May 2007 Archives

I chickened out of writing the creative non-fiction piece yesterday, but I knew I had to send off a third submission to the Alberta Anthology competition, so I spent the afternoon writing a dramatic monologue about a hypochondriac in a waiting room. I doubt it has even a chance of winning, but it completes my law of three submissions.

I'm glad to get that distraction out of the way so I can get cracking on the revisions to God's Eye and Mad Science Teacher. I have a couple of weeks to do both, but I also realized I have to get started on the CBC radio play. Juggliing all the different projects is an exercise in time management. I find that tackling the big projects first makes me feel less guilty as the day goes on. But it's so much easier to do the little things first and feel like I'm accomplishing something. Which is better? Depends on my self-esteem at the start of the day.

Failure. I tried to write the creative non-fiction piece for Alberta Anthology all morning, but I was getting nowhere with it. The idea I had was a comparative essay on the differences between a GPS and my side-seat driving spouse. However, no matter which way I tried to spin the essay, I couldn't make it dramatic. Because the piece is to be read aloud on radio, I need to create a sense of a story and not just write an expositional essay.

As much as I hate to kill an idea, I think I'm going to have to abandon the essay and try another idea for the contest. The pressure's on, because the deadline for entries is tomorrow. Yikes. What am I doing blogging?

Man oh man, writing to the new word count is tough. Alberta Anthology chopped the word count from 1,000 words to 500 words. I wrote two monologues, and had tough time mapping out the flow and keeping the entry to length. With only 500 words, I had to get to the point much faster and purge any extraneous thoughts. This has been a great exercise to teach me to understand what the point of a scene or a monologue is. I spent all day working the two submissions. I'm really happy with one of them and so-so about the other one. Tomorrow, I'm going to spend the day trying to write a creative non-fiction piece for the contest. Each person is allowed up to 3 entries, and I wanted to try something different.

Even though I don't have to submit 3 entries, I'm superstitious. Every year, I've submitted 3 entries. For the last four years, I've picked up a prize. So, I don't want to break my lucky streak. Can writers be superstitious? I'll have to ask my Magic Eight Ball.

What a weekend! The organizers of the Arts without Borders Festival are amazing. This inaugural event coincided with the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Awards, which was the brainchild of Lois Hole, one of the great champions of the arts in this province. I'm sorry she wasn't alive to see this festival, because she would have been bursting with proud to see a community like Lloydminster embrace the arts. The business community and the volunteer sector were so supportive. I was impressed with the unveiling of the Buffalo Twins mural, which now has a permanent home on the side of the Lakeland College building. I had never seen the mural before, and I was amazed at how so many different artists could be wrangled together to form one mural. There even was a painting from an artist from Morinville. I don't know who that artist was, but I recognized the Catholic Church and image of Father Primeau.

I had a lovely reading on Saturday, and I was a bit nervous when I looked up and saw Senator Tommy Banks in the front row. Talk about pressure. But I was made to feel easier when I saw three kids just behind him, and I was even more relaxed when I saw them all laughing. Whew!

The LG awards were very slick and well put together. I was thrilled to see that One Yellow Rabbit was one of the recipients. They are an awesome theatre ensemble out of Calgary, who have been carving out a great identity for exciting theatre in Alberta. They're highly respected, and I'm glad they received one of the awards.

Sunday, I had a chance to work with local scribes in a playwriting workshop. My thanks to Theatre Alberta for producing the workshop and to the local organizers for making me feel welcome. There were some very creative ideas jumping around, and I hope the participants can apply the information they learned on Sunday.

Now that I'm back in Edmonton, I have to take some time to unwind and then gear up for a tough week of writing. I'm trying to get a few submissions into Alberta Anthology and I have to revise my Fringe play and my manuscript.

I'm finished for the day, after two really fun sessions. I had a blast with a group of students at the Richmond Public Library this morning and students from two different schools at the Steveston Library in the afternoon. What was great fun was hearing the kids reaction to my origin stories after some of them had read the book. My favourite memory had to be of the one student who claimed he kissed a pillow. He was hilarious. I'm pretty sure he was joking, but he gave me a good laugh.

I hope the kids enjoy the books and I wish everyone a great summer!

Wow! What a fun day. I had the pleasure of visiting the Cloverdale and Semiahmoo branches in Surrey. The students at both sessions were a lot of fun. I think the first group had already heard or read parts of the books, while the second group didn't hear about either. The students in both groups had lots of great questions, and I was really impressed at their feedback. I was really thrilled at the ideas that one boy had for the stories. I think he had a better imagination than I did, and I hope he writes his ideas down.

