Writing Retreat

Many thanks to subscriber Faith Hope Cherrytea for suggesting the Canadian Reading Challenge.  I have four books for my list so far:  Hanging On To My Dreams by Arnold Henry, The Petty Details of So-and-So's Life by Camilla Gibb, Aberrant by Jo-Anne Sieppert, and Fall on Your Knees by Anne-Marie MacDonald.  I have met Sieppert and Henry through my writing group.  In fact, I just had the pleasure of spending a day with them at a writing retreat we organized in Beautiful Alberta.  It was the first writing retreat for me and for most, if not all of the writers in attendance.  I think this was to my advantage as I put the event together.

I can't believe I've never done this before.  What a treat to be in a roomful of other writers.  To have them comment on your work, share their experiences and hear them read.  It was quite inexpensive, thanks to our lovely hostess.  It was nothing fancy, but I think the simplicity of the day lent itself to helping us create.  Here's what our schedule looked like:

9:00 Meet and Greet - We introduced ourselves over coffee, fruit and muffins.  I started the ball rolling by suggesting we talk about our favourite authors as well as what we enjoy writing.  Then I went over the schedule for the day and reviewed our plans for critiquing one another's work.  There were 11 of us, so I had each person bring 10 copies of a piece of writing they wanted some feedback on.  I knew some people were nervous about this, so I talked about how we critique in our writing group.  While reading a piece, we make note of what makes us laugh, any grammatical errors that we happen to notice, anything that is unclear and anything that stands out to us as especially good.  We had the day to read over the writing and make notes at our own pace.  This worked well, though I think next time I might put a limit on the length of the pieces.  Most of us found it difficult to give good feedback on all of the writing.

10:00 - 12:00 - We had time to write, read, edit or chat with other writers.  Fortunately, it was a beautiful day, so those who wanted to chat could go outside and enjoy the view while they talked, which left the room nice and quiet for writing.

12:00 - 1:30 - We broke for lunch and had the option to go for a walk.

1:30 - 2:30  My friend Katie led us in a writing exercise.  These are fantastic for getting you out of your regular writing rhythms.  My latest book project started as a writing exercise used at a writing meeting.  We had the option to read our writing aloud when we were finished.  It is amazing how many ways a writing exercise can go!

2:30 - 3:30 - We had one more work block for writing, editing, reading or talking.

3:30 - We gathered our belongings and I asked people to share the best thing about the day and one thing to improve next time.

What a great way to spend a Saturday.  I'd love to know of your experiences with writing retreats.  I'd appreciate new ideas for next time.  Thanks!

Writing Letters

I am a big fan of CBC radio.  If you aren't a Canadian, this is our national radio station where you can hear anything and everything from jazz to opera, radio plays to news shows.  I previously mentioned my appreciation for Stuart McLean, who has a weekly radio show called The Vinyl Cafe.  If you have never heard of it, google it and listen to an episode immediately!  Especially if you can find an episode featuring a Dave and Morley story.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Today, I had the pleasure of hearing two writers talk about their "relapse" into letter writing.  They spoke of how writing a letter by hand forces them to live in the moment.  They can't write nearly as fast as they type and so they have time to process what they are writing.  They also have the opportunity to write about things that they would edit if they knew their writing could be accessed by unknown readers - as I do when I write my blogs, tweets and Facebook updates.  I was inspired.

And, I couldn't help but think about my book, Suspiciously Reserved.  In this book, Jane Fairfax frequently communicates to Frank Churchill by letter.  She also emails and texts when necessary, but she trusts a hand-written letter.  This theme of trust runs throughout the book and I'm afraid even I am uncertain of Frank Churchill's trustworthiness.  In our fast-paced, self-centred modern era, who can we trust and how long does it take to build this faith?  Can a hand-written letter reveal more about its author than a text or email?  I plan to try.  Just as soon as I can find a pen and some paper.  What do you think?

Click here to read about Mary Robinette Kowal's letter-writing challenge.The Month of Letters

Kindle Fire!

You can win a Kindle Fire as well as 20 Austen-related Indie novels including Suspiciously Reserved by clicking on this button.  It is through a fantastic blog called Indie Jane.  Good luck!
Click here

A Fleet of Fantasy

Though it may seem as though I haven't been writing much in my first year back teaching, in fact, my weekend efforts are beginning to amount to something.  I started with short stories, as I often do once I finish a book and look for my next project.  It was my goal to write one short story a month during the teaching months.  In October, I began a short story in writing group based on a prompt we were given "You always said dragons didn't exist . . ." but the story wouldn't end.  It kept going and keeps going.

Once again, I am venturing into unknown territory.  Fantasy fiction was something I had abandoned in favour of realism, but returning to the land of dragons and talking animals has been delightful.  And when I really think of it, how realistic is Jane Austen fiction?  Am I not slipping into the fantastical realms when I imagine what it was all like?

In my efforts, I have been revisiting favourite fantasy writers - C.S. Lewis, Madeline L'Engle and Lewis Carroll.  Yes, my book is aimed at children which is a natural fit for me, being a mother of young children and a teacher of the same.

I keep wondering if I should stick to one genre and get really good at it, but I only seem able to write what I am currently obsessed with.  What do you think about this?  Should a writer stick to one type of writing or should they cross borders, confident that they will be able to figure it out?  Margaret Atwood is an inspiration here.  From historical fiction to science fiction, she triumphs.  I treasure your comments:)  Thanks! 

