Clyo's Blog

"How To Get A New Roof" To Be Published

2008-11-10T01:49:00.000-08:00

I just received notice that my creative non-fiction story "How To Get A New Roof" is to be published in Cezanne's Carrot. "How To Get A New Roof" is a finalist in Cezanne's Carrot's "Journeys" contest.

I entered more information about it in the London Writers' Society "My Successes Blog."

This is fantastic news and a watershed moment for me. While I have had a couple of poems published on-line, this will be my first story published by a literary press.

At the beginning of this year the Grand Theatre presented my little play, "The Ten Commandos." Now one of my stories is to be included in a well-respected and discriminating publication.

Joyful Progress!!

LWS Site Has A New Page

2008-09-20T02:00:00.000-07:00

After Ann's presentation, the main topic at Thursday night's general meeting was critique groups.

Barb has gotten requests to get our membership list up on the website so members can try to connect and form small critiquing groups that meet more often than our scheduled groups.

This is especially needed where writers have entire novels for which they need feedback. It just doesn't work to meet once (or even twice) a month with a group that may not be composed of the same people from meeting to meeting.

Our critique groups work great for short stories, but not for critiquing novels.

In any event, I spent the entire day today - about twelve hours - on LWS work. I put up a "Membership Portal" page, created a mock Membership List page, created a template for the password protection page, and added the extra button to all the other pages on our website (as well as updating the News & Notes page.)

So the foundation is now laid to create at least two password protected membership areas: the membership list and a critique forum. (Any number of links to restricted areas can be placed on this new page without my having to "reinvent the wheel" each time by putting another button on every page.)

I've put out a call to the LWS membership to e-mail digital photos of themselves for inclusion in the restricted area. LWS is growing and it would be nice if our members could get to know each other, at least through visual recognition.

We'll see how many come in. Lots, I hope.

Bed Time!

My All-Time Favourite Books

2008-09-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

One train of thought leads to another, leads to another, and I find I am not yet in bed, but ruinating - again - about books I have loved.

My favorite book of all time: "Fugitive Pieces" by Ann Michaels.

Why? The prose. Graceful and elegant as poetry, there is not a trite idea, not a cliché in the book. Real and heartbreaking yet full of redemption, Ann Michael's novel is extraordinary.

To use a phrase I have never before applied to a work of fiction: it is a work of art. I was frantic to see the movie when I learned of it - a rare reaction on my part - generated by my veneration for her book.

Even my husband - who has the attention span of a flea on a hot brick - was entranced. Curious, he picked Michael's book up for a glance, then took it away from me and stole away to read it before I could.

Other books I have loved:

Fiction:
"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
"Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt
"A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote
"Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Poetry:
"Rilke's Book Of Hours: Love Poems To God" by Anita Barrows and Joanna Marie Macy

Non-Fiction:
"Cosmos and Psyche" by Richard Tarnas
"The Writer's Journey" by Christopher Vogler

While I know there were other books I read and "loved," these created feeling memories for me which have endured and these are the ones that come to the surface of the "8-Ball" that is my mind.

For an "entertaining" read, try "The Girl In The Plain Brown Wrapper" by John D. MacDonald who wrote "hardboiled" mysteries with far more awareness and social commentary on environmental issues than one might expect.

Ann Richard's Talk on E-Book Publishing

2008-09-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Ann Richards gave a presentation on e-book publishing last night, September 18th, at our LWS general meeting.

Of interest to me is the new - to me - software being used to publish e-books. I'm used to pdf's which, of course, page from top to bottom, not right to left.

Last night Ann awoke me from my pdf "Stone Age" by showing us one of her e-books books which is read right to left in MS Reader.

When I got home I downloaded the free plug-in for Word that now allows me to view a document in the Reader format. As to creating my own e-book in MS Reader, this works the same as Adobe's Reader. While the reader is free, the software to create a commercial e-book, ReaderWorks Publisher - is not (just as Adobe Acrobat is not free. )

I found the software here:

http://www.overdrive.com/readerworks/

Educators who want to create e-books for classroom presentations can download the Standard version for free.

Since I want to sell my e-books on my own website, I will need the Publisher's version which is $119 U.S. Compare that to the new Adobe Acrobat 9.0 which costs $299 U.S. (The Pro Version is $699.) All I can say is that I'm glad I bought my old version of Adobe Acrobat seven years ago. It may not be as fancy, but it's still quite functional.

John Jeneroux's Story "Bible Man"

2008-09-02T19:27:00.000-07:00

I just received Brian Henry's newsletter. Brian posted LWS member John Jeneroux's story "Bible Man" on his blog.

I was privileged to hear John read this at a critique group. I liked it then and I like it now.

Here it is:

http://quick-brown-fox-canada.blogspot.com/2008/09/bible-man-john-jeneroux.html

Leave a comment!

