10. You’re able to work in your pyjamas. I don’t, but I gather others do. Pyjama on, my friends. Go bravely into the flannel.  9. You don’t have an office job. But you do, really. If you don’t think of writing as a job (pyjamas or not), you’ll never get anywhere. Those manuscripts don’t write themselves. There’s no app for that.  8. You don’t have to make polite conversations with your co-workers. Although I consider ‘liking’ people’s posts on Facebook as the equivalent.  7. You HAVE no co-workers. Usually. But partnerships happen. Rejoice in the real-person contact. Compare and contrast your pyjama pants.  6. Lunch time is at your discretion. As is its content.  5. And duration.   4. You can (occasionally) receive praise for your writing from strangers. This means far more than praise from people you know. Odd, but true.   3. The best praise is royalties. Best, best, best. Yes, I know people say it’s not about the money. I disagr...

Whilst skating about various social media sites, I’ve encountered more than one person discussing their ‘word of the year’: A word which encapsulates their goals for the upcoming twelve months. I liked this idea and so I boldly took the next step: choosing a word. But which word to choose? First, I thought ‘Let’s dream big’ and I chose success . Then I thought, ‘But that could simply mean getting through the day without killing anyone (literally - remember, I write murder mystery games so there’s usually a hypothetical body on the floor somewhere). Or it could mean I successfully ate the last cookies in the jar. Or ‘Hurrah, you found a different recipe for dinner instead of the old tried and true six recipes you usually employ.’   Digression : I have a bookshelf of cookbooks and am addicted to adding to my collection. I use three of them - and of those three, I use them for very specific dishes. For example, I would never consider looking for a brownie recipe (digression in...

I’m Canadian, so I celebrated Thanksgiving last month. However, not everyone is Canadian. So, in honour of American Thanksgiving I’m sharing 10 things I’m grateful for each and every day. Bonus # 11. (Dare we say it?) No trolls to feed. Photo by Josh Wedin, via Flickr 10. The ability to weave a plot and create characters to walk its path. 9. Being able to lose myself in my fictional world. 8. Warm soup on a cold day. (Remembering to keep said soup out of the spill-zone.) 7. Fingerless gloves. (No, it doesn’t get that cold in my little corner of Canada, but it does get damp.) 6. The increasingly acceptable option of being in charge of my own destiny by self-publishing. 5. Getting away from the lights of the city and glorying in the wonder of the stars. 4. A purring cat. In my opinion, there are few sounds more comforting that the rumble of a cat’s purr. 3. Typing “The End.” 2. Having my characters talk to me. I might not like what they’re saying or the hour tha...

We writers are suspicious creatures. Here are 10 things which would fill any writer with horror - or maybe it’s just me.  10. Opening a copy of your new book to discover a typo in the second paragraph on page 57. 9. Realizing half way through your manuscript that you're writing a plot you’ve already employed in a different book. 8. Discovering that half your characters have names starting with the same letter. Don’t laugh. This happened to me and I now have sirens going off in my head if I think about using a name starting with that letter. 7. No coffee. 6. No chocolate. 5. No coffee or chocolate. Yes, I know I’ve written the same thing as #7 and #6; but the horror, the horror! 4. That writer that you know who is more productive in an hour than you are in a week. (And who probably lives in a house that could be on the cover of House Beautiful, but that’s another issue). 3. Discovering that your protagonist isn’t who you thought you wrote at all, but a rather in...

I have a backyard apple tree that has decided this is the year that it is going to gift me with harvest tenfold - no, twentyfold - its usual volume. So, while my kitchen is (almost literally) awash with apple sauce, apple pie, apple crisp, apple cake and apple square, here are ten people that I nominate for the Mushy Apple Award.  10. The person who bursts into your office 10 minutes after you’ve shut the door announcing you’re going to write to ask if you’re done yet. 9. The person who hovers behind your chair, peering at your computer screen or pad of paper. NOTE: If they make judgmental noises, they get 2 mushy apples. 8. The person who asks “Are your books published?” and when you answer “Yes,” tilts his/her head and replies in a tone of astonishment, “Really?” 7. The person who shares that they’ve always wanted to write a book because it seems like such an easy thing to do. They just haven’t found the time. Maybe next weekend. 6. The person (it could be the same p...

