Touchpoints: A Writer’s Truth, on Substack
Bleak and grey again now, but we had one blessed day of sun on Thursday. Anna and the boys met me at Canadian Tire downtown to exchange the Xmas skates I gave them for bigger ones — two sizes bigger for the very tall Eli. She went off to work and the boys and I walked to Ben McNally Books to pick up Dogsong by Gary Paulsen, the author of Hatchet, a terrific survival adventure story the boys loved. While there I asked how Midlife Solo was doing; Danielle told me none sold in the last few days but then sent word that, just after we left, two were sold. Two! I’m rich beyond my wildest dreams.
After much spaghetti, we settled down to read, not Dogsong yet, but their Xmas book, The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, written in the voice of Johannes, a spectacularly articulate and confident dog. A great book so far. We went in the sunshine to Riverdale Farm, where after communing with goats and sheep they kept joyfully busy for a long time throwing stones into the empty, almost-frozen duck pond. What is it about a body of water that compels small boys to shatter the surface with stones?
We all had a treat for dinner: sushi and pizza, and for Anna sushi pizza, from Parliament Street. And then they left me to pick up the pieces of my home and collapse. When I’m tired, I turn to my new addiction, Law and Order SVU. I feel guilty to be wasting time, and yet – it’s so good! (Except when it’s too violent, then I turn it off.) The episode a few days ago about a ten-year-old psychopath has haunted me. And soon there’ll be Law and Order Toronto! We gots endless crime and tough cops and fast-talking lawyers here too.
Today’s excitement: my tech helper Patrick helped me set up a Substack newsletter. Substack is a platform increasingly populated by the most interesting writers, and now I hope to be one of them. Mine is called Touchpoints: A Writer’s Truth, and is specifically about the writing life and my own struggle within it. Have a look, or, as my mother would say, Take a gander. https://touchpointsawriterstruth.substack.com/
It’s true: I post regularly on FB and IG and repost on Twitter; write a blog 3 or 4 times a week; send a MailChimp newsletter to hundreds of former students 3 or 4 times a year. What the #@$ do I need a new writing venue for? Good question. We’ll find out.
Another question is: with all this free writing — using all my expertise and skill but paying nothing — when will I get to writing the next book? Hmmmm?
That, in fact, is one of the things Touchpoints is about. Stay tuned.
PS I took a selfie today because I wanted to post about my favourite winter coat, bought at least 27 years ago with my uncle Edgar’s credit card for Bloomingdale’s. (The dear man, one of the best bridge players in the world, died in 1997.) It’s a long black Kenneth Cole, on sale but not expensive to start with, just the right length, light but warm, with a zipper that after all this time has not quit. It’s threadbare now, with bits of whatever it’s made of poking through holes, but I don’t care, IT IS THE BEST COAT. Thank you, coat!
The selfie, however, was horrifying. Who’s that wrinkled, haggard crone in the black coat? No, surely not. But, unfortunately, yes. Instant delete.
Sigh.
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