I got a lot of use out the delete button over the past month while working on my thesis novel. So far, the thesis process has gone down more or less like this: Draft one: 60,000 words. Written over two summers, including all the outlining and such. Draft two: 89,000…
Read MoreSo, a little over a week ago, we ordered Chinese food. My fortune read thusly: [caption id="attachment_368" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="My fortune"][/caption] In case you can’t read that terrible photo, it says, “Something interesting will happen soon at work.” Or, on the French side of the fortune, “Il se produira bientôt…
Read MoreYes, I know I've been neglectful. For the month of May, I'll be poem-blogging again over at http://maydaypoems.blogspot.com/, courtesy the wonderful Ariel Gordon. First poem tomorrow... I hope.
Read MoreSix old photographs of people I don't know. When I was researching the photographs for my book Types of Canadian Women, I was in the habit of buying old photos and photo albums at antique shops. These six are my picks from a 1930s batch of mostly seaside holiday shots:…
Read MoreHow does anyone get anything done when they have children? While preparing to join the not-very-elite club of people who have reproduced, I was told repeatedly that my standards would have to slide. If those people were referring to housework, then they were certainly right, and I’ve got to say…
Read MoreAudio content at Aqua Books you should check out. This page has several Red River creative writing connections--recordings of readings by last year's first-year students in Sally Ito's class, by the students from last year's writing retreat, and even one by me back in December.
Read MoreMay Day is over -- does that mean I have to blog in prose again? I did great at the beginning of the month, by the second week I just couldn't write on the weekends, and any day post-Victoria Day was hit or miss. Today I posted my last, "Petering…
Read MoreFor the month of May I'll be blogging poetically at Ariel Gordon's sixth annual May Day Project blog. It's a challenge to write and post a new poem every day. They may only be first drafts, but it's a fantastic motivation to write. I'll be trying not to cheat with…
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