Writing for Strangers

One of the things I learned at The Writers Union workshop was that if you are a blogger and you want your work to become popular you should be writing on topics that would be interesting to strangers. That's an interesting concept and it has caused me to ask myself just who have I been writing for and what the intent of this blog is.

After giving it some thought and reading my profile I've come to realize that I've been writing to please myself and if people find it interesting then that is an added bonus. Many of my friends have said they enjoy reading my posts because it's a great way for them to keep up with what is going on in my life. I really enjoy getting emails or hearing from a friend how one of my posts has inspired them to take action or do something that will make their life better.

The workshop really focused on how to promote yourself as an author, how to get your work out there and establish a reputation in the field. It is certainly my intent to set up a website for self promotion but I'm now working on how to meld my new business venture, a niche market greeting card company, with my book and other pieces of fiction that I intend to finish. When you combine those two things, this blog under my pen name and the writing and speaking that I do professionally as Susan Greig, most of which is related to special needs children, pediatric bereavement and grief and the philosophy of family centred care, I certainly will have to put my little grey cells to work on how to create myself into a "brand".

For the time being everything will stay as it has been and I will continue writing Wilde Tide for myself and for those of you who enjoy reading my ramblings.


Salynne/Susan

I AM a Self-Published Author

On Friday I was able to attend an excellent workshop sponsored by the Writers’ Union of Canada and Canadian Heritage entitled: Secure Footing in a Changing Literary Landscape.

This professional development symposium for writers was so inspiring for me that I have barely been able to sleep since attending. Deborah Windsor, the Union’s executive director, discussed authors’ contracts which was informative and helpful if you are considering going the route of getting a traditional press to publish your work. Information from authors Betsy Warland and Ross Laird outlined the huge changes in the literary industry. What really fired me up was the information they gave on the innovative digital and Internet opportunities that are out there for people to take advantage of. The world-wide web has spawned new pathways and creative venues for publishing and it means re-thinking what we are currently doing and how to take advantage of the constant barrage of new technology.

The entire publishing industry has been turned on its head and many of the long-established bastions of literary production are now publishing, not manuscripts that have been submitted in the traditional way, but books based on what people are reading on the Internet. A good example of this is the book/movie Julie/Julia; another case in point is Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman whose successful blog created such a stir that a traditional publishing company offered her a cookbook contract.

The most gratifying point for me was Ross' comments about self-publishing. He profiled several authors who have become very successful selling their own work and explained that the days of vanity publishing "shame" are now over. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, self publishing has been viewed as derogatory often implying that the author is only printing their book out of vanity and that the work would not be commercially successful enough for a traditional publishing house to take on. Curse the fellow who invented the term. Many companies, including the Writers Union of Canada now offer printing on demand and this is allowing authors, who have stories to share but who may not have been able to get a traditional press to look at their work, to become very successful. Did you know for example that if an author in Canada sells 5,000 books they are considered a best selling author? With the world wide market of the Internet available that it not such a difficult feat.

Those points all brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to stand up and shout the proclamation, "My name is Susan Greig and I AM a self-published author. I had four books sell in a bookstore & now my books sell all over the world on the Internet!" As detailed in my previous blog the Batten Disease Association approached me in 1995 and gave me funding so that I could self-publish my book, Forever Special Friends. To tell, the truth I've always been ashamed of this and have felt that I was somehow not a "real" author. I put in my profile that I was published but it felt like a lie. People from all over the world have sent me wonderful letters of appreciation for FSF all of which I have denigrated and discounted only because of the spectacles of shame that I have been peering through.

On Friday, Ross helped me throw away those lenses; I saw things in a new way and there will be no going back. I will proclaim off the roof tops and eventually a new website that Forever Special Friends is an amazing resource for families who are battling a disease that will take their children away from them. To think that we started out with a print run of 5,000 books and I have less than a thousand left. Within a few years I will be a best selling author! It may have taken me fifteen years to sell the first 4,200 books but I can guarantee the last 800 will fly off the shelves in comparison.

There are so many other things that I learned and have to work on but sharing them with you will have to wait for another posting. You can also look forward to some new announcements about my plans for my new author website and an up and coming entrepreneurial venture that I've been working on.

Cheers,

Salynne/Susan
©2009
(sorry no photos today--I cannot get them to upload-must be a problem with the site-will add later!)

Revelations....

Today is a big day--I'm revealing something that I have not done so before and that is why this blog is entitled Revelations; although it is in no way related to anything biblical. My original intent was to use the term Coming out of the Closet but that has too many other connotations as well.

As you know from my blogs I have indicated some things about myself such as the fact that I work at BC Children's Hospital, I had a daughter who died twelve years ago and I am a published author. Since I became involved with the Closet Writers group at C&W and since starting this blog most everything has been done under by pen name, Salynne.

The book that the Batten Disease Association published about my daughter lists my real name as author. Up until recently I have wanted to keep these parts of my life separate and my identity to others, except friends, private. Today when I visited the Facebook Page that I set up for the book I was delighted to see that there were over 200 "friends". I invited them to read Wilde Tide Blog as a way of following what is going on in my life now and I decided that also meant that it was time to introduce you to my published book "Forever Special Friends" and its website.

Forever Special Friends



© Salynne

Writer in Residence

On Thursday I called in sick. I was really not feeling well but I was not the "can only lay on the couch, eating soup" kind of sick so I decided to grab my journals and head over to my favorite Starbucks.

It was really full and I ended up sitting in a crowded area with a number of the other "regulars". I've chatted with a few of them before but never anything more than comments on the weather or the meaningless chit chat that you do with people you don't know. Besides, I'm usually too busy writing for much in depth conversation anyway.

As I sat down one of the older fellows said to me, "So how's the book coming?" His question caught me off guard because I've never told anyone what I'm doing. Then again I guess it doesn't take rocket science to figure out that if a person shows up at a place continually and sits head down scribbling in a book that they are a writer.

I replied that it was "going...not always as fast as I want." and then we went on to discuss the Olympics. Later, when I again immersed myself in my paper tablet and turned back to my own thoughts a smile kept breaking through the concentration on my face. It's true that I've always viewed myself as the resident writer of my local Starbucks but now I've had confirmation that my coffee shop peers think the same of me. It was a really, really good feeling.

©2010 Salynne

The Write & Wrongs of Free Writing

On Wednesday when our C&W Closet Writers Group at the hospital meets, it oftens takes around fifteen or twenty minutes for everyone to arrive. This was the case this week and so we all worked on a "Free Write" while waiting to get officially started.

For those of you who have never heard of the term "Free Write" before, it is a popular and contemporary "no rules" excercise. There is no write or wrong way to get your words on paper. You are given a word prompt and you are free to do with it as you wish. Your mind is allowed to go in whatever direction it wants, you can write prose, poetry, create a list of associated words, whatever strikes your fancy; the idea is to put down whatever pops into your head. I guess if there are any rules it is that you just keep writing and don't stop to criticize, change or agonize. You can set a time limit or write until it feels like its time to stop. For specific detailed instructions check out:
http://www.wikihow.com/Freewrite

We chose the word "Compass" because one of our members, whose keys were sitting on the table, carries a small globe compass on her keychain. My offering was short and to the point. I stopped writing not because the time was up but because it felt right to do so.

Compass
Backpacking in the woods,
The direction of my life,
Taking steps forward, taking steps back.
I watch my 17 year old daughter struggling in that place between childhood and adulthood. She doesn't know where she is going, what she wants to do after school.
As a parent I want to give her my compass, my beliefs, my set of values but in the end she will create and choose her own. I have tried my best to guide her and be there for her while she finds her way but she is on her own journey, her own path.

Other members wrote on a similar theme-the direction of life. Some did not. Some wrote prose, some wrote poetry, and some wrote word lists. Every single piece was unique and wonderful.

Between now and next week we have the assignment to write on another prompt: What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear "Shanghai"? I'm looking forward to a jaunt over to my local Starbucks for some writing time with this one and to hearing what everyone else comes up with at our next meeting. What comes to your mind?

Salynne ©2010

The Discipline of Writing

I admire anyone who has the discipline to write every day. It was my hope that through this blog I would make that commitment and follow through. As you all well know that hasn't happened. During the past month I've done a lot of re-thinking about the expectations I hold for myself and the reality of my life.

