PWAC-SK Meeting in Saskatoon, SK

PWAC-SK Meeting in Saskatoon, SK

When: Saturday, February 23, 2.00-4:00 pm
Where: #308 - 921 Main Street,Saskatoon
Why: To discuss our recent work - Please bring one tip or an example from
your experience to share with the group.
Who: Everyone welcome

RSVP: to Doreen Kerby <dmkerby@doreenkerby.com>

CAR LESS IN CALGARY ...

PWAC Calgary Chapter News

This just in from PWAC Calgary President Andrea Tombrowski ...


"I am a professional freelance writer and President of PWAC's Calgary chapter. Below is a link to an article I wrote for the Calgary Herald about my family living without a vehicle for the past 14 years in Calgary.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/life/free+Calgary+What+family+life+without+wheels+taught+them+about+city+themselves/7905430/story.html

My husband and I are currently producing a documentary called Car Less in Calgary which challenges four car-dependent households to go without their cars for a week. To follow the project, please visit our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/carlessincalgarymovie)."

Thanks Andrea for sharing your article link and your commitment to a Car Less family life!

Book Launch and Beyond ... By Anne Gafiuk

Thank you to Calgary PWAC member, Anne Gafiuk, for sharing her Book Launch experience ... 

In March of 2012, I drove south from Calgary to High River’s Museum of the Highwood to pick up a DVD with scanned photos related to the subject of my book, having met and talked with the director, Pat, a few weeks earlier to select photos from the museum’s archives. 

Knowing pictures are not cheap, from my experience with the cost of one photo from the War Museum of Canada, when I was handed the bill, I did a double-double take.....yikes, I thought...but I need them.  I could see Pat was also concerned about my reaction.  I handed over my VISA card and paid the invoice.

As I continued putting together Wings Over High River , a biography about Gordon Jones, pilot instructor during WWII, I stayed in contact with the museum’s director.  By the time the book was just about in production in the late fall, she proposed a book launch.

“A book launch?”

“Sure....we can host it here.”

I was not expecting this at all.  Pleased, surprised and a bit in shock, I replied, “We need to talk to the fellows in Nanton, too....as they are the publishers.”

Another meeting occurred with Pat, and Dave, one of the directors from the Bomber Command Museum plus me.  We agreed on a day – before Christmas – workable for everyone involved:  Saturday, December 1, 2012.  Both museums created press releases.  The ball started to roll. 

Local papers in the area picked up the story:  Nanton, High River and Okotoks.  Talk Radio QR77 in Calgary wanted an interview.  People were calling the Museum of the Highwood wanting more information.  Pat fielded the calls, emails being sent to me to keep me in the loop.  I couldn’t have asked for a better response.

The day of the book launch arrived.....but an interview was scheduled beforehand at Gordon’s home.  Gordon was in fine form and the question and answer period went well....back to the museum and all was set up:  my family assisted Pat and her fellow staff members with the cheese, crackers and little cakes while I was at the interview; Dave brought the sparkling apple juice; coffee and tea, cups and plates, napkins laid out.......people started to gather in the open spaces.....Gordon and his wife arrived....more people...and more people....the museum was filling up.  Then it was time for the programme. 

Pat was the emcee.  She rang a loud school bell to grab everyone’s attention....and the event opened.  Pat spoke briefly, then invited Gordon’s daughter to give a brief history of the family in the area....next:  the President of the Bomber Command Museum gave his short speech about Gordon’s contribution to aviation....then it was my turn!  I had rehearsed what I was going to say for days beforehand, in the car, in an empty house....I thanked so many people:  Gordon and his wife, first of all....then the directors of the museums....then my photographer friend....and everyone present....it was a collaborative effort all the way around.  Gordon had his turn at the podium, too.  Onward to the book signing – Pat kept the event moving right along.

Pat set up a table with books and pens.  (“I made sure they work, Anne,” she assured me.)  And people lined up for their copy.  (“A best seller at the museum,” I was told.)  Before we knew it, people were starting to head home, the museum quieted down.....then Gordon and I were asked for another interview with a reporter of the CBC Calgary Late Night News....

What a day December 1, 2012 was for me....and Gordon, too.  I had concerns the book launch might be anti-climactic....that the researching and the writing of the book would be more exciting.  Was it just like what people say about a wedding...months and months of preparation, planning....for one day...then it’s done?  Months and months of research....interviews...travels...meeting new people...is this where the high comes from?

