My First Writer's Conference by Diane Bator

 

This feels a bit like an essay I did once in school.  What I Did This Summer by Diane Bator. Remember those? Only this one is about something I did for the first time as a published writer. I attended a writer's conference. Yes, it's taken me eight novels to finally get to one!

I've read about friends traveling to conferences all over the place but was lucky that the Writers' Community of York Region sponsored one in Newmarket, Ontario this past weekend. This was the first event the WCYR had ever hosted and it was well attended by over 100 writers from all over Southern Ontario.

We started the day in the atrium of the Newmarket Town Hall with coffee and muffins and received a great new folder to take notes in. After a few brief words from on of the coordinators, we broke into groups for our chosen morning sessions.

My first session was with romance novelist Zoe York, author of more than 50 romance novels. She discussed Marketing for Genre Fiction. A lot of writers in the room were either looking to publish a novel or had published 1 or 2 novels. The one thing I found most interesting were the questions she gave us to think about no matter where we were at in our journeys.

1. What genre do you want to be writing and what type of books do you want to write? ie. genre, heat level, setting, tone, etc.
2. What are the next 5 books you want to write?
3. Can you group thematically or do they exist in the same world? Explain that world in a common theme in a sentence or two. ie. small town romance with sexy cowboy.
4. On a blank piece of paper, list all of your work to date, published or unpublished, finished or in draft/dream stage.

One of the other things they offered throughout the day were 20 minute Blue Pencil Meetings. The opportunity to sit with a fellow writer or editor and ask them questions as well as getting feedback on their novel. I passed on this chance for this conference, but other writers I chatted with were happy with the feedback they received.

Lunch was simple, soup and sandwiches along with some yummy chocolate chip cookies for dessert. While we ate, we were also able to purchase raffle tickets and enter them to win several beautiful baskets donated by sponsors, including the writing group I belong to. Draws were made at the end of the day. I didn't win any, but the woman who drove me to the conference did!

After lunch we were treated to a keynote speech from Terry Fallis, author of The Best Laid Plans and two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. He is a huge fan of being a Plotter when he writes his books. In fact, he plans them in great detail before he writes something I don't think I could ever do! I'm part plotter, part pantser. One thing he said that surprised many people in attendance was that he still works full time. After writing seven novels and receiving many awards, he still must hold a 9-to-5 job.

I was a bit concerned about the afternoon session. The handouts we'd received the week before suggested a very academic-style of session. Luckily, Kate Freiman, author of romantic fiction, was entertaining and the whole afternoon was more interesting than I expected. She discussed blending genres and story structure. Hard to believe I was the only self-professed mystery writer in the room.

Back in the main banquet room afterward, winning tickets were drawn for the gift baskets then my friend and I left. On the way out the door, we received a swag bag with some bookmarks and the like as well as three books. These were mine!

1. Lac Athabasca (a play) by Len Falkenstein
2. Doc Christmas by Neil Enock
3. Mad Men and Philosphy, which is an anthology.

Yay! More new-to-me authors!

I have one year until the next (fingers crossed!) York Writers Conference. I may do some searching and find a couple more I can fit into my schedule. 

In the meantime, I won't quit my day job, but I won't stop dreaming and writing either!

Looking for more New-to-You authors or familiar authors? Visit my blog every Sunday for Escape with a Writer Sunday at https://dbator.blogspot.com/

Feel free to check out my books at http://bookswelove.net/authors/bator-diane-mystery/

Diane Bator

author of Wild Blue Mysteries, Gilda Wright Mysteries, & Glitter Bay Mysteries.

Act 1, Scene 1 - Living in the Setting by Diane Bator

    

Settings are a huge part of any novel, no matter what genre. As a writer, I’m always on the lookout for a good place for my stories to play out that can sometimes give them both the tools and challenges to help drive the plot along.

I’ve been lucky to find ideal locations in the small town I currently live in. I’ve used a local coffee shop, Mochaberry, and turned it into Java Jo’s in my Wild Blue Mystery series as well as a local bookstore, BookLore, which transformed into Tales and Retales for Katie Mullins to manage in the same series. Using a coffee shop and a bookstore for backdrops for novels has been done many times before, and so has one other setting.

I’m blessed to work in a great old building I plan to use in a book one day. Many mysteries have been set in theatres and have encompassed community theatre right up to professional theatre. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux, Theatre by W. Somerset Maugham, Maskerade by Terry Pratchett, and The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes (a modern take on Phantom) are but a few in a long list. Television series are ripe with episodes that take place in theatres as well. Murder She Wrote had several. Even Riverdale focused on a murder in a theatre in once season.

In working with actors, musicians, administrators, staff and crew behind the scenes, I keep thinking one day I’ll write a play or a mystery set in our theatre. What’s so great about our theatre?

The original portions of our building were erected in 1875 and had multiple purposes. Out back were military buildings where ammunitions were stored. The main building housed a slaughter house, stables, town hall, and a community room used for meetings of all sorts and for local theatre. The chairs were foldable so the “stage” could be relocated from one end of the room to the other and the room could suit any purpose. As the years passed, big business decided the old building was of little use so they would demolish it to build a grocery store. That was nearly 30 years ago.  I’m happy to report the townsfolk fought back.

Our theatre is in its 26^th season. The once frowned upon building has been restored and town offices added in back. The theatre has been through a couple renovations to add a large, built in stage, seats bolted into place, and a sound/tech booth. We have gone from being a community summer theatre to an incredible professional theatre that offers shows all year round. We also have put on shows like A Midsummer Night’s Dream that included both equity and non-equity performers, our summer students, and members of the community who are challenged in various ways.

In the middle of all of that progress and innovation, there is a ghost. Our ghost has been the subject of ghost hunters yet, as many times as I’ve been in the building alone, I’ve never seen her, which is probably a good thing.

That ghost is what has prompted my fascination with writing about a murder in our theatre. While I create the novel, I'll be looking for more evidence and stories about out ghost. Well, that and unruly patrons or performers…

One of the things that makes a theatre so attractive to mystery writers is that there are so many ways for a murder to happen. A “fight scene” gone wrong, props that turn out to be real weapons, costume malfunctions, falling lights, trap doors with faulty latches, poisoned “alcohol” in a bottle on stage, characters who are stand-ins who were once slighted in awful ways by the lead actor…

All it takes is a little creativity and anything can lead to murder in a theatre. 

Diane Bator

 Author of Wild Blue Mysteries, Gilda Wright Mysteries, Glitter Bay Mysteries