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The 2004 Surrey International Writers' Conference
This was the third SIWC I've attended, and they just keep getting better and better. To see what I had to say about last year's conference, go here. I talk about my first conference here, including explanations of what some of the features (like the Blue Pencil Cafe and the Agent/Editor Interviews) are.
Preview
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Blue Pencil Cafe
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Keynotes
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Contests
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Workshops and Panels
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Attendees
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Agent/Editor Interviews
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My Reaction
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Preview
Once again there was a pre-conference reading and book signing on Thursday evening at the Strawberry Hill Chapters, and once again it was awesome. In some regards it was even better than before, as they let people line up directly in front of the tables of the authors they wanted. Last year's only drawback was that they had a single line for everyone, but they corrected that this year.Unfortunately, two of the authors who had intended on being present were unable to attend. Diana Gabaldon's plane was delayed and was still in the air at the time of the signing, and Elizabeth George (a last minute addition in any case) was inexplicably absent. I know many readers were disappointed, but everyone, even those who'd come specifically to see Diana, had a good time.
The authors present were Catherine Coulter, Jack Whyte, and Jay Clarke (Michael Slade). Jack was the only one to actually read from one of his books, but all three gave interesting and entertaining talks. Well, in the case of Jay, entertaining is a bit of an understatement. The man is hilarious. I was laughing so hard I was doubled up in my seat with tears in my eyes. How a man who writes some of the most twisted dark fiction I've ever read can be such a comedic public speaker is beyond me. It was great!
I bought two of Catherine's books and had her sign them for me. She was very personable, and took the time to share some interesting anecdotes about the story I would soon be reading.
Chapters' staff was very friendly and helpful, and this year they had the refreshments right in the same area with the book signing, making it much more convenient. I was once again impressed with the quality of the event hosting.
And, as for the past two years, it set the stage for the conference. I went home that evening totally psyched for what the next three days would bring.
Keynotes
As usual, there were six keynote speeches throughout the conference. Friday morning opened with Bruce Hale's motivating talk about risk. To be perfectly honest (and with my sincerest apologies to Bruce), I was too excited about the conference to retain many of the specific details. But I do remember enjoying it thoroughly, identifying with what he said, and being highly motivated. It was a great start to a great weekend.That evening we were treated to Jay Clarke (Michael Slade) who entertained us with several gut-bustingly funny stories, yet through that managed to make a point about having a talisman. I have yet to find mine, but it really made me think about why it is I'm writing.
Saturday morning we were treated to George Bowering, Canada's Poet Laureate, who was incredibly more down to earth than I ever imagined. In fact, he spoke about how poetry wasn't supposed to be about obscuring things with flowery language, rather it was all about telling the truth. The mark of a great poet, he said (though I'm paraphrasing here), is the ability to tell a truth at such a fundamental level that it speaks directly and clearly to all of us, without being hindered by all the biased interpretation we get through mainstream media today.
At the Saturday evening banquet Catherine Coulter shared with us her thoughts on the four keys to being a successful writer: storytelling ability, raw talent, luck, and discipline. I flatter myself to think I have at least an adequate measure of the first two, and I hope I have enough of the third to hit the right market at the right time when I finally finish my novel. The fourth one, well, I'm still working on that, but Catherine's speech and the rest of the conference motivated me to really try hard and take it even more seriously than before.
On Sunday morning Anne Perry captivated us with her speech about grace notes. Anne is a wonderful speaker, and I just love listening to this lady talk. Grace notes, she explained, are those moments in life and in writing where everything just comes together in perfection. Those times you remember for the rest of your life as defining moments, whether it be something you observe, experience, write, or read. We all have them, and we all strive to create them. In essence, they are an exquisite description of an event or object that strikes a deep chord; they are a moment from the soul of the writer. It was later mentioned that her speech was a grace note for all of us, and I agree wholeheartedly.
The final keynote of the conference on Sunday afternoon was given by Elizabeth George. Though she's had several NY Times bestsellers, she explained that she doesn't pay much attention to that, and usually doesn't even know she's on The List until someone else points it out. She said writing novels is about the book, the reader, and the writer. Period. The NY Times bestseller list isn't always about good books, it's just what a relatively small segment of the population considers to be popular books. Most importantly, she noted that the people who get published are the people who don't give up. I'm not giving up.
