Is writing without passion worth the effort?

  Her Shiny New Idea died an early death. In explaining why, my DD Shari Green said, “How do I know I’m not destined to write this story? Lack of passion. I just can’t see myself spending a year or two of my life completely wrapped up in this story.” I was sorry to hear

The writer’s transition from winter into spring

Glossy green leaves, a little bedraggled from winter’s onslaught, form a backdrop for springtime’s advances. New green capsules swell with promise. Every new season is accompanied by anticipation. I watch and wait, although I’m not always sure for what. The gardens beckon but the soil is still too wet to work. Ears strain for the

I. Am. A. Writer.

. K.M. Weiland says a lot of things that grab me when I think I can sneak past with a cursory glance at her site. It’s that moment when time is limited and I promise myself I’ll just snatch a brief look at her topic du jour and get back to work. She never lets

The Writer’s Eureka Moment

. Sometimes it’s writer’s block, sometimes mental exhaustion or impossible expectations, that drag us to a standstill. A lethargy sets in that smothers ambition and overshadows everything with its ‘I’ll-never-get-out-from-under-this-cloud’ sense of gloom. If you haven’t experienced it, you likely know others who have. The thing is, it feels as if it will never end,

Inspiration in Unlikely Places

. An idea eludes my pen… skips sullenly into shadowy places where I cannot go, and refuses to be teased back into the light.  Some days it’s like that. I sigh, resigned, and move on to hunt down a fresh one. In the newness of my exploration I bemoan the continued barrenness. Where to go

Refilled and ready to write again

. What’s that song? “Back in the Saddle Again?” Yeah, that’s it. . I’ve been away since last Wednesday, taking the refreshment break I mentioned, trading the trickle of my deck’s water garden for the roar of the Similkameen River. My w.i.p. didn’t accompany me, but I wrote every day and took more than 150

SiWC in Retrospect

Even if you leave late nights to the partiers, the pace at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference keeps your brain in perpetual motion. Every year I come home emotionally recharged but physically and mentally exhausted. It takes a couple days before my brain kicks into gear again, and I can begin to digest all the

Taking Care of Creative You

I’m only lost if I don’t know where I’m going, but knowing where I’m going isn’t the same as having a specific destination. Am I confusing you? Sorry about that, but it’s not as convoluted a statement as it may seem. Unlike Jan Markley who was trying to find her way to a YABS (Young

Getting In the Mood

Candlelight and soft music? I don’t think so! Then again, if I were writing in the Romance genre perhaps those are exactly the props I’d use to get into a scene-writing mood. When it comes to finding story ideas we all have our distinctive sources. For me, a single image repeatedly appears in my mind,

Windy Thoughts on Writing

Wind whips through the trees this morning, flinging bits of branches to the ground and sending tiny fir cones skittering across the deck. Our unpredictable springtime weather caught a few sailors off guard while they were anchored offshore from Vancouver’s Kitsilano Beach. This morning they’re no longer offshore but onshore. This is the kind of