Keep your Writing Dream Alive

 

The first round of the Mills and Boon New Voices Competition is over.Well done to the Top 21 and good luck for the next round:)

To support your favourite go to www.romanceisnotdead.com

But the wrath of many a scorned writer has been unleashed on the New Voices website.

I don’t profess to know everything but I do know that judging anything is a subjective process. It comes down to what “speaks” to a Judge.

Many of the New Voices entrants have writing talent there is no doubt about that.

Now it comes down to who wants to be a Writer, a professional Writer. This Writer has a story that will make readers bite on their bottom lip and swoon at the end. Her characters are so real that they demand a cup of coffee when she gets out of bed in the morning and her hero insists on driving her to the mall.

This Writer knows that for her writing is not just a dream but a job she has chosen. Every job application has a shortlist process, sometimes you are not what a company is looking for. Do you stop looking for a job or do you apply to a company that is more suited to your skill?

I have been fortunate enough to meet Ms. G. through my writing group. Ms G. is a talented writer who has just been snapped up by a publisher and she has a “no nonsense” attitude to writing. She sends out as many submissions as she can so the disappointment is minimal.

Ms. G’s theory?

If you have one submission out, rejection means 100% disappointment, two subs mean 50% disappointment, three subs mean 33.3% disappointment,
get the picture?

You are talented, you know that, find the company that is most suited to you. Take the feedback you received, spit, polish, cut, paste, write, rewrite that first chapter and develop the others, then, start sending it out.

You keep your writing dream alive, not an Editor, not a Publisher.

YOU.

 

NV: I did it!

Finally, I worked up the nerve to enter the Mills and Boon New Voices competition.

For those who are not aware yet (and why not) Mills and Boon is searching for a “New Voice”.  What that is nobody knows but everybody (especially me) are hoping that they are the “Voice” that M & B are looking for.

It took a lot of nerves to upload my chapter and after I did, it deleted!

I could feel my upper lip perspire but I tried again. Hurray! I was uploaded, then I got a message that said, “Please wait for an email to confirm your upload”. I was so nervous that my fingers were wet and I could barely log onto Facebook to distract myself. I felt like I needed to breathe in a bag. I was having a panic attack! Last time I was that nervous was when I went to the gynaecologist for the first time!

Anyway, I got the e-mail three hours later! Can you imagine the angst?

Anyway, it’s done now and I can barely look at the chapter when I log on to the New Voices but I am still sending you the link and asking you if you would read it and upload a little comment (Whether you like it, hate it, or how I could improve it.)

The link?  http://www.romanceisnotdead.com/Entries/640-Booty-Calls-and-Lies/Chapter-One

The competition closes on Monday, 10 October 2011. If you would like to enter you still have time. Go on, don’t you want to sweat and hope too?

Happy writing

Elaine

Biba Fielding on e-book self-publishing

If you have ever wanted to self-publish an e-book or are thinking of it, here is some great advice from Biba Fielding, founder of YourNovelOnline.

What are the pros and cons of self-publishing online?

The pros of self-publishing online are you can get your manuscript out onto the global
marketplace almost immediately and start earning royalties, provided your book
sells. You can start building a fan base for your work and get international
recognition.

One must be careful, however, about potentially ruining your professional image when you self-publish online. If your book is not great, or is shoddily presented you
risk doing more damage than good. And this damage is permanent, because now
copies of your book are out there and you can’t retract it.

How do you create traffic so your e-book gets out?

When you self-publish online you don’t have the backing of a publishing house, so you have to do your own marketing to get people to buy your e-book. The best way to
do this is through a promotional website, or mini-site. The sole purpose of a
promotional site is to market your e-book i.e. to make sales. This is why a
promotional mini-site is very different to an author’s blog or ‘normal’
website. A mini-site is a highly optimised page which tells the reader about
your book and why they should buy it. It will explain why you are qualified to
write this book and will include a brief summary of what the book is about. It
also contains sales information such as the price of the book, where it can be
bought or downloaded, and how to download it and what devices you can read it
on. The copy is persuasive and compelling. The goal is to sell the book.
Remember you can’t rely on the reputation of a publisher, so you have to do all
the work yourself.

