A few good book reviews — I’ve been working quietly with this task of nominating for Medium’s Boost program. Sometimes I’ve reached out and asked writers to change up a title, attribute a photo, or for a bit of editing. I’ve had writers not respond at all, and the story disappears from my list as I…

Brought together in one post — Below I have brought together my posts about caregiving — from being in-the- midst-of-it, to the after-shocks, to dealing with children, and a couple ALS-specific pieces. Please let me know if you have any questions in the comment area — I will be happy to answer to the best of…

East Side-Strathcona, Vancouver — Where I live you might find a hospital gown abandoned on a fire hydrant. Didn’t need that. You might find a tent at the local park where the kids used to play, and the old people used to do their tai chi. Not now. (But this is Canada. Tents? Yes…

A beginner’s guide — I began a newsletter on Substack in April 2021, and then went “paid” with it June 1. My publication, the Unschool for Writers, has now averaged about $500/month income for me, and this is just the first — and growing — five months. Let’s start Q&A, and please ask any…

Nurturing sustaining ‘Imagination’ — When I was a child, I wasn’t allowed to believe in Santa Claus. From the beginning my parents held to their line of Santa as a false thing. My parents didn’t want me believing a “lie.” And they didn’t want that fellow in red costume to take over the real…

Develop your characters with other aspects of a characteristic — Developing real characters is possibly the toughest challenge of a writer. We’ve all had the experience of reading a book, closing the covers, and experiencing missing the character. When this happens, I can’t help but return to the opening pages, and start the read all over, with the question: “How…

As the Light Dies for That Good Night — Do not go gentle into that good night, Rage, rage, against the dying of the light… I was a young college student when I read these words of Dylan Thomas’s for the first time. I wanted to shout them, I could hear them so clearly in my mind, and my…

Get yourself back to the Garden — The real task of a children’s writer is to revisit the Garden that was childhood — the one we’re not supposed to be able to return to. …

Redefining “moment” — Live in the moment. We hear those words almost daily, so often that we don’t pause to re-consider or question: What IS the “moment?” Am I supposed to feel some nagging guilt I haven’t understood this fully, haven’t put more effort into achieving “in the moment” living? …