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Category Archives: Writing
Rock Star Writers
Today Maggie Stiefvater visited the Oshawa Chapters location. I found out via Twitter, half an hour before the event, and turned puppy dog eyes on Husband and Daughter. “Can we go? Can we, can we, can we?” I loved Shiver. … Continue reading
Compost
“Write what you know.” We’re told that a lot, aren’t we? Something bad happened in my extended family recently. I’m not going to go into detail because it’s not my story to tell, and never will be. I love and … Continue reading
The French Picture Book
I have a confession to make. My current draft of Haze, an Orca Sports novel slated for publication next spring, is too long. Way too long. Stephen King’s “cut 10%” ain’t gonna do it. So this blog post is advice … Continue reading
News and a Guest Post
My guest post on Janice Hardy’s blog will be up Tuesday. I’m very excited about it! She asked me to write something on writing for the reluctant reader market. (Update: You can read the post here.) Lots going on in … Continue reading
Mosquitos and Motivation
Deadlines are looming. So I did what any sensible writer would do. I recruited a friend, packed up my computer, and headed up north. It takes a fellow writer to appreciate the joys of spending a beautiful Muskoka weekend indoors, … Continue reading
The End of the World
So I read the other day on Twitter that the world is ending this weekend. And really, if the world were ending, where else would you find out about it? If you can’t trust Twitter, what can you trust? It … Continue reading
The Wrong Book
After I shared this story in class last week, Lena Coakley suggested that I blog about it. Our assignment was to identify the one children’s book that influenced us most, either as a reader or as a writer. Not an … Continue reading
Retreat!
(And my first television appearance. But you have to read all the way to the end for that. Or just check out my new Videos page.) Sometimes a writer’s just gotta get away from it all. We’re not talking Walden here; … Continue reading
Structure, Structure and More Structure
I spent last weekend at a Screenwriters’ Summit in Toronto, with fellow children’s writers Lena Coakley, Cheryl Rainfield, Karen Krossing, Jennifer Gordon and Urve Tamberg. My brain is still on overload. But I learned stuff. Oh, yes, I learned stuff. … Continue reading
Woolly Ragwort in your Nose
One of the perks of being a children’s writer is that you get to go back and read all the books you didn’t get around to as a child. Patricia MacLachlan’s beautiful, sparse novel Sarah, Plain and Tall came out in … Continue reading