Part of my "problem" is that I have so many projects on the go that I feel pulled in all directions, this blog being one of them. Last week the leader of our writing group sent us all a blank Goals and Inventory Sheet and I filled it out almost immediately. Having had a week to think more about it I've revised it slightly. My motivational guru, Brian Tracy, says that written goals with a deadline have more likelihood of being achieved and since I am a person who responded clearly to such in the past I thought it worthwhile to post them for everyone to see. Public accountability will no doubt spur me on to achieve what I set out to.

What are your goals as a writer?

Short Term Goals (3-6 months) Deadline-April 31, 2010
1. Submit two articles for publication (paid or unpaid).
2. Write my blog consistently-whether its every day, every second day, every third day.....(decision pending).

Long Term Goals (6 months – 1 year) January 31, 2010
1. Flesh out my BCCH Mystery novel (that's right I'm writing a mystery novel).
2. Start typing the manuscript for my BCCH Mystery novel.
3. Work on and flesh out my Mom’s book (uncertain...I've determined that I've suffered several anxiety attacks while working on this and so it may have to go on the back burner for a while however I will keep it on the list).
4. Start typing out the manuscript for the huge group of commentaries that I've written called The Writing Group Chronicles (this covers my journey since joining the BC Children's Hospital Writing Group; I'm actually surprised at how much material I have-it will be interesting to check the word count once it is in manuscript form).


Writing Inventory
What kinds of writing do you do on a regular basis? (course papers, lab reports, correspondence, e-mail, research papers, fiction, poetry, plays, etc.)
Short Stories; fiction; novels; At work I write tons of emails and correspondence.

What is your favorite kind of writing? Why?
Fiction. I love that I get to step into other peoples lives for a few minutes. I get to figure out what makes others tick and learn what makes me the same or different from them.

Describe yourself as a writer using 10 adjectives.
Sporadic, enthusiastic, insecure, raw, positive, emotional, solitary, creative, willing, inspired.

What is your biggest challenge as a writer? What kinds of critiques have you received from the professors, friends, and other readers?
My biggest challenge is finishing something. Negative critiques are that I’m too wordy and tend to be superfluous. Positive critiques come from seeing people moved by what I’ve written, whether they're reading it or as I’m reading it.

What is your greatest strength as a writer? What do other people normally praise about your writing style?
That I’m honest and open about things people might not normally talk about. I mean really, who else has written a blog about the Little Known Stress of Getting a Pedicure or The Zen of Doing Laundry ?!

If you could change one thing about your writing or your writing process, what would it be?
That I could be a more consistent writer. I would write every day and accomplish something on one of my current projects every day until each one is done.

Although today is February 2 I think that on the first of each Month I'm going to schedule a blog that will detail what I have done to accomplished on my goals. If I do that at least I'll have one blog for the month done!

Salynne ©2009

Give a Hungry Man a Fish

Last week I received one of the most interesting, fascinating and touching gifts of my lifetime. It came from the leader of our Writing Group who spotted an Artists Trading Card Travel Kit (ATC kit) at Ruby Dog's Art House on Kingsway & Fraser in Vancouver.

Essentially this travel kit is a blank CD case filled with tidbits of amazing things. Through the clear plastic I could see a small compass, clothespins, teeny tiny puzzle pieces, a piece of 8mm film, a coin of foreign origin, stamps, pieces of maps, a slide for a slide projector, and even a piece of blue fringe-like string. As I turned it over and over to get a look at the pieces I thought that perhaps it was a scrap-booking kit but the note from my friend said that although this was actually an ATC travel kit she saw it as a portable writing prompt kit. She suggested keeping it in my purse for whenever I had a ten minute break and needed writing inspiration.

When I opened the case it was if the world around me slipped away and I was presented with a feast of sensual and tactile delights. It was magical. The 8mm film piece revealed scenes of natives in Africa, there was pieces of foreign paper money, the thick cardboard of a ticket stub, and the crisp tissue like paper that had the Eiffel tower on it and the words French Madeleine's.

A red folded sheet inside explained that the movement started in 1997 when Swiss artist, M. Vanci Stirnemann, created an exhibit of 1200 hand-made cards. On the last day he invited others to create their own cards and trade with him. These miniature pieces of art are traded around the world and ATC swaps are run in almost every major city around the world. The only official rule is that each ATC must be 2.5" x 3.5".

