Sylvia McNicoll's Blog, page 15
October 6, 2012
Choose Your Words Carefully–What Writers Discuss
A snail galloping through Bronte Creek The other night at writers’ group, I read a new scene from a story with the working title What the Dog Taught Me This will make the fourth rewrite for this book and … Continue reading →
September 30, 2012
Ten+Top Secrets of a Great Launch
Lately I’ve been attending many birthday celebrations, lovely events, unique in that they are celebrating the birthday of a book. Today on the celebration of my own birth, I attended Gillian Chan’s launch of A Call to Battle, Scholastic Canada. … Continue reading →
September 17, 2012
The literary experience Telling Tales Style
Captain Underpants fights bad educators everywhere. What I learned from Goodreads is that it's okay to read YA literature when you're not...well... a YA yourself. I can tell by the people who select my own novel Crush. Candy. Corpse as a "to read". They're at least old enough to wield a credit card, often in their thirtys +.That fact frees me to enjoy a Children's Literature Festival when I'm not on duty as a parent or performing/reading author.
Why does a writer go when they aren't paid? To meet their friends. I love bumping into all the writers I don't see on a regular basis. Captain Underpants is not a writer and I haven't met Dav Pilkey or bought his latest yet but my grandson Hunter and I have enjoyed his antics between pages so why not have my photo taken with him.
Deborah Ellis often writes about Afghanistan and serious socialist issues but I'm on a mystery kick so I bought her True Blue to see a different side of her.
Deborah Ellis talking about Afghanistan
Norah McClintock explaining her title Close to the Heel Norah McClintock spoke about her contribution to Eric Walters' new series. Close to the Heel is set in Iceland. I was so impressed that she travelled to Iceleand to research the book. (I doubt a Canadian advance would cover the airfare) Still she told me later how beautiful Iceland was and I hope to enjoy the setting through the story, don't think I'll ever make it there.
Granddaughter Jadzia in rapture with the chickenAnd even though I'm not on parent duty, a plus of Telling Tales is meeting my grownup kids and grandchildren. I introduced Jennifer to Ruth Ohi who has a bunch of new Chicken Pig and Cow picture books out. We're big fans.
These chickens seemed doglike in their enjoyment of being caressed and patted.Besides meeting terrific authors in a very intimate setting, getting up close and personal with the livestock is always a lovely relaxing between reading thing to do at Westfield. Farmhands are dressed from the long dress and bonnet days.
Lovely fall sunshine and stopping at a market for fresh peaches and corn round off a perfect day.
September 11, 2012
Access Copyright--Working for the survival of Canadian Culture
Most people's eyes glaze over when you start talking about copyright but not these 24 people. From Thursday till Saturday, they devoted themselves to solving the issues behind the survival of our culture, namely the protection of intellectual property. Currently Bill C11 and the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada jeopardize the blanket licence payments for the use of educational materials.
While I'm not as passionate as some of them about copyright issues, I am passionate about writing and reading and education and opportunity for our young people.
I sympathise with teachers trying to get the best materials for their students in as quick and inexpensive a manner as possible. I feel badly for university students whose tuition rates have gone up horrendously in the past short while. University instructors and profs need to be able to offer quality course packs without spending weeks trying to get permissions.
But if a teacher pushes forth a young writing prodigy and tells me he or she will someday be a professional like me, I also feel bad. Even if I donate back my Access Copyright cheque, which for my large body of works is sizeable, it won't solve the issue of there being no writing jobs for these students. And for the university kids, right now there are many cultural jobs in the publishing industry that will continue to disappear if they insist on free content.
It may seem very fair to them now to have access to materials for free (and it's never free, it's at the publisher and creators' cost) but it won't be fair when they remain unemployed after they graduate.
Still enough doom and gloom, late this fall publishers and writers can expect a larger cheque than usual for one time and perhaps one time only. These are the funds left over after Access Copyright returns the school boards their 7 to 10% back on K to 12 blanket licensing.
Perhaps for one year struggling writers can pay some bills again. Publishers can afford to hire some writers. But that's how jobs in the arts work, one granting or funding period at a time, from one cheque to the next. Hand to mouth.
And I bet those artists will spend a good deal of their cheque buying more books. So this may be a double whammy.
