The RNA Virtual Conference 2021

 
The Romantic Novelists' Association holds a yearly writers' conference. It's a great opportunity for members of the RNA, both established authors and aspiring writers of the RNA's New Writers' Scheme, to meet up with agents, editors and other industry professionals for talks, workshops and some social networking. There is also an opportunity to book a 10 minute pitching slot with an agent or editor. This is an amazing opportunity for any writer seeking representation or hoping to further their career.

The RNA conference is usually held at a venue suitable to cater for guests travelling from afar.  The University of Lancaster and Leeds Trinity University have both been used in the past. For members of the RNA, the weekend in July is one of the highlights of the RNA's calendar and I have always wanted to go, but due to my business commitments, a weekend away during the summer was not possible. However, in late 2019 things changed on the home-front and I was free to attend, but then Covid struck and everything was transferred to online. It didn't seem the same so I didn't attend in 2020, but this year I made it a priority to find out what the conference was all about, albeit from the comfort of my own home. I saw my attendance to the online event as a precursor to the real one... a sort of dipping my toe in the water before I dived in next year!

I enjoyed the experience, which ran from late Thursday afternoon to Saturday evening. Each talk had a private zoom link and was well attended, with nil technical glitches as far as I was aware, which is a miracle in itself. Below is a summary of my experience with bullet points of the advice I took away from the talks.

Thursday

Practice Makes Pitch Perfect
Approximately twelve (brave) authors pitched their novels to agents Juliet Pickering, Kate Burke and Sian Ellis-Martin from the Blake Friedmann Agency, who subsequently offered feedback. I say brave, as they pitched in front of the audience, whereas pitches are usually private one-on-one meetings. This was an excellent opportunity to see how others do it and put the intense experience into perspective.

The feedback was informative and specific to each pitch but the general advice was:-
Be positive and enthusiastic about your novel.
Be clear about what the story is about.
Don't get bogged down in what emotions you want your story to convey to the reader. Agents are interested in the plot and your ability to write and the emotions will follow but only if the first two elements are there.

Friday

121 Pitches
Those attending had the opportunity to pitch to an agent or editor. Needless to say, the demand for these slots was huge, as was the administration task to sort out the hundreds of requests received. Those lucky enough to be allocated a pitch was provided with a zoom link for the ten minute slot and instructions to submit the first chapter, synopsis and cover letter prior to the event. If the agent or editor liked the premises of the story, saw potential in working collaboratively with the writer and loved the writing style, they could request a full manuscript to assess its potential further. It will be several weeks, even months, before successful pitches become more public, and those writers will be the lucky few. However, all writers will have been given feedback and advice on their submission from a professional in the industry, which is like gold dust in itself.

Saturday

Building a Writer's Resilience
Hosted by author Nicola Cornick, international best selling author, Dinah Jefferies, shared her experience of building resilience and revealed that even best selling writers can suffer from self-doubt, lack of confidence and impostor syndrome.

Below is a summary of the advice given:-
Bad trauma and experience can be used positively by adding authenticity to one's writing.
Take time out and look after yourself. Not all pressures are external, they can be internal too.
Train yourself not to compare yourself to others.
Regarding feelings of jealousy, be aware that we don't really know what is going on in other people's lives.
A writing career is up and down for everyone.
Rejection is hard. Research who you pitch to to reduce the possibility. While waiting don't stress, just write another book to occupy you.
Don't read reviews, you'll only remember the bad ones.

A talk about the role of the agent followed from agent Felicity Trew. It was packed with information and Felicity's enthusiasm for her job shone through.

Screenwriter and senior lecturer, Marie Macneill, walked us through The Proposal film, using the key plot points to show us how to structure your rom com to create movie magic.

Award winning author Fiona Lucas discussed the anatomy of a scene, followed by Rhea Kurien, editorial director of Orion Dash,who explained how digital publishing works.

The weekend ended with author and podcast host, Dorothy Koomson, chatting with Romance Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award winner Beverly Jenkins. Beverly's wise words, delivered in a calm, no nonsense way, was a joy to listen to as she chatted about her life and how, as a youth, she devoured history from the journals of her local library. As a writer, she hopes her books educate readers about the real history of black people, whilst at the same time they enjoy a romantic read. Author of over forty novels, with decades of writing behind her and a deep love of history, Beverly Jenkins knows what she is talking about. "I was black before it became fashionable," she said at one point. This interview is well worth a listen when it is finally uploaded onto The Happy Author podcast. 

I hope I will have the opportunity to attend the RNA conference in person in the future, in the meantime I shall take on board all the advice given and channel it into my writing career for the future. Writing is a continual journey of gaining experience and wisdom, whether its from the research you do, from your own successes or failures, or gaining knowledge from your peers. The RNA conference is one of many opportunities available to a writer The advice may or may not be used, but the trick is not to be too proud, arrogant or stubborn to listen to it in the first place.

As for the partying and social networking... well enjoying a drink (or two)  with other members of the RNA will have to wait until the time we finally meet face to face again.

Victoria Cornwall