Writing Intensive: Back to Basics

Join us for 5 days of digital learning from March 17-21, Online.

Back to Basics is our attempt to help writers of all skill levels to hone their skills in core ideas like setting, plot, point of view, dialogue, and more.

All times are in Pacific (Vancouver) time.

KEY DETAILS

SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES (Titles are not yet Finalized)

• Plot
• Character
• Point of View
• Setting
• Editing
• Journey of Writing
• Dialogue
• Journaling

We are finalizing our roster of speakers, please check back as we update the list. The list of speakers will be updated as contracts and presentation titles are finalized.

ZOOM LINK

• The Zoom link will be sent out in the days immediately before the event and will be included in most communications to you after that date.

• We will be using the same zoom link for the duration of the event.

• Please watch your email for a confirmation of registration email.

• If you do not receive it within 24 hours of registration, please check you spam folders.

• Contact us at hello@bcwriters.ca if you have not received your confirmation by Friday March 14th to ensure we can get you the needed information.

RECORDINGS

• Sessions, (except social/discussion-based events) will be recorded and made available for 45 days after the last session.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Our goal is to help you on your journey to publication. You do not need to be ready to publish to attend. Participants who have a work in progress, an idea for a project, or have a finished manuscript will benefit the most from these sessions.

• Sessions will be a combination of talks, activities, and workshops.

• Most sessions will be 1 hour in length. Q&A may extend the session longer, but participants are not required to stay.

• Participants are encouraged to have a pen and paper handy for all sessions.

• If you are working on a specific project, it is advisable to consider who you plan as your intended audience to help you get the most out of the sessions. Don’t stress about this, but it is helpful to consider if you are writing for the general population, a specific community, or friends and family.

RATES

EARLY BIRD (UNTIL Jan 31 AT 11:59PM 2025)

• FBCW MEMBERS: $65
• GUEST: $80

REGULAR (AS OF Feb 1st, 2025)

• FBCW MEMBERS: $75
• GUEST: $90

SCHOLARSHIP:

• Limited scholarship-based discounts are available for those experiencing financial difficulties.  Please email us at hello@bcwriters.ca to inquire.

SCHEDULE

(Specific Presentation times will be released in Late-January. Current listed presentations may shift to other slots as we finalize the schedule.)

MONDAY

9:00:AM: Tech Help and Welcome

11:00 AM: Panel on Plot: Planners Vs Pantsers with Frances Peck, J.T. Siemens, and Kimmy Beach

2:00 PM: Journey of a Book with Bryan Mortensen

TUESDAY

9:00 AM: Journaling and Writing Sprints

11:00 AM: Point of View: Whose Story Is It? with Traci Skuce

WEDNESDAY

9:00 AM: Journaling and Writing Sprints

11:00 AM: Where in the World: On Setting with Michelle Barker

2:00 PM: Writing Dialogue: Writing Out Loud with Andrew Buckley

THURSDAY

9:00 AM: Journaling and Writing Sprints

11:00 AM: Character Lab: Depth, Drive, Dilemma with David Brown

2:00 PM: Thinking Like a Developmental Editor with Tara Avery

FRIDAY

9:00 AM: Journaling and Writing Sprints

11:00 AM: Setting with Amber Cowie

POLICIES

RECORDINGS

• Our presenters are provided with contracts that stipulate the length of time that recordings are available. We are obligated to respect these contracts. No extensions are possible. We have increased the time frame by 15 days to enhance your experience.

• Reach out if you have any tech challenges related to access of the recordings by March 28^th so that we can help you in the timeframe available.

REFUND POLICY

• Full refunds will be issued up to March 14^th.

• Refunds for half of registration fees will be be issued until March 20^th 11:59pm.

• No refunds are possible after March 20^th at 11:59pm except in the case of severe illness, death, or other urgent situations determined on a case-by-case basis.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• We are an organization that cherishes the work of writers and artists. To that end, we ask that all participants respect the intellectual property of our presenters, recordings, and material shared. Do not reproduce or distribute Writing Intensive materials without written permission.

• Similarly, if other participants share information or excerpts from their projects, please respect their intellectual property.

LIABILITY

• In registering, participants understand and agree that the Federation of BC Writers (FBCW), its board, staff, presenters, and members are not liable for any damages or losses arising and waive any of the above from any and all liability.

• The FBCW provides a space for presenters to share their experiences and insights with participants. The writing industry is a complex and ever-changing environment.  As such, the FBCW does not endorse any specific information shared in our programming as being complete or accurate in all scenarios. Participants have a responsibility to research and make informed decisions on any information given or implied.

• Difficult and triggering topics can arise as part of artistic practices that are unforeseeable for staff, volunteers, and other participants. The FBCW is not liable for any damages or harms caused by participating in our programming.

PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS

• The FBCW is an organisation that celebrates diversity and inclusion and that taking part in the program means that participants are expected to be respectful, inclusive, and support the dignity of all people regardless of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, language, ability, nationality, ability, health status, religion, and socioeconomic status. All people have identities that intersect the categories above. Examples of behaviour that undermine the above are: crude jokes, unwanted communication, statements minimising others’ experiences/histories, and threats.

• Participants are expected to arrive a few minutes before sessions start.  This allows for any technical issues to be resolved without the group being disrupted.

• If a participant is late, we ask that they refrain from asking “what did I miss” type questions so that the event can proceed smoothly.  Staff and facilitators will do the best they can to assist if vital information has been shared, but the recording should be able to resolve any questions of this nature.

• We ask that participants be mindful of the amount of time they speak at events. All participants should have the ability to join in. Participants are expected to keep comments on topic and under a minute so that as many people as possible can participate.

• Participants understand that if they are muted, it is not an intentional slight to them, but is needed to keep the session moving forward.  Participants can be muted at the discretion of the FBCW facilitators.

• Difficult topics can arise participants understand that we cannot always know or understand other people’s histories. To help make the space as welcoming and safe as possible, if a participant’s is to share information or read excerpts from works that contain certain themes (outlined below), they will identify this prior to reading it to the group. (e.g. sexual assault, extreme violence, self-harm/eating disorders/suicide ideation, abortion/miscarriage, mental illness, graphic adult content).

• Participants are expected to understand, be sensitive to, and respect the fact that the work of writers, and their opportunity to read their work may be triggering and/or therapeutic to them. Artistic works require vulnerability and the safety to be vulnerable, especially with sensitive topics. Participants agree to do their best to maintain a safe and supportive space for the sharing of the work, regardless of its nature.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITY

• The Federation of BC Writers strives to make our events accessible to folks across ability and neurodivergence. We will do what we can to make our programming available to all people.

• Our programming is based on zoom which means there are some limitations on what can be accomplished, but also advantages such as closed captioning and the ability to join from anywhere.

• Accommodations are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

• Accommodations that would significantly hinder the ability of other participants to be involved or participate are not possible.

• Some accommodations may be beyond our financial and administrative capabilities. In such cases, we will seek funding or alternatives if possible.

• Sessions normally last for an hour. Participants are welcome to step way from their computers if they need to while turning off their camera and microphone, but we will not be able to fill people in on what they missed. Participants are asked to return to the recording in such instances.