The Canadian Writers' Collective

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye

2009-04-23T00:13:00.008-04:00

Like the von Trapp family exiting the stage, the members of the Canadian Writers Collective bid farewell to our readers three years and nearly 700 posts after we began. We’ve given you book reviews, interviews, recipes, rants, and laments. Humourous pieces and poignant ones. We’ve run four writing contests and posted the winning entries. Played host to a number of guest bloggers.Of the 11 CWCers

Whimper, Whimper, Bang, bang

2009-04-22T13:57:00.002-04:00

Article removed for revision and publication. Wish the author luck!

Courage in the Streets

2009-04-16T00:01:00.004-04:00

by Tricia DowerSomething wonderful happened yesterday. Three hundred women in Afghanistan marched to protest a new law for Shiites that appears to endorse marital rape and restrict married women’s movements outside the home. I say “appears,” because President Harmid Karzai claims “the West” has misinterpreted the intention of the law (something lost in translation?) and that the rights of women

Tightrope

2009-04-13T11:33:00.003-04:00

It's a bit of a struggle, balancing all the obligations one has, with all the projects one wants to pursue. I've always marvelled at those who can pull it all off: raising kids; holding down a job; writing daily word-minimums; reading a book a week; keeping fit...Right now, year-end bookkeeping and grant-writing are about all I can handle. Add to that, a few dreamy forays into mentally rewriting

And you thought we abolished slavery

2009-04-09T00:03:00.003-04:00

by Tricia DowerYour intrepid reporter here, bringing you the latest from Google Alerts.Google sends me an e-mail when something appears online about the cheery topics I touch on in Silent Girl, such as domestic violence, sex trafficking, bride kidnapping, racism, global warming, and incest. I get so many notifications every day I shove them into a file to get them off my read page until I can

What I’m Not Reading (Yet)

2009-04-07T13:19:00.003-04:00

By Andrew TibbettsI’ve been waiting a long time for Anne Michael’s second novel. It’s been thirteen years since Fugitive Pieces. Can you believe it? There are only a few novels that I felt myself growing emotionally as I read them—The Scarlet Letter and Great Expectations—and this wonderful book is one of them. It’s also supremely beautiful. Again, only a few novels—The Autobiography of

My Take on Privilege

2009-04-02T00:05:00.003-04:00

by Tricia Dower“Nobody; I Myself,” the fifth story in my collection, Silent Girl, is narrated by a white woman married to a black man in the US in 1966. Young and idealistic, she struggles with the conflict between her empathy for blacks because of the injustice they suffer and her nascent belief that they share at least a part of the blame for their situation.Growing up in the States at that

Save the CBC

2009-03-30T03:08:00.003-04:00

The other day, I read about the cutbacks at the CBC, and the potential 'bailouts' to the major Canadian networks. I also received this email from the action group Avaaz:"Dear friends,Canada’s media networks have all been slammed by the recession. But the government is reportedly considering bailouts for its friends at private companies CTV and CanWest, while forcing the CBC to drastically cut 800

The Progress of a Story: Grace; or, Chaos

2009-03-29T15:14:00.000-04:00

by Andrew TibbettsI think a lot about my writing. I plan it. I develop theories. Very, very rational. Very right-brained. (Have I got the correct hemisphere? The goody-goody one?) I trained as a social scientist in the ‘soft science’ of people’s lives, so spinning long complicated theories comes second nature to me. Ah, Theory! Also, I trained as a composer at the tail-end of ‘total serialism’ so

The Progress of a Story: The Importance of Being Ernest Hemingway

2009-03-24T12:47:00.011-04:00

By Andrew TibbettsI’ve been on a writing holiday for two weeks. Everyday I found one thing or another more compelling than the unfinished writing project. One day I watched four hours of “What Not to Wear.” I’m not kidding. Four hours. Four different transformations. Four quirky interesting people turned into blandly ordinary nice looking people. They must have a “What Not to Wear” channel on

Anyways...

2009-03-23T02:20:00.002-04:00

is not a word!I know, the English language is ever-evolving. And what's acceptable, such as starting a sentence with 'and', has shifted over the years. Still, there remain a few colloquialisms that drive me batty when I hear or see them. 'Anyways', for example, does my head in when I hear it used in casual conversation.Of course, I'm well aware of my own poor speech habits. Worse than that, many

This is how my mind works

2009-03-19T01:10:00.006-04:00

by Tricia DowerA headline, “Barristas in Bikinis,” got me thinking I hope women aren’t having to tart themselves up again to get a job in this down economy which sucked me back to the ‘70s and the apartment complex I lived in which was pretty much a ghetto for single moms because it had a daycare center and a group of little boys prowled the hallways, knocking on our door at any hour asking for

Overheard

2009-03-18T13:38:00.000-04:00

I was in a specialty bookstore yesterday and I overheard the manager on the phone saying “yeah, it’s been really quiet in here these days. If it wasn’t for the on-line orders and convention sales we’d be…I don’t know where we’d be….”And then a tumbleweed rolled by.

