It is rare that a story comes to me because of a setting, but this story, which is set in my favourite bookstore, started while I was looking at the photos in the bistro. To be completely honest, I was on a date with a man you could probably spot by the description of him in … Continue reading Stories Inspired by Setting: Little Nuthatch
Little Secrets Ever found yourself in a ridiculous situation that coincidence can't explain? And then wondered what the heck to do about? I have. Many times. I guess that's why it's so easy for me to write stories. Remember, every story starts with a grain of truth. It's what we do with the truth that … Continue reading Little Secrets: Short Story
Let's get visual, visual. I wanna get visual---let me what you can draw, what you can draw---let me see what you can draw.... Most people are visual—it’s how we put together clues. It’s how we interpret meaning. If you ask most people (apart from musicians and music-lovers) whether they’d rather lose their sight or their … Continue reading The Gift of Something More Visual
Practice, practice, practice! The good news is that with all this practice I'm getting, I don’t really think about Patrick Swayze when I’m doing pottery anymore. Sure, when my pots are flopping, he sort of pats me on the back and says “Bon courage!”—and I think, “Man! He also speaks French?” Flashback..... Kidding aside, I’d like … Continue reading The Importance of Practice (in Pottery and Poetry)
Got clutter in your hard drive? (your mental hard drive counts as well!). In this post, I will appear to contradict myself, so bear with me. My premise? Sometimes, in order to unclutter you must gather all the clutter into one space. With your clutter stacked up together, the task of truly purging will be … Continue reading How to Get your Hard Drive Clutter-Free: A Contradiction
The Truth People have asked why I tell the truth about myself... I've finally found my answer: Why not? There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. --Ernest Hemingway Most writers rely on their memories, experiences and emotions--at least in a first draft, the floodgates open and … Continue reading Why I Tell the Truth About Myself
“Fear is not real. It is a product of thoughts you create. Do not misunderstand me. Danger is very real. But fear is a choice.” Will Smith Fear is a feeling induced by perceived danger or threat that causes changed in our metabolic and organ functions. It also changed out typical behavior: a person who … Continue reading Shout It From the Rooftops: Facing Fear
Sorry I've been absent. But then again, maybe you haven’t even noticed. Sometimes I get all stuck up in my head about what others might deem important. I’m so busy thinking about what everyone else might be thinking, that I miss my mark altogether. Has this ever happened to you? Remember that everyone need a … Continue reading This Season of Fallow
Growing up, my mom had a huge drawer full of cookbooks. I remember sitting there for hours, devouring the images and recipes those tattered, glossy pages tempted me to try. Like my mother, I’m a sucker for cookbooks and love testing new recipes. “For every season, there is a flavour,” my mother may have once … Continue reading Looking for Flavour? Try Lit Mags and Cookbooks
How it took me three days to force myself to make the zucchini bread and four days to finish this blog post--even though it was so easy to do once I stopped thinking about it. (Long title for a post, huh? But it sort of says it all…) Ever have those days, months or years? … Continue reading Overwhelmed? Me too…