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authors, What's New, writing, writing conference

Further Education for Writers

I've been writing fiction all my life, though it has only been at the centre of my life for the past few years (nestled between the kids and the dog, just left of my spouse, right of the cats, and smothered on all sides by art and nature.) I have always written well. I had my first short… Continue reading Further Education for Writers

Fables, Friday Fables, writing, young adult novel

Friday Fable: The Inspired Writer

You may know the old story of "The Mule:" A mule who was used to lazing around munching grass for months on end, began to jump and gambol about one sunny day. It felt so good to stretch and move! "I feel invincible," the mule thought. "I bet I could run for miles without tiring. My mother… Continue reading Friday Fable: The Inspired Writer

authors, parenting, writing

Three Cheers for the Big Yellow Bus

A late August entry in my journal includes this little ditty dedicated to parents of teenagers in summertime: They were laughing, he and she, in their private cafe, before you stepped out of your room grown tall beyond towers of blocks, beyond models, stories, construction paper, beyond anything you built together. They drained their cups and turned their faded faces, remembering… Continue reading Three Cheers for the Big Yellow Bus

writing

When Good Ideas go Bad

I keep a writing journal in which I write scenes by hand, work out plots, explore characters, make note of submissions, and - most important of all - jot down ideas for new books. I've kept writing journals for years and they contain some wonderful work that I've used in my books or plan to use in… Continue reading When Good Ideas go Bad