Off The Blog Wagon

Published: July 26, 2010Posted in: On Freelancing, On Life, On WritingTags:

Things are a bit crazy around here, and I think my exile from socializing might continue for a little while longer.

As I mentioned, I've picked up some new freelancing work, so I'm trying to keep up with the old stuff while getting some new topics going. I'm also finishing up the design and content for Miss Write, which will be launching by the end of the weekend (I hope!). It won't have much content to begin with because I was going to wait until September to launch it, but I'm running an ad in the digital edition of Shroud so I wanted to get the site up now. But just you wait! I've got many things planned for the site and I'm super-stoked and inspired about it. It will include some of my writing articles plus tons of new content, so stay tuned!

I decided to make the decision to drop WeSeWriMo. I hate to do it but things are just too nuts right now. We just came back from vacation, and we go camping in about 3 weeks. All of this, coupled with my juggling of work stuff, and I needed to let something go before I go b-a-n-a-n-a-s.

I hope to get at least some fiction writing in these next few weeks – because I will certainly become Miss Grumpy if I don't – but I'm not sure how much it will be. 

Summer is supposed to be for vacation, right?! I feel busier now more than ever.

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Altered Words – The Dead Ones

Published: July 23, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: ,
The Dead Ones

When night fell
he put on a long black gown
and when the last stroke of the clock faded
he cried out with a loud shrill voice,
"Behold, the dead ones!
Gather their bones together.
Come, come crawl into the graveyard.
Your desire, I'll follow."

- from The Master Thief in The Complete Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm – Page 604


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Writing Wednesday: Deadlines & Dead Lines

Published: July 21, 2010Posted in: On Freelancing, On WritingTags: , ,

I always know when a story is done because I hate the sight of it and cannot stand reading it for another minute.This comes after:

  • the I'm-so-brilliant stage where I can't believe the amazing idea I concocted
  • the this-is-the-worst-thing-I've-ever-written stage, which comes when I am ~this~ close to being finished and am trying to avoid the inevitable ending and having to find something else to work on

The good news is I'm now at the it's-really-truly-finally-finished-and-I-kinda-like-it stage. Which means one more read, final polishing, and then I'll submit it.

I've been in a funk since Christmas and have started about a billion stories but haven't finished one so this is extra good news for me.

Thankfully I had a few good beta readers point out some places to improve, so I snipped the dead lines and now it's all shiny & pretty (or at least as pretty as a horror tale can be).

So, after I take my editing cap off, I'll be donning my brainiac cap for some new articles I'm working on. I picked up 3 new columns, and 2 of the articles I've claimed are new territory for me. I hope I don't blow it :) But it'll be nice to branch out from always writing about writing. And having actual deadlines will help, since with Examiner I can post whenever I feel like it.

Anyway, you can check out my first article in the Books column at Bright Hub (okay, so I'm not in completely foreign territory with that topic. But feel free to comment!). I'll be sure to let you know when my other articles are out.

So, there you have it. Busy, busy as usual but it's all writing so it's also all good.

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Writing Wednesday: Winding Down

Published: July 7, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Photo: Janelle Vanden BergAs a freelancer (and sometimes work-a-holic), taking time off can be a struggle. We feel like we should always be working, doing more, and when we don't, we often guilt ourselves into compensating the next day with more work than we started out with.

Not this time.

I'm taking next week off and I am SO ready for it. I have blogs I want to write, articles I should finish beforehand – but it all amounts to doing double the work this week, and I just can't get my head into it.

The good news is I have fallen back into a regular writing routine after struggling for a few months there. But I'm afraid I'll slip right back into my funk when I take the entire week off.

On the other hand, we have some fun activities planned and haven't I said before that sometimes you just need to decompress and be inspired by life in order to have something that's worth writing about?

So really, the guilt and pressure are all self-imposed. How about a little self-imposed pleasure? Dip my toes in the pool, soak up some sun, eat some ice cream and get away for a while, right? It'll all be waiting for me when I get back.

My Works-In-Progress

  • Well, it took a few weeks longer than I thought but I finally finished my tweet-inspired tale! Maybe once it finds a home, I'll spill the beans on whose tweet inspired me
  • I haven't even started planning my WeSeWriMo project yet, not really! I've tried but keep getting stuck. Maybe my week off will allow my thoughts to settle and the perfect idea will come to me. I hope…
  • Instead of driving myself completely insane, I'm going to hold off on my RPP idea until later. I haven't even looked at it since NaNoWriMo – I imagine it will need a lot of reworking, which isn't a bad thing. Sometimes the editing goes smoother than diving into something new
  • I've been meaning to finalize my swag giveaway but it keeps getting pushed to the backburner. I'll need to tackle it when I'm back.
So, how to you cope with being constantly on the go and finding it hard to take some time for yourself? Think I'll be able to cope?!

Fellow WIP Wednesday posse:

If you’re a writer participating in WIP Wednesday, post a link to your blog in the comments! More info on the WIP Wednesday initiative can be found at Kate Karyus Quinn's blog.

Fellow members of The Creative Alliance:


Want to know where all the cool kids go? Check out TCA and join us! Writers, artists, musicians – unite!
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Altered Words – Dark Light

Published: July 6, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: ,

click to supersizeFrom Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Pg. 61

everywhere
the scent of pale flowers in soft soil.
the dark aromatic light…
the trees…
still…
paused…
utterly alone.

