If you’re a writer, do you write about the things you love doing?
If you’re a reader, do you gravitate toward novels with themes/settings/characters that share your interests?
Category: Uncategorized
Peppa Pig is in our Library. (Encouraging Readers When They’re Young)
This past weekend was another weekend of all things books. My partner and I are always buying books, at used book stores (like the Net Shed in Meaford or Williamsford Bookstore and Cafe in Williamsford), Goodwill, local independent bookstores (like Wordsworth Books, uptown Waterloo), and popular bookstores (like Chapters).
After filling our bookcases with a new mass of reading material, the shelves doubly stacked and books squeezed in on top of rows, we thought we needed to – haha you’re thinking GET RID OF SOME – but NO! (not yet!) We needed to buy more books for the 8 year old in our lives! Sarah’s son, Scott, needed books!
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What a character!
From an early age I remember enjoying connecting with people and learning how they feel. I like getting to know people, hearing their stories, learning what motivates them, what scares them, what makes them tick. I enjoy watching people, seeing how they move, how they interact with people and the world around them. We all have had a host of different experiences that have shaped us in very different ways. I truly enjoy people, our vast differences and the common bonds we share.
Babies & Books
Babies and books is a match made in heaven, if you ask me. Anytime is a good time to share a book, the fun of opening a new one or the comfort of an old, much loved story. The earlier we begin reading, the better.
The vast knowledge of the world is available to those who read. Reading builds listening and language skills, develops imagination and can raise IQ levels. Books teach children about relationships, personalities, situations and what is good and bad in the world. A friend recently posted a quote from the Children’s Movement of Florida that states “Reading to children, even before they can understand, teaches them to associate books with love and affection.”. Isn’t that the best reason to read to children? Well, along with fact that it’s so much fun.
We are wildly excited to be welcoming our first grandchild, ETA August 26th, 2015. Yes, a baby boy, Maxwell Peter James and we love him already. His parents have all the paraphernalia in place; booties, bibs, bottles ….and books!
Being Open
One of my little writing secrets is being open to sensory embellishments for creating atmosphere and fleshing out characters.
These cues can come from some of the most unlikely sources: a neighbour’s random comment, an event in a park, something viewed while driving my car, standing in line to pay for groceries, the flash of a face in a passing bus. I always try to have a pen and a piece of paper or a small notebook in my purse or knapsack to write notes down with.
Sometimes a whole conversation between characters will develop in my head, sparked by a turn of phrase I’ve overheard. On occasion, physical features of characters will be inspired by actual people I’ve observed in a specific setting. A woman with an interesting style of dress. A man with a heroic Gallic nose. A crying boy in a field. Read more
Don’t Discount the Importance of Luck
I accomplished something rare not long ago: a hole in one.
Golfers out there understand how hard these are to come by, and for the rest of you, well, how about this for odds – insurance actuaries calculate the chances of an average golfer scoring an ace at 12,500 to one.
I’m a decent golfer, but certainly no star in the making. My handicap is low 20s and my average score for a round of 18 holes is low to mid-90s. So my first ever ace this summer wasn’t a complete shot in the dark, but it wasn’t something I ever realistically expected either.
The Story of our Lives
The story of our lives doesn’t come to us in a lightning bolt of realization, but unfolds slowly before us, inch-by-inch, mile-by-mile, day by day. We are creating our futures today but we can only see so far on the road ahead. Sometimes we have great clarity and can see for miles. Other times, we are in a fog and can barely see past the next signpost. Or the unexpected happens, a racoon darting out in the road. We can swerve and miss it, we can hit it, or we can swerve and hit an oncoming car. This moment may, or may not, change our lives. Times of crisis, when there is a seismic shift in the landscape of our lives, is when it is most difficult to see the road ahead, when the path is most obscured. Like driving at night in a snow-storm in Grey County, you’re going inch-by-inch. Read more
Write Right, Right?
I am a part time officer for the “grammar and word” police. And I’m not apologizing. Sorry, not sorry.
The reason I’m just part time is the loophole through which you can escape my wrath. You see, I produce several different types of writing. And some of it just begs for bad grammar.
Some, however requires a standard of usage that provides the benefits that only correct grammar, punctuation, and word usage can provide. Read more