Tag: surrey international writers conference

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2024 SiWC Panel with Diana Gabaldon

Greetings Outlander fans! My, I have missed you all… 🤗

This weekend I find myself in beautiful Surrey, British Columbia,  Canada, attending the Surrey International Writers’ Conference, more commonly known as SiWC!

I drove from Oregon to Canada lastThursday. It was a beautiful day but the  normally 5.5 hr drive turned into nearly 7 hours due to two collisions in Washington state.  Yes, it was an inconvenience for those on the freeway, but I was grateful to arrive safely and I hope those involved in the crashes are OK.

Thus far, I have attended several events featuring Diana – she is one busy lass! All were delightful and I will share them with you, but not in chronological order mostly due to the technical issues of posting via  iPad. 😉

Today’s event was titled “Compelling Expositions,” a panel featuring Diana Gabaldon, Michael Slade, Robyn Harding, and Darren Groth (not shown).  K. C. Dyer moderated (also not shown).

Diana looked stunning, layered with in a deep red shawl because the room was freezing! 🥶

Many fruitful topics were covered by the panel. Here are some highlights including Diana’s responses:

  • Question:  Which is your fav scene from your writings? Diana chose the scene from “Outlander” book wherein Jamie rescues Claire from Black Jack Randall’s clutches. They shelter at a tavern –  Jamie tells Claire he is not ready for bed and proceeds to whip her with his sword belt. This set up a major clash between the two characters because each POV was justified from their perspective. Claire was trying to find a way back to Frank but Jamie knew her actions put all of their lives  in danger. I must confess, this choice surprised me. I suppose because Diana has written so many splendid scenes. How would one even choose? 🤔

This is wee bit of the excerpt from the scene (pp. 249-250 “Outlander” Kindle version) that is Diana’s fav!

“Come to bed, Jamie. What are you waiting for?”

He came to stand by the bed, swinging the belt gently back and forth.

“Well, lass, I’m afraid we’ve a matter still to settle between us before we sleep tonight.” I felt a sudden stab of apprehension.

“What is it?” He didn’t answer at once. Deliberately not sitting down on the bed by me, he pulled up a stool and sat facing me instead.… 😯

  • Question: How do you deal with pacing? Diana responded that pacing depends on context. For example, if there is an emergency then the writer wants to keep sentences short and terse. Pacing allows the author to create tension between two elements. A question is raised and then answered to move the story forward. (Psst…. She didn’t mention that sometimes the answers to questions she raises don’t get resolved until two books and ten years later!) 😂
  • Question: How do you deal with slang or dialect? Diana feels dialogue is the most important way to define a character.  An author using another language (e.g. Gaelic) needs to educate themself in the language. She watched films with Scottish characters to hear their spoken English. At conferences, if she heard anyone speaking with a Scottish accent, she invited them for coffee and listened to them speak. Diana also recommended reading books written by someone who speaks the language. She read several Scottish authors to help her get a feel for syntax, cadence, etc. Frankly, her devotion to her craft is a splendid example to all aspiring authors. 🥰
  • Question: Do you plan out a chapter or scene ahead of time? Diana does not. We already know she doesn’t write in a straight line. She also does not tell her characters what to say or do. She waits patiently for them to speak to her.  This being my fourth SiWC, I can tell you hers is a unique approach. Most writers I encounter plan out scenes, many even work from  a classic outline. She also doesn’t know ahead of time how a book will end. I guess the one exception here is that she seems to know how the “Outlander” books will end. Sob! 😢
  • Question: Who is your favorite author. James Clavell, she answered without a moment’s hesitation.  Clavell authored the marvelous, “Shogun,” for those who might not know. Although it has been some time since I read it, it is well worth doing so. 👍🏻

These were highlights of the panel for me.

The full panel discussion can be accessed here:

I hope you enjoyed the panel. Need I say, my fav author for “Compelling Exposition” is none other than Diana Gabaldon? 🤩 🥇 🏆

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and audio credits: Outlander Anatomy

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Meet Paul Gorman – OV Party at the Suites

Oh, happy day! Saturday morning (Oct. 24), I joined Outlander fans for an Outlandish Vancouver Party in the Suite with Paul Gorman! 

You remember Paul?  He appeared in Outlander Season five, playing the Beardsley twins, Joshia (Jo) AND Keziah (Kezzie)!

