First, my plane did not crash. (Make that planes, five of them, and not a single one crashed. What luck!) So I am back at home, alive, perfectly able to edit my draft novel/monstrosity before anyone reads it. But after two weeks vacation, I really don't feel like it. We're having a mild spell in central Canada, the days are getting longer… Continue reading Good News
Tag: inspiration
Too Many Books to Write
I'm not the only writer with 18 books in progress, am I? I love a story when it's still in the bud and bursting with potential. I most often write picture books, which are very short and take up little file space. A few of my PBs-in-progress are first drafts, but most are mere outlines and premises, some with research notes or character sketches,… Continue reading Too Many Books to Write
New Discouragements and New Motivations
A friend of a friend has gone into the same large bookstore three times to request my book, without any luck. The store had two copies in October--each store in the chain seemed to receive two copies of my book--but when those were quickly sold, they didn't order more. The clerk who received this woman's third request for Walking Backward responded with,… Continue reading New Discouragements and New Motivations
Fictional Emotions
A friend of mine was surprised to read my last enty, in which I confessed to being deeply moved by a song about a lost cat. She has known me for years and never seen me cry. That's because I don't cry, except at the odd movie or song. Don't get me wrong: I like to cry. It's relaxing and good… Continue reading Fictional Emotions
Words and Music
I wrote Walking Backward to the Weakerthans. Something opened in my heart while listening to their song, "Virtue the Cat Explains her Disappearance." I have no idea why, but something in the song connected to my story in a way I don't understand. (The song is about a lost cat, which doesn't factor into my dead-mother novel.) If I wanted sad… Continue reading Words and Music
Catherine Austen 