Thoughts on International Women's Day

2009-03-12T00:46:00.004-04:00

by Tricia DowerLast Saturday was the bittersweet (for me) International Women’s Day. I appreciate the gesture, especially if it spotlights the discrimination, violence, and oppression women experience around the world, but designating a day for women feels condescending: like a pat on the head for being a “good girl” or a gold star for trying. This year in Russia, according to a CBC article, “men

$ex for $ale: prostitution, government and regulation

2009-03-11T00:01:00.002-04:00

by Andrew TibbettsThis past weekend the student union of the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto presented it’s second annual conference, the theme being: Sex for Sale: prostitution, government and regulation. The two day event had a lively mix of speakers from the worlds of academia, journalism, law enforcement, sex work and advocacy.The keynote

On Cons, advertisers, & the CBC

2009-03-09T01:40:00.010-04:00

By Tamara LeeFaced with the likely $200 million shortfall the Conservative government has in store—a threat that’s been rumoured long enough that the list of current CBC brass seems to resemble a shareholder’s meeting more than a public cultural institution—big changes at the CBC are already evident. If you watched a recent episode of Little Mosque on the Prairie, one of the public broadcaster’s

Brave New Writing Challenge

2009-03-05T00:01:00.005-05:00

by Tricia DowerI’m tackling a list of classic books a character I’m creating has finished. Since her knowledge of the outside world comes primarily from these books, I didn’t think I could do her justice without having read them. (Of course, writer-as-god that I am, I get to draw up the list.) I figure if nothing comes of my novel, I will at least be able to brag about how well-read I am.My list

Thumbs Up and Down for Books

2009-03-03T20:14:00.001-05:00

I was excited to listen to the Canada Reads debates that started Monday. I read three and a half of the books! I thought this would be a nice chance to bask in book-love. Not something I’ve been able to do in the busy rush of life these past months.Well, by the end of the first half-hour I was depressed. These shows, where people (or books) get ‘voted off’, do tend to turn on the negative. There’

Conservatives' latest attempt to stifle art...

2009-03-02T01:26:00.003-05:00

This news has me so flustered, I am doing something rare for me: offering a link to a Facebook page.From the Intro page of the Coalition to Keep Canadian Heritage Support for Literary and Arts Magazines:“Canadian literary and arts magazines publishing in either English and French are in danger of losing a key federal funding source.On February 17, 2009, Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore

This Canadian Reads

2009-02-27T10:45:00.006-05:00

By Andrew TibbettsFor the first time I’m making my way through all the novels in preparation for CBC’s 2009 version of “Canada Reads”. I’m not sure I’m going to make it, but I’m sure glad I started. So far, I’m enjoying the books immensely. I started with “Fruit” by Brian Francis, mostly because I’m a fruit by Mr. and Mrs. Tibbetts. I do like queer lit. The book’s funny and lively and I whipped

What colour is your journal?

2009-02-23T13:26:00.008-05:00

By Tamara LeeRemember when writing Morning Pages was all rage? Folks were what-colour-is-my-parachuting and journaling to save their life. When was that, like the ‘90s?I’m not sure when I started serious journaling; I do know I didn’t write in one regularly when I was young. Didn’t have the pretty little book with a precious little lock. My sister did, for a while, and I once looked at it. Read

The New Reality

2009-02-19T00:29:00.013-05:00

By Tricia DowerI posted an article on my Silent Girl Speaks blog called “Why It’s (Once More) the Economy, Stupid,” suggesting we have to be careful that the economic downturn doesn’t lead to an increase in worker exploitation, domestic violence, discrimination, and other social ills.What I didn’t mention was that the financial crisis, in combination with the dual threats of energy shortages and

February 19th 2009 is the International Day of Pink

2009-02-18T20:32:00.003-05:00

Find out more:http://www.dayofpink.org/Take a stand against bullying...Wear pink on February 19, 2009! "Chris and John to the Rescue" look fetching in the pink! http://www.chrisandjohnonline.com/2/news.html