Next year... well, I live with the hope Canadians will realize the value of good Canadian materials and books and willingly pay for them.
While I'm not as passionate as some of them about copyright issues, I am passionate about writing and reading and education and opportunity for our young people. I sympathise with teachers trying to get the best materials for their students in as quick and inexpensive a manner as possible. I feel badly for university students whose tuition rates have gone up horrendously in the past short while. University instructors and profs need to be able to offer quality course packs without spending weeks trying to get permissions.
But if a teacher pushes forth a young writing prodigy and tells me he or she will someday be a professional like me, I also feel bad. Even if I donate back my Access Copyright cheque, which for my large body of works is sizeable, it won't solve the issue of there being no writing jobs for these students. And for the university kids, right now there are many cultural jobs in the publishing industry that will continue to disappear if they insist on free content.
It may seem very fair to them now to have access to materials for free (and it's never free, it's at the publisher and creators' cost) but it won't be fair when they remain unemployed after they graduate.
Still enough doom and gloom, late this fall publishers and writers can expect a larger cheque than usual for one time and perhaps one time only. These are the funds left over after Access Copyright returns the school boards their 7 to 10% back on K to 12 blanket licensing.
Perhaps for one year struggling writers can pay some bills again. Publishers can afford to hire some writers. But that's how jobs in the arts work, one granting or funding period at a time, from one cheque to the next. Hand to mouth.
And I bet those artists will spend a good deal of their cheque buying more books. So this may be a double whammy.
Next year... well, I live with the hope Canadians will realize the value of good Canadian materials and books and willingly pay for them.
August 13, 2012
Tales from the Dog Walk--Bringing Up Beauty
While walking my Jackapoo Mortie, the other day, I wore my Dog Guide shirt, something I picked up as a souvenir when I was visiting an open house day as research for one of the Beauty books, Bringing Up Beauty, A Different Kind of Beauty, Beauty Returns. My dog met a rescue dog from one of the first nations reserves and his owner Judy Appleby and I got talking. She asked me whether I worked at DogGuides and I told her about writing those books.
Her jaw dropped and she said that it was as a result of reading Bringing Up Beauty her family fostered Grover, a successful guide dog. It wasn't her two sons who had read the book, rather Judy herself read it after seeing a story on it in the newspaper.
She went on to say that Grover guided for seven years. When he began suffering health issues, he needed to retire and her family took him back. Coincidentally her son had been suffering from some kind of slump, a teen depression. The dog and her son, spent long hours together just lying in front of the television, her son patting him. After about three months both recovered. She feels they healed each other. I'm glad I wore the shirt that day.
Her jaw dropped and she said that it was as a result of reading Bringing Up Beauty her family fostered Grover, a successful guide dog. It wasn't her two sons who had read the book, rather Judy herself read it after seeing a story on it in the newspaper.
She went on to say that Grover guided for seven years. When he began suffering health issues, he needed to retire and her family took him back. Coincidentally her son had been suffering from some kind of slump, a teen depression. The dog and her son, spent long hours together just lying in front of the television, her son patting him. After about three months both recovered. She feels they healed each other. I'm glad I wore the shirt that day.
August 10, 2012
Treasure at my Local Library-Burlington Public Library Rocks
In between books can be a dismal state for a writer. You know you have to rewrite soon and are just waiting for the critiques to roll in. When these do come, you dive down into a further slump of inadequacy until you get excited by the changes that improve the story magically, right before your eyes. Well, you agonize a lot over the changes too. Add to my present state is a constant shuttle to Montreal to visit someone close who is terminal.
Simone at Brant Hills Library with the chocolate coin treasure box
But nothing in this world can't be improved by a good book. I asked my Facebook writers for Montreal based stories and The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley was recommended. A 2011 publication, I had no faith in it being at bookstores, but my library had a copy. Did I mention I was watching my grandchildren for the summer? I love Story Hour, although it's really just story half an hour. Still thirty minutes of reading bliss! Off we went, five year old William and three year old Jadzia and I.
My grandaughter/kittycat/pirate with a library parrot puppetBrant Hills Public Library is a short walk from our house and we met my eldest grandson's (Hunter) teacher and a bunch of his friends. There's pingpong, foosball indoors in the community centre that houses the library, outside there's a skateboard park and tennis court. So 11 year old Hunter joined us.
