Laura Langston's Blog, page 28
March 22, 2017
My March Reads
Go pick up a funny book and read it. Please. Or visit a funny website or watch something outrageous on YouTube or tell a joke that makes someone laugh until they snort questionable substances out their nose.
Last Sunday the Canadian cultural scene lost a comedy giant – Bob Robertson. Bob was one half of the Double Exposure team. The other half, his wife Linda Cullen, has been my friend for a long, long time. We weren’t quite in diapers when we met, though there were times we laughed so hard w...
March 15, 2017
Another Lesson from the Garden
Nature is giving me another writing lesson.
She’s behind this year, or so everyone says. Daffodils, normally in bloom weeks ago, are only now starting to open. The buds on the fruit trees surrounding our house are still, with the exception of a few keeners, tightly furled. We live on old orchard land and normally by the end of February we’re cocooned in a frothy haze of sweetly scented blooms that last, if we’re lucky, for three or four weeks. Instead, here it is the middle of March and we’re...
March 8, 2017
Slaughtering the Goat
If you’re a squeamish, goat- loving vegan this blog may not be for you.
A few weeks ago, I got an email from a writer friend. The email, which was sent to a group of us, mentioned the phenomenal productivity of another writer who produces – wait for it – 100,000 words a month.
Yes, a month, and he has the books to prove it.
To which one of the group replied that the only way that would happen for her is if she slaughtered a goat and made a pact with the devil. So from now on I’ve decided to...
March 1, 2017
Writerly Inspiration
I don’t need an excuse to check out author or writing-related sites and you probably don’t either. But if you want to add a new blog stop to your regular roster or you simply want a few minutes away from your WIP, check out any one of the following links. All of these blogs offer up great content; some are inspirational, others are educational and occasionally they’re both.
C.S. Lakin’s Live Write Thrive http://www.livewritethrive.com/ is a favorite of mine. Lakin covers everything from scen...
February 22, 2017
My February Reads
In my last blog I mentioned slogging my way through a book I didn’t enjoy all that much. This week’s reading has been much more enjoyable, but then I always love a Kristan Higgins book. And her latest is a real winner.
On an unrelated note, the crocuses are up… an early sign of spring. Soon it’ll be time to sow some seeds and turn the garden beds. I’d better get reading while I still have time. Here’s what I’m into this week:
At the gym: On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins
Beside the fire:...
February 13, 2017
Fuzzy Puppies and Cotton Candy
[image error]Some days – some weeks – all you want is fuzzy puppies and cotton candy, or, at the very least, a story that gives you a happy ending.
Last week I started reading a book by an author I particularly like. It was billed as a love story so I had high hopes. But there was a stalker and a dead ex-wife and lots of angst and even a slimy government official. While I expected an escapist romp, I had to force myself to finish the book. Finish it I did, partly because I will go wherever this particular...
February 3, 2017
Originality is . . .
. . . simply a pair of fresh eyes. So said American writer Thomas Higginson. I’m not sure I’d go that far but I do think a pair of fresh eyes is essential when it comes to refining a manuscript.
As a professional writer, I rely on editors at various times in the publishing journey. If I’m working with a traditional publisher, developmental editors are the first to see my work. They provide feedback on my story and characters, the pacing and the structure. Copy editors check my continuity, my...
January 18, 2017
My January Reads
Every year I track what I read. I do it for a combination of reasons. I like to note down novels I loved so I can look for more books by the same author. Sometimes I’ll want to refer back to a passage, quote or piece of information in a non-fiction book, so it helps to have the title close at hand. I like to see how my reading preferences shape up over a given year. And it’s good to have an idea of how much I’m reading too. Last year I read 80 books. I hope to surpass that number this year bu...
January 11, 2017
Having Fun While Pursuing Goals
Last week, as part of an inventory for the New Year, I wrote a few lists: things I love and activities I love to do; places that make me happy; my strengths and the things I’m good at; and some accomplishments I’m proud of. I called it my joy inventory and I did it to psych myself up for my annual goal setting session.
Goal setting is all well and good but achieving those goals can be an insidious business. It’s a little like going on a cycling trip. The planning stage is great. You sit down...
January 4, 2017
Happy New Year and Welcome to 2017!
At the beginning of a new calendar year we often ask ourselves what we’d like to accomplish in the next twelve months. I do and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. But when I sat down the other day to think about how my next year will shape up, it occurred to me that there’s something I need to do first.
I need to take inventory. Retailers do it, generally once a year. They check out what they have left in stock, look at what’s sold and what hasn’t. Other businesses review their business plans on...
