To avoid having to pay for and wait for checked baggage, I decided to only bring carry-on luggage on my trip, so that meant that there was no space for unnecessary items. And since I'd planned a do-it-yourself writing retreat and hadn't decided yet which projects and exercises I'd be working on, I had several … Continue reading Packing Lightly for a Writing Retreat
Category: Writing
Please Read Our Past Issues
A writer who wants to carefully target a magazine in order to make a sale will study samples of the magazine, as many writer’s guidelines suggest you do. But this can get expensive. Having gone through this experience several times, and being frugal to the core, I have a few recommendations of how to familiarize … Continue reading Please Read Our Past Issues
“I Guess I Robbed a Bank” published by Good Guy Publishing
Writers sometimes get an “us versus them” attitude toward the editors to whom we send our work. But I have found an editor that is such a pleasure to work with, I almost stopped caring what happened to my submission. Meet editor and author Graham Taylor at Good Guy Publishing in the U.K. We had … Continue reading “I Guess I Robbed a Bank” published by Good Guy Publishing
Free Spreadsheet Templates for Tax Time
A few months ago, I mentioned to some writer friends that I’d created some spreadsheets to calculate my writing income and expenses. I use these for the writing business portion of my tax return. I offered to send a copy to them, and a few were interested, so I made them a little more user-friendly … Continue reading Free Spreadsheet Templates for Tax Time
“Inclement Weather” published in The Storyteller Magazine
My short story, “Inclement Weather”, is now appearing in the current issue of The Storyteller: A Writer’s Magazine. What a thrill! This story came out of a unique writing opportunity and a great book of writing prompts. Several years ago when I was a teaching assistant working at an elementary school, I had two months … Continue reading “Inclement Weather” published in The Storyteller Magazine
Calgary Flood
For the last few weeks, many of my writing, posting and other activities have taken a back seat to the news and activities surrounding the flooding here in Calgary and nearby cities and First Nations. Our neighborhood was evacuated for several days and since we’ve returned (all safe), I’ve been listening to other people’s stories, … Continue reading Calgary Flood
Writing for Kindergarten Readers
Since I’m having so much fun writing a story for kindergarteners, I thought I’d share some of what I’m learning. I started two stories for the Children’s Writer Contest, but I'm pretty sure they are not going to work for this young age. So I thought I’d focus on the words first, instead of the … Continue reading Writing for Kindergarten Readers
Book review of What is a Book App and Could YOU Create One? by Karen Robertson
I have been receiving a newsletter from CBI, Children’s Book Insider, for quite a while, and what a dynamic organization! CBI offers many tips about writing for children, and often gives away some of their valuable resources, which is how I happened to receive this helpful eBook. With all of the changes in the publishing … Continue reading Book review of What is a Book App and Could YOU Create One? by Karen Robertson
Children’s Book Week 2013
Don’t miss out on the 94th Children’s Book Week in the U.S., running from May 13 – 19. Organized by Every Child a Reader, Children's Book Week began in in the United States in 1919 and is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Every year, events are held at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes … Continue reading Children’s Book Week 2013
A Tribute to E.L. Konigsburg
I was sad to learn about the recent loss of E.L. Konigsburg, a talented author of children’s books, and wanted to pass along my thoughts and gratitude for her literary gifts. I first found out about the author when I chose one of her books for a novel study for my grade 6 reading group, … Continue reading A Tribute to E.L. Konigsburg
Happily Writing 