I have to admit, I’m not the most conscientious person when it comes to writing something on my blog every day. Mind you, I can say the same for writing anything every day. I’m excluding work because there are a certain number of things I must document on a daily basis. I’m talking about creative writing. Using my imagination. There are times when my creative thinking comes in fits and starts and other times when it doesn’t come at all.

But I did manage to get some scenes revised… plot bunnies corralled and such from earlier chapters of my novel. That might sound like revising to some but in order to do it, I had a lot of “new” writing in there. And I’ve got some ideas percolating for another scene I have to write for further along.

I thought when I wrote the manuscript for my second novel – The Anniversary – I was weird because I wrote it as it came to me. If a scene presented itself, I wrote it and worried about how and where it was going later on. However, after attending the workshop a little over a week ago, I found I’m not so strange after all. That was one of the things mentioned to keep you motivated. Don’t try to write linear. If an idea comes to you, get it down and worry about the small stuff later.

Something else that was mentioned is when you have those noctural inspirations, rather than try to write them on paper which you’d never be able to read come morning (especially if you tried writing in the dark), write your thoughts in the air. Supposedly, this will help keep it in your head. Unfortunately, since then I’ve not had a good nocturnal brainwave to be able to test this theory on.

Saturday was Brian Henry day for me. The workshop was on “How to Make Yourself Write”. After going through a long funk over the summer where I had no desire to write and did everything I possibly could to NOT write, I decided I needed this workshop.

Like all the other Brian Henry workshops I’ve attended, this one has me energized and ready to get those words either on paper or onto my computer.

Yeah!!! I’m motivated again!

Well this past Wednesday came and went and still nothing in the weekly paper. I shouldn’t say that… there was a photo of the President giving the Award of Merit to one of the members of the historical society. I’ll wait and watch for next week’s edition and see what happens then.

I was hoping this past Wednesday to have the write-up from my Grenville Historical Society presentation on Home Children gracing the pages of the local weekly newspaper in the community where I spoke. It wasn’t to be. The municipal elections took priority and I was bumped. How rude is that? So now I have to wait until next Wednesday to see if I made that edition.

It’s cold and rainy and miserable today and by all accounts is going to be the same tomorrow. If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be too many little dears out trick-or-treating. Suits me just fine. The dog has a cow everytime someone comes to the door and it’s worse if he’s shut in the kitchen. However, my skeleton family – Boner, Bride and Betsy will come out of the “closet” (shed actually) and take their places in the front lawn along with some headstones, my flying bat aka “Drac”. It’s going to seem a bit strange this year. In previous years, my next door neighbour and I each tried to outdoor the other when it came to decorating… she’s not here this year.

Oh well, I’ve got a good idea in mind that is sure to scare the kids… or at least make them remember my house.

Will try to remember to put pictures up here tomorrow after everyone is set up…

Last night was the big night – the annual dinner of the Grenville Historical Society and I was on the “menu”. Tuesday night, I made a number of hand-outs that would accompany my presentation for the folks who would be there.

It started with a social hour at 6:00 then a delicious roast beef dinner at 6:30. The time capsule put away a number of years ago was opened (after much struggling since the lid had been riveted shut) and the contents revealed – including the executive of the society when the it was filled and sealed.

After a brief break and presentation of an award of merit to one of the members, it was time for me. I was given a glowing introduction by the President and then it was show time.

By the reaction I received when my talk was finished, I did a fantastic job. Folks applauded, commented and the like. There was even a reporter there from the weekly newspaper who took notes and photos during my presentation after which she and I sat and she interviewed me. If all goes well, I’ll be gracing the pages of the newspaper next week.

I have my presentation on DVD so will screen it (and the one from my genealogical society presentation in Brockville) and get it or both on my website or here on my blog… soon.

Saturday, October 16 was the grand finale to this year’s Thousand Islands Writers Festival. Before we got down to the readings and stories by the three authors on hand – Janet Kellough, John Moss and RJ Harlick – retired Judge Cosgrove gave us a brief history of the court house.

Janet Kellough’s book On The Head of a Pin is a historical crime novel set in eastern Ontario during the time of the 1837 rebellion. It was fascinating to hear about local places that way.

John Moss read passages from two of his Miranda Quin and David Morgan novels including Reluctant Dead.

The last writer of the afternoon was RJ Harlick. She read from her Meg Harris mystery book Arctic Blue Death set in the Quebec wilderness and the Canadian arctic.

All three authors gave a wonderful performance. The wonderful afternoon culminated with a wine and cheese party in the atrium section of the courthouse – once totally outside and now glassed in. Very nice, indeed.

I can’t wait for the 2011 Writers Festival!

I attended both the afternoon and evening readings of this year’s Thousand Islands Writers Festival. What a day! The authors were fantastic. The afternoon session was historic novelist Roy MacSkimming who read from his novel Laurier in Love. The other afternoon presenter was biographer Charlotte Gray who told how she went about researching her book Gold Diggers about the Klondike gold rush. This book was a change from her usual style in that rather than the vertical slice of a person’s life from birth to death, she took a horizontal piece of time and from that chose six people who were all involved in the gold rush in the Canadian north. Both were excellent speakers and kept the audience enchanted.

The evening presenters were three novelists – all women who write in different styles. Two women wrote in a man’s point of view – Tish Cohen and Elizabeth Kelly, and Alissa York. Elizabeth went one step further and wrote in the first person from her main character’s viewpoint.

The three had never met before this evening and got along with each other famously. Sometimes putting three strangers together with such different personalities can be disastrous but in this case it worked a charm.

All in all, it was a very delightful and entertaining day. Can’t wait until tomorrow when it’s back to the historic court house for Words and Wine 2 – Murder at the Court House where we will be entertained by three mystery writers.

In my last post I mentioned being asked by the Grenville Historical Society to speak about Home Children at their October meeting. Well I’ve accepted their invitation.

When I spoke in Kingston last year and again in Brockville last month, I arranged to have my presentation recorded on video. I will do the same again.

Hopefully, each time I get better. Guess that’s what the recordings will tell me.

I’ve been asked by the Grenville Historical Society to do my Home Children presentation next month… ah… to be loved and wanted.

And best of all, speaking in front of folks will make me better prepared for book launches, readings and giving workshops. Yowzers! If my Dad could only see me now, but somehow I think he can.

I made enough handouts for 30 people (I heard somewhere that people like them), in addition to the master one I kept for myself to read from throughout the evening… the indenture form, my father’s “form of admission” and “visitation records”.

There was a huge crowd in attendance. Far more than the 30 I had expected My best guess would be upwards of 60 and maybe as many as 75. A number of visitors came because I was doing a talk on home children and they had home children in their ancestry. Others came because they had an interest in the subject. Folks came from Kingston, Perth and Ottawa just to see/hear “littl e old me”.

I’d like to say that for the hour I spoke and took questions from the floor, I had the audience eating out of my hands but I don’t think I was that good. Still, my presentation was well-received. And best of all, I wasn’t nervous!

I suppose it helped that I knew some of the folks from the genealogical society who were there, and a neighbour from when I was a little girl came, too. I had a chance to speak to him afterwards and he told me he didn’t recognize me at first, then I mentioned my father was a Home Child and he put two and two together and realized who I was.

Afterwards, it was great to speak to the folks who came up to ask me questions on a more personal (one on one) basis, or just chat.

My performance was recorded on video DVD so I’ll work on getting it up on my website or here on my blog.