During this past week I've spent time with my kit several times; a few days ago my eye was caught by a map piece that was obviously biblical in nature and the back discussed the King of Tyre and Israelite King Ahab. This made me think that it would be fun to write something from that biblical period as it is a time frame I know something about; I just never considered such a historical setting before. Now I have the beginning of a story starting to swirl around in my mind and when it takes a more definite shape I know there will be something worth putting down on paper.

I've spent some time checking out ATC's on the Internet--its an amazing concept. Keeley and I are planning a trip to Ruby Dog's Art House soon. I've mentioned the store name to a number of friends and they have all said its is the most incredible place and well worth a visit too. I'll let you know when we visit.

The old adage “Give a hungry man a fish and you have fed him for today; teach a man to fish and you have fed him for a lifetime” came to mind as I was writing this story. The gift my friend gave me was a really quite simple but it is one that has inspired me and has endless possibilities. My friend didn't just give me a one time gift; she gave me a gift that triggered my creativity and that is going to last a lifetime.

Salynne ©2009

More Character Names

A week or so ago I was flipping channels and noted that mystery author Phillip Margolin was being interviewed on the book channel show called Mystery Ink. Host John Moore asked Phillip how he chooses character names and he indicated that he is well known for opening the phone book and blindly putting his finger on a name; he uses it either as a first or second name and continues the process until he has the character named.

Phillip has also become known for auctioning character names wherein he will use one of the winners names for a person in his latest novel. He makes no promises as to the type of character and he said that it can be disappointing for the auction winner. He gave an example of how he felt he did not make a winner happy after he used one of the person's name for a rather unsavoury balding, overweight, lawyer, which was nothing like the person who won the auction. Friends too have requested to be written into his books and on occasion he says he bows to the pressure.

I've continued collecting names; one in particular came after driving through New Westminster and seeing ads for the upcoming election. Fin Donnelly is a real person running for office but I've put his name into my character list along with a note that he is a real person and that I should use his names seperately. Either way both Fin and Donnelly are interesting names.

Here are some of my latest acquisitions:

Ashland
Winspear
Norquay
Lavinia
Violet
Jane James
Zepharia
Milton Frederick Thomas Gonzola
Vernon Lester
Maxine
Della
Opal
Inez
Verna Ramon
Melba
Elnora
Delmar Sherman
Alyce Loretta
Florine Alva
Casimir (this is a boy's name not a last name)
Junius
Harrell Dorman
Duhamel
Salois
Inigo Montoya (one of my favorite characters from The Princess Bride!)

Salynne ©2009

Writing Environments

I attended my writers group at work on Wednesday and was inspired. It was one of those occasions when I wish my little digital recorder was working because I had to stop several times on the way home to write down the flurry of thoughts that were making their way into my consciousness.

Once I returned home however that inspiration fled. As I stood surveying my dusty kingdom from the front entrance my heart sank. The fine layer of drywall dust that is still settling over everything grated on not only the soles of my bare feet but on my nerves and the writing muse in my head & heart tucked herself away. Putting my shoes back on and walking into the kitchen I turned to look back at the footprints I left on the dark hardwood floor. It is unbelievable how much dust can settle in just a few hours even when you keep damp mopping and cleaning several times a day.

My feet itched to be free from their prison but I knew that taking my shoes off would only result in pure frustration and disgust. It was then that I began to realize the very strong connection between my environment and my ability to focus and write. Particularly in the last two weeks my home has been in chaos and covered in powder and I have not wanted to write or sit at the computer in my office. I've been writing with pen and ink and in various spots but not at home and not on my "no matter how many times I wipe" dusty home computer & desk.

Having a clutter-free work space and environment has become more important to me than I realized. Over the past years some of my favorite TV shows have been those on a decluttering & home organization such as Neat, Mission: Organization, & Clean Sweep. The show Hoarders is available to watch on line and there is nothing more inspirational or able to get me off my butt to clean house than the terror that one day I'll end up like one of those out of control people profiled. Now I realize that I also have to have some semblance of order and a clean house in order to sit down and have the mental space to write.
There's lots of advice out there on creating the perfect writing mecca but I haven't really paid attention to it. Jane Austen sat at a small table by a window in her room, Rudyard Kipling had a whole room of books and a writing desk. It's not that I think I need to read decorating articles or tips; the most important thing is paying attention to what makes me feel like writing which would also include the habits and rituals that we do that put us in the right mind space to be creative. What I know so far:

• Solitude; although being around activity so that I can people watch is very important therefore sitting at Starbucks is a prime spot.
• Being with the members of our writing group; although I find much more inspiration in the meeting room we've used that has windows and a tree view instead of another enclosed dead air enclave with a ceiling fan that threatens to separate from its moorings and decapitate all of us.
• Sitting at home on my couch with clean hardwood floors and a quiet relatively dust-free house.
• Sitting at the beach or the banks of the river alone.
• Driving in the car listening to Jazz or Classical music.