Other ways to generate interest in your e-book is to sell it on one of the many e-book sales platforms or sites that exist on the web today. Examples are Amazon Kindle, www.SmashWords.com and a host of other traditional and indie platforms. The advantage of this is there is already ‘foot traffic’ to those sites, i.e. people browsing for books, so if you position yours correctly, site users should find it.

How do you self-publish an e-book?

Self-publishing online is actually easier than most people think. All you need is an edited manuscript in a word document. Then you format it for digital downloads, the
 most common format being ePub. Most e-book sales platforms have guidelines as
to how to format your manuscript and when you upload it to their site, they
 convert it into an ePub format for you. If you’re selling it on your own site,
 a PDF document is fine, although you can get ePub software that allows you to
 convert your own Word document into ePub format. It really depends on who your
 market it. ePub formats are widely accepted by all standard e-reading devices
 such as iPads, iPhones, Kindle, Nook etc. Images are not well displayed on
e-readers and so should be kept to a minimum. For PDF files, however, images
work well.

What is your company about and what service do you
provide to writers?

www.YourNovelOnline.net is a self-publishing resource for writers. We offer cover designs, formatting services and design promotional mini-sites at very competitive rates. All our cover designs are in acceptable screen resolutions and formats. Our formatting is according to ePub guidelines and are promotional mini-sites include
persuasive web copy and links, built-in SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and download instructions.

Tell us about copyright and e-books.

All material written by you is your property and is not allowed to be reproduced in any format or for any media without your permission. This is achieved by a simple
copyright instruction  on an introductory page at the beginning of your book.
Regardless of whether you publish online or self-publish the traditional way,
you should have a copyright for your work.

How do you get an internation standard book number (ISBN), is it necessary?

Some e-book platforms such as Amazon.com issue you with an ISBN number when you upload your manuscript for sale in the Kindle store. They use ISBNs to track inventory and sales information. Others don’t. The ISBN is not strictly necessary and
certainly doesn’t influence your sales in any way.

What other e-publishing platforms are available?

There are so many niche and indie e-publishing platforms on the web and the
best way to find them is to Google for your particular genre. The big ones are
obviously Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.

About Biba Fielding

Biba Fielding is the founder of the yournovelonline company. She is married to her Prince Charming and lives in England. Biba is also a Writer and a Copywriter.

Please visit Biba Fielding at www.louiserose-innes.com.  I am sure she would appreciate the visit.

 

Remember that having your manuscript professionally edited is key to you looking good once your book is out. Grammatical and spelling errors can be the kiss of death for a new author who has self-published.

Editors are expensive but think of the longterm benefits.

Happy Writing!!

Short story writing tips for “The Essential Voice” competition

Today, I am very happy to host Anthony Ehlers. If you have not heard of Anthony Ehlers, then make sure that you file his name under “Writers to watch in South Africa”.

When I asked Anthony to appear on the blog and give us some tips of the secrets to writing a short story, his modest reply was “if I knew the secrets, I would be rich”. But with his generous heart, he is already rich and one of these days, he will be making Richard Branson an offer for Necker Island!

Anthony is a “short story writing wizard” and has a history with “The Essentials Voice” Short Story Writing Competition run by Essentials Magazine.

Yes, finally, a magazine has recognised the need to get the creative, literary juices of the country going and have come up with a great competition and awesome prizes.

So if you are a writer who is in the market for cool prizes then this blog post and competition is for you.

