Tag Archives: Writing

Write Like Jose Bautista

Maybe that should be “Write Like Jose Bautista Bats.” I have no idea whether or not he writes. But if he does, I bet he’s good at it. (Spoken like the wife of a true Jays fan.) So a month … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

First Impressions

Some 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 … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | 4 Comments

The Right Advice at the Right Time

Sometimes 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 … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Television Drama and Pending Doom

Before 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 … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | 4 Comments

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

Posted in Writing | Tagged , | 6 Comments

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

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Something I Learned from Carole Enahoro

Last week I found out that my friend, Carole Enahoro, has been shortlisted for a Commonwealth Writers Prize for her first novel, Doing Dangerously Well. Regional winners will be announced in early March and final results in May. Carole was … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment