What are the Strelitzia judges looking for? 5 tips to taking home the trophy

Today's guest post is from author Suzanne Jefferies, one of ROSA's founding members, a long-time member of the committee, and judge and mentor in ROSA's previous Strelitzia contests.

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What’s the thing - that seemingly undefinable thing - that will make a judge leap from their chair and exclaim, yep, this one!

It’s been two years of Strelitzia now and both times, when I've read the winning manuscript, I had that feeling. It trick-tracked gooseflesh up over my neck. I itched to turn the page (one I read at the hairdressers and sat sat sat there for hours, for once delighted to be delayed). I ached to know…what…happens…next.

How can you make sure yours is that entry in 2019? Here’s a few tips that might set you on the right path to Strelitzia glory:

1. Internal conflict. What emotional wound's driving your sexy protagonist and how’s he/she going to be forced to face it in his relationship with the antagonist? And vice versa. Hint: if everything's going smoothly between the two of them when they hook up and continues to do so, you’ve got no internal conflict. No conflict = boring. No conflict = I’m skip reading to the end of this. No conflict = no.
2. External conflict. Does your protagonist have a goal? What is it? If you’re launching into a ‘it’s complicated’ explanation, he/she doesn’t have a goal. What are the obstacles in the way of their goal? How is the love interest one of those obstacles? Hint: don’t clear the path here and make it less complicated. Turn up the heat. What’s the worst that can happen? Make that happen.
3. It’s a love story FIRST. Your protagonist and antagonist should spend at least 80% or more of the book in scenes together, conflicting with each other. If there are lots of scenes with the two of them apart, you’re running into trouble. Your book’s going to be about something else and not their love story.
4. Does this couple have a shot together, long(ish) term? Or are they fundamentally different characters who need a good one night stand? There has to be some emotional ‘glue’ that holds them together, otherwise, not buying it.
5. Unlikeable male characters. I’m going to be blunt here - if your character, for any reason, carries on about how much she hates the male character (him, not his behaviour), you’re courting a napalm-laced cocktail. There’s a fine line with Alpha-holes - don’t cross it. I get where it comes from: slapping guys as a prelude to passion was all the rage in 80s soap operas. It’s not now. Nagging a woman repeatedly for a date was de rigeur for decades. It’s not now. Even when it’s enemies to friends, try not to use ‘hate’ unless it’s an obvious exaggeration. If in doubt, don’t do it.

Happy writing!

A word or two about ROSA’s 2017 guest speaker, Jane Porter

Thank you to ROSA committee member and Strelitzia 2018 mentor Suzanne Jefferies for today's post on her experience at #ROSACon2017, and what she learned from our keynote speaker, Jane Porter.

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I’ll fess up – I had no idea who Jane Porter was. I’d never read her romances, watched any movies based on her romances, or dipped into the advice she serves up in her ‘how to’s. I had heard of Tule, but was damned if I knew how to pronounce it (rhymes with Julie, who knew?). Yes, she’s an international bestselling author, and a publisher - that you can get from a quick Google trawl. But, stats tell you nothing about the person, Jane Porter. What I didn’t expect was to find someone who stripped me straight to my emotional bones in her frankness, her willingness to share her story, and her reassuring quiet strength; aye, she may be small but she is mighty.

Laying your guts out to the public is probably why writers are such ‘crazy cats’ (to use Jane’s expression). But it’s not often that a writer stands up and says it – no hiding under the covers - to a room full of strangers. Raw, unadulterated, 100% honesty. Is it easy to hear? No. But, for this writer here, it was a turning point. If I can’t be honest about who I am, where I’m from, and the experiences that have shaped me, my stories are probably going to lack authenticity. They won’t reflect ‘me’. For that alone, I’d pay over the odds a million times, to hear Jane speak again.

In both her talks, and in conversation with her, she offered priceless insights into romance writing as a career. A career option, that, let’s face it, is not offered by guidance counsellors. And why shouldn’t we be thinking of writing as a career? How many other careers let you research hot men on the Internet? Not accounting, that’s for sure.