—————————

Do you own a copy of Lord of the Flies? What poem can you find inside? Share it in the comments!

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Music Monday Has A Migraine

Published: July 5, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: , ,

There is a heatwave here in Toronto and it is supposed last through the week.

I am not a delicate little flower by any means, but with heat, smog and humidity advisories being issued by the city, I am doing my best to stay cool and not provoke any headaches.

So, today's musical choice is Travis. Mellow without being overly stimulating, which suits editing quite nicely (my task for the day).

I fell off the blogging wagon last week, but I've also been networking with my fellow freelance writers a lot lately, which is something I hadn't really worked into my schedule up to now. It's great to have the same support for my articles as I do from my fellow fiction writers for my stories.

The only thing I have to watch out for is remaining too tethered to the computer. Besides needing to give my eyes a break, Summer only lasts for so long (even if it is sweltering out there) so best to enjoy it.

Maybe the Birthday Gods will get my a snazzy new gadget to take outside with me so I can while away my hours writing under a shady tree.

Or – uh – I could just grab my pen & paper :)

Stay cool, kids!


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Friday Five: Things to Read, Watch & Share

Published: July 2, 2010Posted in: On Reading, On WritingTags: , ,

FiveNormally I reserve Fridays for my "There's A Story In There Somewhere" post – but it's a long weekend. You shouldn't have to work. And neither should I!

So, here are a few interesting reads around the interwebs to get you through the holiday (or weekend, if you are not located stateside or like me, already enjoyed our holiday yesterday).

1: The Horologist
Hankering for a little "Victorian clockwork madness"? Check out Katey's new piece in Vol.2 – Issue 2 of The New Bedlam Project

2. Burning Effigy
Toronto's small press Burning Effigy is featured on Torontoist. Great read – the passion of editors Monica S. Kuebler & Jeff Cottrill are palpable.

3. Help Build Stephen King's Empire
Stephen King wants you to help him build his empire! He's looking for photos of places, shops, and items that have names related to his books, stories and King himself. Check out the website for more details

4. Haven
I'm looking forward to checking out Haven, the new series based on King's "The Colorado Kid". And it was filmed in Nova Scotia (Canada for those not in-the-know). The show starts July 12 on Showcase in Canada and on July 9 on SyFy in the US

5. Honour the Troops
One of my articles this week was a call to fellow Canadians to write to their troops, either via message board or through the Share A Cup Campaign from Toronto EMS & Tim Hortons. I decided to share it again here. Wherever you hail from, I hope you will do the same for your own armed forces.

So, that's it! A little light reading, some fun stuff and a bit of patriotism.

Happy 4th to all the Americans reading. My Mom's a Texan, so I get to celebrate a 2nd holiday this weekend :)

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Happy Canada Day!

Published: July 1, 2010Posted in: On LifeTags: , ,

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canucks. If nothing else, I hope you are able to take some time for yourself – maybe enjoy a Cheeseburger Picnic? Just try not to get arrested.

Warning: Coarse language & adult situations in this video. Viewer discretion advised, yo!


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Writing Wednesday: Mopping Up

Published: June 30, 2010Posted in: On WritingTags: , , , , , , , , , ,

In my current #WIP, there is some mopping up to be done by my 2 main characters. It's a gruesome task in comparison to the mopping up I am doing in preparation for the long weekend (i.e. laundry, making picnic plans, final edits of the aforementioned tale).

So, even though I feel like this is the never-ending edit, things could be much worse. Wait till you read what task they are tackling :)

I plan to take it easy for the next few days, but that doesn't mean I won't still sneak in some brainstorming for other WIPs. Besides, what better way to do so than staring up at the clouds from under a shady tree?

In other writing news:

  • One of my fave Brits and constant source of inspiration DJR has finished the first draft of his latest novel, Dog Eat Dog. Cannot wait to read it!
  • I hear the first edition of the Red Penny Papers is going to be stellar, with pieces so far from Aaron & Cate. I better finish my submission and hope it gets accepted
  • Barry Napier really is conquering the writing world with the acceptance of his poetry collection, A Mouth For Picket Fences. GO Barry!
  • I'm completely jealous that my fellow hi-fiver Katey is going to the Mutter Museum to do a little research! Yes – medical oddities are fun!
  • Miss Beanses has started posting snippets of stories that will appear in the From The Dark Side Anthology. Looking forward to reading more!

Funny how it's Summer and I seem busier now more than ever. I guess when you're freelancing, it's harder to differentiate between seasons. Or week. Or days. Or hours.

Fellow WIP Wednesday posse:

If you’re a writer participating in WIP Wednesday, post a link to your blog in the comments! More info on the WIP Wednesday initiative can be found at Kate Karyus Quinn's blog.

Fellow members of The Creative Alliance:


Want to know where all the cool kids go? Check out TCA and join us! Writers, artists, musicians – unite!
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Altered Words – The Stone

Published: June 29, 2010Posted in: On ReadingTags: ,

From The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

She waited in the cold,
muttered, "You'll die out here…
your rotting body…
your bones".
Wait…..and think…..
"Just a stone,
The stone," she whispered,
"The remains".



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