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Just a quick note while packing my bags for a trip south: I'm between writing projects which means while I'm scheming the distribution for the poetry/colouring book (DEVOTIONS), I'm also trying to corral the characters that keep showing up in my head for (not just 1 but) 2 Y/A stories (be they novels or novellas like ENOUGH available free on Wattpad.com).
How to pack for them, you might ask? Paper. Notes. Clippings. File folders to keep the stories separate. Laptop...for researching. But I'll also be packing a bathing suit, cap and nose plugs since I'm determined to dive right in! Wish me luck...
And aside from the writing materials, I'll also be bringing the pencil crayons and markers; the yarn and crochet hook; my tiny poetry scribbler for brain-dumps - all these as outlets for any frenetic creativity and to keep the anxiety (of vacationing?) of life in check.
On the laptop and the phone, I've also got lots and lots of music. Music to write by; to dabble by; to walk the beach by. Just for fun, check out the playlist I created for ENOUGH (which is on Wattpad). Here's the YouTube link to songs on a playlist (not my taste at all) that were channeled straight from my characters.
Cozy up during the winter, read and write! Til next time, peeps!!
How to pack for them, you might ask? Paper. Notes. Clippings. File folders to keep the stories separate. Laptop...for researching. But I'll also be packing a bathing suit, cap and nose plugs since I'm determined to dive right in! Wish me luck...
And aside from the writing materials, I'll also be bringing the pencil crayons and markers; the yarn and crochet hook; my tiny poetry scribbler for brain-dumps - all these as outlets for any frenetic creativity and to keep the anxiety (of vacationing?) of life in check.
On the laptop and the phone, I've also got lots and lots of music. Music to write by; to dabble by; to walk the beach by. Just for fun, check out the playlist I created for ENOUGH (which is on Wattpad). Here's the YouTube link to songs on a playlist (not my taste at all) that were channeled straight from my characters.
Cozy up during the winter, read and write! Til next time, peeps!!
- Published on
We've all been presented with a clean slate; a blank page; like the crisp snowbanks outside and it's our obligation to take opportunity by the scruff and make things happen.
In my case that means taking DEVOTIONS to a whole new market. Yes, the launch is over. The holiday purchases of this poetry/colouring book were made. It's a start. So aside from submitting the book for several awards, I'm on the hunt for unique distribution for this very different kind of project. That will mean reaching out to some very unusual places: historical sites (i.e. forts), gift shops and craft shops. In order to prepare, I need to work up a spec page or line sheet on the product. Of course, Mr. Google and then an industry friend can be very helpful in fine-tuning what buyers or store reps would need. I also have a lead on an agent or two (that deal with some of the biggest retailers on the continent - yikes).
And if you're wondering why this isn't scary-out-of-my-depth - well, it is. No reason not to take on the challenge. At the same time, I'll be starting to write a followup. Retailing dictates that bundling colouring books together makes them more marketable. I'll keep you posted!
All this while starting to post another Y/A novella on the brilliant (free) WATTPAD website. And I've also got some brand new characters stomping around in the back of my brain (mental-health related, of course).
What do I do to relax? I've been knitting and crocheting to buffer the anxiety of this time of year. I'm always colouring. Winter months can be boring without the requisite splashes of colour, you must agree!
In my case that means taking DEVOTIONS to a whole new market. Yes, the launch is over. The holiday purchases of this poetry/colouring book were made. It's a start. So aside from submitting the book for several awards, I'm on the hunt for unique distribution for this very different kind of project. That will mean reaching out to some very unusual places: historical sites (i.e. forts), gift shops and craft shops. In order to prepare, I need to work up a spec page or line sheet on the product. Of course, Mr. Google and then an industry friend can be very helpful in fine-tuning what buyers or store reps would need. I also have a lead on an agent or two (that deal with some of the biggest retailers on the continent - yikes).
And if you're wondering why this isn't scary-out-of-my-depth - well, it is. No reason not to take on the challenge. At the same time, I'll be starting to write a followup. Retailing dictates that bundling colouring books together makes them more marketable. I'll keep you posted!
All this while starting to post another Y/A novella on the brilliant (free) WATTPAD website. And I've also got some brand new characters stomping around in the back of my brain (mental-health related, of course).
What do I do to relax? I've been knitting and crocheting to buffer the anxiety of this time of year. I'm always colouring. Winter months can be boring without the requisite splashes of colour, you must agree!
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Writing is just like baking, isn't it? First, you need to clear the counter and take the time. Perhaps that means softening butter in preparation (just like the musings you might have about storylines or characters near to your heart?) Then don't you need to double-check your ingredients? Without flour, sugar, eggs, etc, you might only be able to create wallpaper paste or papermache goop. I relate these ingredients to your story elements such as setting (landscape, location, social surroundings), your inciting incident (those elements that ignite your writing) as well as any research necessary (as with my latest poetry/colouring book, DEVOTIONS).
