Hot WIPs Night

Yesterday evening, Susan Fish, writer and CEO of Storywell, held a Hot Works in Progress Night at the Raintree Cafe in downtown Waterloo.

Eight of us gathered to participate in a writers' version of speed dating. We paired up to deliver the pitches for our works in progress (mainly novels) and every six minutes rotated around the table.

I enjoyed the evening immensely and was exposed to different genres--contemporary women's fiction, Young Adult, fantasy, and cozy mysteries. Afterward, we shared our experiences and discovered that we had all revised and improved our scripts as we moved around the table.

A Poetry Workshop

I loved writing poetry during my high school years, but my writing went underground shortly afterward. When I heard about Melinda Burns' poetry workshop at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library, I decided to go and see if the muse was still there.

As I listened to Melinda read her own poem and those of Mary Oliver, Jane Kenyon and Jane Hirshfield, I felt new ideas stirring and the desire to write poetry rekindled. After a short interactive session, Melinda assigned three short exercises which many of us shared.

Food for further thought...

• "Poetry is eating all my problems." (A little girl from the Poetry in School program in California)
• Read Amy Bloom's article, "Why Poetry Can Save Your Life?" (Oprah, December 2006)
• Poetry is a container for both strong and mixed feelings.
• Poetry acknowledges the inconsolable while giving comfort.

Taking Up Scrapbooking

I just came back from a scrapbooking workshop with Gloria Nye at Eramosa Eden. I have been curious about this popular hobby for a while, and today I decided to try my hand at it.

I am hooked!

Right now, I am organizing my book reviews, but I have ideas for two travel scrapbooks. I appreciated Gloria's advice regarding layout and design and look forward to future sessions.

Published

My article, "Completing Your Educational Journey,"  appears on the Back to College website.

This site provides advice and other resources for adult re-entry students pursuing professional development or advanced degrees.

Read the article.

This Means War

Definitely far-fetched with lots of action, romance and humour, This Means War was a great choice for Family Day.

I enjoyed watching Reese Witherspoon play the part of single product tester Lauren, who is lured into the world of online dating by her best friend, Trish (Chelsea Handler). Chris Pine and Tom Hardy play CIA agents, FDR and Tuck, who have been demoted to desk jobs. FDR and Tuck compete for Lauren's affections.

Chelsea Handler provides most of the laughs with her irreverent comments and advice.

Watch the trailer.

Sundays for Writers

This afternoon, I joined six other members of Guelph Write Now and Guelph Writers Ink at Lucie's Restaurant in south Guelph.

We shared and critiqued the first five pages of our respective manuscripts. I enjoyed reading the different genres, which included literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, Young Adult, Regency Romance and a cozy.

Great stuff!!

The Art of Storytelling

Last evening, Sya VanGeest from the Guelph Storytellers Guild presented an entertaining workshop at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library.

She displayed her well-honed communication skills as she interspersed her PowerPoint presentation with folk tales. We all participated in one story and she listened as each of us told the stories behind our given names.

A few of her hints...

• Get out of yourself when you tell a story. Realize that you are only the conduit of the story.
• Stories are meant for the ear. Do not memorize the story before telling it.
• You can find your stories in different places. Be alert to what you see, hear and read.
• Throw your voice.
• Practice your story by living and feeling it. Have it in your head and go over it many times...before falling asleep, while doing chores, while driving...
• When telling your story, build on the positive energy of attentive audience members. Ignore the one or two audience members who may be sleeping or not paying attention. 
• Trust your instincts. There is no one way to develop a personal style.
• One of her suggested resources: New Tales for Old by Gail deVos and Anna Altman