This is our last day of… what? Sleeping, leisurely meals, spending time with the family, our sanity? Maybe all of those things, but it’s also the start of commitment, endurance, achievement. We’ve chosen to participate in this writing adventure called NaNoWriMo because we believe there is a worthy and attainable goal just thirty days away.
By [...]
Archive for October, 2009
NaNoWriMo – On Your MARK…
Posted in NaNoWriMo, Time, tagged Failure, Success, NaNoWriMo, Commitment, Margaret Atwood, Jessica Morrell, Endurance, Alfred Lord Tennyson on October 31, 2009 | 6 Comments »
The Olympic Torch
Posted in 2010 Olympics, tagged 2010 Olympic Games, Canada, Olympic Torch on October 30, 2009 | 8 Comments »
It’s here! The Olympic Flame arrived in Canada from Athens this morning aboard a Canadian Forces airbus. The flame, kept burning inside a small miner’s lantern, was placed on the ground in Victoria, BC at 9:01 a.m. today. Later it began its 45,000 km journey during which it will pass through over 1,000 communities across [...]
NaNoWriMo – Getting SET…
Posted in NaNoWriMo, Time, Writing, tagged Writing, NaNoWriMo, Talisman, Hummingbird on October 30, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I know you’ve heard of getting all one’s ducks in a row, but hummingbirds are ferocious little things. I only need one of them. Beak is quite singular. There isn’t a whole row of him. I’m getting set for Sunday’s NaNoWriMo kick off and he alone perches atop my monitor, ready to peck at any [...]
NaNoWriMo – Getting READY…
Posted in NaNoWriMo, Time, Writing, tagged Writing, NaNoWriMo, Talisman, Chris Baty, Totem on October 29, 2009 | 2 Comments »
The final countdown to NaNoWriMo begins — “just three more sleeps”, as my family would say when awaiting the arrival of a much-anticipated event. Am I ready?
.
I’ve dusted off another of my writing totems that will remind me of the book I want to write and the typing that is necessary for its creation. Other [...]
Autumn in Transition
Posted in Autumn, Environment, Home, Nature, tagged Autumn, Fall colours, Nature on October 27, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Another crystal white frost preceded today’s sunshine, touching the vivid garden colours with a wilting chill. Autumn is in transition here. Heavy pink hydrangea heads have now evolved into lacy beige puffs atop bare stems. Protected under those globular skirts are tiny buds, securely tucked away for the winter.
Delicate ferns are now pale, uninteresting fans and [...]
Guest Blogger Jordan McCollum on Beating Writers’ Block
Posted in Writing, tagged Guest blogging, Inspiration, Jordan McCollum, Writer's Block on October 26, 2009 | 14 Comments »
I’m delighted to welcome Jordan McCollum today. Jordan is talented in several areas but what we have in common is a passion for writing. She is an aspiring novelist, writing “mysteries to fall in love with, romance to keep you in suspense”. Today she shares some ideas about that dreaded enemy, writers’ block. – CG
~
Beating [...]
Talent Without Work
Posted in Writing, tagged Alexander Chee, Annie Dillard, Talent on October 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If you haven’t already done so, go now to The Morning News and read novelist Alexander Chee’s personal essay on Annie Dillard and the Writing Life. Then, as an aspiring author, forever remember this one sentence: “Without work, talent is only talent, promise, not product.”
Pre-planning for NaNoWriMo
Posted in NaNoWriMo, Time, Writing, tagged Writing, Planning, NaNoWriMo on October 24, 2009 | 4 Comments »
The start of our seriously silly writing challenge is now a mere one week away. If a participant is particularly good at free writing – putting pen to the page and writing for a specific period of time regardless of the scramble of words that pour out – it may not be necessary to do [...]
Brushing Elbows With SiWC
Posted in Conferences, Writing, tagged Anne Perry, Anthony Dalton, Diana Gabaldon, Federation of BC Writers, Jack Whyte, kc dyer, Michael Slade, SIWC, Surrey International Writers' Conference on October 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This is THE weekend — the Surrey International Writers’ Conference is underway. I’m not a delegate this year but was there today as a volunteer to help staff a trade table for the Federation of BC Writers. As people drifted past or stopped to chat I was struck with a sense of belonging. I’ve attended [...]
A Writing Talisman Can Provide Motivation
Posted in NaNoWriMo, Writing, tagged Writing, Motivation, Muse, NaNoWriMo, Talisman on October 22, 2009 | 11 Comments »
I just found an old post by Melissa Donovan on her Writing Forward blog that says, “In a sense, a writing talisman can be used to program your muse to come out and get to work, on cue,” and she offers some suggestions:
choose something to be a creative writing talisman,
“charge” the talisman to get it [...]
Other Pages
Archives
-
Flickr Photos
More Photos