Chasing the Story

2009-02-17T17:41:00.005-05:00

By Antonios MaltezosEver notice how for each story that’s not quite there, there’s always that one central question that seems to be on the lips, on the verge of being expelled, spat out like a hoarker that's found it’s way into your mouth, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it? It’s like you’re in a carpeted lobby, or something. Why is that? Why can’t we dive into the issues our own stories

Writer in Exile

2009-02-12T00:03:00.011-05:00

by Tricia DowerI’m at a secret location giving my best impression of Margaret Laurence, minus the booze, cigarettes, lung cancer, and suicide. Actually, my four-day self-exile is not at all Laurence-like. It’s just that whenever I imagine being left alone to do nothing but write, my mental picture is of her: round-shouldered over a typewriter in a lakeside cottage, turning out brilliant prose

Pssst…

2009-02-09T00:10:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to our CWC pals Hannah Holborn and Pasha Malla, who have been having an exciting new year so far.Hannah’s story collection, Fierce (released December 31), has been receiving some great reviews, including this one from the Globe and Mail.You’ll be able to catch her reading at The Silk Purse event on Feb 26, at 7pm (1570 Argyle Avenue, West Vancouver.) She’ll also be interviewed by

Dreaming Up the Future

2009-02-04T15:24:00.002-05:00

by Andrew TibbettsI don’t like science fiction books very often but I do enjoy sci-fi movies and TV shows because of the way they look! From early days of silent film, in such beautiful pictures as Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis,” representing the future seems to call up the most interesting art direction on celluloid. And for me, there’s a large part of movie appeal that is simply eye candy! It’s a

Time to Grow Up!

2009-02-03T17:05:00.006-05:00

As usual, this post started out being too personal -- me saying more than I needed to about what isn’t working for me as a writer. Me digging into my childhood looking for answers. I’m sick of that. And I’m totally aware of the fact that I luuuuv feeling sorry for myself. I’m sick of that, too. I want to grow up! I’m ready. No more of the overwhelmed child in my fiction, and childish characters

Eating Intelligence

2009-02-02T00:05:00.000-05:00

By Tamara LeeFor nearly 20 years, I’ve been predominantly vegetarian. It’s become such a part of my daily life, and is so commonplace here on the west coast I rarely think about my reasons for not eating meat. When I first became a vegetarian in university my reasons included personal economics and acting on my newfound independence. For much of my youth, I’d often experience guilt about eating

My 10 Best Albums of 2008ish

2009-01-30T11:37:00.004-05:00

by Steve GajadharI’m a music nut and I know some of my fellow CWCers are as well, so with 2008 in the books I thought I’d share my 10 favorite albums of 2008, Canadian or otherwise.10. “Plan Your Escape” by Hey Rosetta!CanCon! I just love crackly, boppy, whiney rock. Another album that kind of slipped under the radar, which means it will probably be huge in 2009.9. “The Baroness” by Sarah

Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel

2009-01-29T00:03:00.002-05:00

by Tricia DowerIn keeping with my practice of not covering something until most everyone else has read or seen it, I highly recommend the 2007 documentary Last Call at the Gladstone Hotel. It won a 2008 Gemini Award for filmmakers Derreck Roemer and Neil Graham. You might have seen the film on TVOntario or at a film festival. If not, you can catch it on Bravo Canada this April 16 at 9 pm

If writing were…

2009-01-26T21:20:00.004-05:00

...a lunar new-year animal, maybe it would be this year’s representative: the Earth Ox.We’re supposed to expect stability and dependability, albeit slow progress, in the coming Ox year. Patience and hopeful plodding towards success… Sounds like a typical year of working on a manuscript.So, happy New Year to all of you who follow the lunar calendar (Jan. 26, 2009 - Feb. 13, 2010); and happy

About That Trip to Thailand

2009-01-22T01:35:00.007-05:00

by Tricia DowerHere’s news to give a writer pause.On August 31, 2008, Harry Nicolaides, a 41-year-old Australian was arrested in Thailand and charged with lèse-majesté, the crime of defaming the monarchy. Since then, he’s been locked in a cell with between 50 and 90 other detainees, some violent, some suffering from TB and AIDS, in the Bangkok Remand Prison where toilets are scarce and sleep

I’m Pregnant!

