A writer's journey...

It's that time of year already!  Are you amped?   Come on, I know you are!  NaNoWriMo is upon us, and that means 50,000 words in a month, 30 days, 720 hours, 43,200 minutes, 2,592,000 seconds.  No pressure, right?  :D Well, only if you want to succeed!  But NaNo shouldn't be about stressing out, or even a deadline.  It should be about letting your mind and creativity run amuck!   I wasn't in the trenches last year, but I'll be there this year--and it's going to be great! Here's some things that I found helped me when I did it two years ago: 1) Budget time - you only have so much in a day.  Allocate when you are going to write and stick to it. 2) Limit Internet usage.  Log on as a reward after accomplishing your daily target WC. 3) Let your writing flow. Don't edit as you go along. 4) First and foremost have fun!

We’ve no doubt all run across those posts from authors announcing that they had to make modifications to their books, whether it be facts, editing/grammar, or other issues.    Whenever I’ve come across these, first, I was thankful it wasn’t me, but more importantly, I thought what courage on behalf of the author.    It built my respect for them.    It shows that they view their writing, the publishing industry, and their readers of utmost importance--and that’s the way it should be. Writing and publishing should be an evolution; not a destination.  For any of us to think that we published a book and now the journey is over would be ludicrous.  We should be continually growing, not only in the craft, our story-telling ability, but our comprehension and grasp of grammar. Add to this, there are times we come across reviews, or receive emails that may mention issues in a published book.  It’s never easy to see the low star ...

It took 4 tries and $80, but I have my US personal tax number!  Talk about a time to celebrate! If you're going through this process, you're probably starting to feel like you're applying to take over the Presidency.  But tax people and accountants, they want everything perfect, so unless you adhere to that bar of perfection you'll get back a rejection letter to your request for a US Tax Personal Tax Number, or as it's termed: ITIN. Why get a US tax number as a Canadian?  There is a treaty in place with the US that makes it so Amazon cannot withhold 30% of your earned royalties ,if you have this number.  In other words, that's 30% in your pocket faster. I'm going to lay everything out in step-by-step instructions.  First, you find the online form here .  Remember, this applies to Canadians.  For other countries there would be a different article number (I'm sure). You'll need to have acceptable forms of identification.  This can ...

Maybe the title brought to mind that older movie, Mickey Blue Eyes, when the waitress said  emphatically   “No! And then!”   Or perhaps you thought this would be a blog post on how to eradicate those two words, or the feeling of them, from your manuscript?   In fact, this post is on neither, but what it is focused on is the danger those two words are representative of--procrastination! Isn’t it true that as writers, authors, our days are full.  Not only do we have the daily concerns of life, and responsibilities that come therewith, but we have our aspirations to write, to edit, to reach another goal of some kind. If only the necessities of life would move aside so that we could fully focus on our heart’s desire--writing.  Maybe you’re like me and say the above-noted dangerous words, more than you wish to admit.  I’m sure you know how it goes, “I just have to tweet this, and then I’ll do my edits”, “I’ll check my email, and then I’ll w...

September is World Alzheimer's Month, and I thought what better time would there be than this to release my novella HART'S CHOICE .  Proceeds from the sale of this book are going to the Alzheimer Society of Canada--but not just for the month of September, ongoing. Here's my author note regarding HART'S CHOICE : When a character calls out to you from the realm of your imagination and insists you tell their story, it’s like magic.  Nothing can beat the rush that comes with the exploration of new characters and their world.  True fun also comes into play when these revelations take you in an unexpected direction from what you normally write. This happened to me with Tessa of HART’S CHOICE.  What had began as a short story became a novella and has the potential of one day becoming a full length novel—a project I may revisit. My wish is that all can enjoy this story of life, with its highs and lows, celebrations and losses.  I hope you find this stor...

Most of us have things we reach for when we’re under stress.  We may not even realize we do so, or that we have these certain habits.  If I asked you to think about what the case is for you, what would come back with? Do you seek comfort in: Alcohol? Chocolate? Social Networking? Isolation? Loud music? Smoking? Doing drugs? Taking sleeping pills? Sleeping around? And potentially it could be a number of the things listed above depending on the motivating circumstances.  These habits, or “vices”, are usually the result of an underlying emotional condition.  Another noteworthy point, is some of these things do not even need to be done to access.  For example, alcohol.  A bad day can have you reach for a glass of wine, or it may be more extreme such as a bottle of wine, or maybe you drink everyday. Now while this isn’t a discussion on having people examine their lives (although it’s not really a bad thing to do periodicall...

At the end of May, I was approached by Preethi Kashyap, Editor-in-Chief, of Inspiration Unlimited Magazine.  She found my blog to be inspiring and motivating and asked if I would be interested in submitting articles for their magazine.  I accepted her invitation. Since June, I have been honored to be featured in both July and August editions.  Here's a glimpse of the articles and links to read more. July Edition RUSTIC REJUVENATION  An article on how to break free of time constraints, and find renewed energy and motivation in life. "I just don't have the time." Ever hear yourself speak those words? It's quite possible you have, and on more than one occasion.  Life's responsibilities and endeavors seep in and take a lot of, not only our energy and money, but also our most valuable commodity-time.. . Read the rest of the article here . August Edition INFUSING LIFE INTO THE WORKDAY (page 13) Not interested or motiva...