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Blog No. 272

Last weekend I was in Toronto and everything changed. Or, some things slightly changed, but since I thought I had a really good handle on things this year, it feels more momentous that it really is. I intended to start the second novella this month, but I have yet to start. I figured I’d have the train trip up and back, some time in Toronto while Arvin works, and The train trip back. I even booked business class for the trip home, in hopes the extra space and nice large table would make work easier. As it turns out, the trays on the new economy class are pretty good. I got a lot done on the way to Toronto. Unfortunately, I spent the time working on layout (but for The Thinking Machine at least) and Flags and High Fives. I really wanted to be farther along with Thinking Machine than I realize I am, so the next novella is starting more slowly than expected.

Toronto Bound

Blog No. 271

Tomorrow morning I’m getting on a train and heading up to Toronto to meet up with Arvin and get to work on Season Two of Flags and High Fives. We’re doing things a little differently this year, and that means I have a lot of stuff to bring up so we can get started. Since I’m taking the train (a sensible option in the winter) that means I’m going to have to sharpen my Tetris skills and rely on some muscles to get everything into a backpack and suitcase, and get them onto the train. I think that should be the most difficult part (except maybe getting it all into a cab when I get there).

Dinosaurs and Pirates

Blog No. 186

Last weekend was my Birthday. Since I had the weekend off (it’s the slow time at work) I decided to see if my friend (whose birthday is a few days before mine, making him old) was free for me to go and visit. Many moons ago, when we were both in high school, we often had a double birthday bash. It was much easier back then because we lived in the same city, had the same group of friends, and both of us were childless and unmarried. It’s a bit challenging when he has moved to Toronto, has a wife, and is raising his six-month-old child. Challenging, but not impossible.

Second Draft

Blog No. 116

I feel like I’m still fairly new to writing. I suppose that’s all relative. Lately I’ve been spending more time with writers who have more experience than I do. It seems, compared to them, I am but a spring chicken. I have been working on writing for a while, and I have gleaned some insights. I’m not one to write a lot of how-to or writing guides on this blog, but I’m in the middle of the second draft of the collection and some thoughts have come to mind, specifically about second drafts. Strangely, I feel that my place in writing (as in the skill and act) is sort of like a second draft. I started by just writing. I had ideas for stories and I sat down and wrote them in a way that made sense to me (and seemed fairly entertaining). Later, through perseverance and growth (and by steeling the knowledge of others) I started to find the faults in my writing. Since then I’ve been working to eliminate them, at the cost of my voice. It’s an important step, though a bland one.

The Amazements Surround

Blog No. 106

This last weekend I went on a short (but full) trip for my friend’s bachelor party. It was pretty important that I be there. Not only because he is such an amazing friend who I consider to be family, but also, I have the honour of being the best man. (The best man is pretty integral to the bachelor party). I had some ideas for the event and had discussed them with the groom to be, and luckily the group gentlemen going, was made up of good friends with good heads on their shoulders, so we opened the floor to them for planning. With much debate and decisions being made, the event was scheduled. We ended up having a busy and fun time that included many bars, plenty of friends, lots of drinking, the Toronto Raptors, Porter Airline, Montreal, and a Prius. The theme (not that we started with a theme in mind) was Adventure!