2009-01-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

by Andrew TibbettsWhenever I ask myself, “What kind of novel do I want to write?” almost right away I get drawn to a better question, “What kind of novel do I want to read?” The best novel reading experiences I’ve had in the past few years have shared a similar characteristic: the feeling of “Wow! I needed that!”For example, I needed to read J. M. Coetzee’s “Disgrace.” I’d forgotten that ideas

2009-01-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

With a little luck…

2009-01-19T00:01:00.003-05:00

By Tamara LeeWhen I first graduated university, I tutored students in writing and reading comprehension. The majority of my clients were ESL (English as a Second Language) high school kids. In those days, my business acumen was limited: I posted flyers, potential clients called, and I charged a suitable fee for one-and-a-half hour home tutoring sessions. At one point, two students—brother and

Another Kind of Yuletide Log

2009-01-16T02:15:00.003-05:00

This post I’ve got a quick tip for all of us writers who can’t seem to find the time to write. You know who you are. Work is hectic, the kids are screaming when you get home, dinner isn’t ready and there’s a pile of laundry next to the bedroom door. You deal with all of it and then, when you sit down to write, you notice that you haven’t mown the lawn in a couple of weeks and the grass is

Rebecca: Compelling Old Cheese

2009-01-15T00:01:00.007-05:00

by Tricia DowerI rarely gravitate toward romantic suspense, but I stayed up way past my bedtime Tuesday finishing Daphne du Maurier’s highly popular 1938 novel, Rebecca. (I don’t like to be too caught up on my reading.)The story is narrated by an unnamed, impecunious 21-year-old Plain Jane, employed as companion to the idiosyncratic Mrs. Van Hopper. The narrator falls in love with and marries the

I Want a Tattoo and a Mohawk

2009-01-13T16:34:00.000-05:00

My biggest fear is that I’ll get a tattoo that looks like a Calamata olive from afar, or a nicotine patch. I’d like something mean, a la Vin Deisel, or crawling up the neck like George Clooney had in that movie by that director of that movie called Reservoir Dogs. The Mohawk I want messy, homemade, like DeNero in Taxi Driver. And I want muscles to go with the Mohawk and tattoo. And I want to be

Last words...

2009-01-12T21:35:00.006-05:00

Sometimes you misunderestimated me. ~George W. Bush, speaking to reporters at his last press conferenceIn case you missed it, here's one of many recaps. As I look forward to the next four years listening to a well-spoken US president, I admit I'll miss such Bush blunders. But riding the bus to the work today, overhearing two college football players exchang their brilliant observations

All Blogged Out

2009-01-08T00:03:00.011-05:00

by Tricia DowerI’m being lazy this week. Doubling up. Posting a link to an item I wrote for the “Silent Girl Speaks” blog on my website. I’ve been neglecting it for months in favour of the CWC. (And why shouldn’t I, you ask. After all, a few folks comment, here, if I’m lucky. There, not at all.)Here, I write about my comings and goings, literary thoughts, and anything else on my mind. “Silent

When the Words Flow...

2009-01-07T00:01:00.003-05:00

Feverish creativity hits me occasionally when I’m composing music. Like Sunday night. I got up in the morning prepared for a day of chores, and just while I sipped my morning coffee I thought I’d dabble on an orchestral piece I’ve been writing. Well! I was at it the whole day, never left the house, never lifted a chore-finger, couldn’t even get to bed at a decent hour, themes running through my

“…before this dreadful winter.”

2009-01-05T01:50:00.002-05:00

By Tamara LeeThe last time I posted, I included a photo of Vancouver in what was its current state—a quaint by comparison photo, given the amount of snow that’s since fallen here in Canada’s Narnia. For the past three years, I’ve been telecommuting as a freelance editor, so winter woes haven’t much disturbed my daily life. But tomorrow I’ll begin a contract position at The Capilano Review, whose

Up for Another Year

2008-12-31T13:32:00.015-05:00

by Tricia DowerAnother New Year’s Eve. Getting ready to appear on Colin’s CFUV radio show, Concert Studies, later this afternoon with our friends Chuck and Judy. Each of us has chosen three songs to introduce in keeping with the theme, “Dancing into 2009.” (Mine are Chopin’s Waltz in C Sharp Minor and Polanaise Militaire plus Valdy’s Renaissance.) We don’t expect many listeners and most of the

2008-12-30T16:48:00.000-05:00

Why is it that the writer feels the need to re-evaluate at this time of year? I know everybody does it – it’s called making resolutions for the New Year, and it’s customary. But seriously, I’ve never heard of an office dreg evaluating their performance as the year comes to a close. Why do we do it, torture ourselves I mean. I have this all figured out. Listen to me. The safest bet for the writer

Five Books to Read Before March!

