succeed … here.

The third, The Dos and Don’ts of Critiquing provided helpful tips on working with a critique partner or group and on the art of critiquing. You can find The Dos and Don’ts of Critiquing here.

If there is anything else you’d like to see shared here, please email me and I will ensure it’s made available.

Happy writing!

Another Romance University Article

During my recent blog tour, to support A Perfect Distraction, Romance University was kind enough to have me return for a guest slot. I’ve been asked to provide a link to the article I wrote, The Dos and Don’ts of Critiquing which provided helpful tips on working with a critique partner or group and on the art of critiquing.

You can find The Dos and Don’ts of Critiquing here.

Romance University Articles

I’ve been asked to provide links to two recent articles I wrote for Romance University, so here they are!

The first article, entitled Surviving Nearly There, looks at how to get through what I think was the toughest part of my journey to publication. I provide some tips on things you might try – things I did! – to help keep going on the path towards achieving your dream. You can find Surviving Nearly There here.

The second article, If At First, You Don’t Succeed …, looks at ways in which you can keep your faith, motivation and courage alive while on that often long and arduous journey to publication. You can find If At First, You Don’t Succeed … here.

‘All You Need is a Six-Pack’ Workshop

Baffled by the number of craft books out there? Bewildered by all the different workshops telling you how to write your book? Bothered that you’re doing it wrong?

All You Need is a Six-Pack is an interactive workshop that will show you how to develop a writer’s tool kit that works for you, by looking at your writing process and your writing journey.

All You Need is a Six-Pack has been given at several Romance Writers of America chapter meetings, including NJRW and BCRW, and at the Romance Writers of Australia conference. Articles on this topic, based on the workshop, have appeared in various RWA chapter and RWAus newsletters.

All You Need is a Six-Pack handout can be downloaded here: All You Need is a Six Pack Handout 2013

Panic-Free Pitching

As a veteran of numerous pitches to editors and agents, I’m often asked for advice on how to survive that all-important pitch session. Panic-Free Pitching is an interactive workshop that gives practical hints and tips, an invaluable list of dos and don’ts and all the necessary tools to make the most of your appointment.

Based on the phrase ‘Preparation is the key’, the workshop covers Mental Preparation, Physical Preparation and Work Preparation.

Panic-Free Pitching has been given at chapter meetings, the NJRW conference and the Romance Writers of Australia conference. Articles based on the workshop have also appeared in various chapter newsletters, including NTRWA. Many attendees have been delighted by the results; for a number, their post-workshop pitch was their first successful pitch, after several failures!

Panic-Free Pitching handout can be downloaded here: Panic-Free Pitching Handout 2013

Welcome to ‘For Writers’

I’ve been asked if I could make the resources from my workshops available on my website. So, that’s what I’ll be doing on this page. I’ll also be including links to articles and blog posts on various For Writer topics.

Feel free to download and use the materials posted here – I hope they are helpful. If you want to reproduce them, quote them or include them in your own workshops or articles, please contact me using the link on this website. Equally, if you would like to see information on a particular topic, you’d like me to give one of these workshops or write an article, please contact me.