We’re having a beautiful autumn in Southern Ontario. But I have to admit, I’m looking forward to winter. It’s been six months since my last post! I did draft a newsletter in August, but ran out of time for editing. Summer was crazy-busy made more so by the major renovation of our living area, including the kitchen. But now, the renos are complete, my kids have moved out, and the craziness of summer is dying down.
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While I wasn’t writing here, I was definitely still writing in-between things. It’s amazing what you can get done in the spaces that open up for you. I’ve been working through the book, Story Genius, by Lisa Cron. I have a lot of books on structure as I’ve been playing with the structure of my novel for the last ten years, or so. And it’s still not right! I’ve got to tighten up the opening and ramp up the climax. And I’m still trying to boil my story down to its essence: The dreaded pitch.
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Just over a year ago, my writing life radically changed when I purchased a MacBook Air. My old laptop was dying and it was painful to watch, let alone write with. It weighed ten pounds, couldn’t hold a charge and took forever to boot-up, grinding away in complaint. I felt tethered to it and jealous of my daughter as she moved about freely with her Macbook. That was the beginning of making my writing portable.

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I used to hate February, would always find myself worn down by winter with the final aching cold of February. Moving to the country helped me to come to terms with winter. I took up snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and eventually hockey. Winter almost became my favourite season. But this year, no snow kept me off the trails and a knee injury kept me off the ice. More time for writing.
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Also, February 10th is my anniversary and we try and do something to mark the occasion. This year was dinner and a play. Then I was back to work for a few days before getting a way for a writing retreat with my local writing friends. It was close by, so not a lot of time was wasted in travel. We stayed at a refinished school house with lots of space to gather for meals and discussion, and space to find a spot to write alone.

​Moods have generally been grey around here in empathy with the sky. But the sun shone yesterday and I was out for a writer’s workshop. In the before time (BC=Before Covid), almost all the workshops I attended were in-person. But with the advent of zoom, most are now online. Living in the middle-of-nowhere, I’m grateful for the opportunity to gather and learn with people at a distance.

But it was so refreshing to be in-person, to see local friends I haven’t seen in a while. Yesterday’s workshop, hosted by Arlen Wiebe as part of his Owen Sound Memoir Series. The first author wa Ali Hassan who is is touring his recent memoir, Is There Bacon in Heaven?. I had previously purchased a copy at the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival and it was laugh-out-loud funny.

Last I left you, dear reader, I had submitted my first fifty pages, query and synopsis for critique, to a NYTimes bestselling author and I was awaiting her notes. In the meantime, my husband had knee replacement surgery and I lost what was to be my bountiful writing time. But hey, life happens…

Sound familiar? That was how my blog opened on November 27th and finished up like this:

Now I’m energized to go back to my old novel and fix the beginning, hone in on my climax, and then finish fixing the writing…And to top it off, my husband’s knee is on the mend and he’s back to driving which means I now have the writing time I was craving. But of course, Christmas is coming…


But then, life happened--again. On December 4th, playing hockey, I injured my knee. Now it was my turn on the couch. In some ways, the timing was good, we had all the equipment at home: ice packs, walker, cane. And my husband was now well enough to take care of me.

Last I left you, dear reader, I had submitted my first fifty pages, query and synopsis for critique, to a NYTimes bestselling author and I was awaiting her notes. In the meantime, my husband had knee replacement surgery and I lost what was to be my bountiful writing time. But hey, life happens…
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And it happened to the author / editor I was waiting for. She was busy promoting her latest book and then fell ill, but remained in touch so I always knew what was happening. While I waited, I played around with ideas for my new novel, re-read writing books, bought more writing books. And a surprise book showed up. At first, I thought maybe I lost track of my purchases, but then remembered the author saying she wanted to send me this book.

Before writing a blog, I review my past blogs to make sure I’m not repeating myself too much, and to assess where I was at and where I thought I was going. My last blog was August 28th and I was all set with my “MFA course", personalized for a student of one: me. Now it’s a month later and have I made any progress?
Fortunately, I kept my plan flexible, I can adapt what I’m working on as life happens. the truth is, I’ve hardly been home in the past month. Labour Day weekend was spent moving my daughter to Ottawa for school. I was also determined to attend the Eden Mills Writers Festival this year. I hadn’t been in about 20 years! But as an almost empty-nester, and the threat of covid fading (not to mention this is an outdoor festival), and a workshop with Gail Anderson-Dargatz, my former mentor—I wanted to make sure I attended.

To continue reading, please visit my guest post at Ascribe Writers by clicking the Read More button below.
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As the leaves start to turn and the geese gather overhead, it’s hard not to think about back-to-school. I loved school. While many were mourning the passing of summer, I was anxious for the start of September, new books, new clothes, new class. So many exciting possibilities. (Yes, the excitement soon waned by mid-October.)
I LOVE learning and I LOVE reading. Two things that school was all about. Of course, seeing all my friends was a bonus too. Since I loved school, I knew I wanted to go to University—didn’t matter what I was learning, as long as I was in school. I decided to become a Chartered Accountant (now called a CPA). This was a path that would take seven years to complete. The culmination of that was a 16 hour exam spread over 4 days with a 50% failure rate. I made it!

I’m starting a new novel. I’ve started it a few times, but the old novel kept calling me back for more edits. This new novel has lived in my subconscious for a while, maybe too long? Am I sure it’s where I went to spend the next few years? Are these characters the ones I want to spend time with?
​I believe so. They’ve stuck with me and so have their story lines, shifting and evolving. At first, I thought it was the daughter’s story, but now I’m firmly entrenched that it’s the mother’s story. I am considering three viewpoints, but the mother keeps coming through so strong, I’m not sure there’s room for others. To be determined.

​I’m flying the coop! I’ve been a work-from-home mom for almost 21 years now. I’ve taken a couple vacations—a week here or there, but this one feels different. I’m going to Italy for two weeks, without my family. I travelled a lot when I was young and single. Doing two major backpacking trips: the first through northern Europe before I started a two month job in Norway. And then another, I refer to as my beach vacation: Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Venice Beach, California.
It was the time before internet, before a little phone in your pocket connected you to the world. I actually took a camera—and had no phone at the time. I remember the struggles trying to learn the pay phone system in each country so I could call home to my mother and let her know I was still alive. As a mother now, I’m deeply sorry for what I put my mom through!