2008-12-29T14:04:00.003-05:00

Here's a challenge for you! Canada Reads 2009 is coming up in March. You might enjoy the radio debates even more than usual if you attempt to have read all five books. Can you do it?I doubt I can. This is the first time I haven't read ANY of the books on the list, I'm embarrassed to confess, so I've got some readin' to do if I want to be fully prepped by March. I'm going to try. Because they all

Getting equipped

2008-12-22T01:22:00.005-05:00

by Tamara LeeThe recent snow here in Vancouver has put everyone in limbo: Are we going to risk travelling the Sea-to-Sky highway for the holidays? Will the plane be on time? Will the snow ever actually stop? Yes, it’s true, we still seem surprised by the snow. My friend said today, when I asked what kind of tires he has on his vehicle, “All-season… This is a season.” Smug easterners go on and on

Have Yourself A Tacky Little Christmas

2008-12-18T00:44:00.011-05:00

by Tricia DowerSome years ago I was amassing quite the collection of tacky souvenirs. It’s packed away in the garage now, waiting for my lucky children to fight over when I die. My favourite is a napkin holder featuring a reproduction of the Last Supper in which the disciples’ eyes move. I’m also partial to the tiny square of Elvis Presley’s vinyl convertible top, complete with certificate of

Some Musings on Third Person

2008-12-17T09:42:00.001-05:00

By Andrew TibbettsAll my published work is in first person. The stories I’ve written in third person haven’t been accepted anywhere I’ve sent them. My new story—a few revisions away from submitting to journals—is in third person and I’m nervous. All his published work is in first person. The stories he’s written in third person haven’t been accepted anywhere he’s sent them. His new story—a few

Slumdogs and the cussing complex

2008-12-15T02:27:00.008-05:00

By Tamara LeeI just saw Slumdog Millionaire, Danny Boyle’s latest film. Set in Mumbai, India, it essentially depicts the lives of two lower caste brothers. Aside from the complex story structure, two other production choices intrigued me, as someone with a toe in the film subtitling business. Not typical of post-production subtitles, the subtitling was, instead, treated as an added dimension of

Objects: #7—Phone Numbers on Bits of Napkin or Scraps of Paper

2008-12-10T00:01:00.001-05:00

By Andrew TibbettsThis month I’ve had two different guys slip me their phone numbers in bars. Woo-hoo. It’s never happened to me before, but I’ve seen it in movies. I’m going to make a little shrine at home for them and their colleagues, the contact-info-upon-debris of the future. According to Feng Shui, you should put a little romance altar in the northeast corner of your place if you want to

Yes, Virginia... even flash writers are writers

2008-12-09T17:10:00.002-05:00

1- You get the thrills that go along with completing a story real quick. Gosh, that sentence I just wrote sounds terrible. Lemme try again! The thrill of completing a masterpiece of fiction, a work of art, however minute, and however disillusioned you are in thinking it is a masterpiece in the first place, well, that thrill comes fast and furious. It’s like thinking you’re going to get some, and

On comments and character

2008-12-08T15:02:00.006-05:00

by Tamara LeeWho are the kinds of people who comment online? The stay-at-home mom who uses a series of exclamation points out of pure frustration about an article; the insomniac warehouse worker who uses all-caps to register his fury about the state of the world. Reading the comments following an article appearing in an online-version of national or regional newspapers can be a sort of character

The Alberta Assumption

2008-12-07T01:58:00.003-05:00

by CWC alumnus, Jen McDougallA word from out west about assumption. Specifically in Alberta, it's assumed that everyone you come in contact with is a Conservative Party supporter—your neighbours, your friends, your babysitter, your babysitter's parents, the people at the gym, the couple sitting next to you at Earl's, the mechanic on the phone—every one of them obedient Albertans ready to recite

Office Endangered List: The Filing Cabinet

2008-12-05T03:17:00.002-05:00

I’m an office worker. My office is full of computers and routers and modems and CDs and dusty books. What it is not full of is filing cabinets. The filing cabinet is disappearing at an alarming rate of 1 every 2.5 hours and it is for this reason I have decided to place the filing cabinet on my office endangered list, status: critical. If nothing is done I predict the filing cabinet will be

Remembering Montreal

2008-12-04T00:55:00.010-05:00

by Tricia DowerToday’s post has ended up being a companion piece to Andrew's, below.Colin and I attended a ceremony yesterday at the University of Victoria, in memory of 14 women who were killed at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal nineteen years ago this Saturday simply because they were women. On that day, a 25-year-old gunman entered a classroom of engineering students, separated the men

Trans Day of Remembrance

2008-12-03T00:01:00.001-05:00

Last Friday, Toronto’s 519 Community Centre hosted a Trans Day of Remembrance at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. My friends and colleagues and I went to join with others to celebrate the trans community’s ability to thrive despite the horrendous violence they are exposed to due to transphobia. We also went to mourn the dead.As the ceremony concluded with a stark reading of the 2008 murders and

