2024 SiWC Diana Workshop “Focus”

Greetings Outlander fans!

This is my final post about Surrey International Writers’ Conference (SiWC) held in Surrey, British Columbia on Oct. 25-27, 2024.

I had a fabulous time. Got to hear Diana perform in two workshops, one panel and Michael Slade’s Shock Theater. Great fun!

This last post is a review of Diana’s workshop entitled “Focus.”

The room was filled to capacity even though it was the last day of the conference and some people had already left.  This is an obvious testament to the respect she commands in the field of writing.

She arrived wearing a beautifully embroidered top and a lovely smile for all!

Diana began her workshop by explaining that she writes slowly because she considers every word she adds to her story.

She thinks book 10 will be her last Outlander book so she is putting a lot of thought into tying up loose ends both for her characters and various unresolved situations.

She also is working on a new Lord John book titled, ‘Black Chambers!”

She also wrote two scripts for the new Starz series, Blood of my Blood (BomB).

Of course, she also does numerous events, has a family and two grandsons which require a bit of her “focus,” too. This all helps account for her “slow” writing. 😉

Moving to the meat of her presentation, Diana learned early on how to get people to pay attention to what she wants them to pay attention to  – this is the very definition of FOCUS! 🤗

Next, she explained how using the five points of journalism helps a writer focus a reader’s attention by using:

    • Who
    • What
    • When
    • Where
    • Why

As an example of focus, she read a new scene she has been working on. Will this excerpt appear in book 10, in the new Lord John book, or in another book? She does not say! 🤐

Minnie, wife of Hal and sister-in-law of Lord John, is the main character in this scene. She stands on the deck of a ship. She has a letter in her pocket from her second son, Adam.

Diana informs the attendees that that Minnie is a character in “Fugitive Green,” originally a short story from “Seven Stones to Rise and Fall.”  (Psst…..”Fugitive Green” is also now a stand alone novella!)🤭

She starts by telling the reader who Minnie is: She is a woman that likes uncertainty! She has a conversation with Irishman, Raph (Raphael) O’Higgens, a character from “A Fugitive Green.”  Then a whale arrives and the conversation focuses on the whale.

By the end of the scene, Diana has addressed all five of the journalistic points she discussed earlier!

She then explains several ways a writer can redirect a reader’s focus:

    • Change the subject
    • Create a loud noise
    • Distraction by something outside the convo
    • Add motion
    • Add alliteration
    • Use shiny objects 😄

She then elaborates on why motion is so effective at changing focus. Humans are highly responsive to movement because we evolved as both predator and prey. Motion attracted our attention because it was a matter of life and death. 😮

She explains that a writer must also write. As an example, various Outlander cast members have asked for advice on how to write a book.  She always recommends that they write for ten minutes every day for a week.  By the end of the week they will know if they want to write a book! 📖

She also noted that Sam Heughan is the only cast member who did write a book – all the rest fell by the wayside when faced with her challenge. 🤗

Someone asked her how much research she did to write about the whale. She modestly answered that, well, she does have a Master’s Degree in marine biology so she knows something about whales. Big laughter! 😄  

She also read the whale chapter from “Moby Dick” which she found highly useful.

She noted that she made a big deal of the whale in this scene because a whale features later in whatever book this scene is destined to appear. 🐳

She was asked about writing historical figures. Her rule is she tries not to make a historical figure do anything worse in her stories than the worst thing she knows about them!  🤩

She pointed out that if you present the reader with a question, they want an answer, so don’t take too long to address it. (I will reiterate what I wrote in an earlier SiWC post….. Diana has made her readers sometimes wait 10 years and two books for answers! 😜)

She reiterated the three types of characters she writes. Most fans know these already:

    • Mushrooms – characters that pop up, like Fergus
    • Onions – complex characters with many layers, like Claire and Jamie
    • Hard nuts – difficult to develop characters, like Bree

She also uses the rule of three…. For example, she always uses at least three senses to help the reader to focus and get into the character and what he/she is experiencing.

She believes she has a beneficial form of ADHD which has a huge impact on her writing and explains why she does not write in a straight line or follow an outline. Later, I asker her at lunch if she had been formally diagnosed and she has not but has read enough about the topic to deduct that it applies to her.

