Facebook is full of writers’ groups, but it can be difficult to find one that matches your attitudes and goals. I was so lucky to stumble upon The Romance Writers Weekly Group more than ten years ago. Members have come and gone but it has been and continues to be a source of support and camaraderie. In the spring of 2020 I discovered The Creative Academy for Writers through a social media post that another author friend shared. Since them I’ve enjoyed monthly Zoom meetings with other romance writers, taken part in virtual book launch celebrations, and so much more. It is a wonderful community! This weekend, however, I am giving myself a treat. I am attending the Surrey International Writers Conference in person for the first time in ten years. I can’t wait to listen to keynote speakers, attend workshops and presentations, and generally soak in the atmosphere. I am so looking forward to it!! Next in the hop is PG Forte. Click through to find out how she stays connected.
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A couple weeks ago, I was reading (as one does) and I came up with a great idea for the blog hop. I decided to ask: What’s your favourite book that “no one” has heard of? That’s a tongue in cheek way of asking you to name your favourite book that isn’t a classic or by an author that consistently sits on the best seller lists. It can be fiction or non-fiction. I blithely added the topic to the list, and promptly forgot it. So when it came up in rotation, I had a bit of a panic attack. Luckily enough, I remembered the book I wanted to mention! Whew! If you joined me from, A.S. Fenichel, welcome (BTW, Andrea has several books on sale if you are looking for new reading material during your self-isolating). I know of dozens of romance writers whose books haven’t hit any bestseller lists but who write engaging, wonderful stories. But I’d hate to miss anyone, so I’m going to mention two non-romance books to avoid making a faux pas. The book I was reading when I came up with the topic was SOCIAL CRIMES by Jane Stanton Hitchcock. When her husband dies, New York socialite Jo Slater is shocked to learn that he left his sizable estate to a mysterious French countess. Obsessed with recovering her place as queen of New York, Jo concocts an audacious scheme of revenge. Can she pull it off? When it was first released it hit the bestseller lists, but I was unfamiliar with Hitchcock’s work. It’s hard to pin down genre-wise—it has a women’s fiction vibe, but is wrapped around in a mysterious plot. All in all, I enjoyed it enough to mention here, though I wouldn’t say it is my favourite in this category. That distinction goes to WORD NERD by Susin Nielsen. Twelve-year-old Ambrose is a glass-half-full kind of guy. A self-described “friendless nerd,” he moves from place to place every couple of years with his overprotective mother, Irene. When some bullies at his new school almost kill him by slipping a peanut into his sandwich — even though they know he has a deathly allergy — Ambrose is philosophical. Irene, however, is not and decides that Ambrose will be home-schooled. Alone in the evenings when Irene goes to work, Ambrose pesters Cosmo, the twenty-five-year-old son of the Greek landlords who live upstairs. Cosmo has just been released from jail for breaking and entering to support a drug habit. Quite by accident, Ambrose discovers that they share a love of Scrabble and coerces Cosmo into taking him to the West Side Scrabble Club, where Cosmo falls for Amanda, the club director. Posing as Ambrose’s Big Brother to impress her, Cosmo is motivated to take Ambrose to the weekly meetings and to give him lessons in self-defense. Cosmo, Amanda, and Ambrose soon form an unlikely alliance and, for the first time in his life, Ambrose blossoms. The characters at the Scrabble Club come to embrace Ambrose for who he is and for their shared love of words. There’s only one problem: Irene has no idea what Ambrose is up to. I met Susin at the Surrey International Writers Conference a few years ago. This in no way influences how much I enjoyed this book. It is juvenile fiction at its best—clever and witty and uncondescending. I strongly encourage you to check it out. Now it’s time to move on to Jenna Da Sie and see what her favourite “unknown” book is! Continuing on the theme of writing spaces, S. C. Mitchell has asked us to describe our perfect writing retreat. If you’ve joined me from A.S. Fenichel, welcome! Last week I showed you photos of where I actually write 90% of the time. But when the weather is good during our short Northern BC summer, I also love to take the laptop outside. I find a new writing view is often a great way to break through a block or come up with fresh ideas. This was my new favourite writing space last year. “offers more than just comfort and privacy. It lends inspiration, instills a sense of well-being and provides opportunity to learn and explore. It affords guidance, pleasant surroundings, good food, a variety of diversions. And a sense of fellowship. “ “Pleasant surrounds and good food” – sign me up! Especially if there’s wine involved… I’m so used to writing in the middle of the action, whether it’s at home or at work, that the idea of sitting in a room all by myself is actually a bit off-putting. But if the view were something like this, I think I could suffer through a few hours of isolation! Being a writer is a solitary occupation. This can be a real problem. After all, we are writing about people – and how can you write about people if you don’t spend time with them? So after a putting in time at the keyboard, my perfect retreat would also have a chance to mingle with others. When I attended the Surrey International Writers Conference, the best thing was the sensation of being surrounded by people with my own interests, goals and aspirations. It was a wonderfully fulfilling weekend, and a mix of that along with time to actually write would be the perfect blend. Next up on the hop is the man who assigned us this week’s post, S. C. Mitchell. Be sure to check out his very popular science fiction romance, The Blarmling Dilemma.