So, I've been baking these last few days and what I noticed was that often you have to beat those ingredients together to make a smooth and consistent blend. Experience is helpful. But practice doesn't hurt. My Y/A novella, ENOUGH (free for the reading on WATTPAD.com) started life as an experiment (from a workshop exercise that Alissa York gave us). I had my incident and decided to see just how far this storyline would go "in the proverbial oven" by allowing in the range of 35 characters to each have a voice in telling the tale (in alternating chapters). Sometimes your creations will fall flat during the cooking/baking process. And sometimes they rise beyond your wildest dreams!
Well, back to the cookies. These latest ones needed to chill a little. Always a good part of the process. There was a large amount of shaping involved. My metaphor's holding up nicely. Bake time is important. Writers often wish a project would come together quickly, painlessly. Take note, that butt-in-chair time is a required element. Projects might take longer than anticipated to be "done". Don't fret.
As you see my delectables have embellishments. Editing is always necessary. Think of the rounds of edit-work as sugar-coating or chocolate drizzle. It only improves the finished product. ENOUGH is embellished with music videos (check it out); DEVOTIONS combines poetry, colouring and stickers. Weaving creative elements together will impress the palate.
Whatever your genre; your project; your process, you can't go wrong with a chef's patience. Good luck and happy kitchen-time!
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Wow, December's moving at lightning speed! Last weekend's launch of Devotions was fun and I thank everyone who's supported this little project of mine (from as far off as Hong Kong!)
My youngest colourer
Feelin' the love...
And this Saturday, I'll be at the WCDR networking meeting with books-in-bag (available from 9-11 am at the Centre For Food, Durham College Whitby Campus. Hope to see you there!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS and COLOUR YOUR WORLD !!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS and COLOUR YOUR WORLD !!
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Soft Launch at BOOKAPALOOZA Whitby, ON
The reaction to DEVOTIONS was heartwarming. People were excited and inspired by the combination of poetry, history of craft & skills, colouring and STICKERS!
My coloured-in dedication page drew them
into conversation and engaged their curiosity.
If I've got your attention (perhaps you've already planned on coming out for the fun?), OFFICIAL LAUNCH open-house/holiday party is set for the coming weekend. Love to see you!
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November is generally a tough time for me (before we get caught up in the skirmish that is holiday prep) but this year seems to be an unusually difficult one. As some of you might know, I miss my Mom a lot of the time. She was one of those 'hub of the family' ladies; opinionated but active until the last 2 weeks of her long and rich life. Oh, the shoes that need filling!
On top of that I'm also the personality-type that barrels through life organizing, creating and mostly getting things done. Therefore spring and summer were busy times, as always. Everything was good, right? Until my body (via a heart-flutter) told me it wasn't. So on top of massage, meditation and pilates, I've added some handy-work like crocheting or knitting and then colouring. Doesn't that just segway right into the new poetry book that's at the printers as we speak...
So, I'm starting to colour...and placing some of the stickers (included with the book) in interesting and colourful places. I'm personalizing my own copy and relaxing at the same time. How cool is that?
Want to join in the fun? I'll be at BOOKAPALOOZA (Saturday, November 25th) in Whitby and I'm also having a blowout launch party (with wine, chocolate & colouring) on Sunday, December 3rd from 2-5pm in Oshawa, ON. You can get hold of copies through this site or on Amazon. Lots of options for your creative types. Carry on!
Oh, cover? Sure, here you go for my cover reveal...
Keep smiling through the darkness!
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Reviewed by Kate Rogers
The poetry collection "The Patternmaker's Crumpled Plan", by B. E. Hunt (Piquant Press, 2011) evokes the narrator’s deep, contradictory, remorseful responses to the loss of long term love, and her despair at the disintegration of a shared life and household.
We encounter the narrator dissecting her lost relationship in "Autopsy" (p. 26),
"Start by shucking back the skin/
to strip out veins like algae strands/
bleed craggy brain and lifeless limbs/
gut soft spots like some sea bass/
you hone forensic tools--/
should've, would've, could've.../"
In "When you Love me Now" (p. 13), compelled by habit, the narrator and her ex-lover seek comfort from each other's bodies, but comfort gives way to numbness,
"And yet like wine spilled on the floor/
reduced to stain
our passion rims the edge;
the crust, much darker
is like blood
our hearts no longer pump/
to fingertips and lips that won't respond;/
our toes have no more feelings
no balance, all gravity gone."
In "Topography" (p.40), "collectibles" are "a scattered tribute to the broken years".
The wrenching dismantling of shared domestic order, the "jumbled linen" and "mismatched pots" of a new household assembled from "charred wreckage" conjure dislocation and despair. (Finesse, p.46). In "So" (p. 50), the narrator feels "the mirrors mock" her, yet she believes the patternmaker's crumpled plan" can be smoothed and re-used.
