Merry Times In The Maritimes.

Why, hello there!

As usual, the title is a perfect segue into this morning's post. My new WFNB profile is finally up and running, and I've just received word of yet another wonderful workshop with the amazing Donna Morrissey.!

This one starts at 10 a.m. on December 3rd at the Moncton Lions' Club; you'll need only $85, some stationery, and a smile. :) If you're a writer in the Moncton/Dieppe/Riverview area, and are looking for an excuse to leave your attic/cubicle/kitchen chair, come on out and join the writerly festivities.

Signing off,
El Veeb.

I'm Still Alive!

Kinda, sorta... Not really.

Between being sick, working, and prepping for the hospital presentation, I've definitely not been around much. Started a new job just before the Thanksgiving weekend- I'm now slogging it out at a warehouse 50+ hours a week, so I finally understand how it feels to live in constant pain. Fortunately, it does not involve office politics or dronery- I'd rather work myself to death than be bored to it.

Nonetheless, I would have completely forgotten about this blog, had it not been for a chance meeting with Lee Thompson, head of the WFNB, at the grocery-store this past weekend. He is, by the way, a wonderful writer- at the Find Yourself in Fiction workshop on the 1st, we had the privilege of hearing several excerpts from his novel in progress, and learned from him how not to be pasta. Yes, it's delicious, but boring without the sauce, and other accoutrements- a theory that Lee taught us to apply to our writing... No wonder I didn't see any ramen in his shopping-basket.

The most-interesting part of the workshop, though, was that we were able to get our hands dirty. Lee had brought in a rejected submission from The Galleon (his former literary journal), and let us dissect it- at first glance, the writing wasn't terrible; but, as we stripped it to the bare bones, I was able to understand why it had been relegated to the slush-pile.

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Sadly, I am still without a real 'pooter. This one is on its last legs, though I'll (hopefully) be able to replace it before the start of NaNoWriMo- their site has been updated, so head on over to check out the new layout. I must get back to noveling, but will be back soon... that is, if the job doesn't kill me first.

Peace,
El Veeb.

Find Yourself In Fiction!

Hello, again!

Now that The Firestarter can officially hold a connection, without setting anything aflame, it's time for some more good news!

Awesome adventure #1: This Saturday (October 1st), W.F.N.B director and local author Lee Thompson will be reading from his novel-in-progress at the Riverview Public Library, followed by a workshop. The reading starts at 1 pm, and is free; the workshop, Find Yourself In Fiction, costs $40 and will run from 2-4 pm.

Awesome adventure #2: The hospital recitation has been confirmed for October 24th, and I'll be reading from my novel-in-progress as part of a presentation on family violence. I've got 30 minutes to fill, so I'd best get to work.

Awesome adventure #3: The Writers Who CARE campaign begins next week. For those who are in the area and are interested, please contact Kathy-Diane Leveille, via her website.

Awesome adventure #4: National Novel Writing Month is just around the corner- if caffeine, sleepless nights, and speed-writing are your thing, check out NaNoWriMo.org for more info. I also applied for a position as an ML (Municipal Liaison), so those of you in the Moncton/Dieppe/Riverview area may see more of me... Lucky you. :)

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Signing off,
El Veeb.

Dancin' With Words, and Bad Techno-Romance: Parte Deux.

Ooh, finally!

I've been dying to get on here since Saturday afternoon, but d'you think that my laptop (a.k.a. The Firestarter) can stay connected to the 'net for more than 5 minutes? Not frickin' likely.

The 'pooter is on the fritz again- in fact, the BF has just informed me that he purchased it with a cracked motherboard. Way to go, Travis. Anyway, moving on to the fun part...

DANCIN' WITH WORDS!

Topics ranged in scale from the minuscule (syntax/sentence structure) to the ginormous ('what is the heart of your novel?'), and many laughs were had. We learned how to emulate our writing role-models (it's not considered cheating- there is a difference, you know), shared personal stories, poems, and even read the prep exercises we'd done beforehand; I'll be posting mine shortly, so pop on over to Allpoetry and sign up to let me know how I did. :)

Once again, I cannot even begin to describe what a wonderful teacher Donna is. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do what she does, since I imagine that having to listen to a bunch of writers who, while we don't suck, are nowhere near as gifted as she is must get a bit exhausting. Of course, it's possible for a good teacher to transform even the most-inept student into a prodigy, so there's hope for me yet!

