The Ontario Poetry Society published my very first poem. The free verse poem about Rome was actually called Rome and published in a chapbook. I've been writing poetry since high school, but you won't find the poem about my religion teacher anywhere. I consider my first, first poems anything I wrote in the teenage years or my twenties. In my twenties, I wrote Inner Voices and just recently went back over the poems to salvage the work. Anyone who tells you writing isn't actual work, doesn't know the process. Birds Of A Feather is a writing workshop I took this year where I developed and edited a small collection called Communication Failure and it includes three free verse poems. The submissio
A brain fart happens when writing and that is when it's time to tend to the paper cut caused by the sharp edge of your computer. Let the wound heal. Shout if it makes you feel better. I know how it feels. Right now, it's like someone let one rip in a crowded elevator and never got to hear my pitch. Actually got elevator pitches for two manuscripts. Sometimes nobody wants to listen. Ever get discouraged by online writing events? Get involved in real writing organizations. I'm a member of the Canadian Authors Association and I've been to CanWrite! Don't miss the 2019 event. Sometimes pitching to editors, publishers or literary agents face-to-face makes a big difference. Never give up on your s
If you happen to stumble on The Art Of Leaving, understand it's a memoir and you're not getting fiction. Often, the highly secretive book goes through numerous working titles. But sometimes, the author hits the jackpot with a book title the publisher can't refuse. When writing novels, don't worry about the title or genre or word-count after the first draft. Keep writing drafts of a book, but always know when to move on, how to change to a new scene and add tempo. Raymond Chandler's books accomplish pace effectively. Trainspotting is a model for a book with shock that makes you turn the page. If you really want a page-turner in a story, include action. House of Sand and Fog has great pace, ho