Most of the time it appears that being alone is the key or at least alone with my thoughts. What else inspires me needs to be part of my self exploration in the next couple of weeks & months.

Salynne ©2009

Blogger Block Rears its Ugly Head

Blogger Block seems to have reared its ugly head; its been one week since I've posted.
Don't get me wrong, its not writers block. I've been writing other things, in fact I've been working on and editing several pieces that I intend to submit for publication. My most intersting project this past week has been my work on a Round Robin created by our writing group. The story has become rather unweildy and so I'm working on a summary of events & character descriptions. Once that is done we will then have to decide how it ends and what we are going to do with it.
I haven't however been inspired by the computer screen. Today on my way home from work I had a brillant flash of something I should write. Of course, since I was in the middle of traffic and couldn't find a pen I didn't make a note of it and then life took over when I got home and now I have absolutely no idea what that fabulous topic was all about.
It will probably come to me at 2am this morning and I will keep a pen & paper beside the bed; then there should be a flurry of blogging over the next few days. At least let's hope that happens....

Salynne ©2009

Abbey Hill Literary Quick Lit Challenge - Big Fat Prize::View Prize

Abbey Hill Literary Quick Lit Challenge - Big Fat Prize::View Prize

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Characters-What's in a Name

One of the blogs I follow discussed in the past week how to choose the names of characters. One person commented that they keep a list of odd and unusual names which they then look at when developing a story. Another source suggested a baby name book and if it is a historical name they said census records were very helpful.

I have found that one of my greatest sources is Movie credits. The movie industry has a lot of very interesting people although I do believe some of the names are made up; still this is a rich resource for character names.

For years I've kept a mental list of those interesting names but about a year ago when I decided to keep a character journal I started to include names as well. If I'm having trouble fleshing out an individual in a story then the next best step for me is to choose a name because somehow they then become more “solid”, rounded out and alive.

Another benefit to putting the names down? I feel like I've been able to clear out the cobwebs in my mind and don't have to carry the information around all of the time, afraid that I'll forget something really spectacular. Some of the most interesting names in my journal:

First Names:
Thaddeus
Cyri
Shayni (Gaelic-I almost name one of my daughters this!)
Estin (I just met someone with this name about two months ago!)
Aika Tahu (Moari)
Edryd (Gaelic)
Thomas Astbury
Yolanda
Bevan (Gaelic)
Bailey Hampton
Miguel
Viviane (French)
Xavier
Marius Cornelli
Nekane (Basque)
Godfrey

Surnames:
Parisian
Leger de Fanass
Collinsword
Ballendin
Madelmar
Paxden Dafoe
De Payen
Wrottsley

Do you have any favorites or unusual names that you want to share?

Salynne ©2009

About Writing

While looking for information on writing I found this hilarious short film made by Meg Cabot. Enjoy!

Salynne ©2009

Seeing in Colour

Its funny how sometimes things in your life all come together. On Saturday I was watching The Murdoch Mysteries which is a series set in the late 1800's. Detective Murdoch is a police detective who uses science to solve crimes. In this particular episode he met one of his mentors Nikola Tessla. That name was already familiar to me because of the Movie "The Prestige"--I knew that Nikola Tessla was a real person and I had looked up information on him after I'd seen the movie but quickly forgot most of it. When this character popped up again in the Canadian show I wondered if Tessla had actually been in Toronto so decided that I would look him up on Wickipedia.

As I was reading it said that he was a "synesthetes". Not being familiar with that term I looked it up. Synesthesia encompasses many things including not only tasting but seeing letters and words in various colours. Then today I got an email from the leader of our writing group about this same condition called "People may be able to taste Words". There were a number of other articles about this which discussed people who see words in colors or see certain things & hear sounds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8070210.stm

This is particularly interesting to me because while reading these stories I began to realize that there have been times where I have written about this kind of phenomenon that occurs within my own "minds eye". When I'm focusing on writing I see words that swirl around in a vortex and then when I decide what I'm going to write those specific words appear in a ticker-tape procession in the order that I write-this is very similar to a woman described in one of the articles. Most of the time the swirling mass of words also contain images--its like watching a hurricane; the majority of time the images & characters are ghostly, not fully formed and then if I concentrate and put the thoughts & words into order they become solid, dark and they then appear on a ribbon before me.