Notes on the space between my ears

2008-12-02T15:55:00.003-05:00

I wrote this post at work today. Why? Well, because I didn’t have anything prepared for the CWC, and I figured something might come to me between peeling onions and burning the toast. Why not. It’s happened before. I’ll be toiling away and the brilliantest most complete sentence ever in the history of humankind will appear out of nowhere, like a speck of dust on the eyeball – you blink and it’s

Palpable

2008-12-01T03:46:00.002-05:00

The political climate worldwide intensifies. And even here in the usually stoic and sensible Canada a word like ‘coup’ could be used without fear of exaggeration to describe our current state of federal politics.I spent Saturday oblivious, wandering around malls in the US, on a day that many call the US Boxing Day. It’s so easy to lose oneself in the maze and cloister of holiday mall shopping.

The Hooky Novel

2008-11-25T17:31:00.002-05:00

by Andrew TibbettsAs November draws to a close I almost have a novel written! Only it’s not the novel I started writing for NANOWRIMO. Turns out the best way to make work on my current novel more exciting was to turn it into a naughty extra-curricular excursion from my official NANOWRIMO novel. Turns out I can only write for fun. Duty dries me up.Meanwhile my NANOWRIMO novel lies like the five

Nudging and Trapping*: Pinballing a Story

2008-11-24T00:52:00.008-05:00

by Tamara LeeA few nights ago I revisited an old friend: the silver ball; or, pinball. Back in the day, I had some “crazy flipper fingers,” able to rock the machine with a certain confidence and finesse. Seems my talents once had some high times.Trying my hands again on a modern-day machine, I felt that familiar-but-different feeling, like only one small part of me could return to something I

A Personality for Writing

2008-11-20T00:22:00.009-05:00

by Tricia DowerI’m taking a short break from attempting to add to the measly 5,000 words I’ve contributed so far toward my next book.I could’ve/should’ve started before but I didn’t, despite lamenting my absence from writing since Silent Girl turned me into a huckster. I could’ve/should’ve started before, but I wanted to travel, wanted to see my kids and grandkids and visit faraway friends. I

Don't Go Near Anything Artistic!

2008-11-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

By Andrew TibbettsOrdinary Canadians managed to pull themselves away from the Gala Channel on TV this past weekend to go the Art Gallery of Ontario’s grand re-opening. I was as shocked as Stephen Harper to see the line curling around the Gallery and blocks and blocks down the side street. In fact, my friend Cindy and I decided not to get in line on Sunday @11:00am when we arrived there like

Just don't ask me for money

2008-11-18T17:11:00.005-05:00

I’ve been running a tavern style kitchen since late summer, and I’ve learned a thing or two from the time I embarked on this stressful and worrisome endeavour(how stressful? one word: perishables!). Rule #1.Every penny counts. If you can make a soup out of those turnip peels, then do it.Rule #2Anybody comes by, no matter from how far back in your life, don’t give them money. I’m a tight bastard

Contemplating Canadian scents

2008-11-17T03:35:00.011-05:00

by Tamara Lee Recently, I started incorporating some scents into my work. I'm trying to use scent mnemonics for some characters, based on my own scent associations. A few months ago, some writer pals and I played a game of 7-Up, where we considered the stages of our life in 7-year intervals. I decided to associate each of my 7-year eras with a specific scent. For example: "7: Living in North

Decripitude: a Real Trip

2008-11-13T00:10:00.006-05:00

by Tricia DowerI just spent a good half-hour trying to remember the first line from a vintage song that popped into my head: “Open the door, Richard.” The second line is “Open that door and let me in.” Or, at least I think it is.That song is almost as old as I am. My father used to sing it around the house and why it came to me when it did I don’t know. The part I couldn’t remember was Richard’s

Objects: #6—Piles of Nail Clippings

2008-11-12T00:01:00.001-05:00

by Andrew TibbettsI like to tear off the edges of my toenails. I pile them on the bedside table or the coffee table. (In the photo at left they are right on the headboard!) There should be about ten tiny white keratin sickles, but the truth is sometimes I go back for more on the odd toe. Until it hurts and there’s bloodshed. That’s what stops me. People who I’ve lived with have had fits because

Journal of a Novelist Wannabe

2008-11-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

I think this is the opening to my book. It was during my last round of edits, the squeezing and the stretching, and I still feel comfortable with it, comfortable enough to want to work it even more. I had the boy’s age noted, but decided to leave it out in this version. I see him, the shape and size of him in relation to his parents, but any specific age I affix to him as the story rolls out of

