It has been almost ten years since I wrote a blog.
Thanks to Faheem Khan at Tritrix Inc., I have a new, improved website in which I can entertain people and, at best, give them an insight about writing. Whether you are a seasoned writer or one who is new at the craft, I hope that you find my blogs interesting and perhaps even educational.
A little about myself:
I can remember, at the age of ten, fifty years ago but who’s counting?, I was lured by the sirens of writing and I have never looked back. People have different hobbies and sometimes we can’t always understand them because they don’t appeal to us. Well, writing was mine. My parents weren’t huge readers but they were proud of me and they watched me write, proud that I was being inventive, creative. They gave me my space and I loved them for that.
Over the years, I have had periods when words have shot out of me onto the page. I’ve also had my fallow periods and days when I wonder if the effort is worth it. The answer: certainly. When I wrote something I considered “garbage,” I would throw it out. This is no longer the case. For you aspiring writers, here is my first bit of advice. Don’t throw out anything. Put it aside. Let the seed germinate. It will come back to you. I’ve lost count of the times that I have dug out an old story/poem/novel, continued it and completed it.
I have never been traditionally published. I have had my share of honourable mentions in story-writing contests but there is nothing else beyond those.
I was quite pleased when, 20 years ago, I was informed by a member of the Toronto Star newspaper that my story was in the top 40 of about 2,000 entries in The Toronto Star Short Story Contest. I still deem that as the best story I’ve ever written and have revised it three times, making it more powerful each time. My second bit of advice to you writers: put your finished products aside and when you feel the need, revisit them and revise them. This could be a week after you wrote the first draft. Could be a month, a year, ten years.
I was also thrilled to have three of my stories (in different years) given honourable mentions in the Lorian Hemingway Short Story Contest.
I try to fit in one or two hours a day writing. Easy for me to say since I am retired. Currently, I am working on a novel about a zombie apocalypse, laced with some humour.
Please join me here in my journey in the world of writing.
