Memory

Memory

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When you are a writer, it is a huge advantage to have an extensive and crystal-clear memory. Imagine. An incredible, invaluable resource right there at your finger tips. Unfortunately, I have come to realize that memory is elusive concept for me. There are blank...
Deep Dark Holes

Deep Dark Holes

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Researching. Sometimes it needs to be done.  I don’t know enough about raising alpacas and it is a central part of my story. I want to integrate the Sistine Chapel into the background of a watercolour and I need visual reference. I have written a police...
Gestures

Gestures

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I love a good gesture.  The way he uses his hands when he’s talking. The angle of her neck when she looks over the fence. How they hold their bodies when they are waiting for the bus. The glance.  A gesture  can embody the meaning of the piece. It...
Erasures or ‘Killing your Darlings’

Erasures or ‘Killing your Darlings’

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When in the middle of rewrites, inevitably there comes a time when you have to bite the bullet and cut your favourite scene, your favourite character, your favourite piece of witty dialogue, the perfect word. Ugh. ‘But, but, but that’s the best...
Finding Mentors

Finding Mentors

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One of the best experiences I have ever had at an art workshop was a one-week session with Brian Atyeo.  In the early 2000’s he was living in Nova Scotia and led a number of painting workshops in the Maritimes. I liked his approach so much that I enrolled in at...