I've also written about the fact that there is inside of me, at my core, a fountain in a lovely garden. It is in that place that my emotions come out of the spouts as colours. Red is anger, depression is navy blue to black (depending on the level), grief is black, grass green is contentment, yellow green is envy & greed; sky blue with white wisps (like a summer sky) is happiness, hot pink fuchsia is love & burgundy is passion. They have always been those colours for as long as I can remember--that is just the way it is. When I'm experiencing intense emotion there are times when I feel my chest is being crushed or squeezed by the "ribbon" of colour. Kind of weird but that is how I've perceived it--I've never questioned it and its normal for me.

The other thing I've suddenly realized as I'm thinking about this is that whenever I pray, I see the words. They start in a central place & move towards heaven. It is most clear when I am praying myself whether in my head or out loud. When someone else is praying and I'm listening it still happens but the words are not as clear. They are in the same black & grey as the other words in my "hurricane" appear-I've never noticed if they are in colour or not. What is interesting is that eight years ago when I started learning sign language I started praying more in images than words--those images like the words would start in that central space and move towards heaven.

Two of my blogs in the past month discuss the colorful way that I see the world. My "Inspired by Blue" blog on May 23 was all about the way that I see the world--I was feeling blue and I equated that to my emotions and to my eye colour. The colour of the blue umbrella is the exact colour of the "blue" melancholy emotion that was coming out of my "fountain" that day. I used a photo program to get the exact shade-it was important for me to capture that. On Thursday in "Music as Muse", I referred to the connection between past events and the future as colourful ribbons. That is how I see them in my minds eye...its not just pretty or pictorial wording. I "see" a timeline and depending on how I view the event-if its a happy event it is a light blue, green, pink or yellow ribbon, if its an event that caused me pain the line or ribbon is red, black or blue. I have considered it my rainbow of experiences that connect past & present. I've thought a lot lately about how I see the world and this new information and research really dovetails with those personal explorations surrounding my "creativity". So...does all of this mean I'm a synesthetes? I don't know and I don't really care. I do have to admit that it actually surprises me to think that not everyone has experiences in their head like mine & it is shocking to think that perhaps I might have a "condition" or that I might be considered a person with a learning disability. Then again, what is normal? What is a disability? Who's way of thinking or way of experiencing life is the right way? I prefer to think that I have a vivid imagination and that my "colourful" way of looking at the world, my creativity, is something that I thought could be cultivated and it was something that I hoped I would pass on to my children. So far it seems that my daughter has the gift of visualization, she seems to have a photographic memory but I'll have to ask her more about the way she perceives things.

Regardless of whatever this way of seeing life, words, emotions and thought is, it is one of the greatest most wonderful gifts I possess. To me it is a treasured gift that makes my life rich and unbelievably interesting and it is something that I hope I will never lose or have fade away.

Salynne ©2009

The Heat

We residents of Vancouver are used to the typical west coast weather so when things start to heat up it takes a few days to adjust. At work today an email was sent out asking people to turn out their lights if possible and turn off any unused computers because of a fear that we would overload the system and cause a black-out. Not a good thing for a hospital!

Our air quality is becoming an issue and there are warnings for people who have asthma or pre-existing lung conditions. Environment Canada has asked people to avoid driving unless necessary and to not use gas-powered lawn mowers. The fire hazard rating in all areas of the province are either moderate, high or extreme--guess there will be no fire tonight or for the next couple of weeks in our chimnea.
After a very dreary and late spring, summer has hit with a vengance!

I find its easy to get irritated so I've decided to take action--all of our fans are on full blast, taco's for dinner (hot weather food-if people in hot weather Mexico can eat it in the heat so can we!) and although hubby will be drinking beer I'm thinking margarita's are in order--to help with the irratibility of course! In the meantime though a story is worming its way into my thoughts--something about a murder committed because of the irratibility of a heat wave--perhaps a menopausal woman undergoing a hot flash--hmmm...a heatwave and hormones...seems to me to be a deadly cocktail for a crime!

