Natasha Deen's Blog, page 22

In The Key of Nira Ghani nominated for a 2020 Forest of Reading Award

So excited to see that Nira’s story is a nominee for the 2020 Red Maple Award!

The last quarter of 2019

It’s so odd to think that 2019 will be over in 3 months. I feel like it’s just begun. Or perhaps, I feel as though there should be a rewind button.

I struggled with the writing starting in November 2018, where nothing worked and nothing made sense, and that storm only broke in July.

So, I suppose I want those lost 6 months back, so I can catch up on the writing and feel less sad about the state of my manuscripts. But, I wonder, **should** I call them “lost months?”

I mean, we learn through go...

In the Key of Nira Ghani gets a shout out on CBC

Much thanks to Lisa J. Lawrence for giving a shout out to In the Key of Nira Ghani on CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM.

Lisa’s bio: Lisa J. Lawrence grew up as a free-range kid in small towns in British Columbia and Alberta. She currently works as a writer and Spanish teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, where she lives with her husband and three children. Her first novel, Rodent, was nominated for numerous awards.

Her most recent book is Trail of Crumbs, available through booksellers and Orca Book Publisher...

As Summer Closes

As summer begins to draw the curtains, I’m grateful for hot air balloons, blue skies and rainy days, and beautiful deer hiding in the lush green.

Ack, I pulled a Wil E. Coyote

Yup, totally did it. I was writing, totally in draft mode, okay with this-is-horrendous-but-just-get-it-done-mode, getting in the word count…then I looked down.

By which, I mean, I started thinking about edits and beta readers and this was draft #6 and why wasn’t it ready, yet? And…then I fell off the cliff.

So, now I’m at the bottom, dusting myself off after 3 days of no writing, and getting ready to scale the mountainside and write, again.

From Theoretical to Practical

When I was a kid, they had the Canada Fitness Test, which was a series of six exercises (shuttle run, 1600 m run, etc.) designed to test the fitness of students, aged 6-18.

The shuttle run mystified me. Lie down on your stomach, hear the command, jump up and run to the bean bag (about 20 m away) (aka Spot 2), grab bean bag, bring it back to the starting position (aka Spot 1), drop it, pick up 2nd bean bag that’s at Spot 1, run back to Spot 2, drop the bean bag, pick up another bean bag, run b...

Working with the Masters – a small reminder

I often hear young writers talk about how great it would be to be mentored by So-and-So or to attend a talk by this-amazing-writer, but time and finances can be a burden.

And then, of course, you have those “if you really wanted it, you’d find a way,” folks that seem to forget people have families, jobs, etc.

So, just a small reminder that whomever you admire, you can always learn from them.

Buy/borrow their book. Read it. Go back, pen and paper in hand, and jot down what happens in every sc...

A Few Mad Fools

Much thanks to Ava Woolf for inviting me to participate in her Twelve Questions Project, (“A FEW MAD FOOLS is a compendium of interviews with creatives in the arts that invites guests and readers to reflect on their relationship with creativity and their selves. Its goal is to increase the vibrancy and emotional health of creatives’ lives.”

My interview can be viewed here.

 

Oh, Dear…

Ah, yes, that moment when you’ve been ultra-focused on the manuscripts—so much so that your dinner grows cold and your bed even colder—and you find yourself looking down at the cup of tea you’ve been making, the stirring spoon in your hand, and you find yourself asking the all important question, “Is this the spoon for the tea or did I just use it to mix up The Girl’s wet/dry food combo, then plunge it into my cup?”

EPL Summer Series Schedule

You’ll want to double-check the time/date with the branches, but this is my summer schedule for the EPL’s Summer Series.

I’ll be talking about snow, dogs, stars, insects, and fairy tales, and how our stories make the world better. (I’ll also leave time toward the end for any writing-related questions). The sessions are open to all ages.

Hope to see you there!