Looking For A February Treat? Try A Reading Week.

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Susi Lovell

my reading list! February! Still cold. More snow – a lot – coming down. It’s time for something special. No, I’m not talking about Valentine’s Day, nor even about International Book Giving Day.

My special something? A Reading Week.

Now is the perfect time to gather all those books you’ve been wanting to read. And read them. A terrific February treat to go with those Valentine’s chocolates and the Olympics!

On my list:

“One Good Story, That One” by Thomas King. I pounced on this in The Word, one of my two favorite second-hand bookstore in Montreal (the other is Odyssey) as soon as I saw it because I so enjoyed King’s novel “Green Grass, Running Water.” I’ve made a start on this collection and love the cover design, love the stories, the stupendous Continue reading →

International Book Giving Day

Posted on February 10, 2014 by Susi Lovell

I had never heard of this February 14th tradition – until I read this blog by Stella Tarakson, telling me how to ‘spread the love’.

Stella Tarakson

February 14 isn’t just for lovers – it’s also for book lovers. So put away that chocolate (or gulp it down quickly) and pick up a book! Valentine’s Day is International Book Giving Day, a day dedicated to getting books into the hands of as many children as possible. The books can be new or used, and the aim is to spread the love of reading to the next generation.

The volunteer initiative http://bookgivingday.com/ offers three simple suggestions:

1. Give a book to a friend or relative

This is a great way to get kids you know into the spirit of giving and reading.

2. Leave a book in a waiting room or lobby

Pick a place where you know kids get stuck waiting, and where boredom may be a problem. Doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms are ideal. Choose a fun book and surreptitiously leave it lying around where a…

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Five Ways To Lift Yourself Out Of A February Writing Slump

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Susi Lovell

Le Malheureux Magnifique, Pierre Yves Angers

Winter is the traditional time for storytelling but by February many of us story tellers and writers in colder climes are feeling the effects of battling the freezing winds and icy sidewalks of a long, cold winter: hunched, tense shoulders, neck ache, cabin fever.

Here are five suggestions to help you rise out of the slump and re-energize. Continue reading →

Hey, What’s She Doing? Developing Character In The Short Story.

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Susi Lovell

Just had two stories accepted, and finally, finally finished the final draft of another story. Feeling pretty chipper (as in ‘OK, now I know what I’m doing’), I re-opened a story I’ve been wanting to finish since July 2012.

So much for thinking I know what I’m doing! I’ve no idea how to get into this story. As I’ve mentioned before, I love first drafts. The next stage is like cracking a nut.

Some nuts just don’t crack easily. You might have a lousy nut-cracker or the shell is too thick and resistant. So you try it from this angle, then that, get out the hammer. Some nuts refuse to open and you have to toss them away. But, if you’re lucky, finally a hairline crack appears, and now there’s a chance of getting to the kernel.

“God gives the nuts, but he does not crack them.” Franz Kafka

When I was doing my MFA at Lesley University, my Advisor Brian Bouldrey wrote on one of my first drafts: “Now you’ll have to re-learn what you know.” At the time I had no idea what he was talking about.

But I’ve learned he’s right. There are Continue reading →

Eating To Write: 6 Reasons Why Writers Should Go Paleo!

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Susi Lovell

We are what we eat, so it’s said. Doesn’t it stand to reason then, that we write what we eat?

If this is so, then I’m going paleo.

Paleo Treats© postcard ad

Judging by this postcard ad for Paleo Treats©, my writing would have: Continue reading →

A Dark And Desolate Night: Braving The Elements To Write

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Susi Lovell

street lamp on dark icy night It is a dark and desolate night. The wind howls. The streets gleam, sheet ice. Not a soul in sight.

Not a night to venture forth.

Go back, my brain urges my legs, go back into the cozy warmth. I’ve forgotten to put on woolen leggings under the two pairs of sweatpants.

But my legs stalk on, two icy ski poles. Beneath my tractor-tread boots, sharp crampon spikes Continue reading →

Towards a Year of Creative Thinking

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Susi Lovell

Sorting through the boxes and folders of lesson plans, lectures and articles I wrote during my years of teaching creative movement and physical theater, I found my notes for a discussion on ‘creative thinking for creative movers’.

A perfect reminder for the beginning of a new year – for movers and writers. Continue reading →

In The Ice Storm: Listening To Trees Talk

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Susi Lovell

ice storm Quebec 2013 It takes a pick-axe to break up the 18 inch sheet of ice over the path and the steps (thank you, thank you, dear neighbors!) but the electricity is on again after five days. Even though we’ve no water because a pipe burst the night the temperature went down to -30, we can now supplement the wood stove with the electrical heaters – and I can use my laptop. Time to write. ice storm, Eastern Townships QC, 2013

But I’m outside. I try not to stand under the trees in case any branches fall. That’s hard – we’re in the woods. Continue reading →

When Someone Reads What You’ve Written

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Susi Lovell

You’d think that celebrated award-winning children’s author David Elliott couldn’t possibly complain of a shortage of readers. But in a recent post on his website he shares his disappointment with a particular publishing experience.

I was impressed that an author with such a large following would be so honest about a less than stellar publication experience, and was as happy as if I’d written the book myself when I learned that all was not lost… that David had received Continue reading →

Are Some Creativity Myths Holding You Back?

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Susi Lovell

sunset and clouds over Lac Brome Are you letting some creativity myths stop you from getting down to the creative work you should be doing?

It’s so easy to use some of these myths as excuses – I don’t have enough experience, I don’t have any truly new ideas, I don’t have the right pen, desk, laptop, I haven’t planned it all out yet…

In a recent Globe and Mail article, Harvey Schachter examines how David Burkus of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., describes – and rewrites – these myths in his book The Myths of Creativity.

I found myself mulling over three of the myths from a writer’s (or any creative person’s) perspective.

The Originality Myth

“Creative ideas are assumed to be original to their creator […] But history shows ideas usually develop Continue reading →