These were some of the biggies:

1. Grit. Hanging tough. Getting knocked down and getting back up again. These are the things that make a writer. Not talent. Or fancy degrees. Honest to goodness perseverance. How many books till Jane got a ‘yes’? Fifteen? How many of us would give up after one? Two? The publishing world is dark and full of terrors; houses closing down, editors disappearing mid-revisions, unrenewed contracts, books that don’t sell. Pick yourself up, dust yourself off and head out there again – that’s how writing careers are forged. Blood, sweat and tears.
2. Why write a standalone, if you can write a series? Think in threes, in fives, in sevens. Find a theme, a family, a geography, a ‘something’ that can link your stories together. Publishers love this. Heck, as a reader, I love this. I’m still excited at the prospect of another Black Dagger Brotherhood novel – and she’s on what?, book twelve or something? Ditto Gena Showalter.
3. A publisher would prefer to get more buck for their bang…so maybe stretch those words counts to the forties and fifties. They (the publisher) can charge more. Happiness and beams all round. It also means you might get a few more dollars too. So, if you can write to 25,000 words, extend extend extend.
4. Pick a genre. Contemporary, paranormal, historical, whatever floats your boat. Don’t start up in contemporary, then drift over to historical, and then maybe a scifi. Romance readers don’t drift – you shouldn’t either. Maybe two at the maximum. 

Every now and then, I’ll remember something else she said, and I’ll write it down; things like how to engage on Facebook and start conversations with fans, or how to recognise alpha men. And then I’ll think how lucky I was that of all the places Jane exchanged to as teen, it was here, South Africa. Sometimes these things aren’t accidents. Thank you, Jane.

Top three things I learnt at ROSACon 2017 by Suzanne Jefferies

Do you think you might have missed something important from ROSACon 2017? You know, because it’s two whole days of talks and workshops with romance writers, editors, agents and publishers? Because it’s all about romance writing? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

The top three things I learnt at ROSACon2017

1. An imposter lies in all of us (see what I did there?)

Rae Rivers spoke about imposter syndrome
and was the Imbali Award winner

He/she/it lies about your ability, your talent, your ideas, just about everything. It will tell you that you can’t write, shouldn’t write, have no right to write. Your imposter is a lousy, stinking, lying toad, catching your insecurities like flies and belching them back to you. Chain him up, banish him back to the river, or regard his remarks with the disdain they deserve. Even Neil Armstrong feels like an imposter. Neil Armstrong. His toad’s a total dick.

2. Writing is a journey more fraught with pitfalls than an episode of Stranger Things.

Just when you think you’ve got it worked out and you’re on track, something will turn everything upside-down. Contracts get axed, publishers disappear, agents mushroom up with promises of fairy lights and otherworldly reach, and you’re left trying to figure out if this isn’t perhaps some sort of conspiracy. Do we stop writing? No. Do we stop trying? No. Do you put on your boots and confront the demagorgon, sorry, challenges? Hell to the yes. Think of it as a curiosity voyage, and writing as the paddles (with apologies to the Duffers).

3. Heeltyd heeltyd speeltyd.

Looking to write for the US market? They’re looking for hard bodies and hot story lines. But writing sexy scenes requires a few glasses of wine, and a euphemism-free vocabulary. Here are some words you might want to consider editing out of your dicktionary: love muscle, throbbing member, cruise missile, hot meat injection, love sword, eight inches of blunt fury or deep-veined purple-helmeted Spartan of love. Just a suggestion…don’t take my word for it.

Did I say top three? There were about twenty four thousand five hundred and a million other things I learnt. Roll on, ROSACon 2018.

- Suzanne Jefferies is a ROSA committee member and fellow author, read about her here.

If you did miss out on RosaCon 2017, don't forget that the Western Cape Writers' Retreat will be taking place 3 - 4 March 2018. Email: romy@romancewriters.co.za

Meet ROSA member, Suzanne Jefferies

In an effort to really get to know each other, we thought it would be a good idea to publish a series of interviews with fellow ROSA members to learn more about who they are, what they've published and what makes them tick. We'd like ALL our members to feature, so please drop our chairperson, Romy an email on romy@romancewriters.co.za, and she'll send you some questions to answer.

