A new book by Richard Doornink; 1967 鈥� a coming of age story has its roots firmly set in Yorkton.
鈥淚 was born in Winnipeg in 1958,鈥� relates the author. 鈥淚n September 1966 we moved to Yorkton where we spent the next three years, and which almost all of the material for 1967 鈥� a coming of age story came from.鈥�
The stay in Yorkton was a short one, the family moving to Toronto in 1969, but it left a lasting impression on Doornink.
鈥淚 consider the period in Yorkton my coming of age period, at least in so far as transitioning from a child mostly unaware, to a child somewhat aware of life around him,鈥� he said.
Writing was long an interest for Doornink but it would take years for that interest to result in a book.
鈥淚 was originally a high school dropout,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y career has been split between the creative world and the business world.
鈥淚鈥檝e been an entrepreneur since I was 23 when I started my first company Cantesco Corporation, which I successfully grew into a worldwide manufacturer of welding chemicals. I set up an operation in North Tonawanda, NY in the early nineties, hence the Buffalo connection today (he currently splits his time between Buffalo, New York; Venice, Florida; and Lion鈥檚 Head, Ontario.)
鈥淎s for the creative side, I鈥檝e studied painting, photography, and was involved for a time in independent Canadian film as a production manager and post-production coordinator working with John Martin-Manteiga. John was a big influence for me both from an architecture appreciation aesthetic, as well as a writer.鈥�
In terms of writing Doornink said, 鈥淚t all started way back in Mr. Kahro鈥檚 English class in high school. I still have the stories I wrote back then. Later in life I decided to go to university as a mature student, and went to York University.
鈥淎fter realizing business classes were not what I was interested in, I decided to study the two things I did enjoy, political science and film. I ultimately graduated with a fine arts degree with a focus on French and Italian cinema.
鈥淭he last few courses at York University kind of brought me back to thinking about writing again.
鈥淎fter completing a long first draft in 2014, I realized I was still far from understanding the craft, so in 2015 I completed the Humber School for Writers post-graduate creative writing program. It was through the School for Writers that my skill set improved immensely, and I was fortunate to work with a terrific mentor, Isabel Huggan, an award winning Canadian author herself.鈥�
But was the germ of an idea for the book?
鈥淭he idea for the book stems from a number of things,鈥� said Doornink.
鈥淲hile going to York University I took a studio class that focused on performance art, and also a film and video production class. I had terrific teachers but the one that heavily influenced me was Brenda Longfellow, an award winning
Canadian filmmaker and York University professor. It was her class from which the genesis for 1967 came about, although at the time I didn鈥檛 really recognize it.
鈥淥ne of the aspects of the class we studied was the focus, particularly from the Canadian perspective, of the role of memory in our history. One of the projects we did was a short, in-camera 鈥榟ome movie鈥�. In the making of the home movie a long buried memory I had, surfaced. That鈥檚 where 鈥�1967 鈥� a coming of age story鈥� really started. From this single, buried memory.鈥�
The book is Doornink鈥檚 first, coming from the memory he ultimately had to share.
鈥淚 think for me it wasn鈥檛 about whether the book was worth writing as much as it was I simply had to write,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 had always wanted to write, it was finally time to make a commitment to learning how to write, and then write.
鈥淭he worth in the book, at least for me, is in talking to people who have read it. Listening to their takeaways. The things they liked about the book. The emotions it provokes within them. The characters they identify with.
鈥淭here is a great joy, a pleasure in hearing their reactions to the things I鈥檝e written. I quickly found out how a book becomes everyone else鈥檚, once it鈥檚 published, it鈥檚 a very powerful, inter-connected relationship.鈥�
As Doornink鈥檚 first book, he admits he learned a lot about the creative process in its writing.
鈥淥ne of the things I鈥檝e learned about writing is to let the story come to you, and that鈥檚 what happened here,鈥� he related. 鈥淭he book initially started with a short story, the birthday story. As I started writing more consistently, I wrote a second short story, and then a third.
鈥淲hen I stepped back and looked at the stories, what intrigued me was that all three stories were located in Yorkton. This was an eye opener in the sense that this particular time and place had such a major effect on me, at least at a subconscious level.
鈥淥nce I had several Yorkton based short stories drafted, I realized I needed a way to sort them out, and at that point I thought, maybe I have a book here. It was a case of writing first and sort of prepping second, which I found not to be very effective.鈥�
But did the book come together as Doornink had imagined initially it would?
鈥淭here was a lot of work in terms of flow, it was my first book and you obviously learn as you go,鈥� he said. 鈥淢y second book, a much larger book, and my third book, have both gotten off to an easier start as a result of working through the first book. I have a better handle on the story outline and plot development processes from the first book experience.鈥�
And what is now the best aspect of the book from the author鈥檚 perspective?
鈥淚ts simplicity,鈥� said Doornink. 鈥淭he book has a lot of things going on inside of it, but it was deliberately written in a simple style as I tried to write from the mind of a young boy, as he would have thought and reacted. As a result, many readers have come back and said it鈥檚 an easy read.
鈥淚 was a bit offended in the beginning when I heard that, but I came to realize the book allows the reader to read the way they want to read, at a pace and depth they want to put into, or take out of, the book.鈥�
Ultimately Doornink looks at the book as a good first foray into the art of writing.
鈥淐onsidering this was my first book, yes. I know I鈥檓 a better writer today and would love to start the book again with the new skills I have, but you have to let that go,鈥� he said.
鈥淎s a debut novel I think it鈥檚 strongly written, has gotten great reviews and, more importantly, people enjoy reading it. You can鈥檛 ask for more than that.鈥�
The next step is finding the right audience.
鈥淭he challenge within the book industry, as elsewhere in life, is you need to be slotted into a category for selling purposes,鈥� said Doornink. 鈥淢y initial target audience was the 50 and up age group in so far as they could relate to the time and place. I tested the third draft with a readers group that fit that demographic, evenly split between men and women.
鈥淚 also wanted to see if the book had a North American appeal, and half of the 12 readers I approached were American. The feedback was that the book read as well in middle America as it did in the middle of the prairies.
鈥淗aving said that, I also believe there is a young adult audience for the book. I鈥檝e also had positive feedback from a sort of middle age audience (30鈥檚 and 40鈥檚). So, at the risk of making the book harder to sell, the appeal is fairly wide ranging.
鈥淭he point is, the basic themes, what we know as children, what adults don鈥檛 talk to kids about, the experiences of being a new kid, of trying to fit into school, coming of age, are fairly universal, at least in North America. All is to say, the book appeals to a number of audiences for a variety of reasons.鈥�
More will follow from the author.
鈥淢y second book Buffalo 鈥� A Love Story, a historical fiction set in Buffalo, NY spanning 40-years, is currently in first draft form, and will hopefully be in the editing stages before the end of the year,鈥� he said.
鈥淢y third book Twelve Stories About Fire, a fiction about love, is in second draft form waiting for me to get back to it after I finish the 鈥楤uffalo鈥� book.鈥�
The author is planning to have a book reading at the Yorkton Public Library in October, as well as a signing at Coles in the Parkland Mall.
