Tag: writing

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

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

Your Novel is Hiding in the Garden

Seana Moorhead Leave a comment

I hear you. There’s no time to write. Job. Kids. Cook dinner. Garden. Walk dog (or play with cat). Dishes. Laundry. Drive kids to hockey / dance / theatre / do kids paper route because it seemed like a good idea months ago. Go to work.  Then all the other optional things: play piano; run chicken barn; paint; sing songs; construct glorious garage / workshop & orchard (that would be me); pick up dirty socks (all of us). Job (again!). Stop.

What if I suggest it is not about lack of time, but lack of Read more

Research for the Fiction Writer

Courtney Denard Leave a comment

As an agricultural journalist (my full-time writing gig), I am researching all of the time. It’s actually one of the first steps I take when laying out a new piece and I truly enjoy the process. I sometimes even pretend to be a sleuth-solving detective who can’t rest until she finds the exact piece of information she’s looking for. The harder the better; I like a challenge.

That being said, I don’t have a tonne of experience researching as a fiction writer so when I was up to host the May 2017 Ascribe Writers meeting, I chose to do a little more digging on the topic.

Here’s what I found. Read more

Selfish Mom Rubs Elbows With the Masters

Lori Twining Leave a comment

Happy Mother’s Day to all the women who are moms, who want to be moms and who refuse to be moms. Yesterday was a day for love, as we all have or had an amazing woman as a mother, and we all should’ve celebrated with cake, while we remembered the love they shared with us.

This year for Mother’s Day, I was a selfish mom.

I bought myself a present. One I didn’t want to share with anyone, but me:

Alone time, away from the family to do this… Read more