{"id":33185,"date":"2016-09-19T15:56:47","date_gmt":"2016-09-19T03:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=33185"},"modified":"2016-09-19T15:56:48","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T03:56:48","slug":"the-inaugural-national-writers-forum-was-awesome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2016\/09\/19\/the-inaugural-national-writers-forum-was-awesome\/","title":{"rendered":"The Inaugural National Writers’ Forum Was Awesome"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"National<\/a>

National Writers’ Forum<\/p><\/div>\n

From the outset I felt honoured to be asked to present a masterclass on “Building Fantastic Worlds” at the inaugural National Writers’ Forum<\/a>. I was also impressed by the progamme that Coordinator, Claire Mabey<\/a>, put together. One of the most significant\u00a0 testaments to her achievement is that in every time slot I was agonising between different scheduled events. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

Overall, I have to say that the weekend exceeded all my expectations and so huge kudos to Claire, the NZ Society of Authors<\/a>, and their wonderful support team (yes, Andrew, Ashleigh, & Hebe, to name only a very few, I am looking at you!) for all the work they put in to make it so.<\/p>\n

\"Chris<\/a>

Chris Cleave<\/p><\/div>\n

Keynote Speaker: Chris Cleave<\/span><\/h3>\n

The weekend began on the highest of notes with a wonderful keynote address from UK author,<\/span> Chris Cleave<\/a>. I found his address incredibly inspirational (and I believe everyone else did as well.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Titled “The Clocks Are Striking Thirteen”<\/strong>, it comprised a sobering look at the current state of the world and — in the gentlest possible way — reminded us that democracy and civil society are not spectator sports and that as Augustine of Hippo reminded us nearly 2000 years ago, “as we are…so are the times.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\"little-bee_us_jacket1-206x300\"<\/a>The two highlight quotes for me were:<\/span><\/p>\n

“You can tell a stranger a story — as a writer<\/b> that’s your only job”<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

“The cure for hate is probably not love — it’s probably laughter.”<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

To read the full keynote transcript, go to:<\/span><\/p>\n

Hate is the.Zip File Of Emotions<\/a><\/h3>\n

\"everyone-brave-is-forgiven\"<\/a>On the following day I also attended Chris Cleave’s masterclass on “Writing Psychology” and again have two favourite quotes to share:<\/span><\/p>\n

“It isn’t about my stories changing the world; it’s about the world’s stories changing me.”<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

“I need to be proud of the work when it goes off my desk.”<\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

To which I can only reply, “Yes.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Two wonderful sessions and Forum highlights. But there was so much more…<\/span><\/p>\n

So Many Great Panels:<\/h3>\n

Here’s the thing, though; there were so many highlights, not least the debate at the end of the first day. The moot was “That NZ Books Need Special Treatment” and I have to say that the negative team of Paula Morris and Leilani Tamu totally kicked butt (imho.)<\/p>\n

\"national-writers-forum-debate\"<\/a>

Photo credit: Elizabeth Heritage<\/p><\/div>\n

However, insights from the other\u00a0 panels I attended include:<\/p>\n

The Perfect Pitch: Publisher Panel<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The four panelists (five if you count the Chair, Scott Pack) agreed that the most important thing about your pitch is not the synopsis, but what I call the ‘spruik’ — the short punchy “sell” on why my\/your book rocks, which apparently very often ends up on the backcover of the published book. Food for thought, indeed.<\/p>\n

Unprintable Books: Writing for the Digital Era<\/h4>\n

This presentation from the UK-based Kate Pullinger<\/a> was fascinating, canvassing new writing platforms and projects such as episodic writing, collaborative projects, developing a literary form that is native to the smartphone (not cracked yet – a “watch this space”), and public projects such as Letter To An Unknown Soldier<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beyond The Book: Being A Writer<\/h4>\n

This session with (the always wonderful) Nalini Singh<\/a> and publicist Yvonne Thynne<\/a> (also wonderful) primarily addressed building engagement with readers and included both ideas and “writer beware” pitfalls. Key messages included:<\/p>\n