UPDATES ON "SHADOW OF THE LION"

I had to set aside "Dragons in the Sky" because I am working on a new Epilogue (for book 1) and Prologue (for book 2) of SHADOW OF THE LION,  since the publishers have decided to break it into two books.

I spent a weekend stressed out over how I'd go about it (not as easy as I thought and they must be perfect!  But since then I think I have a grip on it and have a pretty good draft of the Epilogue finished.  Will work on the Prologue now, and then workshop both of them in my Scribblers' writer's critique group.

So far I am very pleased with my publisher www.mediaaria-cdm.com  and their friendly responses.  At the end of the year I'll be working with the director himself who will supervise the final edits ("an act of love" because he feels that Shadow is "an amazing artistic endeavour") 

I have an artist friend designing the book cover.  And so far the publisher has done lots of advance publicity.  On my end, I have put up a blog especially to advertise and introduce the novel
You can see it at http://shadowofthelion.com   I'll be adding bits from time to time to keep the interest up.

This is a very exciting time for me. It still hardly seems 'real' that, at last, my novel will be published!
I've been asked to do some readings in advance. This week I'm reading at a story time group and next month I'll co-read with a friend who is having a book launch at a local library.

Stay tuned in to this blog for further news and maybe even a bit more about "Dragons in the Sky" when I get these other tasks finished.

PATIENCE, PERSISTENCE, AND UNWAVERING TRUST

"There is nothing impossible for him who will try!"  These are words written on a card a friend gave me when I had my wrap party to celebrate completion of my manuscript of SHADOW OF THE LION.  Of course there was more work ahead. And for the next year my mantra was "Epimoni (persistence)" and "Ipomoni - patience" .  The final editing took a good six months, and then came the months of sending out queries and playing the waiting game. But I trusted. I had Alexander on my side and he never lost a battle!  In fact, on my tack-board I had this: ALEXANDER IS THE BEACON, THE LIGHT THROUGH WHICH I SHALL ACHIEVE SUCCESS. So I have to say "Thank you, Alexander. Evharisto poli. Because you have been with me for the long years of research and writing, stopping and starting again, writing pages and pages of your story. Twenty years in all. And I never gave up. So now, it's just a matter of time until SHADOW OF THE LION will finally make its debut into the literary world. And I feel sure it will be a success.

Here's my advice to novel writers. Don't give up. Be patient, persistent and have unwavering trust that you will get the book written and it will be published.

Contract signing day!

 

Meanwhile, DRAGONS IN THE SKY lies languishing on my table. I haven't done any new writing on it since before my vacation, although I did sit down the other day and sort out some time-lines.

 

This novel also has a long history. I actually began it back in the early 80's, typing on a manual typewriter as this Celtic girl, Olwen, began to tell me her story. I worked on it on-and-off, even during the time I went to live in Greece from 1983. However I got jumbled up with it, because a writer teacher I had at the time insisted I should be writing it in third person. So I kept switching back and forth and it simply didn't work. And also, some of the critiques I was getting for it from a group I belonged to were not that encouraging. So I shelved it.



 After SHADOW OF THE LION was finished and I had started pitching it to agents and publishers, I got a good bit of advice from writer Steven Pressfield. "Start working on something new."  So I took out my old manuscript of Dragons, and started to retype it into the computer. As I typed and the voice came back to me I realized that all along this was meant to be a first person narrative. It is almost like a past-life regression story and I think the roots of it were when long ago people started asking me how I knew so much about Greece and the people. (I had written an Alexander themed novel in my last year of high school). And in 1979 when I first visited Greece I had so many deja vus experiences I really began to believe I HAD been there before. Olwen's voice came loud and clear, telling me her story, how she had been brought up by the Druids, trained to be a healer and was an acolyte priestess, and after a great tragedy descended on her village was kidnapped by a renegade chieftain, taken across the Narrow Sea and across the Celtic lands as far as Macedonia where she is rescued by a young hunter (Alexander). 

When I did the time-lines yesterday I realize that I am about half done this first draft and so far whenever I workshop it my writing group (The Scribblers) loves it.  Some of the chapters are written as bardic verse, the rest in a lyrical prose style. Well, I think that just by writing this blog I have 'unstuck' myself from the writer's block that has plagued me lately. So look for most postings soon about Olwen and her adventures.

WAITING

Penelope

Poor Penelope waited patiently for years for her husband, Odysseus, to return from his long journey. But her patience paid off, and eventually he return.

