Tales of the 2023 Wine Country Writers' Festival by Diane Bator

 

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One of the fun things I found when I planned to move to Alberta, was the Wine Country Writers' Festival in Penticton, BC. A bit of a drive but after driving across Canada earlier this year, what was another 10 hours? Besides, I had free accommodations, so why not take advantage?

I drove across the Crowsnest Pass through so much fantastic scenery it was hard to keep my eyes on the road. Frank Slide, was only one of the amazing views.

I took a couple days to do some sightseeing and buy wine. Then headed to Penticton Lakeside Resort early Saturday morning September 23. 

What a full, amazing day! I finally met the amazing organizers - Faye Arcand and Jim Jackson. Sessions ran from 10am right up until 6pm. I went from session to session and took all kinds of notes:  The Business of Art, Creating Well-Rounded Characters with Disabilities, Query Quest, Writing Books Kids and Teens want to Read, Establishing a Connected Writing Practice, Writing a Memoir, and Getting Creative Building Your Creative Business. Whew! And those were just the ones I went to. There was a wide variety to choose from for sure. I even met an author from Airdrie--Alissa Blondin--that I look forward to hanging out with one day soon!

THE HOODED MERGANSER

Dinner was fun. Sat with my friend Layton and a couple other ladies, Tatiana and Heather. Nice to chat about books and the sessions we'd attended. When they handed everyone a little stack of books as a gift, we learned our new friend Heather had a story in the 2022 Wine Country Writers' Festival Anthology. Layton and I both got her to sign our copies! 

It was pretty late by the time I got back to my lodgings, but I was right back there for Sunday morning's activities. After a really interesting Coffee Chat featuring Brian Thomas Isaac, we rolled into a fun Keynote Speech by Suzy Vadori, who got everyone revved up to get back to our writing once more.

I wasn't going to do any of the publisher or agent pitches, not since I'm a part of BWL! But I decided to pitch to an agent just for the fun of it. I had a story that I'd been working on, so why not? How disappointing the agent was a no-show. 

But that wasn't the end of my day! I'd brought a book with me that I'd bought months earlier because I found out the author was going to be there. It took until the last minute of the last day, but I tracked him down! And, yes, it is research material!

               

  

We were done by 1pm.

I wandered in the sunshine, bought pad thai from a great food truck, and let the thoughts swirl through my head. I'd heard so much information and made so many notes that I could read over later to refresh my memory. Back at my home for the weekend, I did some writing and plotting before it was time to head home Monday.

I stopped to take this photo mostly because I needed a break! When I posted it on social media, my friend Terrie Moran, who writes for the Murder She Wrote series, asked if she could use it to help promote her upcoming book "Murder Backstage" which comes out in 2024 and takes place in Edmonton. It will appear on the Murder She Wrote Book Club page!

Last but not least, I wanted to leave you with a little serenity. This is Lundbreck Falls here in Alberta. I hadn't been here since my kids were little but since I was driving past, it was a great spot to stop!

Hope you enjoyed the quick version of the Wine Country Writers' Festival. I have a feeling I'll be attending again next year. The sessions, attendees, and scenery were definitely inspiring!

Have a beautiful day,

Diane Bator

https://bookswelove.net/bator-diane/

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The Who, What, Where, Why and WHEN of Writing - Part 5 by Diane Bator

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When should you start to write?

Today we’re at the end of my original list of the five Ws of writing. We’ve already gone through:

         Who – as in Who are YOU as a writer?

What – for What do you want to write?

Where – location, location, location.

Why – what drives you?

This blog post is brought to you by When. When can mean a couple of things, the best time of day to write or the best time of your life to start writing. Let’s start with the time of day, shall we?

Some writers swear they are the most creative early in the morning. In order to be at  their best, they start the day by doing Morning Pages as per Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way. Julia describes Morning Pages as “three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness.” (The Artists Way, page 10.) A lot of writers I know use this time to clear the noisy thoughts from their minds so they can focus on the task ahead. Their creative writing. Some writers even find ideas come from this flow of consciousness, sometimes while they sip their morning coffee or tea.

For me personally, I used to get up before I awoke my kids for school when they were younger and was happy even when I only had time to write a page or two out on my back porch. Now, I’m able to carve out time in the morning before my full-time job since my kids are much older. At least a couple days per week, I will use my half hour lunch break to write as well and like to keep a couple evenings open to create as well.

Recently someone on social media asked how old you have to be to become a writer. That created a whole new conversation and received a lot of answers. Some not so nice as people are bound to be online. It did prompt me to do a little digging.

I’ve been a storyteller and writer since I was young and still have handwritten stories and poems from when I was a teenager when my first two poems were published. I was about 15 years old.

There are no real age limits to writing or even being published. The youngest person I discovered online was Dorothy Straight who wrote her books at age 4 and was published her book “How the World Began” at age 6 in 1964. The oldest was Jim Downing who published “The Other Side of Infamy” in 2016 at the age of 102!

A few of the more famous authors published at various ages are:

·       Age 21 – Victor Hugo and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein)

·       Age 22 – Margaret Atwood and Ray Bradbury

·       Age 24 – Ernest Hemingway and Jack London

·       Age 28 – Jack Kerouac

·       Age 30 – Agatha Christie and Mark Twain. It is also interesting to note Stephen King had published Carrie, Salem’s Lot, and The Shining all before the age of 30.

·       Age 41 – Maya Angelou

·       Age 50 – Bram Stoker (Dracula)

·       Age 57 – Anna Sewell (Black Beauty)

·       Age 66 – Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes)

I belong to a writing group and love that our ages range from 25 to mid-eighties. Some are published, some have been working on the same books for many years, and some just attend to write and learn. We all have that one common love though: Writing. It has no age limit, education, or socio-economic limits.

All you need is a pen and paper to get started…

Diane Bator

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

Mom of 3 boys and 2 cats and a mouse who is too smart for mousetraps...

Find me at:  http://bookswelove.net/authors/bator-diane-mystery/