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For the love of coffee shops
I miss coffee shops. I miss the smell of freshly ground coffee, the hissing sound of the milk frother and the thump thump when the barista empties the coffee grounds. I miss the background music and the constant buzz of noise as patrons come and go. When I first imagined my sabbatical, I thought I’d spend a lot of time writing in cafes and was looking forward to trying out lots of new ones to find the right creative vibe. When I needed a break from writing, I’d read. I had a stack of books waiting for me to have… Read more…
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Daffodils and tulips and spring, sigh
The daffodils in the ravine behind my garden gate are laughing at me. Taunting me. Tormenting me. These are the bulbs that I didn’t plant two autumns ago because I wouldn’t be here in the spring. They are the bulbs that I did plant last fall even though I wouldn’t be here to see them this spring. But here I am, and there they are. Their nodding yellow heads are joined by a small plucky forsythia bush that I planted almost four years ago, and which the rabbits almost killed the first winter. Since then, it, and the other flowering shrubs I lovingly planted… Read more…
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Here we go again
Does anyone else feel like we’re living in the movie Groundhog Day? Cases are down, let’s reopen. Cases are up, close down again, but only sort of. And repeat. Ad nauseam. It reminds me a bit of the childhood camp song we learned from Sharon Lewis and Lambchop. This is the song that never ends… You can thank me later for putting that ear worm in your head! I’m feeling a bit frustrated with the current state of affairs today. I’d like to rant and rave, but there’s nobody to yell at. Some people are doing a good job of obeying whatever… Read more…
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Two weeks in…
It’s here. It’s finally here. This period of time I’ve talked about wanting forever. A stretch of a few months to devote to creativity. To writing. To storytelling. To trying to put enough words on paper that people might actually not hate. I’m under no illusions I’m writing the “great Canadian novel”. My ideas are lighter. Fluffier. They probably fall in the “beach read” category. I’m okay with that. They say to write what you know, and I haven’t lived a life full of spies, intergalactic travel or time machines. They also say the first draft of any book is… Read more…
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Sharing fiction fearlessly – well almost fearlessly!
Finally, 2020 is coming to a close. Just a few more days left. Vaccines are in the offing, so there is a reasonable chance that 2021 will be better. I’m counting on it. Way back in March, when the world went crazy, I sadly – and a bit angrily – slammed the lid back on the box of my sabbatical writing plans and turn my attention back to corporate writing and communications. That worked for a while, as we were insanely busy through until at least September. But recently, the seal of that box seems to be failing. Ideas keep…
