Farewell to Janet Chapman...

Janet Chapman

"Janet had been registered for the 1995 WRW that had been scheduled for only weeks after Gary had died. When that WRW was cancelled, she was sympathetic about the decision but also a bit desperate. 

We sent her Gary's VNW and she sent us her ms for editorial feedback.  The completed manuscript that she would have brought with her to the workshop.  Right off the bat, I recall, Janet's natural gift for dramatic storytelling was clear to see on those pages. What struck me as exceptional at the time was her sense of urgency about learning to improve her abilities. 

From the first WRW session to the last, as a student and later on as a speaker, I marveled at how EAGER she always was to complete her work-in-progress because, as she put it, all the characters in her head had grown unbearably impatient for her  to write THEIR story. 

I loved the way in which she knew those characters. I loved her magical process for sharing them in her work. 

And I loved Janet. We all did. A warm, funny, authentic human being. From Maine!"

                                                                                                           Nushka/Gail Provost Stockwell on Janet and WRW
                                                                                                                                      (photos below provide by GPS)

Janet (center) and the gang at Marydale

Janet at Marydale

Janet Chapman was a much loved member of the WRW family, and we are all saddened to learn of her recent death. You can read more on her website (click on her name to go there) - it is on the right, part of the way down the page.

I realized that I met Janet at WRW 1996 at Marydale, and since then she published twenty-two books! She was a New York Times Bestselling Author, and more than that, one of the hardest-working and kindest writers I knew. As I look through these pictures provided by Nushka, I realize that while each workshop is different from the others, what never changes is the commitment and devotion to learning embodied by Janet. She always found time to enjoy the other writers, and never let it keep her from working like crazy to get her book finished. Inspiring.

Doc

(If you would like to include any memories or pictures, please email them to me at doc@wakeupandwritewrw.com and I'll include them on this page.)

Janet and the gang at Marydale

Janet (left) and the card sharks at Marydale

Janet and Peter enjoying a pre-dinner discussion and drink

Janet tries to read in the midst of music and dance