Joy of joy, the library held a pirate party after the stories. Activities included walking a plank and landing into a blue beany chair( the ocean) working on a pirate puzzle, perusing some excellent pirate books, making a pirate hat, getting your face painted and watching a pirate cartoon, see the photo.
The Hangman in the Mirror was an excellent read! Thank you to the librarians who helped me find it. The only copy had been misshelved. But thank you to all the Burlington librarians and to the TD Summer Reading Programme that come up with such wonderful creative programming. I had a blast at Pirate Day, I think the kids did too. Cheered up I await my rewrite notices for What the Dog Showed Us. But in the meantime I'll read another book I found on the "Of Note" display shelves of my local library.
Simone at Brant Hills Library with the chocolate coin treasure boxBut nothing in this world can't be improved by a good book. I asked my Facebook writers for Montreal based stories and The Hangman in the Mirror by Kate Cayley was recommended. A 2011 publication, I had no faith in it being at bookstores, but my library had a copy. Did I mention I was watching my grandchildren for the summer? I love Story Hour, although it's really just story half an hour. Still thirty minutes of reading bliss! Off we went, five year old William and three year old Jadzia and I.
My grandaughter/kittycat/pirate with a library parrot puppetBrant Hills Public Library is a short walk from our house and we met my eldest grandson's (Hunter) teacher and a bunch of his friends. There's pingpong, foosball indoors in the community centre that houses the library, outside there's a skateboard park and tennis court. So 11 year old Hunter joined us.Joy of joy, the library held a pirate party after the stories. Activities included walking a plank and landing into a blue beany chair( the ocean) working on a pirate puzzle, perusing some excellent pirate books, making a pirate hat, getting your face painted and watching a pirate cartoon, see the photo.
The Hangman in the Mirror was an excellent read! Thank you to the librarians who helped me find it. The only copy had been misshelved. But thank you to all the Burlington librarians and to the TD Summer Reading Programme that come up with such wonderful creative programming. I had a blast at Pirate Day, I think the kids did too. Cheered up I await my rewrite notices for What the Dog Showed Us. But in the meantime I'll read another book I found on the "Of Note" display shelves of my local library.
August 2, 2012
Staircase Theatre: Harold in the Hammer
Live theatre and the room was filled with young as well as older audience. I guess because the tickets are well priced $10 for adults, $8 for students, close to curtain time rush seating is free. However, there were no seats left. This show followed on the heels of the Hamilton Fringe Festival, the plays of which we attended had plenty of seats. But again plenty of young people too. How refreshing.
Scott Lloyod of Flint Improv Co, gave these actors lessons for six week culminating in this spectacle.
A Harold is a segment of an improv show. The Hammer, I'm told, represents Hamilton. So what happens is a leader from each group HUGE Pimpin, Know Konsensus and JJJAWSS, talks to the audience introduces their members and then calls for a word to act as the theme of their performance. My daughter Jen's group HUGE Pimpin got Canada's Wonderland, my suggestion actually. I quite enjoyed how Jen turned into an five year old trying to be tall enough for a roller coaster. Her fellow mom improvee, Becca, became Jen's Mom.
Becca and Jen have know each other since kindergarden. The over the top physicality as well as the adlibbing provide wonderful humour.
What a great romp! But what I like most is that the arts provided enrichment for the participants as well as the audience. I think the cast had fun preparing, it's therapy for moms usually stuck with kids and their demands all day. The audience had fun watching. And all at a price competitive to the Silver Screen.
Perhaps we're entering a renaissance age. Step away from your iPad and computer--not until you've checked what's on at Staircase Theatre. Or your own local theatre. Then enjoy some live entertainment.
Scott Lloyod of Flint Improv Co, gave these actors lessons for six week culminating in this spectacle.
A Harold is a segment of an improv show. The Hammer, I'm told, represents Hamilton. So what happens is a leader from each group HUGE Pimpin, Know Konsensus and JJJAWSS, talks to the audience introduces their members and then calls for a word to act as the theme of their performance. My daughter Jen's group HUGE Pimpin got Canada's Wonderland, my suggestion actually. I quite enjoyed how Jen turned into an five year old trying to be tall enough for a roller coaster. Her fellow mom improvee, Becca, became Jen's Mom.