Photo by Civinod , via Flickr Hello. Look at the date. Yes, It’s July. Half the year is gone. What have you done with it? How have you spent those 182 days? That’s right. 182 days. There’s a common simile among writers comparing writing a book to gestating and birthing a baby. A normal pregnancy lasts around 266 days. Think on that for a moment. I’ll wait. Now...breathe. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.) I’m sure many of you reading this post have been ruthlessly efficient. You may have piles (or files) (or piles of files) - look at that, I channelled Dr. Seuss for a moment - the point is you’ve worked. You’ve accomplished great things. You’ve met your deadlines. For those of you to whom the foregoing applies, please accept my heartiest congratulations, my admiration, and a slight wish for you to soak your head. But...there may be some souls reading this post who don’t have piles (or files) (or piles of files) of completed work. These are the souls I’m writing to now. ...

You’re a writer. You know writing is all about self-discipline. Okay, it’s also about technique and talent, but I’m not blogging about those. Work with me here. Ahem. Writing is about self-discipline. Steely, hard-eyed, butt-in-the-chair-hands-on-the-keyboard discipline. I get that. But before you plant your butt in that chair have you… 10. Checked the level of your coffee supplies. Some say you can never have enough coffee; and they may be right. I say you know you’ve reached your coffee limit when your typing starts to look like this: “ ttttttttttttttttttttthhhhhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiisssssssssssss ”. 9. Ensured your food drawer is stocked. Everyone has a food drawer; don’t try to deny it. Some say their drawers are full of healthy snacks. I say some lie. One word, my friend, one word: Chocolate. 8. Set your radio/computer/mp3/cd player to your preferred music. Some of us write to music; some don’t. I write to the dulcet tones of warring cats and the occasi...

"Pearl trap I" by János Csongor Kerekes via Flickr Hello, sweetie. You’ve fallen into a trap. An Internet trap. Relax. As far as traps are concerned it’s not so bad.  But I’m not trapped, I can hear you say . I’m reading a blog. This is part of my routine, part of my social networking.  Yes, yes, it is. Reading and commenting on blogs can be a vital part of a writer’s day. Of course non-writers read blogs like this one as well, but indulge me while I concentrate on writers because, well, I am one. I know writing, for many of us, is isolating. It’s just us and our computer (or piece of paper, or whatever). Hence...the lure of the Internet and social networking. Of course the Internet is a wonderful tool. I’ve researched and Google street-viewed places which would have cost me thousands to see in person. (Not that that wouldn’t have been pleasant, I admit. You don’t get ambient sounds in Google street-view. You can’t smell the delicate perfume which ...

INT. Late afternoon. The WRITER is sitting at her desk, typing on a laptop. The typing is slow but steady. SMALL VOICE:  ( in a sing-song manner) HelllOOOOoo. THE WRITER ignores the SMALL VOICE. SMALL VOICE: Look at me. I’m shiny. The WRITER continues to type, now bending over the keyboard and typing with, perhaps, a touch more force than necessary. SMALL VOICE: Hey. Pay attention to me. I’m so shiny. WRITER: Go away. SMALL VOICE: And glittery. Look at me, I can spit sparkles. I’m a living firework display over here. WRITER: Go away. SMALL VOICE: Are you sure? WRITER: Yes. SMALL: But I’m soooooo shiny. The WRITER stops typing . WRITER: Okay. You win. What are you? SMALL VOICE: An idea. WRITER: Ah. SMALL VOICE: A new idea. An idea for a plot far, far better than that tired old thing you’re working on. This idea is fresh. It’s bold. It’ll set the world on fire. WRITER: I can’t think about you right now. SMALL ...

English literature is scattered with timeless tales of love: Heathcliff and Cathy, Scarlett and Rhett, Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, and of course, Romeo and Juliet. But what of that other love story - hidden in the background of each of these tales, and present in every book ever written? I speak, gentle reader, of that epic love between a writer and her manuscript. It is a great love, but, like all great loves, not without pain.  Day 1 My most dearly beloved Manuscript; Where have you been all my life? I love you. I love your characters, your plot, your humour. I love me for having the imagination to create you! Working on you will be a joy. I look forward to every minute we're going to spend together. Welcome to my life. Day 15 Dear Manuscript; Thanks so much for showing me the way out of that corner I wrote myself into, although if you hadn't insisted on that monkey showing up I wouldn't have been in the corner to begin with. Let...

