Mysterious Ages, my fellow ML for NaNoWriMo.org and I spoke at the beginning of the month at VCON. It was awesome, although, according to Myst, I was a bit of a chatterbox. Yeah, well… anyone who knows me could have told him that. VCON was great though. I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the rest of the conference after our session was done. I am seriously considering attending next year as a participant.

Today was the last day of SIWC. My head is close to exploding with all the fantastic advice I received at the very well run sessions and keynotes. Despite my overwhelmed little noggin, I was sad to see the weekend close.

One of my highlights was to talk with Daniel Kalla. A few years ago he, in conjunction with The Province Newspaper , ran a Serial Thriller writing contest. Daniel wrote the first chapter of the book and there was a competition to write each subsequent chapter. I participated the 2nd year they did it and I won first runner up for the first chapter open to competition. Unfortunately, this was also the last year it happened. As we spoke over lunch, Daniel said that it wasn’t lack of interest that caused the contest’s demise, it was that there were too many participants to judge.

It gave me a bit of a thrill, knowing that I had been competing against even more people that I’d originally thought. It made that 1st runner up placement that much sweeter.

We’re getting an added boost this year from VCON. We’ve been asked to speak on a panel Saturday, October 1st all about NaNo. We’re very excited about it. NaNo is such a great way to get your first draft done. The camaraderie, community and cheer-leading is incredible. I can’t wait to spread the word.

Then it’s time for SIWC (Surrey International Writers’ Conference). I missed it last year so I’m doubly excited about it this year. We’re renting a room and staying on site which will enable us to stay and play with the other writers until the wee morning hours without having to worry about travel back and forth. It’s going to be a blast.

And then it starts: NaNoWriMo.org 2011

Marc and I are deep in the planning process. We’ll start posting things as soon as details are finalized.

This year, I’m tackling a story that isn’t my usually light, funny fare. I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be hard for me – there will be death, betrayal and abuse (and the family disasters that follow in its wake). Some of it hits very close to home. If it turns out half as well as I have it in my head, it’s going to fantastic in a haunting and thought provoking way. I’m just hoping I can do the idea justice.

(and yes, me, the die hard pantzer – has actually done a bit of plotting for it already. But only because some of the subject matter needs a little research so I can keep my facts straight)

Are you a planner or a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pantser. I am definitely a pantser. I did a complete outline once. When I had it finished I no longer wanted to write the novel because I knew how it ended.

If you’re like me we’re in good company. At the Surrey International Writers’ Conference I attended a seminar conducted by Hallie Ephron. When asked how she writes she admitted that she was on 260 of her new book and still had no idea who-dun-it. It was a 300 page book, she was begining to feel a bit uneasy. But, she hasn’t failed yet, so I take heart in knowing I’m not completely insane by writing the way I do.

I’ve done more planning this year than usual. This story idea came to me last spring while digging in my garden. I’ve been mulling over it during spare moments and think I have a good idea for the set-up. I still have no idea what’s going to happen. I’m sure the characters will let me know.

Last year I started out with 4 names and knew one of them was an alien hiding out on earth. That’s it, That’s all.

Ready or not, NaNo starts Sunday morning at 12:01am. This year I might even take an evening nap, make a cup of coffee and start writing at the sound of the gun. At least that’s my plan. What about you?

Oh and added bonus the clocks go back an hour on November 1st – whee!

If you write, I can’t recommend this conference enough. I rubbed shoulders with world class authors, powerful editors & agents and oodles of soon-to-be-famous writers and filled my head (and notebook) with great advice and vital knowledge.

Times might be bleak, but the outlook is positive for those of us who want to write for a living. In one of the sessions I attended (wearing my managing editor hat for www.PaperBoxBooks.com), Donald Maass was intrigued by my identification of a widening gap in the market. He commented that we might be on to something with our e-publishing company’s plan to give first time authors exposure and sales and an introduction to the business side of publishing.

The timing is spectacular as next weekend marks the beginning of NaNoWriMo (www.nanowrimo.org), the insane adventure of writing a 50,000 words novel in thirty days. This will be my third year participating. Not only is the deadline a great get-off-your-butt-and-write incentive, but the community that has developed around the challenge is extraordinary.

Here in Vancouver, we’ve extended the event all year. We don’t keep up the frantic pace, but we still get together every week and write, cheerlead, help and encourage each other. Kick-off party is Saturday, October 31^st and there will be several events during the month to get to know your fellow writers–added bonus, weekly emails of encouragement from famous writers like Neil Gaimen.

Whether you live in Vancouver or not, check out the NaNo website for details on your local region. If you’re not interested in participating in the challenge, don’t ignore the website. It has lively discussion boards to answer writing and genre questions.

Now it’s time to organize my notes from the conference so I don’t feel so overwhelmed then buckle down to edit submitted material before I’m allowed to change gears again and outline my plan for this year’s NaNo.