by Sandra Gulland | Aug 30, 2015 | Adventures of a Writing Life, On Research, Resources, Resources for Readers, Resources for Writers |
Readers of this blog — I <3 you! — will already know that I went to a painting worship last Sunday, given by the talented Joyce Burkholder. It got me all revved up! I’m painting a bit every day, mostly following YouTube videos. (Awesome.) I love it.
What I don’t love is that I can’t figure out how to share photos of paintings with you here. Our rural Net connection is never great—especially on week-ends—and our bandwidth is limited, so I’m putting off syncing my enormous photo library to iCloud. Which means, basically, that photos I take with my iPhone do not end up on my computer. Yes, I emailed them to myself…but they never showed up. And that’s another story.
Not fair sharing my Tech headaches with you! Everyone suffers.
And besides, I have a nicer photo to share, one I came upon recently, one that is already on my computer. This is granddaughter Kiki at our daughter’s wedding at the end of May. Such pride and joy!
{Photo by the wonderful Danielle Blancher of Toronto.}
It has been a week of highs and lows. Early in the week I learned that writer and friend Paul Kropp died. So sad. Such a shock!
I also learned that an on-line interview of me had been posted to Jane Friedman’s blog.
I’m very pleased with this interview. It is a rare pleasure to be interviewed by someone who has dug deep and asks interesting and pertinent questions. I like that the questions focus on the broader issues having to do with publishing in general.
Jane Friedman has an enormous following—there was quite a flurry of attention on Twitter. Nice.
And through all this, I write … It is coming along.
This week’s delicious Sundae Sundries
(Is it a coincidence that I’ve developed an unrolling passion for ice cream this summer?)
Links for writers …
• One of these days, I will emerge from my plot maze. In the meantime, I grab onto every life raft within reach. (I know, mangled metaphors.) Julianna Baggot is a wonderful writer — I interviewed her here and here some time ago — and her own plot analysis tool is intriguing.
• Be aware when research and prep become a crutch. At some point, you need to actually start WRITING. Indeed! That said, I read a research text late one night. The information gave me what I needed to finally write the scenes.
• I’ve been listening to a new Elizabeth Gilbert podcast: Magic Lessons. It’s a run-up to a book she has coming out at the end of September: Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. I’m enjoying the podcast and I’ve ordered the book. :-)
Links for all us time-travellers …
• 5 Creepy Victorian Fads. I do believe this stuff.
• High tech tools used to understand medieval manuscripts.
A link for real travellers …
• For a More Creative Brain, Travel.
Have a great week!
by Sandra Gulland | Aug 22, 2015 | Adventures of a Writing Life, Resources for Readers, Resources for Writers, The Writing Process |
What a surprise! “13 Brilliant Authors You Probably Didn’t Know Are Canadian” C’est moi, #3, and on BuzzFeed, no less.
I’m posting this on Saturday, because I will be going to a watercolour workshop tomorrow, given by Joyce Burkholder.
I enjoy learning about brushes, paints and paper, colour and line. I’ve taken over a table at home, and poke away at a painting off and on all day, usually following an instruction video on YouTube. This is my latest, following this on-line lesson by Matt Palmer.
Painting is a lovely thing to do between spells of writing and research. For me, right now, it’s all about learning technique and how to use the tools. (And, I must say, learning patience, as well.) You can see all my paintings my website page.
I’ve been researching (and writing about) the daily routine at Hortense’s school in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. I was excited to discover Lettres de deux jeunes amis, which I took at face value, as letters between girls, one a student at Madame Campan’s second school in Ecouen. I was dismayed to learn that they’re fiction … yet written by Madame Campan, so in fact they are still of great value to me, because she would correctly describe how her school was run.
This week’s delicious Sundae Sundries
Links for writers & other creatives …
• I love Amanda Hocking’s board on Pinterest: Writing Tips & Tricks & Other Helpful Advice. And, while you’re on Pinterest, check out my own board: Tools & Toys for Writers.
• One of the items on Amanda Hocking’s Pinterest board (see link above) caught my eye: Writers: Get Into the Writing Mood With This Free Online Tool.
Too cool! AudioSparx is a music site for film-makers, but it’s free for writers, who only want to listen. Click mood upper right, and click on the emotion of the scene you wish to write. (Ignore the occasional “review” word popping up.)
I just clicked on “Canned Monkeys” track in Hectic, but soon I’ll be switching to something in Confrontational as I prepare to write a scene in the WIP. This is fun, but it is also seriously effective.
Links for perpetual students …
• Readers of this blog know that I’m a Coursera enthusiast. I’ve just signed up for Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas, because playing piano is one of Hortense’s many talents.
• For fans of Historical Fiction, this is a great course: Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction. Coursera courses are free, and once signed up you may watch the lectures at your leisure.
Links for readers …
• Poor Doris Lessing! M15 spies followed writer Doris Lessing for more than 20 years. They even came with her on vacation.
Have a great week!
by Sandra Gulland | Aug 10, 2015 | Adventures of a Writing Life, Resources, Resources for Readers, Resources for Writers, The Writing Process |
DH and I are visiting our daughter and her family at their beautiful new home on Amherst Island. (The photo above was taken on the ferryboat over and tweaked with the SnapSeed app.)
As well, inspired by the James Patterson MasterClass linked to below, I’ve (finally!) tackled my WIP outline again.
Here is my week in delectable links ….
