Manitoulin Island. August 2016

Summer Time on a Northern Lake. Reflections.

Summer is in the throes of passing.Too soon over! It is hot in the city now. It is humid. But to complain is to wish for winter. And I do not really want to experience ice, wind and cold weather yet for quite a while. Although it was not always true, I like summer. The thought of reflecting while feeling the wind blow through my hair as I sit on the edge of a northern lake seems to open as well the possibility of imagining characters and stories that fuel my writing.


Tell me what content you want to find on this blog.  I may meander through my own thoughts and miss telling you something you want to know. Or read about. Are there aspects of writing you are curious about? Are there things about writing you would like to ask? Let me know!

Please leave your comments below. I appreciate feedback. Indeed, you do me a favour when you let me know what you think, hopefully as well giving me ideas for what to write about here. Sometimes you are the source of such ideas. Really!

Life of a Writer: Branding!

I have been struggling for some time with Branding. It is a foreign  concept in my world, but so necessary if fiction is to stand out at all. So I have been playing with it as well as struggling. Life is supposed to be fun as well as a struggle, is it not!

Here is a first attempt. I am more than happy to receive your comments. I need all the help I can get to spread the word and will appreciate any feedback you care to give!

Dickinson enlightens her readers with compassion for and understanding of the human condition. She understands the deeply felt emotions of people longing for communication and connection as they deal with both small and huge problems.  As a former crisis counselor, she uses her experience to create fiction in her novels “Would I Lie To You?” and “Ile d’Or” that is authentic and moving. Through Dickinson’s characters, we understand their difficulties and embrace the possibilities and potential for change in our lives as well as in theirs. Dickinson loves having fun, too, and in spite of approaching a venerable age many consider the twilight zone is often seen on the dance floor cutting some amazing figures in ballroom, Latin and swing!

Note from my website:

The author's fiction has been published in the University of Windsor Review, Descant, Waves, Grain, Northern Journey, Impulse, Writ and broadcast on CBC Radio. Her writing was also included in the anthology, We Who Can Fly: Poems, Essays and Memories in Honour of Adele Wiseman. Inanna published a book of Dickinson's short stories, One Day It Happens,  in 2007, and her first novel, Ile d'Or, in 2010. Her latest novel, Would I Lie to You?, launched in October 2014. A mystery, The White Ribbon Man, has been accepted for publication in early 2018.

Always Looking For The Most Interesting Hat For A Writer.

And Doesn't This One Make Me Look Interesting? Ah well, beg as I would, cajole, plead my nephew-in-law was glad to loan it to me at the back yard birthday party where we gathered in Oak Bank, near Winnipeg, to celebrate Diane's 75th. The hat was certainly a conversation piece and a hit for the day and it shielded me from the sun. But no amount of entreaty would convince him to let me bring it home. When I realized what a special hat it was for him, too, as he had bought it on a family trip to Death Valley in the US and it looks good on him also, I stopped begging. I made sure I had photos though, so I could use them for occasions. Such as this post. And who knows what else?

What Next?

Just enjoy the day!
Write!
Walk!
Connect!
Pack to fly tomorrow...

WORK DAY.

Sometimes it takes a while to establish a routine. And then it happens! In the first photo, the reading glasses I spend precious time looking for. The second captures a mood that helps me to write. The third, an attitude that helps also.

Belgium Visit! May, 2016

Napoleon. 1815

These three photos capture some of the memorable moments of my trip to Belgium a month ago where I traveled with Friendship Force, Toronto and stayed with people who belong to FF Leuven and FF Belgian Coast in Belgium. It was a privilege and a pleasure to live in the homes of Belgians and to see the country through their eyes. It made for a very rich experience of their country. I have had individual experiences during my travels when I have seen beyond the tourist sights with people I have met, but this experience was different in that the whole visit was like that.

I can't access all my photos, so have chosen these three as reminiscent of very notable moments. Flanders Fields has strong resonance for Canadians as here our country joined in battle in World War I. Ypres and Passchendaele, two sites where Canadians fought. Also it was very moving for me to go to the fields of the Battle of Waterloo (1815) as one of my ancestors was here on the British side. Our family still have artifacts of his. Indeed, my sister has his pistols, shaving kit, journals and a musket ball that caused him injury.
Being there did not lessen my desire to end all war, but when one sees tiny Belgium and understands how it, along with other parts of Europe, were overrun, one knows why our military became  a presence there.
 

In Flanders Fields

Belgian Waffle

 And then, of course, there were the ubiquitous Belgian Waffles.Some of them were laden down with toppings, but my favourite was a plain waffle dusted with sugar with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Yummy. And I suppose that sounds like lots of toppings, but if you have ever been in Bruges or Brussels and have seen the waffles sold on tourist streets, you know my choice was somewhat Spartan. My host in Leuven liked the waffles with just a sprinkling of icing sugar.