Today we chat to another ROSA committee member: Suzanne Jefferies, who was also 2016's Imbali Award winner.

What is the last romance novel you read?

Forbidden, Beverly Jenkins.

What type of Romance / what genre do you write?

Contemporary, paranormal, erotic, fantasy, and suspense.

Are you published yet? If so, with whom?

Have been published by Firequill Publishing and Ellora’s Cave.

What do you love most about writing? 

That writing's always come naturally, that absorption with words and their relationship with other words.I love language, where it comes from, how it’s used, how words hold such emotion, meaning, and charge.

And what is your biggest challenge as a writer?

Oddly enough, it’s marketing.

Do you have a playlist while you write?

Does the radio count?

What was the inspiration behind your last book?

Melancholia.

What is your proudest achievement as a writer?

Delighted to win the Imbali award. That was really lovely.

What advice would you give someone who tell you they want to write?

Don’t quit your day job. Get a wealthy spouse/trust fund/independent source of income. Work harder than you ever thought you would. If you’re not a reader, you best start.

If you could give your life / dreams / goals a hashtag, what would it be?

#itstheclimb

Suzanne is giving away her latest book, THE HUNT FREE in exchange for honest reviews.
Contact:suzanne@suzannejefferies.com

(What an awesome opportunity for the ROSA members to support each other :-) )

What keeps you motivated to write?

Because it is written. I have no doubt that this was what I was born to do.

What is your writing schedule like - do you write every day / a certain time of day?

I’m a writer-for-hire, so I write everyday. That's anything you can think of - blog posts, case studies, articles, scripts, ebooks, manuals, user guides blahdy blah.
My own work tends to squeeze between the gaps of the paid work - usually on Monday evenings.

Tell us about the first love story you ever wrote.

Spoiler alert, it didn’t have a happy ending. Teen girl falls in love with Grade A rotter.

What is the best part about being part of ROSA?

The other members! An opportunity to get together, especially at the conference, and not feel alone.

Connect with Suzanne!
www.suzannejefferies.com
@suzannjefferies

The Joy of Comfort Eating by Suzanne Jefferies scoops Imbali Award at ROSACon 2016

Suzanne Jefferies with her Imbali Award for her book The Joy of Comfort Eating

Anthony Ehlers chatted to Suzanne shortly after she won ROSA's Imbali Writing Competition. Her entry The Joy of Comfort Eating swooped the trophy at a gala dinner held in Johannesburg 17 September 2016. Joanne Mcgregor with her book Scarred was the runner up.

Congratulations on your win! Your novel, The Joy of Comfort Eating, scooped the first-ever Imabli Award at ROSACon 2016.  Describe the experience in five words.

SJ: “High-fives all round. Yeah.”

At your book launch last week, you mentioned that Joy was part of a trilogy? Can you tell us a bit about that?

SJ “The Joy trilogy focuses on three contemporary Jo’burg heroines – each one sassy and fabulous, but totally useless when it comes to love. The next in the series focuses on Charlie’s sister Madge.”

We love that your heroine, Charlie Everson, is so sassy and so real. How important is it to have a character readers can relate to, especially from a South African point of view?

SJ: “Readers want to be able to identify with the heroine. We all want some version of happy-ever-after, and we want to feel that if she could climb Everest/land that multinational deal/bring that billionaire playboy to his knees, then so could we. For South Africans, I love reading something that’s set somewhere I can actually visit without having to dust off my passport.”

Your novel explores the trope of ‘shared pasts’ in that Brian ‘Bad Ass’ Tendai was Charlie’s teen crush and first love. Did you have any embarrassing celeb teen crushes you can admit to?

SJ: “Timothy Dalton. Age thirteen, we had to watch the BBC version of Jane Eyre, and he was Rochester in all of his vain, proud glory. That voice, those eyes, that dimple in his chin. Drool. Drool. I’d have watched Penny Dreadful a whole lot sooner if someone had mentioned he was in it.”

Charlie works in media, PR, and communications – much like you. What other characteristics does she share with you?

SJ: “Indecent love of cake. That stuff is legalised crack!”