I'm kind of like Penelope now— playing the waiting game for news about my novel "Shadow of the Lion"  I've sent it out to several publisher, some in UK and others in US and it takes months to get any responses. The frustrating part is also that every submission guideline is different so I have to alter the queries and enclosures with each submission. This can be confusing and time consuming.

So, though I haven't been writing much on my blog these days, it's because I've been occupied with this other task. As well, I am working on the other novel "Dragons in the Sky"  I've done a little bit of new writing for it, but mostly I've been making notes and editing from suggestions made by my Scribblers writer's group.

Then there's the travel writing. I try to keep up with the two stories a month I like to submit to EuropeUpClose (on-line) and still have a list of stories to prepare for other freelance markets. Oh, if only I had the time!

These days I am still instructing classes. (Today I had an all-day class in memoir writing, just the same as I did last weekend.) And I have Write from the Heart groups Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings plus a creative writing class Tuesday nights. Next month I'm thinking of launching an in-home writing group again but I'm waiting for these others to wind down. I also attend my faithful and inspiring writing critique group, The Scribblers, every Monday night.

Somewhere in between I squeeze in some pleasure and leisure time. I love going to listen to jazz or the blues and hang out with my friends. This is Oscar weekend so I'm having a little party tomorrow, formal and classy, with my girlfriends.

Then I'll be back at the writing and editing again. And hopefully I'll post a few more blogs soon.
Meanwhile, thanks for reading!

ALL ABOUT THE WRITING OF "SHADOW OF THE LION"

Me, at work on "Shadow of the Lion"

 

I was  recently invited to participate in a meme questionnaire about my novel "Shadow of the Lion" which is currently in the hands of an agent.  My on-line poet friend Marc Latham nominated me to join the other writers who took part in this interesting survey called The Next Best Thing. Marc writes "folding mirror poems" and you can see his interview here:

http://fmpoetry.wordpress.com/2012/11/29/interview-about-mirror-poems-and-reflections-book/

 

These are the questions that were asked about my novel.

What is the title of your new book?
“Shadow of the Lion”

Where did the idea for the book come from?
I have been intrigued by Alexander the Great since I was 16 and in my final year of high school wrote an Alexander themed novel. I wanted to write one just about him but Mary Renault’s trilogy covered his life. However, I was disappointed when I read her “Funeral Games” and felt there was much more to the story – mainly the story about his son, Alexander IV, the only legal heir of Alexander the Great.  I started writing a novel about the boy aimed at the young adult market but realized it was too complicated and political a story, so after a year or more of writing I began again in a multiple point of view with the theme “How blind ambition and greed brought down a world power.” That is the history I cover in “Shadow of the Lion”. The boy, who I call by his Persian name “Iskander”, is still one of the major characters in the book. But I gave a strong voice to the women — his mother, Roxana, Alexander's mother Olympias and Alexander's niece Adeia-Eurydike  as well as the generals who played a role in bringing down Alexander’s dynasty. There are only a couple of fictional characters in the novel and they are also strong characters (Nabarzanes, a Persian court advisor, an old Chaldean Magus and a young Macedonian boy, Orion, who becomes Iskander’s best friend.)

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical fiction

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
While workshopping it one of the movie buffs in my writer’s group kept suggestion actors to play the roles.  One would definitely be Anthony Hopkins but I’m not sure of the others. In the beginning there was a precocious little boy in the daycare where I worked who I modeled Iskander after. While I was writing it, I ran across a number of people in Greece who fit the description of the characters. I saw a waiter at a taverna on Thassos who strongly resembled Alexander and a man working in a post office in Asprovalto who was a dead-ringer for Perdikkas. Some of the actors who played in the TV series “Rome” (especially the women) would definitely fit the roles. I actually visualized the story as being played out on a big screen while I was writing it. I think it would make an excellent TV movie series such as "Rome".

Will your book be self published or published by an agency?
It is currently in the hands of a New York agent and I intend to pursue traditional publishing first as I feel the novel is worthy of a world-wide audience.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

I worked by chapter segments, writing early drafts, workshopping, rewriting  all the way through the novel, which is long and dense. It literally took me about 15 years to complete and then of course there was the final reading critiques, editing by me, and finally editing by a professional editor.

What other books would you compare to within the genre?