First prize:

1. Luxury weekend in Drakensberg
2. Author interview in Essentials + critique by the Editors at Mills         and Boon
3. Creative Writing Course – R 7 500
4. Netbook – R 3 499
5. Cappuccino hamper – R 1 100
6. Floral Arrangement – R 650

 Top 3 Stories

1. Creative Writing Course – R 7 500
2. Netbook – R 3 499
3. Cappuccino hamper – R 1 100
4. Floral Arrangement – R 650

 Top 5 Stories

1. Creative Writing Course – R 7 500
2. Cappuccino Hamper – R 1 100
3. Floral Arrangement – R 650

For T’s and C’s of the competition visit www.essentials.co.za or get the latest copy of Essentials Magazine.

 

Okay, so now that you know what’s up for grabs, let the writing begin!

 

Anthony Ehlers: 6 Secrets to Writing a Short Story

Here are six secrets I’ve learned to writing a romance short story, and each has helped me to get my head around the challenges of this shorter format of fiction.

1.  A short story is not a novel.

While it has a beginning, middle and end, a short story doesn’t cover the bigger story arcs of a novel. Limited word count means you have to concentrate on one idea or emotion.  It should be one character who faces conflict or a crisis and experiences a moment of change due to the conflict or crisis.

2.    A short story is subtle

When it comes to plot, understated and simple plotting works best. It’s best to focus on a theme that readers will relate to and empathise with – agony columns, real life and songs are great places to get ideas for a plot. Shine a gentle light on your main character and show the reader just one aspect of that character.

3.     A short story has just one viewpoint character.

While your story will feature the hero and the heroine, and perhaps one or two minor characters, you should only be inside one character’s head while telling the story.

4.    A short story shows character and circumstance

It’s not about writing a personal biography of your heroine, but showing how she deals with a particular situation. She doesn’t have to be perfect but she should be likeable. The hero should be someone you, as the writer, would be attracted to if he existed in real life.

5.     A short story can be about setting

Many writers ignore setting when it comes to story, but a few deft words or a short paragraph can really lift a short story. Try to tell the reader where the story takes place early on. Try to keep the story to one setting. Focus on one or two telling details in your setting to make it vivid in the reader’s mind.

 

6.    A short story is not easy to make short

After the first draft, edit, edit, edit. Delete every word that doesn’t add to the story. Make sure the story moves along at good pace – the reader must feel the story is unfolding as they read it. Dialogue will help with this.

So, to recap – one idea, one conflict, one setting, one effect

If you keep this in mind, you should be able to create a satisfying story in less than 2,000 words. The best advice I can give is to write from your heart. It’s the only way to write a love story, isn’t it?

Bio

Anthony Ehlers has had two stories published in the Essentials/Voice of Africa competition, His Secretary’s Secret (2009) and Cappuccinos and Goodbyes (2010).

His novel A Man Worth Knowing will be published by Nollybooks soon.

He currently works as a Writer in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Louise Make

Today we meet Louise Make. Louise’s book “Five Star Seduction” was published by Sapphire books and was released in August. It’s now available at CNA Stores.

We are lucky today as Louise has agreed to give away an autographed copy of “Five Star Seduction”.

To win a copy, leave a comment for Louise telling her :

What your most profound lesson Love, in all her glorious forms, has taught you? If you could pass on only one piece of advice you’ve learnt on your love journey thus far, what would you teach everyone?

Interview with Louise Make

1.  Where were you born?

    Louise was born in the incomparably exquisite Cape Town.

2. What and who inspires you?

    Creativity, spiritual connection, compassion and laughter.

     In my world, I draw these from my family, my  favourite writers, food and décor shows, meditation, good  wine and nature.

If you dare me  to name names, I will!

Eckhart Tolle, Oprah, Winnie the Pooh, Paulo Coelho, Tata Madiba, the Buddha, Dr Seuss, Thami  Ngubeni, Mattie Stepanek and SpongeBob SquarePants.

 That’s not my whole list, not by a long shot; it’s just my top 10.

3.  Your pet hates?

The minor stuff: littering, the number of times the same shows/movies are repeated on tv,  bad service and people standing too close to me in queues.