In honour of everyone putting new calendars up on their walls (I have two - one with chickens, one with penguins), here are ten resolutions to ponder. The seriousness and length of your pondering is up to you. 10. I will make healthier food choices . NOTE: The operative word, of course, is healthier. Healthier than what? And whose? You could choose to make Healthier choices than those made by King Edward VII of Great Britain who would routinely sit down to twelve course dinners. Good for you. Let me put down my pop tart and applaud. 9. I will take more exercise . NOTE: You walk from your desk to the refrigerator. You could have installed a fridge near your desk, but no, you chose otherwise. You’re an Olympian. 8. I will expand my vocabulary. NOTE: The verb in this resolution is ‘expand’, not ‘improve’. It’s not your fault if people assume the latter. I suggest spending some time familiarizing yourself with Shakespearean curses such as those found on this website, The Sha...

Taken during my summer in England, 2012. I never thought my training and experience as an actor would be of much use outside a theatre. Certainly my family thought so. Announcing one is going to pursue an acting career garners the same response as announcing the wish to write novels: "But, what are you going to do as a real job?" As an actor I spent years (and I do mean  years ) getting inside other people's heads. I've played career-driven women, women with relationship issues, women hungry for power and women looking for love. I've even played a man with emotional troubles; the psychiatrist, Martin Dysart, in Peter Schaffer's classic play  Equus . I learned a myriad of dialogue rhythms, from comedic to tragic to Shakespearean. I honed my comedy. I discovered how people react to different situations and how to portray that (both emotionally and physically) on stage. As a director I had to 'look at the whole board' (to quote one ...

Spiders. Snakes. Dark alleys. Thumps in the middle of the night. Scary things, yes, but nothing strikes fear into the heart of a writer more than... Photo by Eamon Curry via Flickr.com THE MIDDLE . The place where plots go to die. The place where characters reveal themselves to be flat, unimaginative and straight-out dull. It's a place from which you're sure you'll never escape. Well friends, I've been to the middle and come out the other side. How, you ask? First, let me say it wasn't easy. Second, let me say it wasn't pretty. There were colourful metaphors flung about. There were clenched fists. There was a finger sneaking toward the delete key. But I escaped. By moving backward. Let me explain. I knew my ending, so I wrote that. I also knew what had to happen right before the ending. Wrote that. I kept working my way backwards, step by step until I found myself back in the middle. I then discovered that I needed only a few scenes to bridge what...

I know the calendar insists January 1st is the start of the year, but for me, the year begins in September. As children return to school (muffled cheers), the air cools and nature’s autumn palate leaves us open-mouthed, I share with you ten resolutions for a writer’s new year. Yes, you may have made resolutions back in January, but look upon this month as another chance to start fresh. Work with me here, dammit. Here are September’s Resolutions. 10. I will get up from my chair once every hour and stretch. Yes, I know it’s risky to move and lose being in The Zone, but if I don’t, I end up being in The Soreness. Added Bonus : Hourly pacing and muttering. Never a bad thing. 9. I will remember that my keyboard requires a spill-free zone. Lesson learned on this one. That was a bad day. 8. I will turn the Internet off when I’m working. Somehow, Facebook will be able to  muddle through without my presence. It hurts, but it’s true.  7. I will write down word...

As I write this post, I am four days away from my self-set deadline for a first draft. I will make it. In honour of this yet-to-be-completed-but-will-be-damn-it accomplishment, I've written a post about the next step in the road toward publication. I'm hoping that reminding myself of past horrors will prepare me for taking this step again. After all, picking up any manuscript after its necessary absence from everyday sight is a brave act. One knows it isn't perfect. One knows there will be language to tighten or heighten, but then there are the errors that makes one wonder why one doesn't fall down more. So here, (in no particular order...) are some of my past discoveries: The main character's height changed. He started off very tall and lost about 6 inches somewhere in the last third of the plot. I tried to logic out that he lost the height because he was tired and wanted the damn thing to end, but then I realized that that was me, not h...