Anything by Mary Renault, especially her trilogy on Alexander the Great. 
Steven Pressfield’s “Virtues of War”  and “The Afghan Campaign”
I was also influenced by the writing of Scott Oden (“Memnon”)  and Dr. James Dempsey (“Ariadne’s Brother”) Margaret George ("Memoirs of Cleopatra

The Lion of Amphipolis

 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Alexander did, of course. And the fact that I was terribly disappointed with Mary Renault’s “Funeral Games” so I wanted to write that same period of history and develop the characters and story more than she did. I lived for a number of years in Greece before and during the time I was researching for this book and had a lot of encouragement from Classical scholar friends and the Greeks themselves including the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Society of Macedonian Studies.

My Work Space

Marc suggested I invite several other writers to participate in this meme but unfortunately most of the writers I know (from the various groups I belong to) do not have blogs or websites.  You can find my website at www.ruthkozak.com and it will link you to my published travel articles, poetry publications and other published work.

WRITER'S NEWS UPDATES

The first bit of good news is that Foreign Flavors has been published, an anthology of foodie stories chosen by Writers Abroad.  My story about a favorite Greek dish "Arni Kleftiko" (Bandit's Lamb) is included in the collection.  Proceeds go to a good charitable cause.  So get your copies now.  I think it will make a nice Christmas gift for some of my friends and family members.

Get it here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/foreign-flavours/18192264

My next bit of news is in regards to the status of my novel "Shadow of the Lion".  I have completed a few rounds of editing and cutting and will launch into another one this weekend.  Last week I attended the Surrey International Writer's Conference with the intention of making some editor/agent appointments, but was only successful with one. None of the people I most wanted to see were available.  I did get some good tips and this was concerning word length and numbers of points of view.  My novel is way over the acceptable word length and it's going to mean major cutting.  I also have too many points of view so I have to decide which ones I can eliminate without spoiling the flow of the narrative.  I'll be starting work on this by the weekend.

Meanwhile, in spite of being disappointed about the results of the conference a writer friend has since directed me to her own editor with high recommendations. I was sorry I missed some good presentations at the conference. I stood in line waiting to book an agent or editor all during historical fiction author Margaret George's presentation and it was one feature I really wanted to attend. However I did get in for the last 5 minutes and asked a few questions, then spoke to her briefly on my own later. And because of the two agent appointments I wasn't able to take in as much of the other presentations of my choice but did get some good tips about pitching and queries.

After that full day at the conference, the next day I taught an all-day memoir writing group which was excellent.  Then on Sunday morning at my journalism class, it was disrupted by a crazy woman who burst in two hours late and hurled insults at me and the class as well as physically attacking me.  Very upsetting!  I was barely getting over that and had classes every morning until today as well as one night school class. Fortunately, most of them went well other than my yesterday's Write from the Heart group where there were some small disruptions.  And it isn't even a full moon?

Well today the sun is out and I should hurry with these little blog tasks and get myself out for a nice walk.  I'll post more news about the editing of Shadow of the Lion and other writing news as soon as I get some time.

WHERE AM I NOW?

My writing space

This week I have started the final editing on my manuscript of "Shadow of the Lion".  I bought a very useful book "Manuscript Makeover" by Elizabeth Lyon and recommend it to anyone who is planning to edit their novel or short story manuscript in preparation to send it off to a publisher.  Besides that, I've had someone doing a thorough reader's critique and making notes where I need to change or cut.  So far the job is going quickly. Today I already finished red pencilling Part One with very few corrections or necessary adjustments or tweaks.  It's amazing how 'polished' it was and that is because I did block editing and workshopped each 'scene' as I was writing it.

It's also interesting to go back and read 'fresh' what I had written so long ago.  Amazing, really, as some of it seems as if it came from someone else. I can't remember where I got those words or when I put them down so astutely!  I'm sure, though, that as I go through it I'll find the parts that are not so smooth and those will likely be what gets cut.  Because I do have a lot of cutting to do in order to keep the manuscript to a workable and publishable length.

I have a good team lined up - my critique reader and a professional editor and someone else who offered to do proof reading.  So that's a good start.  And already I've had a little 'bite' about it although I am not going to start the big pitch to agents just yet.  I could though, as the first 3 chapters are pretty polished.  But I still have to set it up in a new file on my computer and make sure it looks as professional as possible. And that will come next.

Pretty soon I'm going to set up a special blog for the novel where I can add links to interesting facts about Alexander and the history that I have written about in the book.  I also have an "Introduction to Shadow of the Lion" group on Facebook, so if you're a Facebooker, take a look at that!

