Walking Stories

 

I live along the Bruce Trail.  The route passes along the road in front of my house and in the summer and fall, I often see people hiking along it.

While planting tulip bulbs, I spotted a man and woman along the trail. I assumed a young couple.  The man was lagging behind, dragging his feet.  The woman strode twenty feet in front of him, her boots spitting up the gravel on the road. It has started to rain about thirty minutes previous and she was soaked, her hat blown from her head.  He had his hood up, his chin down.  They had argued, I guessed, and I began to wonder about their argument – what was it about?

Had the hike been the woman’s idea or the man’s? Had one of them told the other that it was a bad day for a hike, the forecast calling for steady rain although it was still warm for autumn?  Or perhaps the rain was a catalyst for a deeper disagreement.

I imagined what this might be.

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Your Novel Through the LENS of THEME

The title of this blog was originally, ‘Deadlines be Dammed’, which sounds brash, but that isn’t what I needed to write.

I came across a Writer’s Digest course being offered by Paula Munier, called the Plot Perfect Bootcamp and something in the title called out to me.

Not to mention, I thoroughly enjoy sitting in a lecture room while Paula captivates her audience with her smile, her love of dogs and her bold encouragment to do better.

So, I signed up.

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Writers and Failure

Do you sometimes feel like a failure as a writer?

Okay, wait. I probably shouldn’t have phrased that as a question, because every writer has, from time to time, had to deal with feelings of failure. In fact, it’s pretty much like the crazy uncle who keeps showing up to family dinners, whether you’ve invited him or not.

I hear often enough from writers who are struggling to get published say they feel like a failure when they get rejection letter after rejection letter. And that’s to be expected. But I’m also talking about published writers, superstar writers who make six figures, as well as writers who don’t necessarily care if they get published. Read more

Food for the Writer’s Soul

Tanya Neumeyer performs at Words Aloud

I have a confession to make, I haven’t been writing much at all. I was, once again, making progress on my novel re-write after my last writing lull. I even had a moment of epiphany on how to make a nice transition between scenes. This is why it’s important to always make note of your scene ideas, or any ideas: You never know when life will happen and you can’t get back to it as soon as you’d like. Which is me, I’m in the gap and I hope I can pick-up where I left off.

I’ve had a few life events to deal with, like we all do, but my two major distractions have been politics and Words Aloud. Politics has just kept growing in intensity as every moment feels like history is being made.  It’s like a big story unfolding in front of us. The only good thing I have to say is, at least it’s all being laid to bare. And it’s pretty darn ugly. And I can’t look away. Somehow I feel I have to bear witness to what is happening. And a part of me always longs to understand–so I read more. Read more

What If YOU Could Be The Reason…

 

Lori Twining ~ #SlaughterSquad

Sometimes, I feel like I have the power to make a difference. Does this ever happen to you? Are you harboring tiny pockets of power that could be used for something good?

What if YOU could be the reason someone smiled today?

What if YOU could make a small difference in someone else’s life?

What if I finished a novel, published it and it was because of YOU that it hit the New York Times Bestseller List? Read more

Help Is Where You Find It

Kindle paperwhite
Okay, yes, I have a cute cover on my Kindle …

I use lots of tools when I write, though some of them aren’t recognized readily as such.

Many of my contemporaries use Scrivener, and yes, I have a copy of it. But what it does seems to me to be what I already do in my head. And in order to do that it seems to make more work for me in advance.

I know they’re going to argue with me, so I’m just putting up a virtual hand now and telling them I’m happy that it helps them. I am always in favour of anything that helps people get the job done.

I use a word processor. That’s probably my number one tool. It isn’t Scrivener, it isn’t even Word.

And before you start …

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Writing Humour is Serious Business!

Do you often laugh out loud when you’re reading? Not just a smile or chuckle when you come across something funny but a real out-loud laugh? I do. It’s always a nice surprise and can provide a bit of levity in a serious story and a welcome break in tension.

Leigh Anne Jasheway, in her article How to Write Better Using Humour, refers to studies showing that humour enhances how much we like what we’re reading and how well we remember it afterward.

Recently I came across a hilarious account of someone trying on a bark collar before putting it on her pet. The collar got stuck, the spray feature on the collar repeatedly doused her with citronella, her dog commenced barking at her predicament and the neighbour was laughing too hard to help.

Who doesn’t enjoy sharing a laugh? Read more

Writing in Quill

This spring I bought a trailer.  It’s a small, 11 foot, teardrop TAB trailer that my car can tow. I love tent camping in the wilderness.  Lately though I have been camping in parking lots and fields and decided to upgrade to a trailer. I named my new acquisition, Quill, as she has a porcupine shape to her.  And I hope she will be a productive writing partner.

I have a romantic vision of roaming the countryside with Quill, camping by lakesides and writing while the sun emerges from the horizon. Read more