Recharged in Ucluelet
There’s nothing like getting recharged in Ucluelet, a small seaside community on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A Good Break From Writing Robert and I went with…
Counting my Blessings, Writing and Otherwise
Only ten days before Christmas and I’m counting my blessings. I feel organized. Presents wrapped, cards sent, and baking done. I even managed to re-do my banner on my Facebook…
Mystical Surprises on the Writing Road
Have you ever been surprised by some wonderful phrase or sentence that you’ve written on your writing road? Have you ever wondered how it ended up on the page? Organicity…
Is Honesty A Lost Virtue?
Writers write from life. Fiction needs to be believable or else readers won’t be pulled into the story. Right now, there is more truth in fiction than can be found…
A Year of Unexpected Delights and Frustrations!
I love year-end reviews. I look back at what I’ve experienced, what I’ve learned and what I’m planning for the new year. The delights were many: travel, family visits, theatre, and…
Musings About Immigrants at Pier 21
Recently, Robert and I toured the Maritimes. We went there to see our granddaughter, who’s attending Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. That city is also home to Pier 21…
How Are You Superior To Me?
Tragedy in Charlottesville The events in Charlottesville, Virginia this past week horrified people around the world. Young and old men marched, carrying Confederate flags, showing Nazi symbols, and wearing T-shirts…
Writing Settings For A Novel That Engages The Reader
Writing the settings for a novel is one feature of a Novel Writing Workshop I’ll be giving at the North Vancouver library. In thinking about my presentation, I thought I’d share…
2017, Out With The Old, In With The New
A New Year With 2017, a new year here, we look back on 2016. It’s been a tumultuous year, marked by a wild American election, Brexit, the Syrian refugee crisis…
Memories of Christmases Past
A Little Nostalgia I’m feeling nostalgic. Memories of Christmases past are flooding back. My mother gave me the most memorable one when I was five. I first posted a version…