What is Outlandish Vancouver (OV)? OV is an annual event held in Surrey, British Columbia, independent from but concurrent with the Surrey International Writer’s Conference (SiWC). 

I have been attending both events since 2016, although I missed 2017;  forgivable, because I was touring Scotland!  😃

A wee bit about SiWC. For more than two decades, SiWC  has included Diana Gabaldon as speaker, teacher, and panelist. One year, she served as organist for Michael Slade’s Shock Theater!  Shock is supposed to be silly and mysterious, hence the creepy music, but who knew she also plays the keyboard?

OV has focused entirely on Outlander, hosting celebrities and cast members. Over the years, I have met John Bell, Cèsar Domboy, Lauren Lyle, Steven Cree, Carmen Moore (S4, Wahkatiiosta), Braeden Clarke (S4, Kaheroton), and Trevor Carroll (S 4, Ta’wineonawira or “Otter-Tooth”), known in the 20th c. as Robert Springer!

Every interaction I have had proved to be delightful and well worth the long drive from Oregon to British Columbia!

This is me with Outlander’s Gaelic consultant, Àdhamh Ó Broin, who offered a rousing presentation and Gaelic lesson at OV 2016!  

You might wonder, who is the MasterMind behind the OV creative venture? Why, it is KoKo! Also known as the wee pocket dynamo!  

Both SiWC and OV were cancelled this year, but OV came to the rescue with virtual interactions between attendees and Outlander guests. Many thanks to her and her crew for their heroic efforts putting Outlander fans and cast in contact during a global pandemic. Kudos to all! 🙏🏻

Now, on to Paul! He joined the  Zoom group precisely at 10am PT,  to a bevy of adoring fans.

What a cutie!  Have you ever seen a more generous and genuine smile? Adorable! (psst…I can safely state this because I am old enough to be his grandmum!) 🤗

BTW, his somber IMDb photo does little to reflect this funny, articulate, and expressive young man!

As we each introduced ourselves, he greeted each attendee with enthusiasm, interest, and curiosity.

Understand, we came from near and far to meet Paul! Scotland, Washington, Oregon, Florida, New Jersey, California and as far away as Lebanon – the country!

And, this lucky lass, Carrie Needham, joined us from the Fraser’s Ridge set. Yep! She was actually there!!! 👍🏻

Paul offered a brief introduction including the tidbit that Lizzy finds BOTH brothers verra interesting. 😉😉

Next, each attendee was given the opportunity to ask Paul a question.

Tell us what your first day was like on the Outlander set? He thought for a moment and then responded that his prior acting experiences had been limited to theater so he was extremely nervous about filming!

Early on,  he met Caitlin O’Ryan (Lizzie Wemyss) for a “chemistry” test – it went very well!

On the first day of filming a van picked him up at 5am and hustled him to the set! Everyone, cast and crew, was extremely friendly and helpful, but he felt a bit overwhelmed by the number of people who periodically descended to fuss with his hair, costume, and makeup.  He explained that Sam and Cait helped calm and reassure him given the newness of the situation. He also said that Sam was always in the background crunching on carrots! 🥕😆

Given that Kezzie is deaf, how was their communication determined? Paul said that sign language wasn’t available to Kezzie and Jo, raised in the back country of North Carolina, so they had to develop their own communication scheme. 

In preparation, he worked with a consultant to develop style and signs unique to Kezzie. Paul recalls about 60 or 70 different signings  – extras in case a director asked something of Kezzie that was not scripted.

Were you outgoing and gregarious as a kid? No, actually he was shy and an introvert (surprising as he came across as a natural people-person in this Zoom).

He also noted that young girls scared him. How about the older ones? 😂

He settled on acting after visiting the Royal College of Art. Eureka! He realized hat he could get a job in the field of acting! And, aren’t we pleased that he did?

Are you musical? Yes! He plays bass and guitar in a band, although he claimed he sings, badly. Ahhh! I am dubious about this, because he possesses a mellifluous speaking voice!

Does he share similar traits with the twins? Paul said, yes. He pointed out that both Jo and Kezzie want to be part of a family. Kezzie, especially, is very affectionate. The twins are aware of the world and strive to put others first; these are traits Paul aspires to emulate. And, working on Outlander has affirmed to him how kind people really are.

