To Liven

It’s been two weeks since I’ve posted anything. I think that’s a first! Obviously, I haven’t been the most consistent blogger. I believe myself to have a good reason, though…

To work towards my goal of submitting 3 pieces each to both contests and magazines/journals, I’ve been hard at work constructing stories.

On Tuesday, I attended the Jane Urquhart reading at the library. For those of you who aren’t yet aware, Jane is a very successful writer from Ontario. She has won many, many awards and held many roles in various literary communities. As she was introducing her book, Sanctuary Line, she said something that struck me. She said that when she learns about something (a fact, a story, a person etc.), she lets it sit with her for a while. When it’s still on her mind some time after she hears it, she knows it is something worth writing about.

There are certainly events and musings that I have collected from my life that I keep tucked away in my mind until I have an occasion to bring it out. As I’m writing, pieces of knowledge and experiences that I thought I had forgotten are bubbling back up to the surface. They seem to be effortlessly and beautifully weaving themselves into my stories. I can feel it all fall into place.

I think that research and a well-thought out plan are important in the making of a story. But it seems to me that what makes a piece impactful is what you can bring to it.

A whole new issue!

Friends,

Writtle Magazine‘s September Issue is now ready and available!

Click here to check it out

(And tomorrow, folks, back to regular programming!)

 

 

 

Lit-folks galore

Yesterday, I woke up and went to work. For me, work is wherever I’d like to bring my laptop and sketchbook that day. Quite often, just like this day, it was the library’s Central branch. I arrived at 8:58 and expected to look like the biggest book worm in London, sitting alone, waiting for when I was allowed to go in. As I rounded the corner in Citi Plaza, I’m sure my eyes popped out of my head. There was a huge sea of people waiting for the doors to open. I had no idea that there were this many people excited about going to the library.

But what were they in a rush to go do frantically in there?

As I sit here now, just as I did yesterday, I am looking around. There are people writing in notebooks; people on their computers; people reading magazines and newspapers; people perusing the shelves for the perfect book to hunker down with. Nobody is in a huff now that they’re in. It struck me:

They were in a rush to have a good morning.

They are in a rush to be in an environment where relaxation and enjoyment is the key to productivity.

 

Man, I love London.

This just in!

This just in: I’m going to school!

I secretly applied because, sure, I was a little lot nervous that my drawings and paintings weren’t going to be good enough to get me a ticket in. But look at me now, Ma!

This is huge. After high school, I never had the desire to go back to school. Most likely because I had no idea what I wanted to do as a career and did not want to waste time or money. Now, years later, I’ve decided the path I want to take and everything is falling into place.

So, in January, off I will go with my backpack, computer and thirst for knowledge (ha) into my Graphic Design program. It’s a big step in the right direction. (The direction being illustrating books and designing book covers.)

I am thrilled!

–

P.S. On a side note, check out this blog post. I usually share links on my twitter and Facebook so as to not crowd this blog with all the amazing stuff I find. But, this one is an exception. Enjoy!

The beginning

In a blog post last week, I let everyone know that I’m going to focus a little bit on my personal journey into a career in literature. I’m at the point in that road now that I need to choose which way to go. I feel like I’m standing before one of those poles with a million signs, all pointing somewhere unique and exciting.

Where to first?

I’ve put a lot of thought into where I can fit into the industry. And I’ve decided that for my main source of income (something I admit, I have to factor into the decision), I’m going to work as a book illustrator/cover designer.

I’ve always painted and drawn. As a child, I never stopped trying new mediums and expressing myself through visual images. I’ve sold pieces here and there, but never considered being an artist as a feasible career option. Now that I’m older and know that it is literature that I’m most passionate about, it seems that the perfect career for me is to use my artistic abilities to be a part of the creation of books (kind of like how I’ve incorporated both into a magazine).

I’m going to go grab some new art supplies at the store and get honing my skills.

A

Here is what I want.

Thus far, this blog has been about a few things…

To begin, it was about me trying to find what I was passionate enough about to make a career out of. After realizing that writing about my life on this blog was the most exciting part of my journey, I began to explore the world of literature and everything that surrounded it.