Meanwhile, stay tuned for the next reports.  These are a different type of 'progress report' that I was blogging about before when I was still writing.  Now you'll be hearing from the Editor's Desk!

PROGRESS REPORT # 75 : SO IT ENDS

Ptolemy Soter

Prologue: Babylon, the 28th day of Daesius (June) 323 BC
Ptolemy, companion and illegitimate half-brother of Alexander the Great writes in his journal:

'Today, the 28th of Daesius ,an ominous darkness has descended over city. Alexander is dead. When I looked at him, he seemed to be at peace at last.  There was, in his eyes, a look of calm acceptance.  I have wept for him. He was a god and man. He will continue to live, I think, forever and ever, for thousands and thousands years.’

Ptolemy wrote memoirs on Alexander's campaigns.  He was one of Alexander's most faithful companions and friend,  allegedly an illegitimate half brother of Alexander.  He could have tried to take over the army after Alexander died, but he chose instead to go to Egypt and establish the city of Alexandria as Alexander had wished.  He became the first Ptolemaic Pharaoh of Egypt and his dynasty lasted for many years. (The Cleopatra that we know in the histories was from his lineage.  'Cleopatra' was in fact a Macedonian royal name.)  In "Shadow of the Lion"  he is the royal blue thread in the tapestry,  telling Alexander's story in the prologue and epilogue and appearing throughout the novel.  Although some historians saw him as self-aggrandizing,  from what I have read and researched, I saw him as an honest, loyal and honourable man.  He is one of the sympathetic characters in the novel, and the 'uncle' who Iskander (Alexander's son) sees as a savior.

It has been a long, long journey for me writing this novel.  Many stops, starts, several hiatuses when I was working on other writing (plays, memoirs and travel writing.  Even some poetry related to the story, my collection of 12 Homeric Hymns "Hymns to Gods and Heroes").  But now, at last, my journey has ended.  The telling of the tale, for sure, but there's still work for the 'editor' to do: polishing, tweaking, cutting, looking for an agent/publisher.  Still, when I wrote the end this week I felt a great sense of accomplishment.  And I have a lot of people to thank for their encouragement and assistance.  There will be a page of acknowledgements in the front of the book when it's published.

The journey started in Babylon for my characters, taking them through the Middle East, Egypt, and finally north to Macedonia.  It was a journey of almost 13 years.  Mine took longer than that, including a year and more of research before I began;  an attempt to write it as a juvenile historical which I abandoned after a year when I realized the story was too political and complex. I spent a lot of time in Greece doing research, with the help of Classical scholars, the Greek Ministry of Culture, the secretary of the Society of Macedonian Studies and many friends there and here. There were a lot of halts on the journey, conflicts, problems,  joyous times and sad times.  But now, it's done.  Do I feel relief?  Am I sad?  Well, I have had the ending written right from the beginning, so I already knew how it would end, so it wasn't quite as much of a shock to me as it might have been had it been really 'fresh' writing.  I think when I wrote the end of the epilogue I felt the impact.  But it probably won't be for a few days yet that the full realization comes over me.  It's done!  It will be strange to not be thinking about it 24/7, jotting notes down in my notebook, getting up in the night to record lines of dialogue or setting detail that I suddenly thought of.  I have been living with these characters for a long, long time.  They are real people in my mind,  just as most of them were real people in history.  So, yes, I will miss them. 

Epilogue: Alexandria, the 28th day of Daesius (June) 310 BC 

Ptolemy has received word from Amphipolis, Macedon, and writes this in his journal:

'And now Alexander’s dynasty has ended. Such is life, the way of men -- that in the twinkling of an eye an Empire can collapse. We are driven by greed to win fame and power in unrighteous ways and the more we have, the more we covet, until greed and blind ambition destroys us.’

SO IT ENDS

Funeral urn containing the remains of a Macedonian Prince(When I asked the archaeologist at Vergina, the Royal Tombs, if they might be those of Alexander IV, he said they believed so, because he (my Iskander) was the only royal boy of that age, about 14, who had died at that time.)

WRITING IS WORK!

Don't kid yourself. Writing is work. And it can be very difficult work that requires a lot of concentration and skill. Some people think it's 'glamorous' to be a writer, believing that somehow novels are produced by osmosis or some kind of magical abrecadabra system. It's not true. Writing IS work.