She was also generous enough to pose for a photo-op, so that I can put her picture in the same space as Atwood and Harris. Sadly, with the 'pooter out of commish, I can't post it yet... I do, however, assure you that it will be up as soon as the desktop is up and running. Sometime before Christmas, I hope.

Until next time,
El Veeb.

PS: Hospital recitation date is tentatively set for October 31st. More on that, as details come in.

An Evening Of Epic Proportions!

Good evening (though it probably won't be, by the time I'm done posting this), dear readers!

I've just returned from a 2-week hiatus, which I spent visiting family and friends in Ontario... Since a lot of the relationships in my novel are rooted in my real life (with the exception of bits like the one from tonight's reading, of course), I came back with a ton of ideas and hope that they will produce some potentially-publishable sequences.

But, enough about me... Onto the REAL reason for this post!

Tonight marked a new beginning for the Attic Owl reading series. Having had the entire summer off, it was with great pleasure that I joined the other writers- including award-winning author Donna Morrissey- for a beautiful supper at La Teraz. The meal consisted of risotto, asparagus, bread, and pork medallions so soft that they practically melted in my mouth, and was followed by a scrumptious strawberry shortcake for dessert... A big thank-you to Mario and Jackie, for not making us cook for ourselves. :)

Then, the fun part... the reading!

Since public speaking and I don't mix, it was incredibly nerve-wracking to open for someone like Donna... Still, Chapter 2 (M's first part) was well-received, and I managed to stay upright for the entire recitation. Sharing part of my 8-year work-in-progress, which had never been read by anyone but my mom, was a bit like a coming-out party- both liberating and utterly terrifying, all at once.

One thing I did not anticipate, however, was the crowd's reaction. The novel was written for a younger (read: mid-teens to early twenties) audience, and I definitely hadn't thought that a group comprised mostly of older adults would react so viscerally to it... It was very unexpected, though it gave me hope for my future career- if they liked it, then I don't suck at writing... right?

Also worth noting: I received an invitation to read my excerpt at the Moncton Hospital, to a class that is studying the effects of family violence (a major theme in that particular passage) on children and teens. Psychology has always been a passion of mine, so I'm definitely amped-up about that (if the whole writing thing doesn't work out, perhaps I'll even have a future in it). Unexpected, but a great perk... More on that, as the details come in.

*boots ego out of the window closest to the 'pooter*

Of course, Donna really made this event special. She is amazing, on so many levels, and the first real writing role-model I've had who is more than just a name on a cover. Her advice has been invaluable, and she's a great teacher... I feel sorry for those unable to make it to Saturday's workshop, since you're missing out on a fantastic experience.

(FYI: my bookshelf has also just informed me that it's a tremendous honour to have a signed copy of Sylvanus Now on it, alongside Alias Grace and You Comma Idiot, and I agree with it completely).

Yep, I talk to my bookshelf. Clearly, bedtime was a few hours ago...

Sadly, I still have to wake up in the morning and attempt to find a normal, soul-sucking, 9-5 job- preferably something that involves as few human beings as possible (unless they're writers) and doesn't suck... I guess that rules out office dronery, any position that requires me to cook stuff, and everything else. Just thinking about it is exhausting... yawn.

Until Saturday,
L.

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!

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.

Attic Owl Reading a Hoot!

Here's a tip: when among writers, one must do as writers do. If you're an introvert, like me, this means sharing your work, pretending that you're totally at-home in front of people and not about to commune with the floor of the banquet hall.

Fortunately, neither I, nor my lunch, spent any time bonding with the carpet. I was fourth, out of fourteen writers/readers, one of whom I'd met previously, at Donna Morrissey's workshop, and met a ton of cool people- superheroes, broken hearts, and the female posterior were only a few of the themes touched on tonight, and I'm honoured to have had the opportunity to participate in such a fantastic event. I also hope that Lee Thompson will now remember me as someone other than the girl who can never remember to attach files to her emails!

I also have a new respect for James Joyce, whose work was read aloud at the end of the night (The Dubliners is exactly the kind of stuff I love to read), by a woman whose speaking-voice held me for the entire six-page excerpt.

Tomorrow night, I'll be helping one of the girls I met at the reading to set up another event similar to this one, except that we'll be choosing and reading works by famous black poets; the event takes place at Kimberly: the Studio, on Archibald St. in Moncton, and includes poetry, a film-screening, and even dancing! What's better, this can all be yours for only a $5 cover-charge, so come & join the party!

Write on,
L.