Becca and Jen have know each other since kindergarden. The over the top physicality as well as the adlibbing provide wonderful humour.What a great romp! But what I like most is that the arts provided enrichment for the participants as well as the audience. I think the cast had fun preparing, it's therapy for moms usually stuck with kids and their demands all day. The audience had fun watching. And all at a price competitive to the Silver Screen.
Perhaps we're entering a renaissance age. Step away from your iPad and computer--not until you've checked what's on at Staircase Theatre. Or your own local theatre. Then enjoy some live entertainment.
July 25, 2012
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Goodreads Book Giveaway
Crush. Candy. Corpse
by Sylvia McNicoll
Giveaway ends August 25, 2012.
See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.
Enter to win
July 23, 2012
Typing "THE END" and the self-edit process
A lot of writers don't type "THE END" after finishing a first draft. Ah, but it's so nice and dramatic. So Hollywood. And so I do, in all caps with spaces between the letters. Some old school writers perhaps type - 30 -, a signal to the imagined printing staff that the machine has actually finished spewing out the book, that the printer has rolled out the last page. But whatever the writer does, we all know it's just the beginning of a different process.
Lately we've all been rushing to Facebook to proclaim, hurray, just finished writing the first draft. That's a new step in the process. And then all our writing friends offer some congratulatory remarks which are great and needed to steel ourselves for the next stages which may involve "critiquing" or really telling the writer where she went wrong which can be a bit of a downer.
I left the book for the weekend. Today, step one was to reread the last chapter because I tend to rush the dramatic scenes much in the same way as I read: I gulp the passages. My first bitsy edit was to paint in more details to slow it down a bit.
Next, something new, I'm going to get Tara, the South African voice, to read the first chapter and last together.
In the past I've always read those chapters silently to myself. I want to make sure I end the same book that I started, that somehow the beginning and end provide a good frame for a strong story.
After that, I reread the whole book, hopefully in as close to one sitting as life allows me. After another week or so of fidgeting with the manuscript, when I'm satisfied that there is consistency and continuity in character details and plot, and when I'm happy with my second coat of details, I need to forward it to a writing partner. Usually Gisela Sherman (Grave Danger) or Lynda Simmons (Island Girl). Depending on their response I rewrite and forward it the partner who hasn't read the first draft.
There are times when a book goes totally wrong along the way. Then I rewrite and ask all kinds of different people to look at it. I try to save young test readers for last.
So I guess I should really write:
T H E B E G I N N I N G
Lately we've all been rushing to Facebook to proclaim, hurray, just finished writing the first draft. That's a new step in the process. And then all our writing friends offer some congratulatory remarks which are great and needed to steel ourselves for the next stages which may involve "critiquing" or really telling the writer where she went wrong which can be a bit of a downer.
I left the book for the weekend. Today, step one was to reread the last chapter because I tend to rush the dramatic scenes much in the same way as I read: I gulp the passages. My first bitsy edit was to paint in more details to slow it down a bit.
Next, something new, I'm going to get Tara, the South African voice, to read the first chapter and last together.
In the past I've always read those chapters silently to myself. I want to make sure I end the same book that I started, that somehow the beginning and end provide a good frame for a strong story.
After that, I reread the whole book, hopefully in as close to one sitting as life allows me. After another week or so of fidgeting with the manuscript, when I'm satisfied that there is consistency and continuity in character details and plot, and when I'm happy with my second coat of details, I need to forward it to a writing partner. Usually Gisela Sherman (Grave Danger) or Lynda Simmons (Island Girl). Depending on their response I rewrite and forward it the partner who hasn't read the first draft.
There are times when a book goes totally wrong along the way. Then I rewrite and ask all kinds of different people to look at it. I try to save young test readers for last.
So I guess I should really write:
T H E B E G I N N I N G
July 15, 2012
When do you find time to write? Joanne Levy's Small Medium at Large Launch
Saturday, instead of writing, I enjoyed lunch with Wendy Whittingham, illustrator of Miss Wondergem's Dreadfully Dreadful Pie by Valerie Sherrard and then together we headed off to Joanne Levy's launch of Small Medium at Large at Bryan Prince's Book Store in Hamilton.
