When Boyfriend asked why I didn’t like it when he teasingly reads what I’m writing over my shoulder, I told him that was because it was garbage. Not, I hastened to explain, the self-effacing “oh all my work is garbage” kind of garbage, but, like, actual garbage: this is a…
A lot of writers seem to blog about how they got their agents. When I was still querying, I found these stories helpful. Yay, debut authors were still signing with agents! New books 4EVA! (They were also a little disheartening, ’cause, y’know, knowing a bunch of other people did make…
Dear younger self and others, You’ve decided to join a critique group? More than one? I’m so glad! Joining a critique group is one of the most important steps to improving your writing to publishable quality. The opinions of readers who are also fellow writers can show you the weak…
When I was walking out of the first writing conference I ever attended, an SCBWI Canada East conference in Ottawa, two older women stopped me. I must have looked a little lost, wandering around alone. I was still in high school, and if I’m nervous about networking now, back then,…
Last week, when I was sharing some thoughts about Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, I mentioned that including diversity of sexual orientations in a story doesn’t necessarily mean including sexual acts. I’d like to expand on that. The place and profession where I’m most cognizant of…
No, not this one, of which I wasn’t too fond. This one. One of the awesomest parts of being a writer is that watching and reading fantastic stories is a legitimate way of learning to be better at what I do (some would say the best way). I get the…
I already knew theatre was valuable to me. It taught me skills I still use in my career. It helped me become more confident in the way I conduct myself day-to-day and opened my eyes to new ideas and ways to see the world. But despite all that, I’ve always…
When I was thirteen, there was a group of people on the Internet who were completely, objectively incorrect.
I always forget this. Creation takes time and energy. No matter how much you enjoy writing, painting, acting, playing music, or any other art, it takes something from you as you do it. It’s easy to feel like creating art isn’t “real” work because you want to be doing it. “Real”…
The first time I ever wore make-up that wasn’t for a theatrical show, I was twenty. Theatre still had plenty to do with it. You see, I was taking the Drama department tech class. Among the many subjects the course covered — lighting theory and practice, how to use a sewing…