Writer: Okay, manuscript, here we go. ( poises fingers over keyboard ) Manuscript: Muahahaha. Writer: Excuse me, but did you just ‘muahahaha’? Manuscript: Muahahaha. Writer: Why would you do that? I’m writing. Manuscript: No, you’re not. You’re listening to me laugh and wondering if I’m going to do it again. Writer: Fine then. I’m about to write. Manuscript: Define ‘about’. Writer: What do you mean by that? Manuscript: You know what I mean by that. You call yourself a writer but you spend all your time reading blogs about writing or reading interviews with writers or looking at funny cat pictures. What are lol cats, by the way? Your browser history is full of them. Writer: Shhhh. Manuscript: You haven’t answered my question. Writer: But writing is hard . No one told me that. I thought I’d sit and the words would flow and before I knew it, I’d have a finished book. Manuscript: Writing is work . That’s not just a saying; it’s the truth. Cold? Yes. But ...

One of my very favourite books is Alice in Wonderland . Therefore, in the spirit of the Mad Hatter and his unanswerable riddle (although scholars now have come up with an answer)*, here are ten somewhat unanswerable questions that many writers wrestle with on a daily basis. No order. No judgments. Just questions. 10. Where did that idea go? I had it last night... 9. When did my coffee get cold? 8. Why do I write characters who are experts in fields that I am not? 7. What happens next? Seriously. What happens next? 6. Why don't I have three hands? (two to type and one to hold a tasty snack) 5. How did I not notice I have characters named Jim, Tim and Kim? (Unless they're triplets, I've got a problem...) 4. Why did no one tell me that it takes a  long  time to write 80,000 words? 3. Why did no one tell me it takes even longer to write 80,000  good  words? 2. Why did no one buy more coffee? ...

Every writer dreams of being in The Zone - that magical place where words and ideas flow. There's a reason it's a dream because for many of us (myself most definitely included), our visits there are too few and far too fleeting. Here are ten signs that you too, my sister (or brother), are most assuredly not in The Zone: 10. Just one more game of Solitaire (or Free cell or Angry Birds or...). Just one. Oops, where did that hour go? 9. Notice you've used the word 'pretty' twice. Not in the same paragraph; the same sentence . 8. (If you write mysteries) your sleuth is about to have his/her big 'aha' moment. This is when you realize there is no logical way they could have leaped to the solution. 7. Realize your fingers are cramping because they've been frozen over the keyboard for such a long time. 6. It's been so long since you've looked at your WIP that when you actually open up the document you have to spend  considerable time  re-re...

’Tis the month of love (or heart disease); take your pick. We writers tend to have a similarly tempestuous relationship with our manuscripts, so I’ve written this list: O, Manuscript, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways…(just ten, don’t panic) 10. You’re new. You’re shiny. You’re brimming with bright, complex characters. 9. Those empty pages aren’t terrifying. They’re error-free. 8. You are my excuse for a computer browser history which can include undetectable poisons, eighteenth century table manners, last year’s Kentucky Derby winner and five different red velvet cake recipes.  7. I’m never alone. I have characters talking inside my head. (that’s normal, right?) Yes, they can wake me up in the middle of the night, but I'll take that over them not talking at all. 6. I now have the ability to type and eat simultaneously. 5. I can take all the lessons I learned from previous work and apply them to you . 4. I’m writing a new manuscript. I deserve chocolate. 3. ...

10. To write more . I leave the precise definition of ‘more’ up to you. 9. To read more . Reading will inspire you. What it will inspire you to do can vary. It might improve your own work, demonstrating new ways to explore your themes or deepen your characters. Or it might make you want to set fire to your WIP. I urge you to resist the latter. Unless you’re cold. In that case, I urge you to make another copy before you burn the one. Just a suggestion. 8. To fill your food drawer with healthy snacks . I leave the precise definition of ‘healthy’ up to you. Don’t even bother trying to deny the existence of the food drawer. It’s there. It might not be an actual drawer, but it’s there. Admit it. Confession is good for the soul. 7. To set personal deadlines . Deadlines imposed by the outside world are different. They’re already set and carry real consequences. Ignore them at your professional peril. 6. To meet personal deadlines. This is the hardest resolution of all. That...