But my favourite memory of the day has to go to the session at the South Hill Branch of the Vancouver Public Library. Students from the Walter Moberly Elementary School won the chance to come to the reading, and they were all great. I loved the look on everyone's faces when I asked them to yell Aiya in the middle of the library. I'm sure the folks who weren't part of the session must have been wondering what we were doing. I hope the students get a chance to read either book, and I'd love to hear their thoughts about the picture book. Any suggestions for titles for the cat book?

The weather is beautiful in Richmond. I'm feeling very relaxed and laid back as I get ready for my library readings tomorrow and Thursday. Today, I visited New Westminster Secondary School and talked about Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl. I was impressed that the students tried to create their own set designs based on just reading the script. One keen student peppered me with questions about my writing process, and we had a great conversation about screenplays versus fiction after the class. My thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome.

Afterward, I took the time to walk around my hotel. I'm getting a weird sense of deja vu. If I'm not mistaken, I think the hotel next to mine is where we stayed during the tour of Mom, Dad, I'm Living with a White Girl. I think the theatre is just around the corner. Tomorrow, night I'll have to venture out and find the theatre. Tonight, I'm just going to digest the all-you-can-eat sushi meal that I just inhaled. Ugh. I feel bloated.

Can't wait for tomorrow's sessions!

This is entirely my fault. In the dictionary under the definition of workaholic, you'll find a picture of me slouched over my keyboard at my computer. I finished the revised draft of my third book, the revisions to God's Eye, the final chapter of A Close Shave and a couple of small projects. Now I have a full four weeks to deliver the first draft of my radio play to CBC.

So, what did I go ahead and do? I pitched the Edmonton Journal three article ideas. The new editor at the Life section accepted all three ideas, so now in addition to getting a half-hour radio play finished, polishing my manuscript and addressing my director's notes for God's Eye, I have to write three thousand word articles. Oh, and if that's not enough. I'm eying the CBC Radio Alberta Anthology deadline of May 31. I'm thinking of putting in three submissions. I haven't even started yet. And at some point this summer, I have to polish The Forbidden Phoenix and my picture book.

I keep promising myself that if I can get to the end of the week, I'll be fine for my workload. I just realized that I don't have trouble saying no to other people. I have trouble saying no to myself. Sigh. I am not complaining about the work. I'm just complaining about my obsession to rev up to fifth gear and stay that way for as long as humanly possible.

Well, I got to the end of the Mystery of the Mad Science Teacher, and I'm feeling nothing but relief for getting to the end. I think there's a problem in the climax right now, because the main characters are split off. I don't know how to resolve this problem yet, but I'll take some a few days to mull over the problem. Then I'll get on the manuscript and work my way backwards to solve the problem and to punch up the writing.

Yay. I'm tired, so I'm enjoying today as a well-earned day off. I spent the morning reading the Walking Dead comic book series and the afternoon at the gym. Now I have to figure out what to do tonight. Hmmm. Shrek 3? Or sleep? I'm leaning towards sleep.

Just came back from a great meeting with my director. This was the first time in a very long time that I've worked with a director who is that prepared. He had great specific notes on the script, and we had a lengthy discussion about the middle section of the play.

What was interesting about today's meeting was that the director knew something was wrong with the middle, but didn't know how to state the problem and proposed a solution instead. It seems to be human nature that people want to talk about solutions rather than problems in scripts, but everyone forgets that the writer is the one who has to go back to solve the problem, and if they don't understand what isn't working, then the solution will never fully work.

Today, I challenged the director to get specific about his concerns. When we talked further about his concerns, we found out that we had different ideas about what Norman was trying to do in the middle section. He wanted Norman to be out of control of his ideas so that it would be different from the first third of the play. In short, he felt like the middle didn't have higher stakes than the first section and felt a bit flat. It took a few minutes of conversation to get to that specific problem, but it was well worth the time, because once I zeroed in on the problem, I could offer a solution to fix it that I could actually get behind.

I encourage all budding writers to take the time to challenge notes and find out the root of the problem. There's the danger of looking defensive, but as long as the writer is willing to find the problem and solve it and leave ego out of the equation, then everything should be fine. My point is that anyone who gives notes should be able to back up their thoughts with something specific, so that the writer can react to it. I was so happy that my director came to the meeting prepared, because we could actually discuss the play on a deeper level and find the problem. I can't count the number of times that I've found a director hasn't done his homework, and delivers notes off the cuff and without much forethought.

Anyway, this meeting gives me great trust in my director, and I can't wait to jump into the play and make the revisions that we agreed on.