I thought I would check out the concept of a Menopause Murder mystery on the internet and to bad...it looks like someone has beaten me to the punch!

Read Everything-Books, Books, & More Books

As a writer I've always believed that you should also be an avid reader. Today that was confirmed. YouTube is a rich resource for writers; there are plenty of "how to" videos and this one by Claire Cooke, author of several novels, including Must Love Dogs supports that view.

When it comes to my own reading I fluctuate between more serious novels and what I call mindless distraction literature--mostly chick lit of some kind.

So I'll start with a list of my all-time Favorite Novels:

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer/Annie Barrows

A Year in Provence (also Toujours Provence) - Peter Mayle

Persuasion - Jane Austen

Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen

Brother Cadfael Mysteries (I love them all!)

Madeline - Ludwig Bemelman's

The Tea House on Mulberry Street-Sharon Owens

The Girl with the Pearl Earring-Tracy Chevalier

Recently Read or Reading:

Letters from Yellowstone (fast becoming a favorite)

Sundays at Tiffany's-James Patterson

Hot to Trot-Lou Wakefield

The Pilots Wife-Anita Shreve

The Kite Runner-Kahled Hosseini

Rachael's Holiday-Marian Keyes

Looking Forward to Reading:

Girl in Hyacinth Blue-Susan Vreeland

Me & Mr. Darcy-Alexandra Potter

Five Quarters of the Orange-Joanne Harris

The Handyman-Linda Nichols

The Time Traveler's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger

What are you reading?

Salynne©2009

The Other Writer

Today at Starbucks I was not alone. A man with a backpack came in, sat down with his coffee and proceeded to pull out a journal and write. It felt very strange. I felt intruded upon and yet on the other hand it was like we two shared some deep secret. I smiled, he smiled back and we each went back to our writing.

I had to observe him and leave my story. I opened my character journal (the book where I keep interesting notes about people that I want to put in future stories) and started writing about him. "He writes slow in his quality leather bound journal. He prints-just a few simple outline notes and I wonder if he is a deep thinker and feeler or if he is writing something mundane like a shopping list or work notes. Maybe I intimidate him as I am writing with my usual vigor, unable to slow down or pause when the words come pouring out of me."

I thought about how true it is that you never really know someone and that you cannot judge a book by its cover. The other writer, "doesn't look like a writer to me. He is average height, 5' 10" perhaps, with a receding dark hair-line, round John Lennon glasses-definitely old and out of date; kahki pants with white runners that have gaudy bright orange and brown soles". I wonder, "are his shoes a "rebellion" against his staid looking persona or are they a cheap discount pair of shoes from Wal-Mart that just do the job. His leather journal is telling though-he clearly loves his book and handles it softly and gently".

He did not stay long. He closed his book, started getting his backpack in order and that is when it hit me. Maybe his book was a character journal like the one I was writing about him in. Maybe he was writing about the red haired woman in the skirt and new shoes who was eating oatmeal and writing. "She smiles to herself when she writes something that strikes her fancy & she gives sidelong glances to the people in the shop & then writes furiously". Maybe he's put down that "she don't look like a writer", that "she is a frumpy, slightly overweight woman writing in a journal and chasing empty dreams of grandeur".

It was with this realization that I discovered, that despite being surrounded by people in the shop, I like being the only resident writer--at least when I'm there. The other writer walked out the door and I was happy to have MY writing spot and MY private coffee shop back to myself.

Salynne ©2009

Little Story Lost-In the Twilight Zone

As I stated in an earlier blog it was my intention to enter a writing competition. I wrote my Lost & Found piece on a scrap of paper while I was waiting in the car for a friend. It was brilliant in my eyes; I cried when I wrote it. Later that day I brought it into the house but with the chaos of the wedding it disappeared. I've spent days looking for it everywhere, even searching through the garbage and recycling. Nothing. It feels a little like the Twilight Zone episode "Little Girl Lost":

Missing: One really great story. Name: "My New Brother". Description: Words on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. Last seen: on the kitchen table. Last heard: aye, there's the rub as Hamlet put it. For "My New Brother" can be rememered quite clearly but cannot be recaptured accurately at all. Present location? Let's say for the moment--in the Twilight Zone.

