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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Blog
That’s What Makes You Beautiful
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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Being Creative and Social Distancing
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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On Poetry
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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Treasure Hunting at Used Book Sales
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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Writing for Introverts
Do you think you have to be an introvert to be a writer? Writing to me is a very solitary activity. It’s hours spent alone on long walks or in the shower, just thinking and dreaming and wondering. It’s hours spent alone doing research and jotting down notes about how things work and figuring out plotting graphs and charts. It’s…
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