Thursday, August 25, 2011

Bow Down To My Awesomeness!

Okay, so... happy dance time!

Just got some great news from Lee Thompson (the director of our wonderful WFNB) yesterday afternoon: on September 15th, two days before the workshop of awesomeness, Donna Morrissey will be reading from her latest book, What They Wanted, at La Teraz. It's a cozy little banquet hall on Church St., and I can't think of anyone I'd rather share the space with for a few hours on a Thursday night than a group of writers. :)

But it gets better...

Lee also said that they'd wanted a local author to open the festivities, and guess who they picked? Me! Isn't that just spiffy? Seriously... How awesome is that?

I'll be reading a short passage from the novel (yes, THE novel)- the one that Donna herself told me had "better be written exactly like [the piece you wrote in class], or else you've gotta go back and rewrite every, single darn line" Naturally, I'm excited to show her what I've done with it, and that I've taken her advice.This means that I expect you, if you're in the Moncton area and you love me, to be there- I'll make another post when I get a full itinerary for the evening.

Off to gloat some more!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Humour For Writers/Save P & E!

Hai.

Today is August 24th- female protag K's birthday (were the novel in real-time, she'd be 24 on the 24th)! Therefore, I shall commemorate the occasion by sharing these websites for writers; they're scathingly-funny, and let's just say that, after reading the posts there, you'll be glad that those queries weren't yours. Or, if they are yours, then I can't help you.

SlushPileHell
Miss Snark (inactive since 2007, but still worth reading)

Also, just found out that Preditors & Editors is being sued for trying to protect us writerly folk against vanity presses, scammers and so-called "agents". They are currently accepting donations to mount a legal defense- visit their website to save writers everywhere from scamnation.

Onward, upward, & Edward (my uncle, not Cullen)!

Friday, August 19, 2011

The Long and Fruitless Summer Ends.

Never thought I would hear those words from my mouth. Hey, who didn't look forward to summer, at some point- we all had vacation plans, and fun things to do; not to mention a ton of free time to commune with family and nature; and dreaded going back to school (the place where I once pursued an edu-ma-cation).

Once we are adults, though, that all changes. Most of us now live alone (or with a significant other), don't have time for the holidays we used to take, and no longer have to worry about dodging the hordes of angry back-to-school shoppers at Wal-Mart; yet September still signifies a time of change. As a writer, this is a great thing- it means that the drought is ending, and that all of the adventures of aspiring writerdom that were on hiatus through the summer are coming back full-force! Among them:

The one and only Donna Morrissey is returning to Moncton for yet another amazing fiction workshop! This awesome event costs $85, and will take place on September 17th, at the Riverview Public Library... Having worked with Donna previously, I have to admit that I not-so-secretly adore her; she is very warm and friendly, funny as hell, and a wonderful teacher, so I highly recommend her seminar to anyone who's ever written anything, or wanted to.

Also on the calendar is the Writers Who Care project, the brainchild of local author Kathy-Diane Leveille and CARE International. For $50, donors will receive the opportunity to submit 50 pages of a work-in-progress to a published author for review- proceeds go to the Somali refugees facing starvation. Whether you are a published author and would like to give us writers some C.C., or a writer who'd like some feedback, I encourage you to contact Kathy-Diane through her website- it's a pretty sweet perk, and for a great cause. :)

Writing for change,
L.