I dislike lists of rules for writing fiction. There are many good writers whose work I can’t stand. And many books I’ve loved that were obviously flawed. I would not advise anyone to make a paint-by-number novel. Big picture rules are good, like: A book should spend more words on important scenes and fewer words… Continue reading He Said/She Sighed – Part One
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Friday Faves
I got an email from Goodreads informing me that I'd started reading The Complete Short Stories of Truman Capote 127 days ago and suggesting that I might want to update my progress. Oh yeah, Truman Capote's stories. Never finished them. Didn't grab me. But I did finish some other books in the last 127 days. So… Continue reading Friday Faves
Friday Fable: The Writer and her Publicist
You may know the old story of The Moon and her Mother: The moon once asked her mother to make her a cloak. Her mother snorted. "How can I make a cloak to fit you when you're always changing from a new moon to a full moon to everything in between?" The moon burst into… Continue reading Friday Fable: The Writer and her Publicist
Thank you, Nova Scotia Schools!
As I begin the last day of my tour of schools, libraries and bookstores in Nova Scotia, I want to say thank you to all the students I've met along the way. Thanks for listening. Thanks for laughing. Thanks for asking great questions. Thanks for saying I look younger than my photographs. Thanks for the opportunity to… Continue reading Thank you, Nova Scotia Schools!
Book Week in Nova Scotia: Shout Out to Bookstores
A huge thank you to all the inquisitive elementary students I met today on the first day of my Nova Scotia tour of schools and libraries for TD Canadian Children's Book Week 2014. Thanks for asking such great questions and for teaching me the correct pronunciation of "Shubenacadie." (I'd better learn to say it right if… Continue reading Book Week in Nova Scotia: Shout Out to Bookstores
Catherine Austen 