One person I met through the research of Wings Over High River posed to me, “What’s next, Anne?”   I’ve got a few ideas.....most of them connected to the BCATP....that acronym I had no idea existed nor what it meant....and had to practice saying....the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan....and the many men who joined the RCAF...and died for their country.

Two days after the book launch, I went to the post office to mail six copies of Wings Over High River....they were travelling, so to speak, across the country:  to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Saanichton, British Columbia and points in-between.  Since CBC’s The National covered the story in early January 2013, more book orders have been pouring in, including one from the US.  Gordon’s story has made aviation websites, newspapers, and the television, with online versions, too.

The book has taken on a life of its own.

“It’s grown amazing legs”, says Colleen Biondi, another PWAC member. 

Yes, that it has!

WINGS OVER HIGH RIVER - Conversations with A. Gordon Jones
by Anne Gafiuk

Is available at http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/store_publications.html

Browse through our PWAC regional members' BLOGS ...

With so many PWAC members in our region Blogging on a regular basis I thought it would be great to share some of the links to the varied topics currently covered by our membership spanning the vast three Prairie Provinces and the North. Many bloggers here have more than one blog offering up insight into travel, lifestyle, industry, politics, family and so much more.

For a taste of the latest news for lovers of all things Chocolate & Travel visit Manitoba member, and PWAC National Vice President Doreen Pendgracs’ chocolate journey blog at http://diversionswithdoreen.com/

Calgary member, Mary Murphy takes us on a varied trail of writer accountability, plotting paths and more in murphy writinglife at http://murphywritinglife.wordpress.com/

From Banff PWAC member, Meghan J Ward, always takes us on a journey of adventure while sharing stories about the ways we relate to the outdoor world on http://thecampsiteblog.com/ and more in her writer blog at /http://meghanjoyward.com/blog/

If its hockey, golf or the great outdoors, Manitoba member RoseAnna Schick is never lacking in musings at  http://rascreative.wordpress.com/ While PWAC Edmonton’s Dawna Freeman, takes us around the globe in World Traveller df30 at http://df30.wordpress.com/

For the latest trends in the Vintage and Thrifty Lifestyle check out some great finds and tips for your vintage & antique treasure hunting at PWAC Regional Director and Lethbridge member, Michelle Greysen’s Thrifty Diversions blog at http://thriftydiversions.blogspot.ca/ and discover more on writing at her inklings on writing or the simple life from her side of the dock at Landlocked Cottage 

Saskatchewan member, Anne Lazurko gives us all hope as professional working writers by day, scratching out a novel by night, as she lands a long earned publishing deal in her latest blog entry http://annelazurko.com/

Just a few of the samples of endless reading inspiration around the PWAC Prairies & North region – with many more here to discover in the Member Blog Roll just a click away on the right side of the page. Enjoy the browse!

If you are a member of our region and do not have your BLOG on the roll please contact me to add it

Enjoy some great winter reading only a click away!

Michelle

Meet the new Lethbridge and Area Chapter!

A welcome introduction of our Region's newest Chapter
by President, Farrah McFadden ...

I am excited to announce the official start up of the Lethbridge and Area PWAC Chapter, and to have the opportunity to tell you a little about us. We are an eager group of eight individuals with a range of professional experience brought together at the initiative of MichelleGreysen, the Regional Director for PWAC Prairies and the North.  We met for our first official, albeit, casual gathering on November 19th.

I, Farrah McFadden, am a new member to PWAC and am thrilled to have this opportunity to jump in with both feet as Chapter President for the upcoming year.  I have the incredible opportunity to learn from more experienced freelance writers and to participate in growing a chapter that is supportive of newcomers like myself, but also one that satisfies the needs of career freelancers, such as Jane Harris-Zsovan, our chapter Treasurer. Jane has published articles in over a dozen magazines on matters relating to Canadian history and culture, and has recently released her book, Eugenics and the Firewall: Canada’s Nasty Little Secret.  Michelle Greysen is the founding member of this new Chapter, a magazine feature writer, copywriter and niche antique dealer blogger at Thrifty Diversion and is taking an active role in supporting the growth of our Chapter and of PWAC on all the Prairies and I look forward to her wisdom and guidance.