On Writing Suspiciously Reserved: Setting

When I first imgained writing a modern day version of Emma, I assumed I would set it in England.  I wanted to keep things as similar as possible, since I love the story so much.  However, when I then considered I’ve never been to England and would not be able to write authentically about it, I turned to Canada.  What places in Canada were like the places in Emma?

From seevancouverbc.com

I chose White Rock B.C. as the setting for Jane’s first meeting with Frank.  It is on the ocean, a great place for sailing and within easy travelling distance of Seattle, where Frank would live.  I had been to both of these places on family holidays, but it had been some time.  The more I wrote about these settings and researched details, the more I wanted to visit them again.  One of my favourite places featuring a favourite scene is on Granville Island in Vancouver.  Such an eclectic meeting place for the arts, food, crafts and quaint little shops.

From wikipedia.org

Then, Jane needed to return to her home with the Campbells.  In Emma, this home is in London.  I needed a city that I knew well.  Having lived in Saskatoon for ten years, I was excited to revisit some of my favourite haunts.  I chose one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the city for the Campbell’s home and was able to use Beaver Creek Conservation Area, TCU Place, Broadway Street and

Spadina Avenue in my book.

From tugaske.com

Finally, Jane needed to return to her roots – In Emma this is Highbury, a small village within a day’s journey of London.  I can’t remember when I first thought of using Tugaske (pronounced Tuh-gas-key), Saskatchewan, but as I wrote, I found it the perfect place for a snug, tight-knit and slightly conservative community.  I visited Tugaske with my husband in the summer of 2006.  Most people have never heard of it, but with its easy access to Diefenbaker Lake, many artists-in-residence and attachment to a agricultural history, it is a beautiful setting for romance.

Find Suspiciously Reserved: A Twist on Jane Austen's Emma here:

http://www.amazon.com/Suspiciously-Reserved-Twist-Jane-Austens/dp/1468155296/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1334260706&sr=8-5









On Writing Suspiciously Reserved - The Idea

The idea of writing Jane Austen’s Emma from Jane Fairfax’s point of view came to me as I wrote a Jane Austen murder mystery called Murder of a Matchmaker.  Jane Fairfax was one of the actors in the play and therefore, one of the suspects.  I’ll admit the 2010 BBC version of Emma starring Romola Garai was also a big impetus.  This version made Jane much more sympathetic than others.  She was appropriately pretty, sweet and shy.  It explained the injustice of her life of dependence.

However, the seed for the idea came long before I could do anything about it – or more to the point, write anything about it.  After writing Murder of a Matchmaker, I returned to my yet-to-be-published novel, Taking Comfort.  I worked on revising Taking Comfort, republishing Expectations and preparing Subgirl for publication before I could take a breath and decide to work on something new.  I also began another novel about a book club in a small prairie town.  In April 2011, I had to decide – would I continue my book club book or would I venture into another Jane Austen venture?  Jane Austen won again!

Writing Suspiciously Reserved was the fastest, most enjoyable project I have done yet.  I wrote the entire book between April and August 2012.  I was inspired by my upcoming return to full-time teaching to get the book finished.  An excited entry in my daytimer states “Finished book rough draft!!” on August 15.  I even had time to do a first edit before school started. 

I’ll be the first to admit that at the beginning of the book, even I was in love with Frank Churchill, but coming up to the end, I decided Jane must give him up and turn to her rightful partner – George Knightley.  Knightley remains the true “knight in shining armour” that he is in Emma.  But could I go through with this major revision to the original story?  I’m not giving out any spoilers.  You will have to read for yourself!

http://www.amazon.com/Suspiciously-Reserved-Twist-Jane-Austens/dp/1468155296/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1334161220&sr=8-5

A Meeting of the Minds

I always wanted to join a writers group.  Ever since I read author’s giving thanks to their writers groups in their acknowledgement or dedication pages, I felt the urge to belong.  I made several unsuccessful attempts while living in Saskatchewan.  It seems that being a mother of two young children make joining anything outside of the home difficult. 

When I moved to Alberta, I joined a book club almost immediately.  It was a great way to get to know new people in a new town.  When I found out one of the members was also a writer, I felt excited.  When she asked me to help her start a writers group, I was tickled and a bit apprehensive.  Who would come?  How would we advertise?  What would we do?  Fortunately, my friend Katie is a pro at online life.  I finally joined Facebook and we met for our first writers group.  We were only three, Katie, her husband and me, but by sharing our writing, we got to know one another quickly. 

The first year was touch and go.  I invited a few people who came once or twice, but people began to join our Facebook page.  We also put a free ad in the local paper.  By September, we had a couple of email inquiries and a few more people attended.  This September, we had about four more inquiries and we now have a general attendance of four to six people each month.  We aren’t big, but we’re small, as Stewart McLean would say.

As we now prepare for our first writers retreat this summer, I am reminded of the many things I have gained by meeting with other writers. 

Without Writers Group . . .

I would not have come up with the idea for my latest novel project.

I would not have written at least five of my short stories.

I would not have met about twenty people in my town.

I would not be looking forward to my first ever writers retreat.

I would not have joined Twitter.

I would not have joined Facebook.

I would not have started this blog.

I would love to know, do you belong to a writers group and what is the best thing about your meetings?