Hello, friends. I recently had a long and utterly engaging conversation with three fellow writers: two of them critically acclaimed poets, all of us writers of novels. We were talking about the act of writing. One of us, who is working on her first novel, said that for her, writing it was like posing the question, "What is a novel?" That is, what are the novelistic conventions I value? Is it true … [Read more...]
Mythological maidens
Hello, friends. We were in Ottawa this past weekend and I spent several minutes staring, transfixed, at the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald on Parliament Hill. I had cleverly neglected to bring a working camera with me, so this image is ripped, with apologies, from the Public Works and Government Services of Canada website. I'm interested, specifically, in the … [Read more...]
What kind of Asian are you?
I love this. In real life, I've tried a few low-key variations on this, but it never seems to get through. I think if we want to educate the people who ask these questions, we need to explain directly why it's inappropriate to make assumptions based on appearance. In the meantime, however, I'm just going to watch this one more time and smirk. How do you respond to questions based on … [Read more...]
Café Cliché
Hello, friends. For the past 2 weeks, I have resumed working in a coffee shop. I do the morning routine, shedding kids along the way, and turn up at my favourite old-new café (it moved). I order a drink, admire the pastries, say hello to the regulars, and sit down with my battered, cracked old laptop and time-travel to Victorian London. It's excellent. In fact, it's my favourite way to work. While … [Read more...]
From A to B
Hello, friends! The lake is frozen, it's snowing like crazy, and I'm dreaming of this Galangal and Coconut Milk Soup. (Don't heed the blogger's advice to substitute ginger for galangal. Go galangal, or go home!) I'm also thinking about my chaotic, haphazard, impulsive version of the writing process. Digression: I am moderately interested in cars. I am married to someone with an obsessive … [Read more...]
The cure for perfectionism
Hello, friends. Yesterday, my four-year-old was on the brink of tears because the picture he was drawing failed to live up to the picture in his head. I watched him and thought, "Oh, my darling. You too?" Don't get me wrong: I am very glad and grateful to live in a world filled with perfectionists. I wouldn't have the courage to drive a car or heat my house or, generally, live my life, if the … [Read more...]