Okay, I know this is premature to celebrate, but I'm only 11 pages away from finishing my revisions of the Mystery of the Mad Science Teacher. I'm so happy to be this near the end, and I can tell that I'm starting to really like the manuscript, because I'm finding moments of humour to inject into the story. I still have some work to do to wrap things up, and I can't wait to get to the climax. I'll have to cycle through the draft to make sure I didn't repeat the mistake I had made with the second book (I used way too much dialogue). So far, I think I'm in good shape. If I have to describe some narrative and find conjure some funny images for the next pass, that will be fairly easy work. I'm on track to send the draft off to the publisher by the beginning of June. Yay!

Last night, I moderated the first Mouth Off Series, and I was thrilled with the crowd. Lots of people attended and there was some good discussion about what made a good dramatic monologue. I hoped that the participants got something useful out of the session. I was particularly happy to hear the selected monologues read aloud. They represented a good cross-section of what people thought were monologues. My thanks to Workshop West Theatre and the Writers Guild of Alberta for co-sponsoring the event with the Alberta Playwrights Network.

If anyone has suggestions on another Mouth Off panel, please leave your comments here. I'm happy to entertain ideas to improve the event.

Ahhh!!!! Too many things to do and not enough time to do them. I had to switch tracks from Mad Science Teacher to getting ready to be moderator of a panel on dramatic monologues. Tomorrow, I'll try to get back to the manuscript so I can have the whole thing done before I go away for a couple of days. I know that I still have a couple of weeks before I have to send off the version to the publisher, but I'm feeling a bit tense about the lack of time to do all the things I want to do.

And to make things worse, when the pressure's on, the way I deal with the stress is to nap. So when I get up, I get more stressed about the time I lost and all I can do is go back to sleep. I think this is a hangover habit from my university days (when I was kicked out of engineering). Okay, must relax and find the time to work.... right after I take a little nap.

Shhhh. I can't tell anyone this, but I have a secret life. I sometimes cross the line from creative writing into the corporate world. Today, I just saw the final version of a corporate project that I worked on over the Christmas. I had to write an origin story for a company's new mascots. I just saw the printed version along with illustrations, and I was so tickled to see everything put together. I can't give away who my client is, because they haven't launched the mascots yet.

But keep your eyes open in June for two very special characters. Here's a hint. One of them is human; the other is not.

I reached halfway point of the revisions by Friday, so I'm feeling pretty good. I know that the editor will have more notes for me, but I want to make sure the story is clear and says what I need it to say. One of the cool things that is starting to happen is that I'm losing myself in the world and I can actually picture the scene unfolding. I think that's a good sign that I'm on the right track. Now I just need the time to get through the rest of the manuscript. Off to work.

The actor problem has been solved in a most unique way. There's an Asian actress who is willing to do the part. At first, my director and I thought she would play Norman, but as we talked further, we changed our minds and decided to change Norman to Norma. I'm going to have to sit in on the early rehearsals to see if I need to make any changes to the script to accommodate a father-daughter dynamic. Right now, I can't see any major shifts needed, but I'm going to take this opportunity to explore the nature of child-parent relationships. This is one of the coolest things about new play development: having the chance to explore.

Of course, with one problem out of the way, a new one has cropped up. We're trying to nail down some rehearsal space over the summer and it seems that space has become scarce. Curse the Alberta boom! The search continues for free or cheap rehearsal space.

Anyway, we're doing a reading of the play on Monday with the male actor who had to pull out, so that I can get a sense of whether or not the revisions are working. When our actress shows up in June, I'll probably have to do another workshop with her to see what's working and what isn't. However, I'm just happy that main role in the play is cast. Now all we need is an actor to play the father, but it's not such a big deal because he sits in a chair the entire play and only has one line at the end. I have nightmares that the actor will fall asleep during the show from waiting so long.

So far so good. I'm at page 31 of the revisions. The story seems to be hanging together pretty well. There are a couple of sections I had to revise for sense, but I'm pretty happy with what I see so far. My only nagging concern is that I have to make sure I don't repeat myself in the middle section. I'm trying really hard to get to 40 pages by tomorrow so that I'm exactly halfway through the manuscript when I shut down for the weekend. If all goes well, I should finish my revision by the end of next week, and that'll give me a week to hit the road and unwind, so that I can polish the draft in the last week of May and send the manuscript in the first week of June.

Now if only I can find time to also get going on the radio play. Yeesh.

Two chapters revised and I'm on my way to knocking the third chapter into shape. I feel like I'm building some decent momentum and I will hopefully have a draft I can send to the publisher by the end of May. It's a bit of a relief to have the two books under my belt, because slipping into the character's voices feels like putting on comfortable shoes. Now I just have to make sure that I don't get too complacent and still find moments in the story that excite me. Big reminder to self - if it doesn't entertain me as a reader, why would I ever hope to entertain someone else.

The cliche in playoff basketball is that the playoffs don't begin until a team wins on the road. In theatre, a Fringe play doesn't seem real until the first big problem.

