Something To Write Home About
One thing I struggle with in writing is the element of surprise. A good story always has surprises, don’t you think? A turn of events that the characters – and the reader — just didn’t see coming. Writing about surprises doesn’t come easily to me because I really, really dislike surprises. For any given life event, I like to have…
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I recently wrote a story that I’m hoping will be the first in a set that makes up a larger project. One part of the story concerns bitters. I did a LOT of reading about bitters while writing the story. Bitters are a strongly flavoured alcohol that you add, a few drops at a time, to certain mixed drinks to…
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Over the past few years, I’ve started to collect original works of art. They are all very small pieces, but I’m so happy to own something that is unique and really fills me with joy. My husband and I sadly don’t share a lot of overlapping taste in art, so that’s why I’ve been keeping it small. With smaller pieces,…
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I’ve read lots of posts online, in blogs and on social media, by creative types who are excited about this time of social distancing. They’re making the most of the stay-at-home order to just create. They are flourishing with this unexpected gift of time to write or paint or draw or knit or sing. I am not. I am trying…
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Like most people, I don’t read a lot of poetry. (At least, not in the last 20 years or so. I did go through a very pretentious period on late high school where I would have a worn old hardcover tome by T.S. Eliot or Wordsworth or Cummings in my backpack, clearly marking me as Queen Geek of the all…
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When I was a kid, I read a lot. I think it’s the key to becoming a writer. First, you become enchanted with the stories of others, setting your imagination on fire. Over time, you learn how stories work, almost instinctively. You identify with your favourite heroes, you boo your favourite villains. You know you need to find an emotional…
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