Still flying after flying in the face of fear

It's a week since the CAA Canwrite! 2010 conference began in Victoria. It ended last Saturday night, and I'm still on a high.



Photo: Poet Bernice Lever reads at the open mike. Bernice also read from the works of absent CAA prize nominees.

For me, the kickoff was an appointment to show an early draft of my manuscript to bestselling novelist Patrick Taylor. I was scared but not for long. Patrick's comments were very helpful, and we laughed together as he showed me flaws I couldn't see for myself.

Every writer needs an editor. This is advice I often deliver to my students as they bewail making "stupid mistakes." Patrick's comments located me on the other side of this knowledge. After many years of correcting pronoun reference errors for my students, I laughed with chagrin to see those very monsters in my own work.

And the meeting was fun. "You need a sense of humour," my experienced adviser told me, raising his hand high to show me the remembered pile of drafts he works through before each novel is published. Also, he gave me a signed advance copy of his latest: An Irish Country Courtship (New York, Forge, 2010). He wrote my name, and added the note, "Keep on writing." How good that felt.

The open mike session was a blast. Moderated by Victoria poet Sheila Martindale, it featured a variety of short readings from members.

There too, I took my courage in both hands and did what I've wanted to do for a long time. As I read through my piece, I burst into song when I came to the lines from the old ballads we loved so much in the sixties. Like the meeting with Patrick, that was exhilarating.

For me, the anticipation of both these conference highlights was a bit scary, as ventures onto new maps often are. But the rewards were rich. A week later, I'm still flying.