Novel relaxation

2008-11-10T03:59:00.004-05:00

There's a bit of controversy going down over at FWJ about the value and merits of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). NaNoWriMo, for those who don't know, is an annual event, when participants attempt to write a 50,000-word novel in one month. For the fun of it.The implication in the protest blog is that 'serious writers' wouldn't participate in the event, and that the occassion has become

Horses to Water and Other Tricks

2008-11-06T00:01:00.001-05:00

by Tricia DowerWriting the book is one thing, persuading other people to read it, another. If your publisher has a big ad budget and can get you a New York Times review, it’s less of a trick. Most of us have to sniff out our own potential readers and entice them to our literary watering holes.I’ve sent e-mail pleas to Shakespeare festival workers and professors of literature and women’s

Maggie Bucks!

2008-11-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

by Andrew TibbettsI was accosted on the corner of Yonge and Dundas yesterday by happy people trying to give me something. This happens a lot at that corner. It’s usually gum or iced tea or Kleenex; never cars or large appliances. The young woman handed me a big fake dollar with Margaret Atwood on it. WHAT? That was different. Cultural direct marketing. I love it! I took a closer look at the

Wannabe, the Comback Kid

2008-11-04T05:13:00.000-05:00

As I prepare for another assault on my novel, the one I’m sure I intend to finish, I can’t help thinking I’m coming back to this as damaged goods. I’m battle weary, yes, but shell shocked, as well. The questions I’m asking myself as I careen toward the inevitable, stuffing the Canon XBJ-whatever with paper so I can print out the first chapter, are pointed and cruel. Why for?The ending should come

In defence of a Dylan concert

2008-11-03T00:07:00.008-05:00

By Tamara LeeI’ve been feeling a wee bit hopeless lately, what with all the doom and gloom swirling around in the news, various personal crises (relatively minor, mind, but certainly weighty), and seemingly every friend going through some sort of emotional or personal crisis. It’s everywhere; it’s inescapable. And the noise—the buzzing saw noise—just keeps getting louder.But last week, for 2-1/2

Hallowe'en Eve Rant

2008-10-30T00:01:00.012-04:00

by Tricia DowerYou may have heard about West Hollywood window decorator Chad-Michael Morrisette decking out his house for Hallowe’en—an effigy of John McCain emerging from a flaming chimney, and Sarah Palin’s likeness hanging from the roof, a noose around her neck, her hands apparently tied behind her back. Morrisette said it reflects his view that McCain’s and Palin’s politics are “scary.”This

Objects: #5—My New Cell Phone

2008-10-29T12:07:00.001-04:00

By Andrew Tibbetts (the handsome devil to the right!)I went to take a picture of my new cell phone for this blog post. Then my mind had to do a mental flip because you can’t take a picture of something with the thing that you use to take pictures of things! Can you?! And then I remembered those mirror shots in dating profile photos. The main thing you can tell about a guy is that his mirror is

Colour Us Lucky

2008-10-23T00:16:00.014-04:00

by Tricia DowerThe VIA train they call “The Canadian” left Toronto last Saturday and deposited us in Vancouver three days later. We headed north, passing through Felix, Gogama, Minaki, Ottermere, Mud River, and a slew of other Ontario towns I’d never heard of, even though I spent 24 years in the province. We were too late for the fall colours—only a few yellow leaves clung to the tops of white

Objects: #4—Thrown-Out Stuff

2008-10-22T12:09:00.002-04:00

by Andrew TibbettsMy friend Judy (not her real name) knows the garbage nights of the rich neighbourhoods. She will often cruise over in a borrowed minivan and come back with great stuff. She has a Mr. Fix-it boyfriend, so even thrown-out speakers and radios and such, she’ll take a chance on. The worse case scenario: they’ll end up out front on her garbage night a few days later. There was a short

Stumpknockers and name-games

2008-10-20T05:14:00.006-04:00

By Tamara LeeYou know that dreamy hour, two, three you spend trying to come with the perfect character name or title? Those precious hours wasted, procrastinating (we may call it “working on the piece,” but this is a post about naming and I’m naming that tactic what it is—procrastination, pure and simple) can often turn from brainstorming-fun to creative-angst in a matter of half a day. We become

Between Heaven and Hell

2008-10-14T05:28:00.003-04:00

Last summer. A farm. Sixty-three missing women. Prostitutes, drug addicts, and runaways. Students lined up along a makeshift conveyor belt, the RCMP watching over. Big bits of earth jiggling into smaller bits of earth as it trundled down, body parts plucked out as the earth fell away. For me it was like sorting through a bottomless box of lost and found, all the hands and teeth becoming

