I posted a motivational blurb on the SCBWI Canada East website today, about slogging it through the last days of November's novel-writing challenge. I have never actually made the NaNoWriMo journey, meaning I've never done a start-to-finish draft in the month of November. I've started books, and I've finished books, but never both in November.… Continue reading NaNoWriMo on the Slow Track
This Tuesday, I had the pleasure of calling the names of twelve young writers whose short fiction won places in the Ottawa Public Library's Awesome Authors Contest. What a pleasure to be one of this year's judges and to read excerpts from the fantastic mix of winning stories: humour, drama, sci-fi, horror, and sad, sad… Continue reading Immersed in Student Writing
I always look forward to my regional SCBWI conference. This year it's especially exciting because I'll be giving a workshop myself. My topic: revision. I used to dread revisions. I loved drafting; I loved polishing; but I loathed the grunt work in between the two. I spent the past year revising a middle-grade animal adventure… Continue reading The Art of Story: SCBWI Canada East Conference
I just received my copies of the latest Pot-Pourri -- that's the annual volume of youth writing published by the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library Association (FOPLA). This lovely book contains all the winning poems and stories from last year's Awesome Authors Contest, a youth writing competition held every winter by the Ottawa Public Library.… Continue reading Good Reading
I updated my Goodreads account this afternoon, adding a dozen or so titles that I read and loved this spring. If you're looking for a summer read, here are a few of my recent faves. Picture Books Once I Ate a Pie Written by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest; illustrated by Katy Schneider (HarperCollins,… Continue reading Friday Faves–Books I Read and Loved this Spring
Catherine Austen 