You know how a cat on your lap can be purring away, and then suddenly opens her eyes in alarm and bites you for no reason? Sometimes when I catch myself feeling grateful and relaxed, it triggers a stab of anxiety, just like that. This is a scary time. Also it is beautiful. Both at… [Read More]
Get rid of that jerk!
Lynda Barry said to me once, imagine you’re sitting at a bar, writing something new, and this guy comes up to you, looks over your shoulder, and says, “Ugh, that sentence sucks.” He takes a drink, watches you write some more, and then says, “Your dialogue is really flat, too. You know, you shouldn’t bother… [Read More]
Grant proposals & magic spells.
I don’t know about other parts of the world, but for writers in Canada right now (especially writers in Ontario) — it’s grant writing season. I confess, I dread writing grant proposals. I’ve put the deadlines in my calendar months in advance, sent myself little alert emails to get me mentally prepared, and still, when… [Read More]
Dear memoir: I’m afraid of you.
Writing from personal experience can be difficult territory. How honest can you really be? What does it mean when you feel too afraid to go back and revise? If you do publish your stories, what will people think of you? There’s good reason for all of the questions and worries. In memoir, the stakes are… [Read More]
I don’t know how to eat this.
Recently I read this quote from Pim Techamuanvivit, a Thai chef: In Thai, when we eat something that’s not to our taste, we don’t really say “I don’t like this” or “this is bad.” We say “I don’t know how to eat this.” (กินไม่เป็น) What a difference that subtle shift makes. It’s not that I… [Read More]
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