Diana ended her session by rereading a scene between Jamie and William. She has asked me not to share its contents. It is a very tender scene, I will say that.

The following is a recording of all of her workshop except that scene between William and Jamie – it was omitted. I hope you enjoy it.

Oh! There are 2-3 places where the recording is interrupted by extraneous noise. I think this was me shifting in my chair. I apologize. 🙄

After the presentation, I gifted her with a bee-themed book bag. Inside is a small encaustic painting by my oldest daughter. Book readers will recall that book nine, “Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone,” has an entire chapter about encaustic painting. 

All-in-all, Diana’s presentation was entertaining and enlightening. She always delivers useful information to the attendees and she does it with style and grace! 🤩

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

Follow me on:

Video and Photo credits: Outlander Anatomy

2024 SiWC – Diana Gabaldon “Endings”

Hallo the house!!! 😉

Greetings Diana fans! 🤗

Friday, October 26, was the first day of 2024 Surrey International Writers’ Conference (SiWC) in British Columbia. This is a wonderful gathering of seasoned writers and budding authors.

This is my fourth SiWC over the years. I attend to report on the events and see Diana. I do not plan on becoming a professional writer.

This post is about Diana’s SiWC workshop on Oct. 25, titled “Endings.”

Now, no need to panic. Diana’s presentation was not about the end of the Outlander book series –  not yet, anyway!!! 😱  

It was about how to write endings to all aspects of story telling including those of sentences, paragraphs, conversations, chapters, books, etc.

I found it extremely informative and I wager most in the room felt the same. Diana remains a fountain of imagination and information. 🤩

Diana entered the room with her favorite beverage in hand! 😄

Understand, these workshops are 1.5 hours long wherein she is the only speaker.  I suspect this wee “pick-me-up” helps her stand (mostly) still, essentially immobile and focussed while being pummeled with attendees’ queries! 😎

Unfortunately, I had some technical difficulties with this video recording so it is divided into three segments. 🙄

The first video is the introduction. She tells attendees that she is not going to teach the mechanics of how to write their stories but rather how to write about what happens in a way that keeps readers turning the page. 📖

She began by telling us she recently reread James Clavell’s 1975 book, Shogun. She selected this book because Clavell is a highly regarded author.

Upon opening the book, she immediately read both the first and the last sentences! She didn’t do this to spoil the book but for a scholarly reason: she is now writing what she expects will be the final Outlander book and she is putting serious thought into that last sentence of her epic book series. She is researching good examples. Hankies out! 😥

In the next segment, she talks more about Shogun. She considers its last sentence to be an excellent ending to this classic novel so listen to her read it.

In this third and final video segment, she talks about Shakespeare’s tragedy, “Romeo and Juliette.” Starting to weep, she explains that this story was not about crime or political power but about “Juliette and her Romeo. It is about love.” 🥰

She points out and explains that there are four types of book and chapter endings:

    • Resolution of conflict
    • Food for thought
    • Cliff hangers
    • Echos (e.g. epilogues)

She encourages writers to include pauses in their sentences, to use short sharp sentences in conversations, and try not to shake people out of the story with anything that might distract from the tale.

If your work presents a question, answer it rather quickly to keep readers engaged. (Now, I could make an issue here because upon occasion, Outlander readers have to wait 10 years and two or more books to get answers, but I won’t!) 😂

Question: Are your characters ever influenced by the show’s characters or do you keep them separate? Do you like the show’s characters better? No, she never confuses the two sets of characters and she likes hers best because she writes better dialogue. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Question: How do you decide what your characters will say? Her answer is she never tells her characters anything – they tell her what they will say, think, and do.

Question: Are you conscious of alliteration when you write? She said she was when first writing but incorporates it automatically now. Sometimes she goes back and grooms the alliteration if needed (alliteration is the occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words – e.g. the sweet birds sang softly).

This video segment stops when she begins reading an excerpt from book 10. It is an intimate exchange between Jamie and William! ❣️

She asked me specifically to remove this part before posting, so I have. I am very sorry that I cannot share it because it is tender, moving and poignant.😢

I feel sure she will share this as daily lines when she is ready. 💙

I hope you enjoyed Diana’s one person workshop. These are always worthwhile and I considerate it a privilege to attend them. 