Try to spot all the famous writers in this audience. I see Gillian Chan and Patricia Storms. Somewhere else milling about is Jocelyn Shipley and Lynda Simmons. Wendy Whittingham's the one in the white shirt and long brown hair. After the reading she wanted to ask Joanne some questions. One of the most interesting was "When do you find time to write?"
Now the answer should be easy. If you're a full time writer, no outside job to take you away, you just get up and write all day.
But the real truth is the person who stays at home inherits most of the household tasks, waiting for the repairman who doesn't show when he/she's supposed to and interrupts every two minutes when he/she does. Looking after the sick child or spouse or parent. Feeding the family. Cleaning up after the feed. Walking the dog. Putting the laundry away. Keeping the house in order. Getting the car serviced.
Add to that your own personal maintenance program: exercise, hygiene, doctor and dentist appointments.
But let's face it, most people even if they don't write or work from home have to find away to do all this too. So writers claim to struggle with all these time demands when they're off galavanting to their friends' book launches.
What writers really need to do if to find a solitude in which to write. If you need total quiet, then you need to pack yourself off to the library where there's usually even free wireless. If you need white noise, a hubbub that doesn't involve you, you can go to the coffee shop. A friend of mine likes to hide herself at her cottage for a few weeks to work full throttle near about the middle of a project.
My secret is that I'm an opportunist. (Oh yeah and I can ignore any of the afore mentioned time suckers,
house cleaning especially.) I have the good fortune and focus to be able to write on planes, in cars and in short snatches of time, for example while waiting for supper to go up in flames.
So my advice to Wendy and all creators: steal the time. Make a list of all the things you have to do and pick out which ones you will ignore until you have a couple of hours to write. Switch this list around a bit so that if Monday you ignore your spouse, Tuesday you should ignore your kids or your mother, Wednesday you should forget about showering, dressing and your trip to the gym. Thursday don't clean the kitchen or make your bed (easily an hour there), Friday don't cook, that can be your diet day since you neglected exercise on Wednesday. Saturday head for your friend's book launch. Sunday--that's your day of rest--you can fulfill all the other demands of your life and forget writing.
Good luck.
Try to spot all the famous writers in this audience. I see Gillian Chan and Patricia Storms. Somewhere else milling about is Jocelyn Shipley and Lynda Simmons. Wendy Whittingham's the one in the white shirt and long brown hair. After the reading she wanted to ask Joanne some questions. One of the most interesting was "When do you find time to write?"Now the answer should be easy. If you're a full time writer, no outside job to take you away, you just get up and write all day.
But the real truth is the person who stays at home inherits most of the household tasks, waiting for the repairman who doesn't show when he/she's supposed to and interrupts every two minutes when he/she does. Looking after the sick child or spouse or parent. Feeding the family. Cleaning up after the feed. Walking the dog. Putting the laundry away. Keeping the house in order. Getting the car serviced.
Add to that your own personal maintenance program: exercise, hygiene, doctor and dentist appointments.
But let's face it, most people even if they don't write or work from home have to find away to do all this too. So writers claim to struggle with all these time demands when they're off galavanting to their friends' book launches.
What writers really need to do if to find a solitude in which to write. If you need total quiet, then you need to pack yourself off to the library where there's usually even free wireless. If you need white noise, a hubbub that doesn't involve you, you can go to the coffee shop. A friend of mine likes to hide herself at her cottage for a few weeks to work full throttle near about the middle of a project.
My secret is that I'm an opportunist. (Oh yeah and I can ignore any of the afore mentioned time suckers,
house cleaning especially.) I have the good fortune and focus to be able to write on planes, in cars and in short snatches of time, for example while waiting for supper to go up in flames.
So my advice to Wendy and all creators: steal the time. Make a list of all the things you have to do and pick out which ones you will ignore until you have a couple of hours to write. Switch this list around a bit so that if Monday you ignore your spouse, Tuesday you should ignore your kids or your mother, Wednesday you should forget about showering, dressing and your trip to the gym. Thursday don't clean the kitchen or make your bed (easily an hour there), Friday don't cook, that can be your diet day since you neglected exercise on Wednesday. Saturday head for your friend's book launch. Sunday--that's your day of rest--you can fulfill all the other demands of your life and forget writing.
Good luck.
