Big Picture and Small

It’s been hot here in Manitoba. Forest fires are already raging north of us and the birds regularly stop by to take sips out of our birdbath. Meanwhile, down in the U.S., the government recently decided to do away with all the regulations that were put in place following the subprime mortgage crisis and subsequent […]

Can We Chat?

The other day I was talking to a client about fantasy. How easy it is to write the first sentence of a story, that beginning scene, then sit back, dream the whole thing, and watch it fizzle when you don’t do the work to get it finished. Years can go by like that, even decades. […]

Tough Love

This week, I’ve been practicing some tough love. My motto has been: Stop snivelling. I’ve been getting up early, hauling chunks of my draft back to bed and editing, re-writing, deepening. No checking my [fill in the Internet blank] first, no opting out. Because, as I said last week, the only way out is through. […]

Loop

I admit it: I’m procrastinating. That is what you’d call spending half an hour planning a wedding vow renewal ceremony in Vegas after a deal popped up in my email, right? Instead of addressing Chapter Thirteen, I’ve picked the hotel (the Mirage, since it looks like it has the best pool, and, um, lounging around […]

Making Time

It’s just before 4 a.m. I’ve woken up, my eyes springing open because a) the cat came to me, wanting to be held, and b) I think I’ve messed up my novel’s time-line. So, I’m in our guest-room, trying to unravel this dilemma, knowing the only real way to fix it is to open up […]