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| Photo by Cassandra Samuels |
We are very lucky here at Breathless in the Bush to have an inaugural member of RWAustralia as one of our own, Enisa. Karen is also a member of this group and daughter of the founding member of RWAustrallia Lynne Wilding. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Romance Writers Australia and how very far we have come from those very early days.
Enisa gave a wonderful speech at the opening of the conference about her friendship with Lynne and how RWAustralia came about. She used a quote from the movie Field of Dreams to express the the founding members hope for the organisation. "If we build it will they come?" The answer, of course, was YES!
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| Photo by Cassandra Samuels |
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| Photo by Cassandra Samuels |
And I may have picked up a little something myself at the Awards Gala Dinner.
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| Photo by Cassandra Samuels |
Michael Hauge
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| Photo by Enisa Haines |
"You must elicit emotion in your reader"
"Stories at their core, are built on a simple foundation consisting of character, desire and Conflict."
Nikko and Jim McGoldrick
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| Photo by Cassandra Samuels |
Nikko writes because, "It's the only time you can kidnap someone and it be legal.
Jim writes because, "In the fictional world we create, good can conquer evil."
Nikko writes because, "If I don't write my life is incomplete."
Jim writes beause, "I touch peoples lives and there is value in that."
Fiona McIntosh
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| Photo by Cassandra Samuels |
"A clear theme is crucial, especially for marketing."
"Where is the heartbeat of your story?"
"Fall in love with your male character and you'll be on the road to success."
"Write down your goals and then get on with it."
"Stop questioning the universe. The only way to find out if you're good enough is to do it."
One of the workshops that I really enjoyed was the, Honour and Honourable Quarrels - Dueling in the Age of Romance by Nic and Shay. What a comprehensive and informative workshop it was.
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| Photo by Cassandra Samuels |
The conference looked amazing Huge congrats to all authors who finalled & those who took out places in all the competitions.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary. The hotel was gorgeous and despite the wind and rain for most of the weekend I can imagine that Glenelg is teeming with people in the summer months. Valerie Parv getting her lifetime membership award was fabulous too.
DeleteWhat an absolutely fabulous time you had! And everyone else, it seems! Thanks for writing this up and giving those of us who couldn't make it this year the chance to 'visit' anyway. Where will it be next year?
ReplyDeleteHi Malvina. Next year we will all be getting wild in Brisbane at the Pullman Hotel 11th to the 13th of August. The Awards dinner theme will be the Butterfly Ball.
DeleteSo sorry to have missed it this year!
ReplyDeleteCongrats to all the finalists and winners, announced at the Awards Night!
Hi Dee. There were lots of worthy winners this year. We missed you not being there too. Maybe next year in Brissy?
DeleteLucky to have experienced a wonderful 25th anniversary conference. We had a fabulous time catching up with writer friends, meeting newbies and generaly having a fun time.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to be part of it all. Your speech was wonderful.
DeleteHuge congratulations on your win in the Ripping Start competition, Cassandra! The conference was another fabulous success. Well done to the SA ladies!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Marilyn. I totally agree the SA conference committee and all the volunteers did a fantastic job.
DeleteThank you for sharing your conference experiences with us, Cassandra. I also loved reading about the history of RWA.
ReplyDeleteI am thankful every day that I was told about RWA and found this writing group. To think that at one stage it was on the verge of collapse is scary.
DeleteOne of the best conferences. Loved the sword play. Thanks for you comments Cassie.
ReplyDeleteWeren't the sword guys amazing? So glad we got to catch up Joanne. Say hi to Colin.
DeleteLove was indeed grand at RWA Adelaide! So great to be among my tribe again and catch up with everyone.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the photos and experience. It's so good to sticky beak and hear others' thoughts. I thought the conference was a blast and what a FANTASTIC location. One of the best I've been to. And Karen, your speech about your mum and the RWA at the awards dinner was wonderful. Thank you.
Keep up the bloggy goodness, ladies!
Hi Cathryn. The hotel was amazing . Karen's speech was so lovely. I wish I'd met Lynne she sounds like she was the most wonderful woman. We will do our best to keepnup the bloggy goodness I promise.
DeleteHi Cassandra, great summary of a fantastic weekend. Congratulations on your award. Getting the first sale ribbon was a nice surprise I was not expecting. That was my first conference and I really enjoyed it, met lots of lovely people and caught up with those I'd met before. As I said at the dinner; my mother would be amazed and so happy that RWA has become such an incredible organisation. It will only continue to grow and prosper I am sure.
ReplyDeleteHi Karen. We all owe a great deal to your mother, Enisa and the other founding members of RWAust. I am so happy you enjoyed your first conference. Your speech was fantastic and a great credit to you and your mum. Will we see you in Brisbane next year?
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