Writer's Notes by Robin

RWA National Conference Workshop – Transforming a Good Book into a Great Book

This week I was lucky enough to give a new workshop at the Romance Writers of American National Conference. My topic was How to Transform a Good Book into a Great Book. I was, unfortunately, under the weather so had to leave early, but I’m so thankful for those of you who stopped and said how […]

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Georgia Romance Writers – Wielding the Power of Story

I had a blast in Georgia earlier this month. I was so honored to have been asked by the Georgia Romance Writers to speak. I created a new day-long workshop called, Wielding the Power of Story: Secrets to Taking Your Writing to the Next Level.  As usual, I had to speak too fast. We covered so much material. As […]

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LERA – Never a Dull Moment

I had a blast doing my working, Ready, Set, Go: Creating A Compelling Beginning to Your Novel at the Land of Enchantment Romance Authors (LERA) yesterday!! LERA members aren’t shy, by any means, and they absolutely kept me on my toes the whole time. What fun! As promised, here are the handouts and presentation (the […]

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SouthWest Writers – What a Fun Time

I had a fantastic time at SouthWest Writers today. They are such a great group. I gave a brand new workshop on creating suspense and I actually finished the talk–though I will admit to speeding through the last three slides. I only made 50 handouts, and there were not enough, so, as promised, here are the […]

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Emerald City Writers Conference – What a Great Time

I am in Seattle, Washington, and the Emerald City Writers Conference has been awesome! Everyone has been absolutely wonderful, friendly and the workshops have been great. I got to visit Amazon Publishing and met with the amazing staff. We talked a lot, and I got a tour, and even left my mark on one of their writable […]

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The Secret to Powerful Writing – Activate, Activate, Activate

What an amazing time at the Romance Writers of America® National Conference this year. I was so honored that I was asked to do a workshop with my dear friend and supremely talented writer, Claire Cavanaugh. Our topic was The Secret to Powerful Writing – Activate, Activate, Activate. The workshop was scheduled from 4:30-5:30 and I […]

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RT Booklovers Convention – Mardi Gras Magic

 I spent the week in New Orleans at the amazing RT Booklovers convention. I met SO many amazing readers and writers. What a great time. I’ll try to post about my impressions later. But, more importantly, I did a workshop on Secrets to Selling and Staying Sold and didn’t have enough handouts. I *promised* the […]

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Washington Romance Writers Retreat – WOW

I was blessed to attend the amazing Washington Romance Writers Retreat during the first weekend in April. I’ll get back later for more comments (after taxes are complete :-)) but I wanted to provide the handouts to my workshops as promised. Here you go! Hope you enjoy. And feel free to ask me questions! I’ll […]

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Hooks and Openings – Inside Scoop

Well, I attended the Romance Writers of America National Conference in Orlando, Florida the last week of July. I was lucky enough to be chosen to present a workshop with my fellow writer and three-time Golden Heart Finalist, Claire Cavanaugh. Our topic was Inside Scoop: Analyzing Openings as an Agent, Bookseller and Reader, Then Problem […]

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New Tricks

I’ve been around the writing block more than once…but I’ve yet to see my book on a bookshelf.  Why, you might ask?  I’ve asked myself that question more times than I’d like–and others have asked it of me.  I believe I can string sentences together pretty well; I have a fantastic critque group; I studied […]

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Recipe for a Short Synopsis

There’s nothing worse than writing a synopsis…is there?  I haven’t found it.  My first piece of advice on writing a synopsis is…get someone else to do it :-).  Seriously, as a writer, we love too much of our book to ever boil it down to its key elements.  My other bit of advice is to […]

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To Plot or Not to Plot? Find YOUR Way!

This has been an interesting week for me in the writing department.  I’ve been working on a proposal for the second book in a series while editors are considering the first book.  I want to have the proposal ready to go as soon as possible, and have been working on it for a while.  The […]

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Using the Structure of Scene to Give Your Book Power

I’ve been writing quite a bit lately.  Most every day in fact.  I’m trying to increase my productivity, but also the quality of scenes.  Who cares if I write ten pages if I have to scrap eight of them because they don’t go anywhere.  So, that brings me to this article.  As you know, I am […]

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Revision – What’s Working for Me Right Now

I was very excited to finish the first draft of my latest manuscript, Unwilling Witness.  Of course, it is my first draft!  Over the years I’ve sort of figured out how I need to write, though this is constantly evolving.  I have friends who are final draft writers.  Before they move on, each sentence must be […]

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RWA National – Discovering Story Magic

Romance Writers of America was in New York this year.  The hub of publishing.  It was an awesome conference, and I was lucky enough to be invited to speak.  This year, I delivered a Reader’s Digest version of the workshop that Laura Baker and I developed, Discovering Story Magic using the movie, Good Will Hunting […]

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Montlake Romance – A Whole New World

As many of you know, this year I sold my first book, my 2011 Golden Heart Finalist Manuscript, In Her Sights. My agent, Jill Marsal, placed the book with Amazon’s Montlake Romance. I was so excited to be part of this new venture. Especially when Connie Brockway is the launch title with The Other Guy’s […]

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San Francisco Writers Conference – A Great Experience

I travelled to the amazing city of San Francisco the weekend after Valentine’s Day to the fantastic San Francisco Writers Conference. Writers conferences offer a tremendous opportunity to connect with other writers, to learn from the very best speakers around, and to really rejuvenate the creative spirit. I met some amazing people, had a wonderful […]

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Secrets to Selling Your Novel: Key Writing Skills that Matter from a Writer’s and Agent’s Perspective

I travelled to Atlanta, Georgia this year for Romance Writers of America’s® Annual National Conference. Part business, a lot of pleasure, and a reminder of what a special community of authors exists in the romance genre. There’s nothing like it and I feel blessed that RWA exists. From my perspective, there’s no better support system […]

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Arc of the Scene – Stepping Stone for a Hero

I recently judged a writing contest and half of the entries included scenes that didn’t really work very well.  The writers could write.  The characters were good, but the scenes fell flat.  As I studied the entries more closely in order, I realized that the scenes had one thing in common.  There was no arc […]

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