Reuse or repurposing is a theme of Hunt’s collection: many of the poems within reuse lines from other poets or respond to them. The source of inspiration is listed in footers below Hunt’s poems. (Hunt’s approach formalises the process many poets use as they write—to respond to the line of another poet like a prompt. That style has also been employed by Toronto poet Catherine Graham in her collection, “Her Red Hair Rises With the Wings of Insects” (2013). Graham was inspired by Irish poet Dorothy Molloy and her book features glosas which incorporate Molloy’s work.)
The passion, despair and deep reflection triggered by the loss of a long term relationship are expressed in a compelling manner in "The Patternmaker's Crumpled Plan". Thinking back to similar periods in my own life I believe the beautifully crafted poems in this book would bring comfort to many people struggling with grief over a lost long time love.
The poetry collection "The Patternmaker's Crumpled Plan", by B. E. Hunt (Piquant Press, 2011) evokes the narrator’s deep, contradictory, remorseful responses to the loss of long term love, and her despair at the disintegration of a shared life and household.
We encounter the narrator dissecting her lost relationship in "Autopsy" (p. 26),
"Start by shucking back the skin/
to strip out veins like algae strands/
bleed craggy brain and lifeless limbs/
gut soft spots like some sea bass/
you hone forensic tools--/
should've, would've, could've.../"
In "When you Love me Now" (p. 13), compelled by habit, the narrator and her ex-lover seek comfort from each other's bodies, but comfort gives way to numbness,
"And yet like wine spilled on the floor/
reduced to stain
our passion rims the edge;
the crust, much darker
is like blood
our hearts no longer pump/
to fingertips and lips that won't respond;/
our toes have no more feelings
no balance, all gravity gone."
In "Topography" (p.40), "collectibles" are "a scattered tribute to the broken years".
The wrenching dismantling of shared domestic order, the "jumbled linen" and "mismatched pots" of a new household assembled from "charred wreckage" conjure dislocation and despair. (Finesse, p.46). In "So" (p. 50), the narrator feels "the mirrors mock" her, yet she believes the patternmaker's crumpled plan" can be smoothed and re-used.
Reuse or repurposing is a theme of Hunt’s collection: many of the poems within reuse lines from other poets or respond to them. The source of inspiration is listed in footers below Hunt’s poems. (Hunt’s approach formalises the process many poets use as they write—to respond to the line of another poet like a prompt. That style has also been employed by Toronto poet Catherine Graham in her collection, “Her Red Hair Rises With the Wings of Insects” (2013). Graham was inspired by Irish poet Dorothy Molloy and her book features glosas which incorporate Molloy’s work.)
The passion, despair and deep reflection triggered by the loss of a long term relationship are expressed in a compelling manner in "The Patternmaker's Crumpled Plan". Thinking back to similar periods in my own life I believe the beautifully crafted poems in this book would bring comfort to many people struggling with grief over a lost long time love.
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As I wait to hold my newest poetry book in my sweaty hands, let's talk about colouring. Have you discovered the satisfaction and meditation connected with colouring? I started in earnest almost 2 years ago when a family member went through an unnerving (& stressful) mental health crisis. Now these happen from time to time, depending on changes in life circumstances. They are however hard on the body. Since the body carries stress (sometimes) unbeknownst to us, de-stressing is crucial.
Enter, colouring. I loved it as a child. Pencil crayons. The smell of glue. A catalogue to cut and paste. But there are some exquisite colouring books out there. Hence when it came to prepping Devotions (the new poetry book) why wouldn't I make it a colouring book too? Oh, and let's have stickers just for fun!
Here's the trademark sticker (coloured thanks to Sue Reynolds) just to whet your appetite and inspire you (during this gloomy November weather) to contemplate some devotions of your own...Happy Friday!
Enter, colouring. I loved it as a child. Pencil crayons. The smell of glue. A catalogue to cut and paste. But there are some exquisite colouring books out there. Hence when it came to prepping Devotions (the new poetry book) why wouldn't I make it a colouring book too? Oh, and let's have stickers just for fun!
Here's the trademark sticker (coloured thanks to Sue Reynolds) just to whet your appetite and inspire you (during this gloomy November weather) to contemplate some devotions of your own...Happy Friday!
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Come visit, check out the books, gifts, exciting holiday shopping treats...and celebrate DEVOTIONS (other ways of knowing) soft-launch on that day!
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Not sure if I'm good at birthin' no babies but prepping a poetry/colouring book takes much attention to detail that feels akin to labour. There's lots of pushing and panting. Lots of focus. Lots of patience necessary. But I'm hoping to allow you a first impression soon...Happy weekend!