The doozies:  arrogance, prejudice, intolerance, cruelty to animals and money either being  horded or wasted while millions starve.

4.  You cannot live without…

 Words.

 Written, spoken or sung.

 I love the magic that happens when a profound
message is shared. Words, combined in the right way, become spells that can
make us rise, ache, believe, laugh, cry and fall in love.

5. Your writing philosophy?

Let it come to
you. Open your eyes to life and love, take in what happens around you and learn  from it all. Then remember to open up your soul and allow all the possibilities  brewing within to take shape. Whenever possible, let the words come to you.

6. Where did the idea for the book come from?

First, let me make the premise of Langa and Lazola’s relationship clear: they simply cannot resist each other. From the first moment
they lay eyes on each other, they are drawn in by the attraction and love that  immediately rises to consume them.

 And now, my idea’s origin, funny story.

 The idea for the opening chapter and the characters’ love came from comments a couple of my  friends made years ago. One friend pointed out that it’s no wonder soapie  characters are constantly kissing, they’re always crossing the ‘personal space’  line. She compared standing really close to someone and looking into their eyes  to standing at the edge of a pool and staring into the water. After a few  seconds, the blueness becomes mesmerising and it feels like you’re being sucked  in.

 Another friend described locking eyes with a complete stranger in a supermarket. He said for a moment he found himself walking towards her, purely out of instinct. But then he ‘came to his senses’ and managed to look away (and walk away) before doing anything that might’ve embarrassed him.

I loved those little tidbits so much that I never forgot them. And when I needed a concept for my story, I decided to use them in the opening chapter.

What happens if your pull to a perfect stranger is too strong to resist?

I put Langa and  Lazola at the edge of a love pool.

7. How did you hear about the acceptance of the manuscript and what was your reaction?

After sending my manuscript in at the end of 2010, I received notes on changes that I needed to make. It was such a gut-twisting time because I didn’t know how close I was to what Sapphire Press was looking for.

 And then my offer to publish came.

On Valentine’s  Day, nogal. Now, if that’s not the ultimate green flag to become a romance  author, I don’t know what is!

And then, to  top it off, my contract arrived on my birthday, a few weeks later.

Gotta love  Sapphire Press for their impeccable timing.

  I went out and had cake – lots of it!#

8.  Tell us about the book.

Langalethu Cima is 28, independent and focused on taking over the world of marketing. Lazola  Rhadebe is gorgeous, brutally direct, and the owner of a new luxury hotel. They  meet when Langa torpedoes her way into leading Rhadebe Omni-Chic Hotel’s  marketing campaign. Soon she has far more of Lazola’s attention than she’d bargained on getting and is overwhelmed by her feelings for him.

Langa isn’t particularly good at pampering herself, nor does she have time for love – this is what she tells herself when Lazola sets about introducing her to a world of  luxury and passion. It’s her excuse for resisting his charm. Lazola Rhadebe,  however, is a determined man, set on teaching her to think with her heart for once.

9. For me editing would be an annoying process, take us through Sapphire’s editing process and tell us how the book changed from your vision to theirs.

I was more fascinated than annoyed by the process of watching my story take on a more cohesive feel through Sapphire’s direction. The bulk of comments I received lay around  making Langa’s work as realistic
as possible. She’s a bit of a workaholic, so large chunks of the story revolve around those responsibilities and her office life – Sapphire wanted to be sure that I did all I could to create a world readers would believe in.

Then there was one other issue I was asked to work on, and this one was actually my favourite crit (yes, there was criticism I liked,
hahaha): Langa’s character.

One of the points in the Sapphire brief had brought up that these books are similar to  Mills & Boon. When I was taking my first shot at writing I wasn’t too sure how similar to make my heroine to the
Mills & Boon heroines; and whether I needed to keep the ‘old school’
traditional Mills & Boon or more modern versions in mind. In the end, I
played it safe and went ‘old school damsel’ with Langa. Then I got comments  that she needed to be stronger. I realised that Sapphire truly was interested  in having well-rounded role models as heroines. I was even told not to make Langa too perfect – I was ecstatic!