I'll post something more in depth about the Surrey International Writers Conference next week, but I thought I'd give you a taste of what it was like. There were three workshop and/or panel blocks (with multiple choices in each block) Friday and Saturday, two more on Sunday, keynote speakers at every lunch and dinner, and chances to meet agents, editors and authors. There were workshops for writers of children's fiction, romance, sci-fi, non-fiction and more. It was hard to decide which to attend, so I decided to see the presenters I wanted to see, regardless of what the topic was. I heard much I had learned before, but hearing best-selling authors reiterate what I'd discovered on my own made those lessons that much more credible. In many cases they took the nugget of knowledge I already had and expanded it further, which was fabulous. The weekend was a tad overwhelming, to say the least. For a while I felt as if I needed to scrap all my writing and start over, but I'm talking myself off that cliff. Sure, my manuscripts need work, but I'm hoping it is just a few (okay, maybe several) tweaks here and an upping of tension there. I've acquired some great hints and tips on how to do just that. For now, I'm sitting in the Vancouver Airport waiting for my (delayed) flight home. And itching to get writing. Only five more sleeps until SIWC opens!! On Thursday morning a good friend and I will take the nine hour drive to Surrey...and the next morning it begins! I've never been to a writer's conference before, so I'm very excited to experience everything possible. I fully expect to be exhausted by Sunday afternoon. I plan on taking in every workshop I can, meet many, many people, and soak in every scrap of information available. I've signed up for a Pitch Session with Nephele Tempest and a Blue Pencil Session with Jane Porter. It will be amazing to connect with people in the industry, but I am already nervous about doing so. I have two finished manuscripts to pitch, so I'm working on their blurbs, which is very tough - how do you encapsulate the feel, the drive, of a 70,000 word manuscript in two short paragraphs? And for the BP session writers are allowed to bring three pages of work to discuss with the author. Three pages out of 400? How to choose? I'm trying to keep it all in perspective. While this weekend is a great opportunity, for me and many other writers, it isn't the be-all-and-end-all. Having a professional critique 3 pages of my work is a bonus, regardless of what 3 pages I decide on (I'm probably going with the first 3 of my third manuscript, but who knows?). And meeting with an agent will be a great learning experience, no matter what happens in the future. Although a girl can dream, can't she? Fingers crossed... At the end of October I will be attending my first ever writers' conference. A good friend and I have talked about going to the Surrey International Writers' Conference for years, and we are finally going!
I don't really know what to expect. There will be workshops and lunches and dinners and get-togethers, and I am hoping to learn a lot and meet many like-minded people. But I am most excited for the Pitch Session and Blue Pencil appointment. In the Pitch Session, I'll have a chance to present my work to an agent. In the new publishing world, an agent's role is changing, but I think there are still many times when an author with an agent is in a stronger position that one without. At the very least, it will give me practice in promoting my work! In the Blue Pencil appointment I can bring three pages (only three? How can I pick which three?) to a professional and have them review it. I am torn about this. What if our styles don't match? What if she thinks it is trite and cliche? Pitching an idea seems much less nerve-wracking than actually showing someone my work in progress. Regardless of what happens, I'm sure the weekend will give me much to think about and endless opportunities to grow as an writer. I can't wait! |