It took me a long time to reach the point where I could say "I'm a full time writer", but that doesn't mean I just laze around home all day, playing at the computer, going on adventures, spinning tales. No. I really have to work at it if I want to make my writing 'pay'. Unfortunately this isn't as easy as a non-writer might think. For one thing, it's a big deal just trying to stay focused on what I'm supposed to be doing. There are countless distractions and I'm an expert at procrastinating or finding something more interesting to occupy my time. How many times a day does one need to check their e-mail or visit Facebook? That's just the beginning of all the numerous ways there are to avoid doing the 'work'.

In spite of teaching classes at which I go over the 'rules' of being a successful writer, I don't necessarily pay attention to them myself. Rome didn't get built in a day. Neither did a best selling novel.

Writing can be very discouraging work as well. If you are working on a novel, it can seem endless. Don't kid yourself into believing that a novel can be whipped up in a few months. It sometimes takes years! And don't think just because you have a good idea for a story that you'll be able to spin that story out in just a draft or two. Writing, rewriting, editing...it's endless!

Just to remind myself of the pitfall of writing, I will write down some of the basic 'rules' here and perhaps in doing so it will stimulate me to start paying attention to the task(s) at hand, because I have to do this in order to make any new headway on the novel (which is still not completely finished) and to also make time for the travel writing that I must do. As the travel writing (for Planet Eye Traveler and freelance markets) is one of my sources of income, this is very important. I also teach writing classes, another source of income that allows me the privilege of being a 'full time writer', but this also takes a lot of preparation. So it is most important to be organized and discipline. Someone recently wrote a statement that 'writing is 5% talent and 95% perseverance' Well, in the first place you need way more than 5% talent to write successfully otherwise it's a waste of your time. But you definitely need a lot of perseverance, maybe even 100%! Writing is not easy and it can be downright discouraging. So be be successful you must persevere.

What does it take to be a writer? Basic ability is not enough. You must observe these 5 D's: DESIRE, the desire to write that novel more than anything else! DRIVE: the drive to get started. DETERMINATION: the will to continue whatever the stumbling blocks and difficulties encountered along the way (there will be lots!); DISCIPLINE; The discipline to writer every day, whatever your mood; DEDICATION - to the project until the very last page is finished. At all costs, avoid this 6th "D" DISTRACTIONS: the enemy of all writers. And then there is the very important "C": COMMITMENT. When you start a project such as a novel, you must be committed if you want to finish the work. Sure, sometimes you need to take a break, do some other kind of writing, or tend to personal affairs, but if you are serious about your work you will come back to it refreshed and with new ideas that will help you COMPLETE your project.
This novel will be with you for a long time, so you better have thought about it beforehand. When it's ready to be written, you'[ll know. It will be with you day and night. You'll even dream about it. So, if you prefer painting, cooking or watching TV, forget it! Now, get busy and start WORKING!






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THE FESTIVAL OF WRITTEN ARTS

This weekend my friends and I went for a weekend on the Sunshine Coast to the Festival of the Written Arts at Sechelt, a small town on the Sechelt Peninsula. It's been a number of years since I attended this writer's festival and I was so pleased my friend Dianne suggested we go. For one thing, the location is one of my favorite places on the Coast. When my family had their cottage on an island nearby I fell in love with this part of the Province. Being back there again reminded me of those days, and of all the other fun festivals I've attended in the past. One year I spent a week at Rockwood Lodge at a women writer's retreat, another unforgettable event in my writer's life. The lodge isn't there now (too bad!) and I do hope they might rebuild it. There's just the performance hall and admin. buildings on the grounds which are surrounded by gardens and trees. It's quite an idyllic setting, and close to the seashore too.

Being part seal or probably dolphin, I love the sea so this was an excellent way to spend a weekend. Besides the sun (which was beaming down full-force all weekend) and the inspirational company, there was the long stretch of pebbly beach and the forest all around. My kind of setting! Here I am on the rocks, just before sunset not long after we had arrived there on Friday night. We eventually got to swim, but went to the wrong beach and it was too stony. It was refreshing to dip into the ocean though and to smell the fresh sea air. Luxury!

We took in a couple of of events but some of the best things were sold out. However the night we arrived (Friday) we sat outside the performance hall and listened to an interview with writer Elizabeth Hay ("Late Nights on Air"). The next morning we took in two events. One was with Mike McCardell, a well known TV figure formerly NYC crime reporter. His latest book is "The Blue Flames That Keep Us Warm: Mike McCardell's Favorite Stories" He's a very entertaining and personable guy. He usually appears after the news with a human interest vignette that he shares with viewers.