Nowhere to Hide

2008-10-11T12:15:00.008-04:00

by Tricia DowerOn Monday, October 6th, we left the States where a surreal presidential campaign and a financial market free fall have left many Americans angry, afraid and confused. Despite the Gestapo-like announcement that the washrooms would be locked and we were to remain in our seats as Customs and Immigration officials boarded the train, I was relieved to arrive at the Canadian border at

Objects: #3—CPAP Machines

2008-10-09T14:02:00.005-04:00

By Andrew TibbettsI am the only person I know who’s had a sleep assessment and wasn’t diagnosed with sleep apnea. Does everybody have it? Everybody middle-aged? Because of how fat we are? If you sleep around with as many middle-aged men as I do, you will be very familiar with the horrifying pause, the strident snort and the gasp awake that marks the death of abs and the birth of high blood

A Dog, Happiness and Even a Book

2008-10-03T14:17:00.005-04:00

I have this haircut. It’s not difficult to maintain, but it does require that I do one thing. After I shower, I must comb out the bangs. Which explains why I didn’t shower today: I didn’t feel I could—my comb was in the garbage, after having been fished out of the toilet, where it had been dropped by the youngest member of my household, my son. So it was, that this morning, when his father

Objects: # 2—Tampons

2008-10-02T00:01:00.002-04:00

by Andrew TibbettsTampons are girls’ things. I feel shame writing about them. “No,” a deep part me of says, “no! Don’t write about this object!”I first saw tampons looking through my mother’s chest of drawers when I was in grade two or three. Was I looking for change? Candy? What was I doing in there? I don’t know. Anyway, I found these cardboard tubes. Cool! A smaller tube slid inside a larger

Dichotomy

2008-09-30T11:49:00.019-04:00

by Tricia DowerThe train left at 7:50 a.m. as we sat in the dining room having breakfast with new acquaintances Barry and Pam. “Cool,” Pam said, as the train rumbled past St. Paul where she grew up.We tracked the Mississippi all the way to Lacrosse, Wisconsin.It was fascinating to see the hidden sides of all the cities we passed on our way to Bethesda, Maryland, where we’ve been visiting with my

Woke up this morning, ...

2008-09-29T17:59:00.000-04:00

Funny thing about that – we had many dogs when I was growing up, and not one of them died while in our possession. Still, I think I know what it must feel like waking up in the morning and stumbling over your companion. I was never forewarned that the mutt would be taking his final ride to the SPCA. Nope. Always came as a shock. Had to ride the rollercoaster of the overwhelming and shocking sense

Objects: #1—the Shopping Cart

2008-09-27T18:58:00.003-04:00

By Andrew Tibbetts"Most people cannot appreciate the beauty of shopping carts," Bubbles, of Sunnyvale Trailor Park I love shopping carts. There's nothing like pulling one out of the ass-end of another from the queue at the entrance of the grocery store. When it comes out nice and smooth and the wheels aren't all that wobbly, it's the beginning of a perfect feeling. Wandering the aisles, picking

Sleepless After Seattle

2008-09-24T12:32:00.003-04:00

by Tricia DowerI can’t ride more than two hours in the car without falling asleep. I thought it would be like that on the train. That gentle rocking and the hum of the wheels would lull me to sleep. But it was more lurching than rocking, more screeching than humming, punctuated by long, mournful whistles at crossings and the slide, bang, thump of doors as passengers got on and off at various

Progress of a Story: The Shock of Life

2008-09-22T04:19:00.004-04:00

Today, I'm meant to offer another installment of a series that may or may not result in a completed piece. It's a story that's been, and by the looks of things will continue to be, a long time in the writing. But in pursuit of story, life and death happens.Last night, I went looking for a quiet place to have a drink and brainstorm a few ideas for the story, then maybe think about what I'd blog

See Ya Next Month

2008-09-18T01:37:00.006-04:00

by Tricia DowerBy the time you read this post, Colin and I will have begun our Great Train Adventure. This morning, we’re catching the ferry to Seattle, and tomorrow we’ll board Amtrak for a trek across the US making two stops along the way to visit son Mike, daughter Katie and their families.We’ll end up in my hometown of Rahway, New Jersey, where I’ll be holding the US launch of Silent Girl at

What's at Stake: Election 2008

2008-09-17T15:21:00.002-04:00

For today's blog, I'd like to direct you to the Writers' Guild of Canada, and their fact sheet on the 2008 Federal Election: HERE! It turns out there is quite a lot at stake. Check it out!

Relationship Ramblings

2008-09-16T04:25:00.000-04:00