10.   Advice  for aspiring writers?

Just keep on doing it.

If  you’re anything like me, you’ll have days when you suspect you’re hopeless at writing; or your inspiration might be blocked; or you’ll find yourself distracted by an army of irrelevancies. That’s fine – so long as you never stop writing. If you feel in your core that writing is your calling, putting all your passion into it will help it bear fruit. If it can’t be your job right now, make it your hobby – whatever you do, make room for expressing yourself through your art.

And, on the days when all is fantastic and you’re at your writing peak, remember to give thanks. Moments like those feed the soul; and faithfully giving thanks for them protects you against ever taking them for granted.

11. What is your next project?

I’m currently working on two more Sapphire romances. I started out planning one, but quickly saw that I had far too much going on – my poor heroine was bordering on a  rather hectic case of Multiple Personality Disorder for a moment – so I split her and the synopsis in two. It was the best move ever! And now I find myself battling MPD while working my way through two thrilling new love stories.

 I love celebrating love, though, so this journey’s wonderful.

 

Louise  Uncovered

I was born in Cape Town an incredibly short thirty years ago. I lived there most of my life –  bar a few years in the Karoo – and am now in a nine-year whirlwind romance with  Johannesburg, City of Golden Delights.

My dad got me  hooked on reading when I was tiny (he bought me my first novel when I was about eight) by making me tell him all about each book I read. After high school, my  mom encouraged me to follow my heart, so I studied Theatre and Performance at UCT before moving up to Jozi. I spent a few years trying to hold down secure jobs. A couple years in Sales and Marketing were a big no-no for me. So I  plunged into theatre instead and loved  it.

Once my first son was born, however, I needed something more stable, a job that wouldn’t need me to travel as much. By chance, I ended up spending a few years in the production departments of two magazine publishing companies – and then my second son popped up. I use the word ‘pop’ loosely, but you get my drift.

Up until the birth of my first son, I hadn’t been very happy with myself, to tell the truth. I knew I needed something but couldn’t quite define it and was too caught up in the crazy rat race to have the courage to pursue my inner needs. And then I read ‘Eat Pray Love’ and ‘A New Earth’. Talk about Divine intervention!

‘Eat Pray Love’ taught me that it’s okay to take time to define what would fulfil me and to go after it like all my happiness depends on it – because it does. ‘A New Earth’ taught me that we are  all made of the same stuff and that stuff thrives on love – because it is love. I learned to let go of any
moment that isn’t now. I let go of all expectations, and any voices that speak against consciously loving every heartbeat of living.

This opportunity with Sapphire Press found me at a time when I was veritably bursting with my own potential. I’ve learnt how to open up – and pouring the love I experience on a daily basis into stories to share with a nation of fellow love-celebrators, is a job more perfect than any I could’ve dreamt up.

And my dreams are pretty wild, so that’s saying a lot.

 

A Romance Writer’s time to Feast

Mills and Boon have announced their “New Voices” competition
and Essentials Magazine have announced their “Essentials Voice” competition, so
the romance writing world has gone into overdrive.

The pencils have been sharpened and the glasses have been wiped.

In England, workshops are being held for the aspiring
writers and the Mills and Boon New Voices Group is busy with enquiries from the
hopefuls.  It’s WRITE TIME!

Right now, in the world of the writer, there is not time to
scratch a drandruff itch forget everything else that needs to be done!