Are you a hunter like Jo? Paul responded, “only of hearts!” Clever lad! 🥰

Paul has never hunted animals. Lacking such experience, he did research into Native American hunting styles reasoning that Jo would likely emulate their practices. He studied still hunting, a technique requiring practices such as slowness, patience, covering tracks, taking down the leader of a herd to make it less defensible. Growing up as a Beardsley servant in the back country of North Carolina, Jo also had learned by trial and error.  

He also revealed that in Outlander episode 509, Heroes and Monsters, the rabbit was dead but the maggots were very much alive!!! So, he is gaining experience with game. 😳

How did you film the twins together in one scene? Paul explained that director Jamie Payne had never filmed one actor acting as twins.  For some of the scenes, they used a double for him to interact with. For other scenes, Paul acted to air, but against a blue screen not a green one, as the latter did not work well in a forest setting. He said acting to air was not difficult because this is done in theater work.

Jo (L) and Kezzie from Outlander, episode 503, Free Will

Do you like cats? Turns out, Paul is obsessed with CATS! He likes dogs, but felines are the cat’s meow!

He has two cats and both are Siberian forest cats. He secured them from a breeder near Glasgow.  This breed is hypoallergenic and fetch much like dogs. 

He whipped put his phone and shared images of his furry children. They are sisters!

Ruby 

and Alexi.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Well, he has been obsessed with Spiderman since 5 y.o.! As proof, he shared a cute picture from his cell phone: Paul with his Spiderman costume! But, since Spiderman is not a super power, he would choose to be a shape shifter. Great choice, Paul!

Final question: How was the tonsillectomy scene from episode 505, Perpetual Adoration filmed?

He said filming that scene was trying because he spent the entire day with a mouthful of gauze! A bit of filming followed by “cut,” where upon his mouth was decorated with bits of blood or tonsillar scraps! More filming and repeat. The Outlander medical advisor was on hand to add authenticity and pointers.  

After the last question, the session came to a close. A thoroughly charming young man is Paul Gorman. I look forward to more storyline about Kezzie and Jo during Outlander, Season 6! 🙏🏻

Thank you OV and thank you Paul!

PS: If you wish to find out more about OV, you can find them on FB or their website.

PSS: OV images were taken from my iPad by my iPhone. Thus, they are a wee bit blurry. 🙄

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and Video Credits: Sony/Starz, Outlandish Vancouver, Outlander Anatomy

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A Highland Tea with Diana Gabaldon!

Greetings, dear readers!

Five months have flown by since my last post, Anatomy of an Easter Egg Hunt! 😱

Dealing with summer crops, wildfire evacuation, and COVID have presented been BIG challenges. But, I am back today to share with you a most delightful experience.

On October 3, I was privileged to join author, Diana Gabaldon, and the Northern Arizona Celtic Heritage Society (NACHS) for a virtual highland tea!

Note: The below photos and video were filmed from my iPad screen. Thus, the quality is not the highest. Bear with me, please, because near the end of this blog, I share a link to NACHS full video of this wonderful event!

We gathered via Zoom in the library at Diana’s home in Flagstaff, AZ.  The first thing I noticed were book-filled shelves, a must for any library! 😉 Many of these tomes feature her favorite genre – mystery and murder mystery!

Diana was introduced by NACHS’ Mistress-of-Ceremony, Jude McKenzie, who did a splendid job moving things along. Jude explained this is an annual event so every year on this day, they are known as NACHOS: Northern Arizona Celtic Heritage Outlander Society! 😆

Diana has been supporting the NACHOS effort for 20 years! In case you may not know, Diana has supported many good causes over many years.

The Highland Tea is a ticketed event. Jude explained that funds go toward supporting all things Celt-ish! Among its various worthy causes, NACHS supports the Jim Thompson School of Piping and Drumming. To date, they have awarded over $120,000 in scholarships and will consider any proposal promoting Celtic heritage. A record to be proud of!

Diana sipped a blended tea, courtesy of a local Flagstaff specialty shop, Victorian Moon. The tea was served from a beautiful silver tea set which is partly visible in the foreground. Yummy-looking tea treats were made by volunteers.

As you all know, Diana is famous for “talking with her hands,” and this event was no exception. She used them throughout. I enjoy watching her expressive hands “chat” with us. 😜

I always check out Diana’s nail color. 👁 I may be wrong, but I believe she is wearing her favorite green polish. 

This is a closeup photo of that luscious green tone taken in October 2018, at the Surry International Writer’s Conference (SiWC) in Surrey, B. C.

Back to teatime!