Links for writers …
• I gobbled up this MasterClass course on writing by James Patterson. It was worth the price of admission. I’m not likely ever to be a reader of James Patterson novels, but I came away with a great deal of respect for him and his work.
• Here is literary writer Joyce Maynard’s account of taking James Patterson’s class: An Accomplished Writer Takes a ‘MasterClass’ from a Gargantuan Selling Writer. I agree!
• Readers of this blog will no doubt notice some of my ADHD tendencies. I know I’m not alone! The ADHD Guide to Writing.
• Because of said “tendencies,” no doubt, I am inspired by this image of the working desk of Robert Olen Butler (the author of one of the best books on writing, From Where You Dream).
• A great Paris Review interview with feisty writer Ursula K. Le Guin.
• Also on Ursula K. Le Guin: On ‘Starting Late’ as a writer. On this theme (am I feeling my age?): You’re never too old to write your first novel—especially at 40.
• Jane Austen’s reading list. Charmed to see Conduct Literature for Women on this list.
Link for Napoleonistas …
• Napoleon, Josephine and a giant bill for Cologne.
Have a great week!
by Sandra Gulland | Aug 2, 2015 | Adventures of a Writing Life, On Character Development, Resources, Resources for Book Clubs, Resources for Readers, Resources for Writers, The Writing Process |
This week was especially speedy! I gave a reading at the Bonnechere Author’s Festival on Wednesday night, and on Friday the “children” and grandchildren arrived and a long weekend of festivities began!
Here is my week in delectable links ….
Links for writers …
• I got sidetracked—as I do—looking into scriptwriting software, and bought Final Draft on sale. I doubt that I will ever write a script, but this software offers interesting structure techniques that intrigue me.
• Exploring script templates, I found one on creating character that I like very much. I especially like considering your character’s “humanizing trait.”
• 7 Ways Writing a Screenplay is Different That Writing a Novel.
• How To Write a Screenplay: The 5 Step Process.
• The Heartfelt, Unpublishable, Captivating, Shallow, Sound, Abandoned, Reclaimed, Worthless, Most Excellent Potential Novel, by Tom Bentley. I related to this account in a rather painful way! :-(
• The line-up for the 2016 San Miguel Writers’ Conference looks awesome! It’s from February 10-16, the perfect time of year to get a break from winter in sunny Mexico. Go for it! You will not regret it.
• Medieval Urine Wheels. Just what you always wanted.
• Inspired by a Two Nerdy History Girls blog post on Etiquette for the Victorian Gentleman, I read The Gentlemen’s Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness.
• The ‘Natural Beauty’ Ideal of the Regency.
Link for Napoleonistas …
• Napoleon, Josephine and a giant bill for Cologne. Not everything in this article is accurate, in my opinion, but there are interesting details I like quite a lot.
Have a great week!
View of the lake at our cabin :-)
by Sandra Gulland | Jul 26, 2015 | Adventures of a Writing Life, Resources for Readers, Resources for Writers, The Shadow Queen, The Writing Process |
Another lovely week. Summer is flying by. Here is my week in delectable links ….
Links for writers …
• Writing workflow—an infographic
• Another writer/artist (I’m keeping track!): Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s Original Watercolors for The Little Prince.
• J. K. Rowling’s spreadsheet (shown above) shows how she wrote Harry Potter.
• The Experience of Growing Up in Medieval Society.
• Medical recipes in the 18th century.
• The New & Complete Newgate Calendar, or Villainy Displayed in all its Branches. Irresistible.
Link for Napoleonistas …
• What Napoleon’s hat tells us about the power of branding.
My news …
• I’m stoked about this rave review of The Shadow Queen!
• I’m also proud to have been included in the Raynes Illumination exhibit, which includes photographs of 50 Canadian writers.
• I’m giving a talk this Wednesday for the Bonnechere Authors Festival. If you’re close-by, come!
Have a great week!
by Sandra Gulland | Jul 19, 2015 | Adventures of a Writing Life, Resources, Resources for Readers, Resources for Writers |
Ah, a week gone by already? Such a lovely week it was. I hope you enjoy these links as much as I did.
Links for writers …
Revision is tough! I take strength seeing the messy revised pages of the greats. Here is a page from Jane Austen’s Persuasion:
• It’s interesting to read a transcript of the edits she made.
Balzac’s astonishing output is discouraging! Forty novels? I forget. He was fuelled by coffee, debt and a compulsive need for luxury goods. So interesting!
• Habits of Highly Effective Writers: Balzac
• Did Balzac Really Drink 50 Cups of Coffee a Day?
• The Coffee Pot That Fueled Honoré de Balzac’s Coffee Addiction
As readers of my blog know, I’ve begun to dabble in art—which was, in fact, my first love. I’m starting to notice writers who also paint or draw.
• Thackerayna
I needed an 18th century desert to play a role in the WIP. Internet to the rescue! Here are some delightful links for those of you with a sweet tooth (i.e. everyone):
• Conceits, Comfits, & Creams: More on 18th Century Desserts
• The free e-book of The Complete Confectioner: Or, The Whole Art of Confectionary Made Easy, published in 1807. Delightful and delectable!
I also fell down the rabbit hole of research into quills, and paper, and ink. I do love this stuff!
• Letter Writing in Jane Austen’s Time: Quills and Correspondence. Fascinating.
A link for romantics …
• Emblems of Love, in Four Languages: Dedicated to the Ladys (1683). This is a wonderful website.
Have a great week!