The next reader we heard was Lorna Goodison, a Jamaican/Canadian writer who read some touching excerpts from her memoir "From Harvey River: A memoir of My Mother and Her People" I will definitely buy her book! She is also an accomplished and well-published poet and winner of an award for Canadian Non-Fiction. In the afternoon we heard Claire Mulligan an award-winning short fiction writer who wrote "The Reckoning of Boston Jim", her first novel. She was being interviewed by Sheryl McKay, host of CBC Radio's "North by Northwest"

That evening we sat outside and listening to the keynote speaker, Chantal Hebert, a French-Canadian political writer.

What we missed this time was the lack of the lodge because after the performances in the past, there was usually a reception held there and you could schmooz with all the writers and sometimes get chances to chat personally with them. I also missed the lodge as that's where I'd stayed when I was at the women's retreat. They also used to house the guest readers there. Other than that one small disappointment, it was a super weekend and I returned to the city Sunday afternoon feeling quite revitalized and ready to launch into more writing. (Which I did today and polished off four more stories for the Planet Eye as well as editing a recycled travel story of mine that is going to be published again. Then in the evening, I met my friends at the Yaletown gallery for a poetry book launch and reading by poet friend Diane Laloge. There was music accompaniment and wine and cheese. In all a very rich and inspiring weekend!

And yes...I have completed another chapter segment of my novel besides all the other writing I've been doing. So I'll be posting another "Progress Report" very soon.

SOME FUN AND HAPPY MEMORIES

This is the band "Sumalao" that plays at the Latin Quarter on the weekends.

After a busy week of writing, teaching and various other activities, I decided that on Saturday night I'd attend a literary event and then meet my friends at the Latin Quarter (our hangout) for some salsa dancing and fun. It had started out to be a stressful week, and it took me a couple of days to get my centre point again, but then I immersed myself in my writing and teaching and by the weekend I needed to have some R&R. I've decided to attend more literary events as well as the travel media things I go to. It's good for schmoozing and getting to know the literary community of the city (which is a pretty active one.) So I on Saturday night I went to the B.C. Book Prize soiree at a big hotel downtown. It was one of those lah-de-dah affairs where you stand around drinking an $8 glass of wine, nibbling on canapes that the waiters bring round on silver plates. Aside from a well-known poet (a poet laureate) who I am familiar with and in awe of, I didn't see a soul I knew. I really wanted to talk to Mr McWhirter but was just too shy to approach him. I wanted to tell him how much I admired his work on the script of "Hecuba" the play I loved so much and went to see twice earlier this year. But he seemed pretty absorbed with his own crowd so I never did quite get the courage up.

I stood around for as long as my tired back would take it, the found a place to sit at a table with two other women and a guy. I got into a conversation with the older woman who said she recognized my name (that's good!) and when she told me hers, I also recognized it.
But neither of us could figure out from where, except I am a member of the Federation of B.C.Writers and also actively attend some events such as the Surrey Writer's Conference. Anyway I felt kind of thrilled to think my name is 'known' out there in the literary world!
Later, I checked her card, and see is is connected with Suite101.com and it happens I've been thinking of submitting some travel stories to them.

The woman and her party left the table but then I ran into another dear friend and her husband, a poet who used to belong to our writer's group but who has been absent for some time due to a disability. I have great admiration for Mavis, and always read her poetry to my classes when we are doing a poetry night. So it was excellent to run into her and her wonderful husband Paul, who said he'd just had a book published about falcons. (He's very involved in ecology issues). That rounded up the soiree very nicely for me and made me realize how important it is to attend these functions as you never know who you'll meet there.

Our writer's group doing timed writings in a scenic spot on

Mayne Island where we often went for weekend retreats.

Mavis and I were reminiscing about our writer's group -- the great fun we always had together, especially on the twice a yearly retreats to this lovely coastal island. This last year we didn't go away at all, and there didn't seem much interest generated. I miss this, and so do a couple of other older members. And these kinds of retreats really brought us closer together as a group and as friends. We used to do crazy writer's things, always with a theme (such as a pirate weekend, or favorite writer's weekend, or rites of Spring...all with costumes)
And we'd do writing exercises, like in the photo above, timed writings on the knoll overlooking the sea, when we were out for one of our hikes. I've been feeling very nostalgic about those days lately and wonder if ever we can recreate them again. There were specific things on the island that were precious to our group. One of them was visiting the 'circle tree'. It's an old arbutus twisted into a circle shape and every retreat we'd go there, pose by the tree, drink a toast of wine and toss the lees to the spirits of nature, and in an old hollow stump we have a cache of messages we've been writing over the years, like time capsules. So each time we'd go to the tree we'd unearth the buried cache and read the previous years writings. Oh, I miss all of that so much!