 Our membership includes Geneva Macgillivary, a resident of Nanton, who owns/writes the Nanton Review as well as for Tourism Alberta and MS Connections. Geneva’s writing is behind a number of local business start-ups and advertising. Linda Maki, also joining us from Nanton, combines her skills as a writer and photographer, and has been a columnist for a number of local newspapers.  We are pleased to count Richard Amery amongst our members. Richard is a reporter and columnist for the Lethbridge Sun Times, and is the Owner/Editor/Publisher of Lethbridge’s arts and entertainment magazine, the LA Beat. Zac Stinson, was the recipient of the student membership last year and joins us from the University of Lethbridge, where he has published articles in the independent student newspaper, the Meliorist. Last, but not least, is Lori Lavallee. Lori is an experienced corporate content developer and feature writer, and I do believe she is the fashion diva of our chapter. You can learn more about our founding members in their profiles on www.Writers.ca.

 By all estimates our chapter has a strong foundation and a bright future.  We are already planning of our first community event as a Chapter, and we look forward to expanding our membership across southern Alberta.  Our hope is to create an inclusive and engaged chapter that facilitates interaction across our large area. To this end we are committed to finding creative ways to facilitate Chapter meetings and events that foster participation of all members, whether they reside in Lethbridge or many of the small towns dotting the southern prairies and welcome membership reaching from Medicine Hat to Milk River and into the Crowsnest Pass.

Farrah McFadden

President, PWAC Lethbridge and Area Chapter

Book to Screen Workshop Review ...

 Book to Screen Workshop
by Anne Gafiuk (Calgary Chapter member Guest Column)

“Anne, skip the book.  Go straight to screenplay,” said my friend, Susan, back in November 2011 as I read her a couple of excerpts from a story I am writing. 

“You need to find a producer.”  This came a few weeks earlier from Paul, a colleague, with experience in television and film.

I thought:  “Me? Really?  My tale is worthy of consideration?  Friends and family have confidence in me and are supportive....but no...I’ll just wait...I’ll keep working on my World War II piece....and other projects, too.”

A few months later, on another author’s Facebook page, I see:  http://ampia.org/events/albertas-write-stuff-books-and-screens/ “Sounds like a great opportunity,” she wrote.

I click on the link and read:  ‘a coming together of Calgary/Southern Alberta television, film and digital platform producers with writers and publishers’.    Do I sign up?  Susan and Paul’s comments return to me.  I register!

For the next two days, I work on a synopsis and a mock-up of a movie poster, approaching family and friends again.  I need their feedback, guidance and assistance.  I submit the file.  And then I wait....and wait...and wait.   An email finally appears in my inbox.  I have not been selected to do ‘the pitch’.  Oh well, I think, go!  Listen and learn.  And:  I can have a good night’s sleep!

I show up about twenty minutes early, am chatted up by another attendee, both of us fresh and eager to discover the process.  We exchange business cards. 

About sixty people attend the workshop, including ten hosts/organizers/panellists. Quite a mix of individuals: playwrights, screenplay writers, producers, writers, novelists.  Why are they all here?  To have their book or story make it onto the small or big screen.  Some like me:  sitting, watching, and learning.  Others:  to offer support. And let's not forget: people are here to network....me, included.   The seminar begins.  I watch, I make copious notes and then feel relief I am not selected as one of the four people to present their pitch!  By the end of the three hour workshop, I am exhausted! 

The panels, made up of award-winning producers, stress the length of time it will take from concept to completion.  It could be years!  The timing might not be right for some themes, they say. The key:  have a producer lined up.  Make sure that this is someone who loves the project as much as you do....someone who is like-minded, someone who will invest the time and effort into the project. Do research as to what a producer produces.  The history and reputation of the writer, filmmaker, and producer also are major players.  (Yikes! I am an unknown!)  And go out to forge relationships!  Opportunity, preparation, and luck, too, play important roles. “Do not give up!” they advise.

The time arrives for the four pitches.  The audience has a certain anticipating energy.  A chair, the ‘hot seat’, I call it, is placed in front of us virtual strangers and next to the four panellists...all wearing dark clothing of various hues of black.  Is this an omen?

