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…

Ritual and quilt — A question from a writer. They say suffering fuels creativity, be it grief or depression or whatever form that suffering may take. Is this true? How might you use it? Does this produce anything “good”? It’s a layered question. …

1970 — when come-out-and-play was in — My childhood home was as southwest as one can be in this country, and still be on the mainland. Yet with the nearby Point Roberts USA border to that apple-pie-shaped bit of America, and the ferry terminal to Vancouver Island, our neighbourhood seemed its own island, replete with its ruler-adults…

So many ways… — Both Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande, and Free Within Ourselves: Fiction Lessons For Black Authors, by Jewell Parker Rhodes begin with impassioned thoughts on the necessity of journal-keeping for the beginning writer. Keeping a journal has served me many times over, to reinvigorate writing energy, and awareness of other…

WHAT is is about? — The Unschool is a space for those who are serious about their writing, with something of a literary bent. And who enjoy the process, even the tough stuff. …

For plot, pacing, and verisimilitude — Blank calendar pages are an indispensable piece in working on a novel. The sooner I begin to work with them, in addition to any other form of planning, the better. …