Me, in the circle tree

Anyway, after the literary soiree, I went to meet my friends at our favorite bistro, The Latin Quarter (often referred to here as the LQ)

And that turned out to be another sort of 'literary' evening too. My friend had just returned from Peru, proudly showing off the book of short stories he had published there; another friend who just returned from Beijing came to talk to me about writing a story for my travel web site; there was a whole table of artists/musicians/poets/writers celebrating the visit of a remarkable and beautiful woman who has been living in Turkey (she's a Rumi poet and whirler as well as a singer, dancer) At the same table was another woman who I recognized as someone I'd talked to recently in the neighbourhood Greek taverna -- also Turkish, and a writer from the S.F.U. writing/publishing program. The vibes were simply fantastic last night. And what a grand group of people we all are, we regulars who love to meet each weekend to dance salsa, chat, have fun, give each other hugs and kisses and hang out together. That made my weekend, and I woke today feeling much more settled, though still that cloud of unhappiness is there and will remain until things are solved and perhaps tomorrow at our meeting here it will be. Otherwise I will stick to my resolution to remove myself, as I really have to protect myself from further outbursts.

Today I took myself on a field trip to do some photographing for a blog I am planning about the public markets here. I went on the skytrain to the New Westminster quay and public market. The sun was out, although the weather is very cold -- record lows for April and there was snow on Friday! Enjoyed my stroll around by the Fraser River but the market itself was totally boring and scuzzy so I wasn't too impressed with it. I'll only give it two stars out of five, and that's just because of the historical significance of its location.

Well, here's the end of the weekend. I've just had an hour long reflexology treatment and a long chat with my friend, so it's time to make a late dinner (very late, it's almost 10 pm!) and perhaps watch a movie to round off the day.

ALL ABOUT WRITING

This award is yours if you've been following these handy writer's tips.

A couple of weeks ago Marie awarded me this Powerful Words award from the Shameless Lions Writing Circle. I'm not sure which individuals I should 'tag' to receive this award, so it's yours if you've been hard at work, focused and nose-to-the-keyboard accomplishing what you can of your works-in-progress.

The gist of this meme is to list three important things that help make your writing powerful and good. Well, here's three things I always stress to the people who join my writing classes:

1. If you want to succeed, you need to be dedicated, disciplined and driven. You will not accomplish a great work if you only dabble in writing once a week or once a month. You need to write daily and often even if it's in a journal or for 10 minutes while you take a coffee break. Just as a musician must practice every day to become accomplished at whatever instrument he/she plays, so must a writer write. And be prepared to do lots of rewriting. It's all part of learning the craft and making your work excellent. Being in a critique group is especially helpful.

2. Carry a notebook with you at all times. You never know when that fabulous line of dialogue, description or narrative is going to pop into your head and you need to write it down immediately. It's those spontaneous bits of writing that give your work it's zip and shine and immediacy.

3. Write about what you know or are fascinated with. And be prepared to do endless research in particular if you're writing about historical periods (and that includes 'near history'.) If you're writing a story set in New York and you've never been to that city, then you'd better take yourself there! And most of all DON'T GIVE UP.

In addition to this 'award' meme, Marie has recently posted another fun exercise.
See how many of these questions you can answer:

