Archive for August, 2011
Made the Local News!
Tuesday, August 30th, 2011Whitby This Week published a short piece on the course Gwynn Scheltema and I are teaching in Oshawa next month. I think the course was already close to full, but this might help reach a few more people. I’m looking forward to it!
First Impressions
Monday, August 29th, 2011Some advice I’ve heard, and shared with my writing group often enough that I don’t remember where I learned it (Don Maass, I think, but I might have first come across it somewhere else), is to pay close attention to the first impression your character makes. It sounds obvious, but I think it’s one of [...]
Happy Birthday: We’re Not in this Alone
Monday, August 22nd, 2011Today is my husband’s birthday. He doesn’t know I’m writing this. In On Writing, Stephen King talks a lot about his wife, Tabitha. He says that whenever he sees a first novel dedicated to the writer’s spouse, he thinks to himself, “They get it.” Because it takes a special kind of person to put up [...]
The Right Advice at the Right Time
Friday, August 19th, 2011Sometimes things come together. Thanks to my good friend Susan Blakeney, I had an out-of-the-blue opportunity last week to attend a free writing workshop hosted by Driftwood Theatre. I don’t write plays, but I do like to learn about different types of writing whenever I get the chance. You never know what will come in [...]
Beanbags are the Answer: Treadmill Desk
Monday, August 15th, 2011This is my first official “treadmill desk” post. I’m walking as I write this. I still haven’t quite got the brain/body connection going, though. My typing isn’t quite up to par, and I caught myself trying to write “I’m writing as I walk this.” But I’ll get it with practice. The first treadmill desk-er I [...]
Razorbills, Cupcakes and Kindred Spirits
Thursday, August 11th, 2011Last night, I was part of a focus group at Penguin Canada (thank you, Twitter!), talking about books and marketing and specifically about Penguin’s new YA imprint, Razorbill. This morning I’m still giddy and wired with that after-prom feeling. Maybe it was the giant cupcake, slathered with enough icing to skyrocket the blood sugar levels [...]
Scott Cannata’s Run Across Canada
Tuesday, August 9th, 2011Have you heard about Scott Cannata yet? Not a lot of people have. The only reason I did is that he’s a local boy. He went to my daughter’s school, years ago. He’s running across Canada to raise money for cancer. A marathon a day. Sound familiar? Terry Fox is one of his heroes. Scott’s [...]
Television Drama and Pending Doom
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011Before I get into today’s thoughts on writing (which are mostly: yay, school’s back in session — I get to write again!), I wanted to share some happy news. 1. Boarder Patrol was selected as one of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre’s “Best Books for Kids & Teens 2011.” Actually, I think I might have [...]