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Touching something real Recently, I was working on a deeply personal and difficult to write nonfiction piece. Before starting, I had a fair amount of anxiety about the topic. I said to myself that I would try, and that I would be gentle with myself. I was prepared to stop at any time if it…… Continue reading The Distorting Lens of Self

We would never expect to know everything about a friend after only a few meetings. It takes months and years to really get to know a person. Even then, they might surprise us. If they are multi-layered and realistic, why should the characters in our stories be any different? Our familiars I imagine that we…… Continue reading Getting to Know Your Characters

Untold depths If a writer knows enough about what he is writing about, he may omit things that he knows. The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only one-ninth of it being above water. – Ernest Hemingway, “Death in the Afternoon ” I heard this message early in my journey as a…… Continue reading The Story Below the Surface

When words don’t come easily Not long ago, my esteemed mentor Stella Harvey wrote in her blog that she was feeling like she was in a rut. She was showing up at her desk, but words did not come easily. It’s a common experience that happens to writers at all stages of their career. We either bemoan…… Continue reading Thinking Is Also Work, So There

Telling isn’t always wrong One of the first things I was taught in creative writing was “show; don’t tell.” I took that to mean that I needed to write about actions and dialogue, and avoid descriptions except for a sentence or two to establish setting. If I wrote about a character’s past or imagined future…… Continue reading Using Summary to Add Depth to Your Stories

The controversy Recently, I discovered an editing controversy related to one of my favourite writers of fiction, Raymond Carver. I’m particularly fascinated by his collection called “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love”. It’s one of my go-to sources for inspiration on realistic, sharp-edged stories. His work makes me rethink assumptions at a…… Continue reading Carving Out the Writer/Editor Relationship

More than paper Some might call my love for books hoarding. It’s true that I have trouble parting with even a single one and I continually yearn for more. If I have a hoarding disorder, it’s beyond treatment because I refuse to change. Words are comfort to me. Books are my friends. Amongst the companions…… Continue reading My Favourite Books on Writing

A while ago, I completed The Writer’s Studio offered by Simon Fraser University. When I signed up for the program, I was interested in fiction writing skills and how to improve the words on the page. I didn’t expect to learn about something that is probably more essential—how to keep going. All the brightest ideas…… Continue reading The Writing Muscle: Strength Building

During The Writer’s Studio, I met with a small group of writers to give each other in-depth feedback on our fiction. We got together every two weeks for a year. I found the discussions on what a helpful critique might include almost as fascinating as the discussions about our work. One of the first questions…… Continue reading Feedback: It’s All About Perspective