The first person to pitch was eaten alive for her presentation but then the panel seemed to like her story...had she only just told it.  The second admits to being “scared shitless”.  He is amusing, initially, and then his nerves get the best of him.  The panel likes his main character and tells him he needed to have rehearsed the pitch to know his story inside and out.  The third:  shy and quiet speaks to the outline provided by the organizers at registration, but also has been listening and learning.  The panel is not so hard on him.  They ask questions.  The fourth:  again, having the experience of the first three, wows the panel.  He delivers! All four individuals receive 'constructive criticism' and congratulations for their benefit and for us in the audience. 

While all this is going on, I cannot help but think of Dragon’s Den or So You Think You Have Talent.  I am so happy not to have been up there.  Then I realize: missing from all of the pitches is a visual...the movie poster or the book cover we were asked to create.  No one had one...and the teacher in me knows to always have a visual! 

We are given business cards as well as some literature from agencies:  Alberta Film www.albertafilm.ca , Canada Media Fund www.cmf-fmc.ca , as well as the Harold Greenberg Fund http://www.astral.com/en/about-astral/the-harold-greenberg-fund for further information.

In summary:

1. Be concise, clear, and appealing.  Try to capture ‘the pitch’ in 30- 60 seconds.
2. ‘The Pitch’ is all about the story.  And both had better be great!
3. Make your characters ‘real’.
4. Make sure the story is topical, as it could take between 2-4 years to bring the project to fruition.
5. Make eye contact with the panel.
6. Rehearse ‘the pitch’.  Time it.  Run it past friends and family.  Ask them to be brutally honest and have them ask questions.
7. Know your story inside out and backwards.
8. Come ‘ready to play’.
9. Create a relationship within the first three minutes of ‘the pitch’,
10. Never apologize.
11. Wear black!

So what did I come away with?  A great appreciation of what goes on ‘behind the scenes’ to bring text to the screen.  More knowledge...and that can’t hurt.  Now what do I do?  Work on my story, add some spit and polish....put me out there, and meet more people!  Oh, also get my name known by doing things like this guest column.  And don’t forget to wear black.

More from Anne Gafiuk at  www.whatsinastory.ca

Guest BLOG post by Karen Crowdis, PWAC Calgary Chapter

When ideas are in abundance, they ricochet off each other in my head until I finally put fingers to keyboard and put them down. That’s what writers do after all. But there are times I face barriers to getting down to the business of writing. Some days that very simple act of transfer from brain to paper seems like climbing Everest.

I would like to climb Everest; literally and figuratively. The literal climbing of Everest is impeded by very simple things: finances to pull it off and an irrational fear of heights. At least I can day dream about it.

Figuratively, I sometimes face Everest with my writing. The large blank space and blinking cursor on my laptop mock me. Just finish the query letter, I plead with myself. Thirty minutes later, I’m still here, still a blinking cursor on a blank page while I try to sort out my thoughts. Maybe some tea will help.

Make tea, check the weather, turn on music, put away some kid’s toys, start a grocery list, put some laundry in, reheat the tea and sit back down at the computer. Sip my tea, burn my tongue. OK, I’m ready to get rolling....except that I didn’t eat anything. I should have a cookie.

For sure, now I am ready to get down to it. My ideas are like the pinball balls that never find their way to the next level. They are bouncing and rebounding in my head, one leading to another. Yet they cannot find their way out the neurons of my brain to my fingertips and onto my laptop.

Deep breath and stretch. Maybe walking the dog will help me focus. Yes, a bit of fresh air will help and the exercise won’t hurt—get the blood moving. Come back, reheat tea again and sit down. Notice the dishes weren’t done last night. I should really do that and then come back to the writing. But it is lunch time so I will just eat something first, then dishes, then writing! 

I start to wonder if I might have a mild form of attention deficit.

Finish lunch, clean up, put laundry in the dryer, dust and vacuum. I sit down and the writing comes more easily, things start to flow as the distractions are silenced. At a pivotal moment my phone buzzes and beeps at me to remind me that I have an appointment in 30 minutes and then have to pick up the kids. Log off; tonight I will pick up where I left off unless I get caught up in some campy ‘reality’ TV.

Every week, I get updates on colleagues’ activities. New, exciting projects and I am happy for them...and a bit green. I could be posting great updates to my LinkedIn profile.  If I just had more uninterrupted time, I console myself; I could do those things too. I have too many obstacles to my writing time.

It occurs to me that maybe I’m the obstacle. I should go look into that...