Diana then consented to read excerpts from her ninth big book, Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone! Because time allowed, she read three!

Psst…..don’t you love her joyful smile! 

SPOILER ALERT!!!  With NACHS’ permission, this video clip is from the first scene she read. It occurs the morning after the end of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood (MOBY), Diana’s eighth book.

If you don’t want to be exposed to spoilers, you might skip the next paragraph and the film clip! 😱

Jamie and Claire had returned to Fraser’s Ridge just six weeks before this scene occurs. Bree is away on a hunting trip with da.  Roger is left to child care at Bobby Higgins’ cabin, which used to belong to Roger and Bree.

It is a wonderful scene starring Roger and Mandy.

Next, Diana read an excerpt about a “lively argument” between Jamie and Claire.  The subject: Lord John Grey and his, erm, history with Claire! 😲

The final excerpt describes  a shopping trip by Jamie where he provides insight as to why a murdered man is or isn’t Jewish. 😉

Listening to Diana read all three excerpts was an honor and a delight. I hope you enjoyed hearing the first one.

Jude then read a series of questions provided by ticket holders.  They were varied, interesting, and from all over the US and beyond. At the outset, Diana took the opportunity to answer an anticipated question: when will the show be filmed and when will book nine be published?

She pointed out that filming the show is postponed not only because of local COVID issues, but until the crew, many of which are Americans, cannot  travel to Scotland!  Let’s hope this ends soon! 🦠

Diana shared that she has read the first four scripts and verifies that they are good. Yay! 🤗

Then, she carefully explained the process involved in publishing her book and why it takes so long:

  • She has pretty much finished all of the pieces and is assembling and grooming them.
  • Once she is finished, the book is sent to three editors: One in US, one in UK, and one in Germany. The editors are encouraged to offer observations and suggestions. She considers input from all three – she may or may not incorporate their suggestions. This can take several weeks.
  • She sends the edited book to her copy editor (2-3 weeks).  She receives feedback about what to keep, what to modify, and what to eliminate. She then decides what to do with these suggestions.
  • Good news! The cover design is completed and is beautiful!
  • She then receives galley proofs, meaning a layout that looks like the finished book. Galley proofs take another few weeks
  • The next step is complicated: “Go Tell the Bees” is a big tome; roughly the same length as Drums of Autumn but slightly shorter than An Echo in the Bone. COVID has affected the printing industry, with several printers either cutting down on the number of books printed or going bankrupt. Currently, there are only TWO  companies that can print such big books! They already have books in a waiting cue to be printed. They must prioritize. She does  assure us: “They want to sell the book as much as you want to read it!” (Given her passionate fan base, this is a bit hard to believe! 😂)
  • The last step requires a decision of how many copies to make in the first printing: to do or not to do a full run?  A print company doesn’t want to over print and be left with unsold run copies.  And, it certainly does not want to under print a likely best seller. The middle of a pandemic make such predictions challenging for these companies. Fingers crossed they make the right decision for all! 🤞🏻

So there you have it!  Lots of moving pieces needed to bring this puzzle together as quickly as we all desire. And, hopefully, this helps us be a wee bit more patient with the wait. 🙏🏻

After this Q and A session, Jude moved to an interesting section of the tea – Diana autographed several items for an auction benefitting NACHS. A splendid idea!

The items included:

China tea cup and saucer:

Stained glass sun catcher – Celtic knot design:

Dragonfly stained glass lamp (💓 the green color!):

Then a second round of questions. Diana was asked to repeat her line from Outlander episode 104, The Gathering.

In a brief exchange with Mrs. Fitz (Annette Badland), Diana playing Iona MacTavish, pointedly remarks: “I see you are keeping the place as bright as a penny!” Mrs. F responds with a snide remark about Diana’s gown which, BTW, has a Fraser tartan inset to the bodice.

She recited her line perfectly, complete with Scottish accent. Lovely! 🤗

As always, Diana’s remarks were intelligent, economical, and pithy!  Her mind is keen, no? 🥰

The event concluded after more questions from ticket holders. Overall, it lasted about 1 1/2 hours, $25.00 well spent!

If you missed this lovely event, please dinna despair.  You can view NACHS’s full recording after making a small donation. Just send an email to the following address: nachs.events@gmail.com. I highly recommend the experience and the cause is worthy!

The deeply grateful,

Outlander Anatomist

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Photo and Video Credits: NACHS; Sony/Starz; Outlander Anatomy