Goodbye To August, A Great Month

2008-08-31T10:32:00.000-07:00

Since we're saying goodbye to August, I want to acknowledge that it was a great month for enjoying the talents of writers. There was, of course, The Fringe. At the beginning of this month (August), Ingrid Dicaire, Jamie McDonald and I read work at Fringewords. (Elizabeth Bardawill was also scheduled to read, but her dad had a medical emergency.)

For those of you, like me, who have sat in critique groups, heard Jamie's vignette's and like his style, you would have been gratified to hear how he strung three short pieces we've heard together, into a longer story.

I videotaped a bit of what was read, with the intention of editing it and posting it so you could get a flavour of the event, but I'm sleep deprived and short of time and haven't gotten "a round tuit." (So what's new?) I'm still engaged in a year-long project that I am desperately trying to bring to completion. When it is, I'll reveal what has taken so much of my time.

Hopefully the winter months will give me the time to devote to getting more content on this blog regarding the great writing events that are on our schedule. (Hint: there's a New York Times best-selling author scheduled to speak to us. Good job, Kevin Love, and thanks for helping us to make contact, John Jeneroux!)

Regarding the August 17th poetry even organized by THE ONTARIO POETRY SOCIETY:

I am so glad I attended. I heard some great poetry and enjoyed myself, despite the fact that the day was very hot and we generated even more heat on the covered outdoor patio at Mykonos Restaurant. Toward the end, I really felt anxious to leave. It is a tribute to the poets that I stayed to hear everyone.

The Ontario Poetry Society put on an impressive event. Founder Bunny Iskov and Vice-President Debbie Okun Hill (an awesome poet) are to be congratulated. Bunny passed out a memento of the day, a small bonsai - a "Poet Tree" - to each attendee. Mine is on my writing desk, along with my other icons of inspiration. So I still feel a connection with that great event, and those writers.

So check out one of the Sarnia events on the calendar for this month, if at all possible, and meet a great bunch of people.

Video Of Me At Freedom To Read Project

2008-07-28T19:32:00.000-07:00

Back in February (2008) I participated in Global Importune's "Freedom To Read" project at the London Public Library. I read the opening piece - "The Cell Door Closes" - written in 1937 by Arthur Koestler, a Hungarian, who was imprisoned during a stay in Spain on charges he was a spy.

The video is on the right side of the page that will open when you click on the link below. I didn't introduce myself because I didn't want to draw attention away from the piece. As a result Ed Corrigan identified me afterwards winging it, bless his heart, which is why he didn't quite have the name of the London Writers' Society on his tongue. Read More

View Freedom To Read Video

The Persia Cafe

2008-07-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday Afternoon and the day is just zipping by. Just updated the LWS website. I have a million other things to do:

more cleaning of my house

post on a couple of other blogs

give my beloved cat (Hobbes) a bath (he's been rolling in dirt)

finish my on-line class that - conservatively - could take me two weeks to finish if I did nothing else

Plus I'm working on a series of websites and other projects.

BUT. . . I have to comment on the recommendation that I gave for summer reading: The Persia Cafe.

I find it to be a, somewhat poetic read, but it's gripping as well. So I'm having trouble attending to other things. I read late into the wee hours of the morning last night and I want to sit down and finish it because it really is so well-written and I have to know: is justice ever served? Read More

LWS Members Have A New Baby Boy!

2008-07-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

I just found out that LWS members Kimberly Grover and Kirk Shearsby had their baby on June 21st. He weighed 8 lb. 7 oz. and his name is Alexander. My only question is whether to post this news here or on the "My Successes" blog!

CONGRATULATIONS Kim and Kirk!

Cabaret At Stratford + Writing Contests

2008-07-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

I'm busy, busy on a couple of projects, so I haven't had time to post, but I have to rave about the current production of Cabaret being staged at Stratford. The cast received a well-deserved standing ovation. Forget the movie - it's been ages since you've seen it, anyway. Go see Cabaret.

And sit in front.

The second item on the old agenda is about contests. I've long subscribed to a wonderful FREE service called Creative Writers' Opportunity List or CRWROPPS. I don't know how they do it, but they manage to list just about every contest out there. I just put the URL for that on our News & Notes page.

Bookmark the site and check it a couple of times a month or sign up for e-mail notifications. Just make sure you create an e-mail filter or two so those e-mails go into a folder other than your inbox.

I've paid for other notification services and, frankly, I think this one is the best in terms of keeping you informed about contests.

For Canadian contests, mark your calendar to get a copy of The Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar when the 2009 edition is printed.