What gets you through a writing day? Any set rituals?

SJ: “Switching on the laptop is usually a good start. Good cup of tea. Radio on in the background.”

In closing, what do you think the Imbali Award means for the broader SA romance writing community?

SJ: “A wonderful opportunity to be acknowledged and recognised for your writing by the community. I hope it encourages more people to enter, and more importantly, more people to write romance.”

Suzanne's book The Joy of Comfort Eating is published by Fire Quill Publishing (currently open for submissions at the time of this post) and is available on Amazon here  ($3.99 for the kindle edition).

If you are a romance writer looking for a sense of community, why not become a member of ROSA? Click here 

Conference Report: Suzanne Jefferies' talk on Writing Dialogue

Thank you to Kathy Bosman and Carlyle Labuschagne for their report backs on Suzanne's talk on Writing Dialogue at #ROSACon2014.

Report by Kathy Bosman

I attended Suzanne Jefferies’ talk on 8 Simple Rules for Writing Dialogue. My interest was piqued when she shared that she had experience writing screenplays. In screenwriting, you have to learn to show and not tell and you learn to use dialogue to move the story forward. I know I sometimes struggle with dialogue, especially for the hero, so I wanted to learn more about it. Suzanne didn’t disappoint. I loved that she went into the differences between how men and women talk. She gave some very useful tips and advice which I would like to refer to from time to time. She used real-life examples of dialogue in books and movies to show her point. Dialogue is definitely vital for a good book and if we can get it right, we’ll hook the readers. Thank you so much to Suzanne who showed us how with some enlightening and understandable advice.

For more on Kathy and her books, visit kathybosman.com


Carlyle Labuscahgne’s take on Spectacular Dialog tips by Suzanne Jefferies

Wow, first I have to say, I always struggle with the confidence of delivering good, believable dialog. Are there simple rules to follow or a secret formula to nail it? Yes there is…. *happy dance*

When sitting in on this wonderful topic presented by Suzanne Jefferies, I not only learned that I was on the right track I walked away with knowledge and the confidence to add improve on my writing skills. I will now share the tips I took to heart.

Dialog creates the central shape of the story, bringing us back to the fundamental rule of Show don’t tell.

Think about how conversations happen in real life
~ We cut each other off.
~ Finish each other’s sentences.
~ People don’t always say what they mean.
~ And we all make our own minds up of what was rely implied.

Dialog creates Tension, and as a romance writer it is important to create that tension right up front – readers love that!
Within dialog we find content. An interesting and fun way to bring location, age, character physical traits would be during a conversation.
Pay attention to how men and woman speak to each other, men do not talk about feelings. Men Ask questions during dialog to gain information, and usually let each other talk before answering.
Woman usually speak over each other, or say the same things at the same time, and are eager to have a conversation.

What we say isn’t always what we mean. (Sarcasm)
Dialog sets the scene and setting.
When a character often feels save he will reveal more information about self, or background.

Using dialog to cut out the shape of your character.
Nothing ages writing more than using slang, but that said, using slang can add to character for instant his/her age.
Think about accents, pronunciations this will show the reader where the character is from. Using nonstandard grammar, or specific words.
The general rule with this should always stand that if it is not familiar to you, then stay away from using a certain dialect.

Talking Heads
To gain deep Point of view, don’t always he said she said, she retorted, he answered – yeah they bantered we get it!

Enter dialog, add action, and follow up with thought.

“I thought you said you were going to be late?” Susan shrieked upon finding that her mom had gotten home before her. She closed the door in Ivan’s face thinking to herself how she would explain to her mother why Ivan was at their doorstep this time of night, and why she had been out in the first place.
Mom cleared her throat, “Did I interrupt something Susan?” Although her words were polite, her tone was anything but, she was going to be grounded for sure.
“Umm, “Susan struggled for the right words.

ALWAYS READ YOUR DIALOG OUT LOUD.

Dialog is a great tool to add information to your story.

More about Carlyle and her books: carlylelabuschagne.com


Next up: Check back here tomorrow for the report back on Tristan Banha's talk on Social Media & Branding.