A Montréal expat, Andrée Levie-Warrilow has lived in Owen Sound since 1984. She is a perennial reader, blogger, volunteer, gardener, working artist, Master Gardener, and member of Ascribe Writers. Andrée loves books, history, Star Trek, gardening, soccer, mystery novels, science, art, music, rocks, and wolves - most of which somehow wend their way into her stories.
Her writing has also appeared in anthologies of short stories, poetry and non-fiction: poetry in Things That Used to Matter (2022), and an essay in Aging in Place (2024).
She is presently working on a collection of short stories.
Yelled at a woman in the grocery store two days ago. I’d been standing in line with my cart at the demarcated line behind the cart ahead of me. For some reason, a woman at the next checkout decided to back out and head toward me. I politely directed her attention to the marks on the floor. She kept rolling closer; I pointed to the marks again. She kept coming toward my right side. Finally, I held my hand up like a traffic cop and boomed out: “Stop! You are getting too close to me! Back away!” Yes, I actually used those words. She gave me this surprised look, and murmured, “Oh! Sorry!” and then backed up. Would I have done that Before? Hell no. Was there another way I could have handled it? Maybe, maybe not. She was not practicing social distancing when she should have. I freaked out. I don’t know what the answers are – it’s my first pandemic. Read more
I sit here with my coffee, watching the snow outside my den window softly falling. The usual street noises are muffled by the downy blanket settling on everything, and there’s a sense of time standing still this quiet February morning. It is a good day to hunker down inside and pass the time. And what are our favourite ways to pass the time? Stories. We like to follow as the stories unfold on TV, in theatres, in books, on our computers. Sometimes, we even still tell our stories orally. All humans do this. It is our way. Read more
A few days ago I attended an interview with Indigenous writer and CBC host of Up North, Waubgeshig Rice. I had recently read his latest novel, Moon of the Crusted Snow, and was looking forward to hear the writer discuss his dystopian saga set in the Rez, after the sudden crash of electricity, internet, and all communications. By coincidence, my nonfiction Book Club’s selection for this month is Waub Kinew’s biographical work, The Reason You Walk.
Both books deal with what the writers term the native apocalypse. Kinew relates the effects the institution had on his own father and his ensuing inability to be a father to Waub and his siblings as a result. Rice, meanwhile, has created an allegorical apocalypse, which, the way the climate crisis is progressing, has the chilling tinge of real possibility all through its narrative.
Autumn
in our part of the world is upon us again.. That lead me to thinking
about making soup and that lead me to thinking about what goes into
soup, and that made me think of good ingredients and then that lead
to my thinking about what ingredients go into making a good story.
Soup
starts off reasonably simple: you make a stock, you add your chosen
ingredients based on the kind of soup you want, and then you add some
seasonings. And from that basic start, one can veer off to anything
from a spicy Thai broth to a comforting potato and leek chowder. One
is limited only by one’s imagination and personal taste.
And
this brings me around to writing.
I
am fascinated by the choices of genre that appeal to my fellow
Ascribe writers. Some are writing thrillers, some romance, some
fantasy. Some have elements of all of those plus other seasonings, as
it were, such as placing their stories in settings of times long
past, or times far into the future. But whatever genre you’re
writing, if you think about it, there are also basic ingredients to
a successful novel, regardless of genre. These are the elements that
we writers want to have in the mix of the stories our imaginations
cook up:
recipe for a successful novel
Likeable characters, – or at least interesting if they’re not likable. Easy-to-follow structure. Engaging plot. Interesting subplot(s). Effective but not overused dialogue. Visual description.
get some interesting subplots
Each
author brings their own measurements of these ingredients to their
work, as do I. I seem to find myself writing more character-driven
plots, and then I have to figure out a way to get some interesting
subplots going to keep the story from becoming an alternative for a
warm glass of milk at night.
brain storm
One
of the best things about us getting together is not only to have the
wonderful support and encouragement in one’s writing from the group,
but also to have the opportunity if we want it to brain storm.
And
still using the soup analogy, in the same way you can learn tricks
for making a good soup from watching a really good cook, I have
picked up some methods to help me make the plot issue become more
manageable. I watched someone presenting a storyline on a series of
big writing sheets and realised one of the ways I could get a better
idea of how to make my sub – plots move along was if I could
literally visualise them. And I have been using a large whiteboard at
home to do just that. Now we’re cooking with gas!
The
great thing about our writing, – and mine, and yours – is we really
are the top chefs and with our own words can dish up the book we want
to read; be it spicy, thrilling, heartbreaking, romantic, haunting,
or all of those elements listed above in different measures. Bon
appetit!
If you’ve been perusing these blogs over the years, you have pretty much figured out that we Ascribe writers are always keen to flex our writing muscles. That there are all sorts of opportunities for writing exercises – if you keep your eyes and mind open.
The opportunities I’ve had for practicing what I call guerilla writing forays have come from the most mundane moments: riding the bus to work; crossing a street in an unfamiliar city; hearing an exchange while standing in line in the bank; walking up rickety steep stairs in an old lighthouse. I’m sure you have had similar “aha!” moments where you think, ‘ I want to describe this experience, or that little scene would add to a story….’
On
the days when I simply cannot buckle down and work on my novel, I
want to at least write something by the end of the day.
make your own ending!
So I look for writing prompts. I’ll shamelessly eavesdrop on conversations, trolling for a line of humorous dialogue or at least a good pun. I am not sure if a grocery receipt in a pocket or the back of an old flyer on the floor of my car count as writing tools, but they are great for recording stolen snatches of conversation or a new idea for a character’s next move.
I have to write my blog.
The deadline is looming; the time is nigh. Luckily, I am focused and organized, and ready to go. Mostly. I just have to do a few things first. Minor, quick things. Read more
Winter is not my favourite season… and it’s not because of the outrageous heating bills, the terror of driving in whiteouts, the dodging black ice in the grocery store parking lot, the shortened hours of daylight, the cancelled music concerts, or the wind that blew most of the songbirds south.
It’s because I need colour.
I am a devout gardener; my front and back yards are riots of colours for three seasons. Spring and summer and fall each have their own colour-filled delights and they never last long enough. And I’m a visual artist. I sell paintings filled with a range of colours that convey every mood and emotion you can put on canvas. Every room in my house is painted a different colour.
And yet where do I live? In a Snow Belt. Read more