May 24th How To Get Published Workshop

2008-05-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised by the workshop entitled How To Get Published that was given by Brian Henry at the Central Library on Saturday. [READ MORE]

Detective Webb's Presentation on May 15th

2008-05-24T20:12:00.000-07:00

I took copious notes during Detective Webb's one and one-half hour PowerPoint presentation on forensic investigation and for those of you who missed it, it was exceptional. [READ MORE]

RiverFest: A Brilliant Concept

2008-05-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

There are three more chances to see works by THE RIVER PROJECT (listed at the end of this post) one of which was RiverFest which I attended this past Saturday, May 10th.

RiverFest was designed to increase awareness of issues involving the Thames, including how the natural world serves as inspiration for artists and writers, and was organized by a group of nineteen London artists and poets who have been "creatively exploring the Thames River within the boundaries of the city."

To this end they had a book launch on May 1st in which they introduced a beautiful "coffee table" style softcover as a collaborative effort. [Read More]

Tonight's Non-Fiction Group: Energizing

2008-05-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

The clock says it's Friday morning, but it hasn't been that long since Kevin, Jennifer, Bob, John and I wrapped up our non-fiction critique group at the library on Thursday evening.

Although I was tired, the walk to the library got my blood going.

Still, I questioned whether I was up to the challenge of critiquing so I stopped for coffee to sharpen my mind, but after I arrived, I hardly touched it. The company and the task at hand energized me so that my "inner critiquer" kicked in despite physical tiredness.

We critiqued 4 pieces (although Bob got short shrift because we were running out of time) and I must say: while trying to fix a bad piece of writing can be a chore, it's a delight to have the challenge of making a good piece even better...[read more]

A One-Minute Visit With Wordsmith

2008-05-07T13:09:00.000-07:00

I lived in Tarpon Springs, Florida for three years from 2001 through 2003. During that time I attended a critique group - Wordsmith - and learned how valuable a good critique group can be.

Thanks to Wordsmith I became a better writer. And that is why I have worked so hard as the 2007-2008 president of the London Writers' Society to get our group established by reaching out to writers of every stripe.

Wordsmith changed my idea of myself as a writer. I became more serious, more confident and more determined. One of our critique groups here in the the London Writers' Society may change your ideas about yourself as well and give you the confidence to never quit until you get published.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Here's a little video with the founding members of Wordsmith. ~ Clyo

May 15th Flier

2008-05-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Here's the flier for our May 15th general meeting.

About 70 Hours Into This Project So Far...

2008-05-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

I have a surprise for LWS members. I've been working on it non-stop for the last seven days and I hope you like it...

Here's a hint: Remember that list of fiction publishers compliled by Ruth Zavitz and pasted into our old website? Well, I went through it.

I checked out all the websites, deleted the URLs that no longer exist, added a thumbnail of updated information so you can get some idea about the publisher before visiting the publisher's website, formatted each URL as a link, and added a link to each website's submission guidelines page, if one exists. It took me about 36 hours.

So far I've put about 70 hours into this whole project since last Saturday. I'm not quite finished and I'm working feverishly to get it on-line today. Just want to make sure this blog is going to work out well before I add the link to the NEW LWS WEBSITE and it goes live... ~ Clyo

The Reason For This Blog - plus - MY BIO

2008-05-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

I'm the outgoing president of the London Writers' Society in London, Ontario. I've re-vamped the LWS website and established this blog so I can finally post photos, videos and other information of interest to LWS members (and to other writers) as events occur.

MY BIO -

I’m Married to a great strapping Scot (who looks impressive in a kilt) and we live in London, Ontario, Canada.

Hubby and I have a wee feline - a great golden armful of love - called Hobbes who would be opening cans of salmon on his own if he had opposable thumbs.

Main thing: I’m excited about life and very happy about where we live.

I can walk to the end of my street, over the King Street pedestrian bridge that spans the Thames River, and head over to the Covent Garden Market or to a coffee shop or to the library.

Or I can head, instead, to Wortley Village to the best bakery in London (my opinion) or to The Black Walnut, a little cafe with fabulous baked goods created by a former chef who came back home from Toronto.

Mine is a swell world in which I can walk almost any place I want to go - cutting down on my carbon footprint - and enjoy what feels like almost village life in a city of over 350,000.

While I’m very aware of all the tragedy in the world, I’m very happy in my life.

So I’m trying my best to be a good citizen and do what I can - and what I’m good at - to make the world a better and friendlier place, like helping to build the London Writers’ Society.

Since my tenure as president of LWS is coming to an end - on the Ides of May (a good time I think to pass on the office to the new executive) - I’ve started this blog to “keep in touch” via the LWS website.

My intent is to add some good content that will help people understand what we in the society do, what the society is for, and why they may want to join us.

Regarding what I write: short stories (some dark, some not), poems, prayers, essays, memoirs, you name it. I’m all over the place because I love to write more than I like to eat.

(And I adore good food.)

So I plan to have fun with this blog…

P.S. I’ve got some videos to upload from a couple LWS events, so those are in the works... ~ Clyo