1. What was the last thing you wrote?
I've been editing and rewriting a piece about Papua New Guinea for my travel
web site. (It's another person's story but I had to do some additional text for it.)
2. Was it any good?
It is now!
3. What's the first thing you wrote that you still have?
A hand-written little 'novella' about pioneers, written when I was 12.
4. Write poetry?
Sometimes.
5. Angsty poetry?
Often.
6. favorite genre of writing.
historical fiction/ drama
7. Most fun character you ever created?
There's been a few but I love Nabarzanes, the Persian Court Advisor (a fiction
character in "Shadow of the Lion"; and Olwen, who I 'channeled' in "Dragons in the Sky."
8. Most annoying character you've created?
Maybe that would be Alkides, the soldier poet in my Sappho play.
9. Best plot you've ever created?
"Shadow' is written from a historical plot, so I didn't create it. I'd say the
best one I actually created is the plot for "Dragons"
10. How often do you get writer's block?
Not too often and usually it's brief.
11. Write from facts?
"Shadow" and "House of the Muses" (a play) are based on historical facts.
12. Do you type or write by hand?
I usually write notes by hand first, and often write paragraphs of narrative,
some dialogue and always jot down lots of ideas and possibilities.
13. Do you save everything you write?
I save on my hard drive file as well as on CDrom and flash disc as well as
keeping hard copy. If I erase something from the computer I always make sure I have the hard copy just in case i decide it's something I can use after all.
14. Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it?
Sometimes.
15. What's your favorite thing you've written?
Currently, I'm loving my work on "Shadow". I also feel an urge to return to my
Celtic tale "Dragons" though I'd shelved it out of frustration. I'm also quite
proud of my play "The Street" which was successfully produced in 2000.
16. Do you ever show people your work?
All the time. I believe that a good critique group is one of the most helpful
learning tools a writer can have.
17. Did you ever write a novel?
I've been writing novels since I was in my teens.
18. Ever written romance or teen angst drama?
I love writing drama. "The Street" was a drama based on a true story from
my late teens (and written first when I was 18); I tried writing romance
(such as Harlequin) but I'm not that fond of that genre. I do love putting
romance in my novels though.
19. What's your favorite setting for your characters?
In the case of "Shadow" that would be Greece, of course. And "Dragons" is set
near Stonehenge in England.
20. How many writing projects are you working on right now?
I am mainly working on "Shadow" (have put "Dragons" and "House of Muses"
on hold til it's done) But I also write travel and currently do a lot of editing for
submissions for my travel web site. Also do editing for people in my writing
classes.
21. Do you want to write as a living?
Of course! I'm now a full-time writer but I mainly make my writing money from teaching, editing, some travel submissions, and occasionally one-on-one
writing coaching or workshop groups. (Don't expect to get 'rich' from writing)
22. Have you ever won an award for your writing?
I once won first prize in a 1 page writing contest. My "awards" are publication.
23. Ever written anything in script or play format?
I began writing plays when I was about 10. I wrote "The Street" when I was 18
and rewrote it in 1998 (it took 2 years to rework it including taking a playwright's course). I have a script in progress "House of the Muses' about the poet Sappho. I love the theatre!
24. What are your five favorite words?
I love dictionaries and thesauruses.
25. Do you ever write based on yourself?
"The Street: a Modern Tragedy" was based on a true story involving me and
the first love of my life who became a heroin addict. I think the protagonist,
"Olwen" in "Dragons in the Sky" the voice of me coming from another time.
26. What characters have you created that most resemble yourself.
"Angela" in "The Street" and "Olwen" in "Dragons"
27. Do you favor happy, sad or cliff-hanger endings?
Well, I'm a drama queen and love tragedies. "The Street' was a true tragedy,
'House of the Muses" is also tragic and the ending of "Shadow" is strewn with
the bodies of people I've grown to love.
28. Have you written based on an artwork you have seen?
Yes. Art is a great prompt for writing. I have written a poem based on
artwork.
29. Are you concerned with spelling and grammar as you write?
Not in my first drafts. I try to keep the internal editor out until I'm ready
to let her take charge for later and final drafts.
30. Does music help you write?
Music is another powerful prompt. But while I'm writing I am fussy about
what I listen to as it has to set the tone for my thoughts and what I am writing. I listened to a lot of '50's music and jazz while I wrote "The Street
I have a CD of Sappho's poems set to music (with an ancient tone) for when
I am writing writing "House of the Muses"; I have Persian and some special Greek music, classical or music from certain movies I listen to while writing "Shadow".
31. Quote something you've written
"It was my thirteenth year with the Druids. I had learned all the incantations of magic before I was ten years old. Essylt, being a sorceress and diviner of the auguries, was both my guardian and my teacher. I caller her modryb, Auntie, because she had nursed me in infancy as though she were my natural mother. The Druid said my real mother died in childbirth. I would have been exposed for the wolves if someone had not brought me to the Great Stone Circle on the plain.
Listen to my song: I am an honored child.
I am Olwen, daughter of the Earth Mother, Child of the Raven."

From "Dragons in the Sky: A Celtic Tale."