Posted in Writing, tagged Payment, Writing on July 31, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Today’s mail brought the cheque for my latest magazine submission… an article that won’t appear in print until next spring. It’s a blessing when publications will pay their writers “on acceptance”. Not all do. I don’t have to make a living by writing, so it’s not a big issue for me.
Sometimes I write, knowing there [...]
Posted in Environment, Summer, tagged Maple, Rain, Summer, Weather on July 29, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
It’s raining. You wouldn’t think there’s anything too significant in that fact. This is coastal British Columbia after all. But this is the first drop of moisture we’ve had in more than three weeks. In fact, weather records show there’s been only .6 mm of precipitation here in the last seven weeks. And that is [...]
Posted in Writing, tagged Agents, Rejection, Writing on July 25, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Agent Jessica Faust, in a recent post on the Bookends Literary Agency blog says, “No matter what you do or how you proceed, remember that personalized rejections deserve a pat on the back. Congratulations for making it that far.” Somehow, knowing the definition of the word ‘rejection’, her comment seems like an anomaly.
I haven’t received [...]
Posted in Entertainment, Uncategorized, tagged Middle age, Statistics, Videogames on July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Yesterday a TV report said that in Canada the average age of a video gamer is now forty. Forty! We’re told that systems such as the new “Wii Resort” and Microsoft’s “You’re In the Movie” are marketed to the middle-aged participant. Can you believe it?
The just released Entertainment Software Association (ESA) statistics say that thirty-five [...]
Posted in Reading, Writing, tagged Communication, Reading, Writing on July 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Trying to describe what a story is about when the book is not your own can be risky. I don’t mean reviewing a book, but actually trying to re-tell the basics of its story. I recently read the blog of someone who did this and I was disappointed at the disjointed account. It did not [...]
Posted in Reading, Summer, Writing, tagged Christian Fiction, Summer Reading on July 21, 2008 | 4 Comments »
I don’t read much Christian fiction. In fact, for years I avoided reading it altogether because the plots I had encountered were painfully simplistic, the narrative and dialogue purged and unbelievable. However the research I did while preparing a book review for last summer’s ‘Presbyterian Record’ magazine exposed me to a changing reality. During the [...]
Posted in Writing, tagged Writing, SIWC, Conference on July 17, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Today’s the day! Registration opens at noon today for the Surrey International Writers Conference October 24-26, 2008. I plan to be among the early ones on their doorstep to ensure my choices for Agent/Editor interviews and Blue Pencil Cafe appointments will be available.
This will be my third conference. Since 2004 I’ve been attending every second year, [...]
Posted in Environment, Summer, Writing, tagged Gardening, Spiders, Summer, Writing on July 16, 2008 | 2 Comments »
A proficient gardener I’m not, but I love to putter around in the yard. I meander through the flower beds on a regular basis, hauling the hose along to water needy plants, discovering what’s new, deadheading depleted blossoms and, yes, (shudder) occasionally encountering miniature wildlife.
I’m not a big fan of bugs, but I accept that they [...]
Posted in Writing, tagged Purple prose, Writing on July 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I was re-reading my previous post and it hit me that in trying to convey the serenity of the moment, I probably bordered on “purple prose”. Not that the whole description was necessarily over the top, but that word ’somniferous’, while precisely describing the feeling I had, was a bit much.
Wikipedia suggests “purple prose is [...]
Posted in Summer, tagged Morning on July 12, 2008 | 1 Comment »
The sun crept through the trees and peeked in my window enticing me out of bed earlier than usual with its promise of indigo skies and toasty temperatures. For sure it’s a coffee-on-the-deck morning. Birds are busy twittering their breakfast conversations as they search among the dewy garden plants. Theirs are the only sounds interrupting this serene [...]
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