So to the Celestial Being of Writing, I say, please grant each
Writer the following:

1 Understanding husband (if married) who can disappear from
time to time

1 Babysitter -who will also be patient with mom who is prone
to occasional outbursts

1 Chef – clothes optional

2 Domestic cleaners – 1 for
laundry, 1 for general care

1 Driver – as writer will be going into “write mode” at the
red robot

1 Au pair (as unsexy as possible) – to pick kids up from
school

1 Answering machine

NO FACEBOOK

NO BBM

1 Masseuse

1 bottle of eye drops

Box of chocolates (and keep it coming)

Wine (and keep it coming)

Bundles of cash to get a hotel room to write, if need be.

So ladies, is there anything else that you would like to
make this time of creation more comfortable?

 

 

 

Lauri and the Caine

Today, I am happy to host Lauri Kubuitsile, Caine Prize 2011 finalist and published Author of several books, on my blog. Lauri is going to tell us about her exciting trip to London and I sure that she would love to hear your comments.

This is just a glimpse of where the dream of writing can take you. So over to Lauri.

 

My Caine Shortlisting

By Lauri Kubuitsile

Lauri and her husband in London where they celebrated their 20th Wedding Anniversary. The picture was taken by NoViolet Bulawayo, winner of the Caine Prize 2011.

So Elaine kindly asked me to write about my experience of being shortlisted for the Caine Prize for her blog. I’ve been writing seriously now for over seven years. Four times previously I’ve had editors or publishers submit stories for The Caine Prize. Each time I hoped I might make the shortlist but I didn’t. My story “In the Spirit of McPhineas Lata” was published by Modjaji Books in The Bed Book of Short Stories. When the publisher, Colleen Higgs, told me she was submitting the story I said that was nice but I was sure it didn’t have a chance. As I said at one of the events
in London, it wasn’t very “Caine-y”. It was light and funny and not dealing
with the inevitable weighty problems the Caine Prize judges seem to value.

I remember the day I found out I was shortlisted. I was at my computer in my office and was just about to go into the house to cook lunch. I thought, “Let me check my email one last time.” And there it was. An email from Colleen Higgs telling me dear McPhineas had been shortlisted for the Caine Prize. I doubt I will forget the moment I read that email. It was a dream fulfilled.

So what does being on the Caine shortlist mean? First it means you get a free trip to London. I was there from the 4^th until the 14^th of July. We stayed at a posh
central London hotel, The Royal Overseas League. Out of my window I could see
the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. In London, we had two readings
before the awards dinner, one at the Royal Overseas League and one at Southbank
as part of the London Literature Festival. Both were well attended, with people
interested in our stories and in Africa.

We also attended a lunch put together by the British Council where we were introduced to publishers and agents. I collected many business cards and handed out a lot of my own. Already I’ve begun correspondence with people met at that lunch.

On the morning of the awards dinner, we had lunch at the House of Lords with the Baroness Nicola Caine, the wife to the founder of the prize. Then we boarded a bus for Oxford where the award dinner was to be held.

The dinner in Oxford was held at the Bodleian Library, one of the first libraries in Europe and the holder of every book written in England in English. The gathering was a who’s who of the publishing world in UK, at least the publishing world with ties or interests in international writing.

The other perk of being on the shortlist is that next year I’m automatically invited for the Caine workshop. It is 10 days of writing held somewhere in Africa. There was talk of next year’s being in Zanzibar, I’m crossing my fingers…and toes!

It was lovely to meet the other shortlisted writers which included: Beatrice Lumwaka from Uganda, Tim Keegan and David Medalie from South Africa and the winner, NoVoilet Bulawayo from Zimbabwe. Of the writers on the list I only knew NoVoilet prior to going to London, and then only through blogging and Facebook so it was great to meet her and the rest of the writers in person.

So what has being shortlisted meant to me? Like prizes I’ve won or been shortlisted for in the past, it does give you some credibility, but in this case more so since, especially in UK and around Africa, the Caine is seen as quite prestigious. Already I have people taking more notice of me and I’ve been offered various interesting writing gigs, some of which I’m attempting to take advantage of.

