Another CreComm milestone is complete

Today I stood up in front of roughly 200 people and talked for 10 minutes about my first book.

I was nervous for about two days prior to the presentation. Earlier today - and especially first thing this morning - I was losing my mind with fear. Normally, I am not afraid of public speaking. But this was one of the most important presentations I have ever made, and I didn't want to ruin it.

Strangely enough, as I sat in the dark theatre waiting for my turn to stand up on the stage, my fears disappeared. I've been working on this book for a year. Of course I want to tell people about it. And beyond that, I want them to buy it and read it.

Overall, I think the presentation went well. I have copied my speech below, in case any of my out-of-town readers are curious what I said.

My aunt and her parents in 1916.

*****

I believe that a person can’t truly understand who they are until they understand their family’s past. The actions of our relatives are a part of our lives forever, whether we want to admit this or not. The woman featured in the book trailer that just played is my late great-aunt Rose. She led a fascinating life, and I chose to make her story the topic of my IPP.

Good afternoon everyone. For the next seven minutes I’m going to tell you all about my first book, Pieces.

• I will discuss where the idea for my book came from
• I will walk you through the process of how I actually wrote the book
• I’ll read a short excerpt that I hope will interest you
• And I’ll talk about the final product.

The idea for what would later become my IPP was first introduced to me in August of 2007.

• My great-aunt Rose – who was living in Armstrong B.C. – called my mother one day and announced that she wanted visitors.
• Rose was 91 years old at the time, and as she told my mom on the phone, she knew that she was going to die soon.
• Mom obliged, and said she would visit Rose, and I opted to tag along.
• We spent a weekend in Armstrong, and our visit quickly turned into a fascinating history lesson.
• In the four days I was there, Rose gradually told me her life story.
• Why she decided to confide in me, I will never know, but thankfully I was smart enough to take notes.
• I left Armstrong with three notebooks filled with information, and a great appreciation for what Rose had been through in her life.

And then, a year later, she died.

• Rose never had children, and most of her relatives besides my immediate family were also dead.
• The way that I saw it was that if I didn’t write her story, no one else would, and there was no way I could ever let that happen.

So, when it became time to pick an IPP topic in the spring of 2010, it was obvious what I would choose. I was going to write about my great-aunt Rose’s life, and that’s exactly what I did.

Once my IPP was approved, I was faced with the daunting task of actually writing the book I had proposed.

• I also had an added difficulty because most of what I was writing had actually happened.
• All of the locations, characters, and incidents were real, which meant I needed to conduct lots of research to ensure I got all the details right.
• To make the writing process easier, I decided to take the summer off - not work - and instead write a complete first draft of Pieces.

The month of May, and part of June, was dedicated to research, and after I finished researching, I started writing.

• Sometimes I suffered from writers block, other times I had insomnia, but gradually, I made progress.

At the end of the summer, when I returned to classes, I had achieved my goal and managed to write a complete, 100,000 word first draft of my book. From September until January I edited and revised the draft in an effort to produce an end result that actually resembled a real book.

Now, I would like to share an excerpt with you from the completed version of Pieces.

The scene I am going to read is from the fifth section of the book.

• Rose has just found out that her mother Olga had been sent to Selkirk Mental Institution in 1939. Rose hasn’t seen her mother in 40 years, but she chooses to visit her inside the walls of the Institution.
• Another character who is mentioned in this scene is Carolyn – Olga’s nurse –and I hope you like it.

To read the excerpt, click here.

That’s only a small excerpt, and if you want to know what happens next, you’ll have to buy the book.

So, where am I now with my IPP? Well, I’m happy to announce that I have received all 150 copies of my book, Pieces, and they are currently available for purchase.

• I will also be having a book launch at cre8ery gallery on Sunday, March 20, and you are all welcome to attend.

I want to take a moment, before l leave you, to thank the one person who made this book possible.

• My great-aunt Rose was an amazing woman, and I am so grateful she was brave enough to tell me her life story.
• At the end of the day - at the end of the school year - this book is really a tribute to her and her life.
• It has been almost three years since she died, but by writing this book I feel that I have ensured her memory and her life will never be forgotten.

Thank you for listening to my presentation, and I hope that what I have shared with you has made you just a little more curious about your own family history.