An eclectic group of writing companions

The first time I tried to collaborate on a novel, a friend of mine and I decided to write a quick Harlequin-type historical romance to get our foot in the door of being a published author. I wrote the first and second scene and sent it to her. I said make any changes you like. Silence.
When I saw her at our next critique meeting, I asked what she thought, etc. She said, "I don't like heroine's who cry." (The girl was at her father's funeral.)

That was it. She didn't submit her view of the scene, or write a scene of her own-though I encouraged that. The collaboration crumbled to dust before it even started. I know she liked my writing, so that wasn't the issue. I just let it go. We're still friends.

Years passed. I found a publisher for my first novel. They overpriced their books. Then I was invited to join my current publisher, a wise move.

I have two fantastic critique groups that I run my chapters through on-line, so that's a bit like having partners.
Some will Beta read for me, too.

Last year I was asked to write a novel in the Canadian Historical Brides Series. Very exciting. Author Nancy M. Bell would be my collaborator. I hadn't cyber-met Nancy before, so I wasn't certain how this would pan out. Thankfully, Nancy was wonderful to work with. I couldn't have asked for a better partner.

Nancy M. Bell

I had researched the eighteenth century (mostly England) extensively. But now I needed to search Canadian 18th. c. history, to find an inciting incident. What better than the Loyalists who fled the American Revolution, but seen from the view of the French settlers in a land that was once New France, and an Englishwoman just arrived to marry a soldier, thrown into the mix.
Nancy found rare research documents, contacted the museum in Saint John, New Brunswick for info. And I ran each chapter through her for vetting. She was always there for support in the story. Not to mention, a very nice lady.

In conclusion, my dog, Fritzie, thinks he's my major partner, since he was a pup. Now he's fifteen. Don't tell him but he is more a lap warmer than a contributor to my writing; however, writers need comforting and he supplies that.

Recently released, my collaboration with Nancy- On a Stormy Primeval Shore

In 1784, Englishwoman Amelia sails to New Brunswick, a land overrun by Loyalists escaping the American Revolution, to marry a soldier whom she rejects. Acadian Gilbert fights to preserve his heritage and property—will they find love when events seek to destroy them?

Ebook and paperback is available at Amazon and All Markets

Visit my website: www.dianescottlewis.org


Diane Scott Lewis grew up in California, traveled the world with the navy, edited for magazines and an on-line publisher. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband.

I'd Like to Thank. . . by Victoria Chatham

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Before I started taking my writing seriously, I thought I would just write a book and send it to a publisher who would either accept it or not. Ha. The innocence of ignorance. I had no idea back then that writing a book, if it’s going to be a good book, takes a village and then some.

In the beginning, my husband was my greatest supporter, simply because he believed more than I that I could be a published author. The reward for this blind faith was to be a red Ferrari with an eighteen-year old leggy blonde chauffeur when I made my millions. I agreed to the car, but not the blonde on the basis that the insurance would be way too expensive, millions or not.

It was an ongoing joke, but he gave me the time to write by taking care of grocery shopping (in all honesty he was much better at it than I), cooking, cleaning, and ferrying endless cups of tea to me in my writing den. He brought home a brochure one day advertising a writing group in our local community. I was hesitant about attending but he insisted and duly delivered me to the Alexandra Writers Centre Society door one evening. It was an eye-opener.

People often talking about their ‘tribe’, the group of like-minded people who whom they belong and at that first evening, I knew I had found my tribe. It was wonderful to talk to people who ‘got it’, that incredible ‘it’ that involves getting the voices in our heads out into the world one way or another. My husband, my now dear departed, bought me a typewriter and then my first computer.

When I started writing my first novel a freelance editor I happened to know asked if she could read it. I was so reluctant to let it go but, as my DD gently chided, if I never showed my work to anyone how would I know if it was ready for publication? That editor went through it with a fine tooth-comb, carefully explaining her reasons for picking on weak passages and plot holes that I wasn’t even aware existed.

At the same time, I took courses offered by the AWCS writers group as I still wasn’t entirely sure just what I wanted to write. Both my husband and my editor agreed I would do well writing historical fiction and, rather than feel ganged up on, I thought I might well give it a try as I loved Regency romance. Wanting to learn more about the romance genre, I joined the Calgary Association of Romance Writers of America and immediately felt at home.

Without CaRWA I might never have had the drive to aspire to actual publication. The quality of the authors, editors, and agents brought in for workshops helped me grow exponentially as a writer. Any question I had regarding the craft of writing was promptly answered, often by one of the many multi-published authors in the group.

I’ve heard people say that joining a group is the worst thing you could do. I know a couple of people who have not enjoyed the group experience at all. All I can say is that it worked, and continues to work, for me. It is from these writing groups that I have found my greatest support and my marvelous critique partners without whom my manuscripts would be peppered with repetition (oh, those first drafts) and wandering points of view. When they have worked their magic, my long-time and very good friend beta reads for me. 

And then, once my books are out in the world, I have to thank the readers who read, and I hope, enjoy them.

Visit Victoria at

www.victoriachatham.com

http://bookswelove.com/authors/chatham-victoria-romance-historical-canada/

www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaChatham