Vows & Speeches

Bernice Connell Leave a comment

My son was recently married and several hours before the ceremony he announced he did not want to write his vows but wanted to speak from the heart and wing it. I had not thought to pack my “Speeches for Every Occasion” or “Choosing Calm over Panic” reference books along with my wedding finery.

The wedding day dawned warm and sunny, promising perfect weather for the celebration. He and I and my grandson relished a quiet morning visiting, listening to music he was recording for the reception and generally easing into the day before the inevitable chaos of preparations would prevail. Read more

Forgive and Give Yourself Permission

Donna Judy Curtin Leave a comment

I recently completed the Muskoka Novel Marathon for the third time, which, considering we raised over $30,000 to support adult literacy programs, is amazing, but this year that marathon was at times, a painful struggle. As I reflect, sitting on my deck, watching my cats make peace after an earlier squabble, I realized that I as well needed to forgive. To forgive myself for poor writing and to give myself permission to write, even poorly. Read more

Starstruck Moments of a Bibliophile

Lori Twining 2 Comments
Lori Twining & Karin Slaughter

‘Seriously, I’m freaking out, right now. Holy crap! Is Karin Slaughter actually talking to me? I’m legitimately crying inside, as I’m the biggest Will Trent and Sarah Linton fan ever. No lie, Karin is my favourite female author in the entire world. I ask her for a photo and she’s all smiles (because she looks like a million bucks, standing there in a pair of sparkly diamond loafers) and says, “Absolutely, Lori.” Oh my god, she knows my name? (Yes, I was wearing a nametag, so of course, she knows my name—duh.)’

Starstruck moments happen to everyone, but for me, it doesn’t happen after a music concert when meeting Ed Sheeran (of course, it might, as I do love this guy’s music), and it doesn’t happen after a Stanley Cup play-off game when Sidney Crosby, from the Pittsburgh Penguins says hello and signs your hockey jersey (which this would be awesome too, as he is a great Canadian hockey player and they did win the Stanley Cup this year)… BUT, for me, the ULTIMATE BEST THING EVER is meeting my favourite authors who write amazing thriller novels. I’m a booklover and I love books. I’m a writer and know how hard and how much work really goes into writing a novel. I’m completely in awe of these people AND, I love, love, love these particular authors who write these books. I love them MORE than anyone else in this ENTIRE WORLD (okay, maybe not more than my hubby and children, but you understand what I’m saying—I would travel all the way to another country just to say hi to them and get them to sign my book).

Does this sound crazy? Read more

Emotion is the Superhero of Fiction Writing

Tracey Richardson Leave a comment

“It’s just emotion that’s taken me over…” The BeeGees, from the song “Emotion”

Emotion is, well, just about everything when it comes to fiction. Emotion is what engages readers the deepest. Emotion is what makes thereader laugh, cry, cheer, get pissed off, hate, judge. It makes them feel. It makes them forget they’ve fallen into the world of fiction.

Emotion is the one, main element of my writing that’s taken me to a new level the last few years. And it took me awhile to get there. To get how important it is in fiction and to get (or at least somewhat get) how to transfer, infuse, express emotion in my writing. Read more

Building a Solid Foundation for Your Novel

Diane Ferguson Leave a comment

One of the most challenging aspects to novel writing is getting your pacing right. I knew I was struggling with mine, it lagged in places and people weren’t accepting it for publication. Which meant my worst fears were true, something was off. And that something has to do with how I’ve structured my novel.

When I reviewed it, all the necessary elements were there: love interest, betrayal, love triangle, secrets. Yet something grander was missing. Actually, for me I had a two-part problem. The first part was a passive protagonist. If you’ve made this same mistake, stop what you’re doing and fix this! Too many coincidences or chance meetings aren’t going to fly. Plot must come through conflict which directly leads back to character wants and needs. Read more

Oh, Brother – My Tragicomedy

Bernice Connell 1 Comment

Author William Saroyan wrote of tragicomedy: “Remember to be good-humoured. Remember to be good-natured. And remember that in the middle of that which is most tragic, there is always the comic, and in the midst of that which is most evil, there is always much good.”

I’ve been noticing dramatic plot twists recently and the impact on a reader, going from hilarity to devastation within a page and conversely, experiencing triumph in an impossibly dire situation. This certainly inspires continued reading. Although this makes for good reading, in real life, plot twists are frustrating and exhausting and I would usually prefer life on a more even keel. Read more