Well, I have a huge problem with God's Eye. I've lost the actor. In what is essentially a one-hander, I need a strong male actor who can pass off as being Asian. Oo boy, this is one huge hurdle. My wife mentioned that there was an actor in the BFA program at the U of A, but she couldn't remember his name. If anyone has a lead on this guy, please send me a comment.

At long last, I'm starting the revisions to the third book in the mystery series. I cracked the all important first nut (the opening sentence). There's a lot of pressure to come up with a line that grabs the readers' attention and says something about the style and tone of the novel, but also delivers the seed that grows into the story.

With the second book, I had the ready-made story about going clothes shopping with mom, and people identified with that right away. This time around, I don't have the same story, and I have to find an experience that readers can recognize. I think I have something, but I think it works more for boys than girls. I'll keep playing with the chapter for a few days and see if I can't come up with a better opening.

It's about 2:30 am, and I'm just about to shut down my computer. For some very odd reason, my new pattern of writing is to start around 10 at night and work past midnight. I just finished a polish of God's Eye, and I'm really excited about the draft. The tough thing with tackling a play about the nature of faith is to provide a balanced argument without coming down on either side.

I think because I tell the story through the viewpoint of a 9 year old boy, I've bought a lot of leeway in how I approach the subject matter. What I'm most happy about is how I've been able to pull together so many thematic threads and still keep the story active. Thanks to a great note from my wife, I have a much more appropriate denouement to the play. My original ending had a very forced speech about Schrodinger's Cat, and stuck out as an obvious attempt by me to insert some research.

Instead, I paid off a very nice set-up earlier in the play where Norman talks about the first story his father read to him. It was the Hare and the Tortoise, and the play ends with Norman starting to read the story to his dad. I think it will work. I've sent the play to my director and I hope to organize a reading sometime in May to get a sense of what really works and what doesn't. I'm always amazed at how an actor performing the lines can change the dynamic of the text entirely (and in some cases, wipe out the need for blocks of dialogue).

Anyway, I'm happy to finish the play, but I really hope that my nocturnal writing habits aren't a permanent thing. I like my eight hours of sleep.

My latest Edmonton Journal Life article came out today, Saturday, instead of the normal Friday. The editor said they wanted to slip me over to Saturday to take advantage of my Arthur Ellis Award nomination. While I'll miss being in the Friday paper, I'm just happy that someone's willing to publish my humour pieces. Now if only I could find the time to write another article. Hmm, looks like I'm going to have to brainstorm some summer articles. I think it's time to fire up the lawnmower and BBQ and see if I can find some inspiration.

Whew! Just finished my last session at this very prestigious conference, which has been running for 27 years. I was amazed to see the quality of students in my workshops. They were bright, keen and totally ready to jump in to the exercises. A few students were a bit tentative at first, but it was nice to see them participate as the session went on.

I had a hoot doing the practical demonstration, especially with the two arguing siblings who wanted an X-Box. The story went from a brother sister spat to a divorce between their parents. Wow, talk about raising the stakes. Thanks to all the students in my sessions! You were awesome.

Yay! I've finally finished a revision of God's Eye. Boy, this one was tough. I think I still have to do another pass to clean up what's happening in the last half of the play. My biggest problem is that I pay a lot of attention to the beginning, but I'm in such a rush to get to the end of the play that I make bad decisions.

My biggest concern right now is that the drama might be a bit buried under a lot of exposition and argument. I have to review the play to make sure that Norman's objective is still to inspire his dad out of his depression. I think I might have been sidetracked by some philosophical ideas that are very interesting and great to keep, but only if they are relevant to the drama. I can't just deviate into a lecture in the middle of the play.

The other trick is to make sure that there's still an emotional punch at the end. I think there is, but I just have to do some pruning and kill off the ideas that are becoming precious to me.

Yay! I just found out about the MYRCA nominations, and The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul is on the list. I'm thrilled to get the nod, but I'm even happier for two colleagues who made the list. Anita Horrock's Almost Eden and Darren Krill's The Uncle Duncle Chronicles: Escape from Treasure Island are also nominated.

The thing I love about reader choice awards is that the students get a chance to vote for the books they like, and this is a great way to take a pulse on the likes and dislikes of readers. Also, the great thing is that it means that kids are encourage to read, and that's always a great thing.

Okay, now I have to climb off my cloud and get to work.

This falls under the category of weird. My book, The Mystery of the Graffiti Ghoul, has just been nominated for the 2007 Arthur Ellis Award for excellence in Canadian crime writing in juvenile fiction. I never pictured the book as a piece of serious crime fiction. I'm thrilled to make the shortlist, but I figure I have two chances of winning the title: slim and none.

Anyway, it's fantastic just to get the nomination. Now I've got to get to work on the third book.