I’m very proud on two fronts in particular. I am the first citizen of Botswana (Motswana) to ever have been shortlisted for the Caine Prize. This I’m very proud of. When I was at the first reading in London a woman came up to me. She told me she was doing her PHD on the Caine Prize and she’d read all of the stories ever shortlisted for the prize and mine was the first ever that was light and funny. I think my
story has broken down a few walls that surrounded the term “African writing”
and I also feel very proud about that.

Now it’s  wait and see. I think I need a bit of distance  to see how the Caine will impact on my writing career. In the meanwhile – it’s back to work!

 

 

A Writing Voice

 

Last year Mills and Boon launched their “New Voices” Competition. “New Voices” was a search for a new writer but not just a new writer, a writer that wrote like no other writer that Mills and Boon have thus far published.

We are all students of romance, so we plough through mountains of books and it is only natural that there would be glimpses of other writers in your writing. That is what made the submissions so interesting to read, the glimpses of influence after years of reading romance.

My favourite writer is Penny Jordan and after the competition, I read through pieces of my previous work. Needless to say, Penny ran through it like whirls of caramel through vanilla ice-cream, most times there was just caramel! I have studied Penny’s writings (not seriously) and she has a word that she uses through all her new books, “her sex”, this is Penny’s word to refer to the heroine’s v-jay-jay. Interestingly enough, this word is also used by Philippa Gregory in her historical romances. Is Penny a fan of Philippa? Maybe. Penny does love writing about aristocracy and she even bought a castle in England!

Maybe, all of this means nothing and maybe I just need to make a connection!

Why am I talking about Penny? To illustrate two things, firstly, we will be influenced by a writer and secondly, even though we are, we also have unique ways to describe feelings, power, lust and love. As writers, we are creators, creators of analogies, phrases, clauses, we invent ways to express feelings. The unique words you use is really, your writing DNA, fingerprints, if you will. I have an awesome writing group and we often communicate through e-mail and through the e-mails, I can pick up their voice, even make out their personalities like bubbly, flirty, serious and very often crazy.

When writing, I often go into “Penny trance” so I think what I read in her writings but Mills and Boon already have a Penny and I now realise that I have to find my voice, my writing DNA, my cerebral writing fingerprint. We all have it. Our way of communicating everyday, we all have words we use to describe things and your friends and family would know what those words are. It is what makes you attractive, interesting, fun and infectious.

So write you.

Write you, through your heroine and your hero. They would never have shown themselves to you if they did not trust that you would be able to speak their pain, their fear, their confusion, their hope and their love. Tap into yourself and find your writing DNA which will bring forth your voice.

The romance vs reality of writing

I love reading romance, more importantly I love writing and the glamour associated with being a successful writer. The islands you could buy, the holidays you could take, the red carpet events you get invited to (that is if you are J.K. Rowling). I always had a picture of writing being fun and laid back. In my mind, a must have for a writer was, a flat at the beach with a patio where hours of writing can be done. Of course, zipping out to a coffee shop from time to time would not hurt either. No 9-5 work for a writer, just casual run-ins with hunks of all manner and state, a picture that a rom-com movie would depict.

The reality is far from this. Writing is quiet work. Nobody pats you on the back and says, “Wow, well done” after you have taken up the 1k 1 hr challenge.  It’s day after day of believing in yourself and the people who live (rent free) inside your head. It’s about sorting out their problems while dealing with your own. It’s about resolving their issues while yours are left dangling in the air.

When you finally finish a manuscript and are done with dancing around, there is the nail-biting wait to hear from a publisher. Publisher’s generally decide that they don’t like what you have written and so nobody else will like it either. After your personal pity party, you realise or your writing friends will tell you “It’s not you, it’s the publisher”.  It’s like consoling your best friend after the love of her life has given her the finger.

I have also realised that CNN does not arrive at your door when you have collected your first royalty cheque.

