The Idea Is Born

At a BWB meeting in 2010 one of our members suggested we try authoring our own book. How hard could it be? We were all dedicated readers and writing was an important part of many of the careers we had forged for ourselves.

Organizational meetings followed and we decided that, for the work to be authentic, writers needed to draw upon personal experience. Since everyone in the group was born in the 1950s to middle class parents and most grew up in the Vancouver area, many on the North Shore, we shared common ground.

We decided to write the coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old girl living with her family on the foothills of Mount Seymour. The names of the main characters, the profession of the father and other foundational elements were drawn from suggestions thrown into a hat. Frivolous elements were randomly agreed upon before the work began. For example, the work had to include a pair of twins and the word “iguana” had to be incorporated.

The personality and appearance of Jane was the product of group discussion as was the main plot. Other characters like her sister, Helen, and her mother, Doreen, were developed largely by the writers responsible for the chapters in which these characters were featured.

The Messy Joy of Collaboration

After a few months initial enthusiasm waned and little headway was made. To reboot the project we decided to hold a couple of weekend retreats to focus on writing. Those two weekends, on Whistler Mountain (2012) and Bowen Island (2013), resulted in great progress.

At the end of every day we sat down to a fabulous dinner and each of us stood up and read aloud their contribution to the story. Of course, the new work introduced many unexpected twists and turns. The uproarious laughter we shared was all the reward we needed to press on.

However, because everyone had been writing simultaneously, as opposed to serially, the work contained many inconsistencies in the story lines, along with a variety of writing styles. This created challenges, but also opportunities for individual voices to be heard.

At one of our subsequent book meetings, we assigned ourselves the task of describing Jane‘s sexual awakening. Each of us would write the chapter and we would draw upon the best versions for our book. We all dutifully reported in at the next meeting and, after some liquid encouragement, read aloud our proposed contributions. Again, we laughed until our stomachs ached.

A Patchwork of Passion

The editing process stalled again as we became busy with work and family lives; then COVID-19 came along free up a lot of time. The manuscript was dusted off and the work of stitching it together recommenced.

By December 2023 we were ready to say enough is enough. No matter how much time we spend it’s never going to be a literary masterpiece. We decided to complete the editing work by the end of 2024 to mark the 25th anniversary of the book club.

The final product is a patchwork, born of 10 separate keyboards, and the reader will be reminded of this as she experiences changes in tone throughout the work. While everyone participated in the writing of the story, contributions varied with some members producing more of the written text and others working more on the editing and publishing phases of the project.

In the end, every one of us can say “we did it“. What have we produced? A story written for no other reason than the joy of working together to create something unique.

What do we hope for? That our tale entertains, that our girl Jane and her family members are relatable, and that each of our individual voices can be heard. And if our bold venture into creative writing inspires your book club to try its hand at a similar project, we would love to hear from you.