There are still a few spaces left for Ottawa's SCBWI Art of Story Conference scheduled for the end of the month. For two days, guest speakers will offer workshops and presentations to everyone interested in writing or illustrating children's books, from aspiring picture book illustrators to established YA novelists. There's something for every level of experience. The conference will offer presentations, workshops, one-on-one critique… Continue reading SCBWI Spring Conference in Ottawa
Tag: writing
Friday Fable: The Old Writer and Oblivion
You may have heard the old story about The Old Man and Death: An old man was out gathering a bundle of sticks for his fire. He cut a dozen thick pieces in the forest and began to carry them home. He had a long way to go, and he was tired before he was halfway there. Throwing his bundle… Continue reading Friday Fable: The Old Writer and Oblivion
Wednesday Word: Crepuscular
I can't stop saying "crepuscular," ever since I read this beautiful little book, Nocturne, by Traer Scott. In this book of stunning animal portraits and accompanying factual blurbs, the author features a few critters that are neither diurnal (active in the daytime) nor nocturnal (active in the nighttime) but crepuscular (active at dusk and dawn). What a… Continue reading Wednesday Word: Crepuscular
Friday Fable: The Novelist and the Literary Journal that Paid $30
You may know the old story, "The Angler and the Little Fish:" An angler spent all morning casting and reeling in the hot sun, dreaming about the bucketload of trout and walleye he might catch, how delicious they'd taste fried in butter, how his wife would welcome him home with kisses, how his neighbours would gossip about his… Continue reading Friday Fable: The Novelist and the Literary Journal that Paid $30
He Said/ She Sighed Part 3 – Enough Already!
Here’s one last rant sparked by a “how to write fiction” book that advised using “said/say” as the only dialogue verb (as in, "'I spent thirty dollars on jelly beans at Mont Tremblant this weekend,' she said.") (That is a true statement, sadly. They fool you with the $2.99/100g sign. I still think in pounds. "Grab a bag each,"… Continue reading He Said/ She Sighed Part 3 – Enough Already!
Catherine Austen 