Writing is hard work, it’s about having faith that would move mountains of badly written but published work. It’s about having faith in people you have never met but who were born in the threads of your mind. It’s about finding a publisher that has the same problems your heroine is having because a book they can relate to is a book they are more likely to publish.

So here’s to you and me finding the sucker:)

Lauri Kubuitsile

You are American born but moved to Africa and your writing is African. How do you manage that mind shift?

There is no mind shift.  I moved to Botswana when I was 26 and I am now 47. I’ve spent the bulk of my adult life in this country and consider myself a Motswana. I began writing in Botswana. My time growing up in USA was not a happy time and in Botswana I’ve found the peace and serenity to write.

You have been published in the educational market, is your writing  mostly targeted at educational markets and what triggered the decision to write romance?

No, my writing is not targeted at educational markets. All of my books that are prescribed in Botswana are works of fiction, not written with an educational market in mind. I write adult short stories, I write children’s books, I’ve written two television series, four detective novellas. I have also written seven textbooks. I used to be a science teacher, so most of those are science textbooks. But I do very little educational writing of that sort anymore. As for romance, my writing often has a bit of romance in it even when I’m not writing strictly in the romance genre. For example in my Detective Kate Gomolemo detective series, there is a romance that runs through it.  My young adult book coming out with Tafelberg next month, Signed, Hopelessly in Love, also includes romance. Sapphire sent me the guidelines and I thought I’d give it a try. My book, Kwaito Love, was one of two books that launched the imprint.

You have three novels published by Sapphire Press. Tell us Mr Not Quite Good Enough.

 It is about a successful woman, a public relations manager for a stock brokerage, who falls in love with a petrol attendant and it will be available if August.

Your short story has been shortlisted for the Caine Prize, what does that mean for you, as a writer?

For African short story writers, the Caine is the most significant prize and one we all dream about. I’m really honoured to be on the shortlist, it’s the first time a Motswana has been on the Caine shortlist and I think that’s important too. It comes with a lot of benefits. The five writers on the shortlist are taken to London from the 5-15^th of July. While there we do readings, attend panel discussions, meet with agents and publishers and basically get a lot of exposure. Also, every year the Caine Prize hosts a workshop, usually in Kenya, and by being on the shortlist I will automatically be invited to attend that workshop next year. These are all fantastic opportunities.

Tell us about “In the Spirit of McPhineas Lata”

 It’s a story about the death of the village’s playboy and how it affects the men and women of the village. It’s a humorous story. I wrote it for The Bed Book of Short Stories (Modjaji Books), all stories in that book were written around the theme of bed.

http://www.caineprize.com/pdf/2011_Kubuitsile.pdf.

 If you had to give advice on “The craft of writing” what would it be?

 I think the biggest mistake I see beginning writers make is to take the business of writing too casually. They write a rough draft and think they’ve finished a masterpiece. Writing is my job and I approach it as my job. Good writing takes commitment and hard work. Also, I don’t think you can be a solid writer without being a prolific reader. You learn by reading how other people write. At least that’s how it works for me.

What are you currently working on and what are your plans for the future?

All of my books are published with traditional publishers, but right now I’m working on self-publishing an ebook collection of twelve of my short stories set in Botswana. As for plans for my future, I hope to keep improving as a writer and to keep working.

Can he Be The One? can be purchased: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Can-He-One-Lauri-Kubuitsile/dp/0795703082

 About Lauri Kubuitsile

 Lauri Kubuitsile is a full-time writer living in Botswana. She is the author of 14 works of fiction (for adults and children) and numerous textbooks. She co-wrote two television series for Botswana Television: Morwalela and Re Bina Mmogo II. Her short stories are published around the world and  have twice been highly commended in the Commonwealth Short Story Contest (CBA). In both  2009 and 2010 she won the Golden Baobab Literary Prize, a prize for Africans writing for children. This year will see the publication of her young adult book, Signed, Hopelessly in Love (Tafelberg) and a third romance novella, Mr Not Quite Good Enough (Sapphire).