Now, I feel as though I’ve got a good grasp on the field I’m entering into, so I’m actually going to enter it. I know I already have the magazine and that makes me part of the scene. But, I’m ready to take another step towards my life of full-immersion into the literary world.

Here are my ultimate career aspirations:

• To become a book cover designer and illustrator
• To continue my work at Writtle Magazine and grow the business
• To have my writing published (in other publications as well as in the form of a large body of my work)

So, another element has been added to this blog. I am still going to write little article-lettes, if you will, about the literary industry I’m still exploring and getting a feel for. But now, I’m also going to blog about my personal journey into a career.

Stay tuned, friends, it’s bound to be a fun ride!

A

Have mercy on the busybody (Part 1)

Have mercy on the busybody.

As a woman frantically began checking her pockets; hidden crevices of her wallet; the depths of her purse, she unhappily settled on the conclusion that she had lost the money.

It had been 5 o’clock and she was tired from her day at work. All she wanted to get was coffee so she could stay awake during the meeting so she could drive home so she could open up her computer so she could work some more. So, she inserted her card into the ATM and told the machine she wanted two hundred dollars.

It wasn’t until she was standing in front of me, wanting to pay that she realized she had left it there.

It’s odd how we so easily slip into auto-pilot. It’s like, when we are going through the motions of a typical day, we put ourselves on cruise control and enjoy the ride. It isn’t until something jerks you out of it that you slam on the breaks.

It is inevitable that you will stop at some point. It is your choice whether you stop yourself gracefully or you come to an involuntary screeching halt.

A

Mr. Frey and the Embellishers (Part 1)

In light of the Greg Mortenson controversy that seems to be filling my inbox with news reports and “this just in!” notifications, I thought I ought to do a post on the man who seems to have pioneered the embellishment of their stories (to, ahem, “enhance with fictitious additions”):

If you know me at all, you know that my rock-star equivalent literary crush is James Frey. I love you, man. And it’s because you raise the controversial, yet high bar with your false auto-biographies and Messiah complexities. Write on. Write on.

Let’s pay homage to Frey the Great. Anyone else working on something that could raise some eyebrows? Lay it on me, I can’t get enough of this stuff.

A

P.S. Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow.

What color are your panties? (And other personal matters)

As I scanned the ‘Book News’ section of my favourite online newspaper, I wasn’t finding anything that struck me as unique enough to post on my various social media outlets. Then I saw it – a slideshow showing an inside peek of famous writer’s homes. I immediately guided the mouse to the article and clicked, mouth salivating like I was about to devour the most delicious meal I’ve ever had.

Here is, in what my Life Coach Training (oh yes, I did that) we call the bottom line: People love to get personal.

It’s why we buy celebrities’ teeth and shoes and other miscellaneous objects that, really, have no meaning or relevance to our lives. We want to have a piece of the lives we admire. We want to be a tiny part of it. Well, we want to be a big part of it, but sometimes that’s just not going to happen. For example, readers, you will most likely not marry Megan Fox or Brad Pitt. But, for a pretty penny, you can buy one of their fingernails. In my world, it’s unlikely that James Frey will ever want my number, but I may very well bid on one of his white cotton t-shirts.

Here’s a thought that’s worth contemplating:

Rather than pining over successful folks’ beautiful lives, why not spend less time buying a slice of theirs and make our own? (And, make it personal. People will buy a slice of you.)

A Lesson in Perseverance

As I watched my daughter get from her belly to her hands and knees after a dramatic fit of frustration, she looked up at me with a wide, gummy grin and said, with only her eyes “Ta-da!” It is a brilliant revelation she’s had. Someone told me the other day that an infant hitting a milestone (crawling, walking, speaking) is as revolutionary as us learning how to fly. It’s completely foreign. Yet, time after time, if you leave them to themselves to figure something out that they have never done before, they’ll do it. Some quicker and more elegantly than others, sure, but they get the job done.

Are you trying to write a poem? Short story? Sentence? Novel?

You write the heck out of it. You write until you’re at the brink of insanity. And then, authors, it will happen.