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November 29, 2019
What Does Work/Life Balance Look Like for Writers?
“What do you want to be when you grow up?”This is a question children are often asked with a bemused smile by teachers, family, or friends. They expect that you’ll reply with some fantastical thing: ...
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October 16, 2024
One Mighty Mother Aspen Connects a Beautiful and Elaborate Ecosystem in a New Picture Book by Annette Lebox
As an author and environmentalist who spends much of her time in the remote Cariboo grasslands, two-time BC Book Prize winner Annette LeBox has keen insight into the power and beauty of our forests and ...
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April 04, 2024
Ellen Chang-Richardson Confronts the Past and Perseveres in Their Debut Poetry Collection
While an author may carry scars from the past, and from wrongs done to their family and ancestors, they are not always visible or clear. Sometimes, they even become so familiar that the author finds them ...
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August 12, 2021
Cherie Dimaline's The Marrow Thieves Hits Another Massive Milestone
To say that Cherie Dimaline's debut young adult novel, The Marrow Thieves (Dancing Cat), was a smash success upon its publication in 2017 is an understatement: the beloved novel swept awards in Canada ...
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June 30, 2021
Brain Fog: An Essay
Brain Fog: An Essay[1]“I am…” I type.But then a thought fords the sentence. My fingers hover above the keyboard, like soldiers awaiting a command. I have… forgotten something. But what?I can ...
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June 21, 2022
6 Reasons Why Your Kids’ Book Was Rejected
After working in children’s publishing, sitting on various book selection committees, and judging writing for kids contests for 15+ years, I’ve read a lot of manuscripts. Here are the six most common ...
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October 07, 2015
An Etiquette Expert Weighs in on How to Handle the Most Awkward Questions Authors Get
“So is being a writer what you really want to do some day?”This is a question that someone asked me when they found out I had just had a book published.“Well, I’m doing it now, actually,” I ...
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October 29, 2015
The Problem with Working for Free
When I first started writing, I took any opportunities I could.First, I interned at a magazine for a high co-op program. Later, I wrote CD reviews for free, got a few poems published in some zines, and ...
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July 06, 2021
The Listener in the Work: How a Sense of Address Can Transform Your Writing
Who is the “speaker” in your poems talking to? Is there a listener within your story? Who is the narrator’s confidante? I’ve been thinking a lot about a sense of address and I’ve come to believe ...
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June 09, 2023
Affirmations for Writers
Pursuing a career as a writer can be hard on your self-esteem. It requires incredible stamina, faith, and unbelievable amounts of patience. Here are some things I like to remind myself of when the urge ...