This has been agony. The day before the competition ended I sat down and tried to re-create it but eventually gave up realizing it was a futile exercise. My story is now a moment lost in time. I wonder, was it my subconscious, my fear of entering that made me do something thoughtless with it? Or maybe I put it someplace "special" for safekeeping and sometime in the coming weeks I will find it tucked between papers or scrunched in the back of a drawer. More than likely however, there is a good probablity my "masterpiece" is sitting in a dump somewhere among rotting stinking garbage. I would prefer to think though that the paper is at least being recycled and something new will be created. Perhaps like the Twlight Zone episode where the Dad reached into the 4th deminsion to rescue his daughter, I too, will some day be able pull those thoughts and ideas back into this reality.

Salynne ©2009

A New Book - Diary of a Wedding Planner

You're probably wondering where I've gone. Several pictures will give you an idea. As

You'd think it would be a glamourous job but its been a little...

...to say the least-we're organized & don't have much to do for the actual wedding but its the people you have to deal with! And now to make everything worse I'm...

Yes..sick as a dog. And today I have to clean house & get everything ready for the rehearsal dinner tomorrow.

He may not be my biological son but when ya love someone you want the best for them...but there is a very big part of me that just wants this over.

I have written a little each day however I have not posted it. There is so much advice out there for future authors about writing what you know so I decided that I would start on a new book. It will be similar to the nanny diaries only this will be from a former wedding planners perspective when she puts aside her new career in healthcare to come out of retirement to help plan her son's wedding! The characters will be similar to to those in my own real life...a son who who wants the big dream wedding and the simple country girl who would would rather have a barbeque in the backyard. My son & future daughter-in-law have done what I've told them to do and really have nothing to do this week (most of our stress comes from everyone being sick & relationship issues with other people) but the couple in the book will have a chaotic engagement.

I'll tie in some of the memorable moments from my eighteen years of wedding planning before I "retired"--there is nothing more terrifying for a wedding planner than having a mother of groom dressed in a bright royal blue sequined dress with a blue sequined hat adorned with feathers bearing down on you because she is unhappy-oh and by the way my dress NOT blue; I will never, ever wear royal blue to a wedding. There was the mother who called me the morning of the wedding to tell me and the bride that she would not let her husband, the brides step-father, drive in the limo with the wedding party. She did not like the fact that all of the girls in the party were young and pretty which made her feel old & frumpy. There was the groom that nearly fainted during his vows, the couple who only wanted to pick out their clothes, the band, leave everything else to me and show up at the wedding (that one was fun!), and the little flowergirl who peed herself while walking down the aisle. Last but not least I have to include the life-changing moment when a bride sat with me bawling her head off because the colour of the napkin did not exactly match the colour of her invitation. That was the moment when I looked around and asked myself if there was possibly something more important that I could be doing with my life.

Caio!

Salynne

My Intentions

I've never submitted any of my writing for publishing or entered any writing competitions, etc. My book was published because it met a specific need. Part of the promise to myself to write for the next year entails getting my work out there. The Burnaby Writers Society is hosting a competition with a deadline of May 31 & it is my intention to participate.

http://www.bws.bc.ca/

From the site:

"Things Lost/Things Found-This theme can be interpreted in any way you like -- things (or people) lost, things (or people) found, things lost and then found -- or any other association that may occur to you. Work can be in any form or genre as long as it will fit on one side of a standard 8 1/2" x 11” sheet of paper with standard margins."

This does not seem overwhelming and it looks like a good place to start. My thoughts:

Lost-the TV show, Love Lost, Lost your mind, Alzheimers, mental illness, little girl lost, lost and wandering on the battlefield of alzheimers (remember that from my Wednesday's writing group?), lost a contest or game show, solitary, alone, absent, invisible, misplaced, misspent, wasted, gone, lost at sea, doomed, treasure.

Found-what was lost is found, no longer alone, found in amongst my dreams, calling out, reaching out, lost & found, treasure chest, create, start.

For now the creative process is just beginning with me. Since the next week is going to be extremly busy with my son's wedding I may not have the time to sit down and write more than my blog but I know that ideas will swirl around in a big soup. At some point the soup will begin to form a substance & that will be the time when I'll need to get it on paper.

With the deadline submission on/before May 31 I've still got time to come up with at least one idea or maybe even two. What come to your mind when you think of Things Lost/Things Found?