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

Follow me on:

Video and Photo credits: Outlander Anatomy,

 

 

2024 SiWC Lunch with Diana!

Good day, Diana fans!

On Sunday at Surrey International Writers’ Conference (SiWC) I was privileged to enjoy a long private  lunch with Diana!

Details about our “date” are posted below but first a bit of history. The first time I lunched with Diana was 2015, almost 10 years ago!

We met in Beaverton, OR, after she spoke at a fund raiser. We have met for lunch or drinks many times since then.

The last time we lunched was at 2022 New York Comic Con.  We began our outing by riding in a golf cart through the bowels of the Javits Center!

We enjoyed a delish lunch at Hudson Yards. Her nails this day were a beautiful dusty blue. BTW, these are her natural nails, not gels!

After lunch, we parted near The Vessel. It was a beautiful but windy day.

I had not seen Diana during 2023 because I spent that year rehabilitating a shattered ankle and didn’t go anywhere. 🥲

All of that changed at 2024 SiWC!

We had a wonderful two hour lunch on Sunday.

As we waited in line to be seated, author Michael Slade walked up and asked in a booming voice why women’s conversations were more interesting than men’s. I said I thought it is because women talk about everything while men have a fairly narrow range of acceptable topics. I was thinking sports, hunting, fishing, etc., for the guys. What do you think?

Diana and I ordered lunch. We were joined for a while by her youngest daughter, Jen. Hi Jen! 🤗

Jen lives in Scotland with her hubby and Diana’s two grandsons. She flew over just to attend SiWC.  Sadly, she had to leave after a few minutes to catch her flight home. A delightful and very personable young woman. Mum was rightfully proud of her lovely daughter.

For the next 2 hours, we engaged in our usual discussion of far flung topics. Diana is very excited about Blood of My Blood (BOMB) and has written a couple of scripts for the show.  She also gave the writers the ideas for it (of course)! 🤗

I asked her why it has taken 1.5 years between 7a and 7b. She answered that they were timing the releases of BOMB and 7b so there would not be issues with overlap.

We talked about our parents, our children and our lives growing up, our homes, property and pets. She shared photos of her darling grandsons (she is hoping for more).

She then commented on the beauty of the red and black bracelet I was wearing.

I make my own jewelry and she has received a number of pieces from me in the past, such as this one from 2019! 🎁

Sorry the photo is grainy. This is the piece on a form before I gifted it to her!

Back to my story. I removed the bracelet and said “Shall we try it on you?” I put it on her and asked if it was too big. She said it fit perfectly so I said “It is yours.” She was pleased! ☺️

This felt uncanny because that very morning as I put the bracelet on, I thought, “I bet Diana is going to like this bracelet.”  Then, I asked myself,  “Do you want her to have it?” 🤔

Of course, the answer was “yes” as I can make myself another one. 😁

It made her happy! 🤗

She let me photograph (a tradition of mine) her new nail color, a beautiful lush red. She usually wears lavender, blue or green. I think the color looks great on her. She wears jewel tones very well! 😍 Psst….Isn’t her top lovely?

After two hours, she was tiring and I understood why. In just three days, she had done multiple events: Michael Slade’s Shock Theater, a library panel event, two solo workshops and an author’s panel. She also had done blue pencil events where she helps new authors with their work.

Her last 1.5 hour workshop occurred just before lunch and she had yet another event to attend that evening. The woman is a power house but she does need to rest sometimes! 😉

So we hugged and said farewell, until next time! 👋🏻

But wait! I have more. I will end my post with the next video.

Some of  you are aware that during SiWC Diana does philanthropic work in the British Columbia prison system. She teaches a master class on writing to the inmates. This year she was unable to work with them because the contact she needs to help her access the system sadly passed away. So, in the future, she must find a new sponsor.

Although I made this video in 2018, it gives you an idea of the important work that Diana does for people whose lives are impacted by incarceration. She teaches her class and then listens to their questions and comments. Based on these, she buys and donates books to the prison library to help them with their goals.

Her works are a good lesson in kindness to all of us. 🥰

Isn’t she the best? 🤩

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

Follow me on:

Video and Photo credits: Outlander Anatomy,