Workshops and Panels
Each year the selection gets better and better, and as usual I had a hard time deciding which sessions to attend. I found those I attended on Friday were informative and inspiring, while Saturday's were the ones that really got me fired up to go home and work on my novel, and Sunday's offered practical advice that I could use to directly improve my book's quality. Of all the workshops and panels I attended, I found those by Elizabeth Engstrom, Cricket Pechstein, and Don McQuinn to be superb, and those by Donald Maass to be phenomenal.Agent/Editor Interviews
My choice this year was to meet with Paul Stevens, an associate editor at Tor. As I sat down, the first thing I said was that I was not pitching a book. My novel is progressing well, but I know enough not to pitch a book when I'm still this far from being ready to submit it. Rather, I had several questions regarding the market potential of my story, the book publishing industry, and Tor in particular. Paul was happy to oblige, seemed impressed with the calibre of my questions, and provided insightful answers.Then I showed him the first page of my manuscript, and asked him if he'd turn the page if it came across his desk. I know that editors perusing the slush pile will often reject a manuscript based on the opening lines, and I wanted to know if mine would pass that point, and if not, then why not. Not only did he say he'd turn the page, but he reached across the table and took page two from in front of me and started to read it. Now that has got to be a good sign by anyone's standards.
It wasn't all rosy good news, however. He did discuss one significant problem that needs to be fixed. Luckily it was one of those that I saw clearly as soon as it was pointed out, and it's easy enough to correct. Despite that though, I guess he liked enough of what he saw of my writing style and what little I did say about the book, because he said that when I'm ready to submit I can send it directly to him as requested material, bypassing the slush pile. This was particularly cool, as I wasn't even intending the meeting to be a pitch!
Blue Pencil Cafe
I didn't take advantage of the Blue Pencil Cafe this year. There were simply too many good workshops I wanted to attend, and didn't want to give up that time. I did, however, talk to other attendees about their experiences, and was told (as expected) that these sessions had been very valuable to them.Contests
I didn't enter the writing contest associated with the conference this year. My focus lately has been on my novel, and I decided not to sidetrack that to write shorter pieces for the contest.However, there was still the "Silly Writing Contest", something I've come to regard as a personal challenge and highlight of the conference (for me anyway). This year the premise was that you've been shipwrecked and are stranded on a desert island with Diana Gabaldon and Jack Whyte. Luckily, you've managed to save your 600 page manuscript (which you know is bestseller material). You needed to describe how you'd handle this situation in 50 words or less, while using the words '$3.98', 'borscht', and 'canary'.
It's impossible to summarize two great writers in a few words, but for the sake of anyone who doesn't know them, I have to provide a wee bit of context. The protagonist in Diana's Outlander series is a 20th century woman who gets teleported to the 18th century. She has modern medical training, and can be quite astounding in her treatment of injuries. She also has an extensive knowledge of herbs and is very resourceful. Jack lives in Canada now, but he's of Scottish birth. Because of his heritage, he'd been joking (and getting picked on good-naturedly by others) about being exceedingly tight in the monetary department, if you know what I mean.
So given that, here's the entry I came up with:
Thanks to Diana's Outlander series research, she knew how to re-attach my leg and make borscht from palm fronds and sea water, so we wouldn't starve. I was happy to have saved my manuscript when the shark attacked, but Jack was distraught. He'd blown $3.98
on the canary it swallowed.
Now, I know it's no literary masterpiece, but I did think it rather amusing. Alas, the judges apparently disagreed, or at least found other entries even more amusing. I didn't win anything this year. After winning third prize twice in a row, I'd been hoping to move up in the ranks. But did I let my lack of success get me down? Did I vow to never return to the place where my talent was spurned? Did I wallow in a vat of steaming self-pity? No! I'll be back! Next year, and the year after that, and for as many years as it takes until I can claim my rightful title of Silly Writing Contest Winner!
Well, that, and because it's a great conference.