Stories
AI extinction and Russian aggression on the anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis. (Or, how to write historical fiction)
These days, we’re edgy from the threat of rogue AI models triggering human extinction. What makes it even more frightening is the fact a group of tech bros were the ones to say there’s a threat. Meanwhile, the bros keep working to make artificial intelligence even more sophisticated, and presumably more deadly. Then there’s climate […]
Book Review: The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad. (Also, turnips)
I chose this prompt from among the 100 on offer: “Simplify, simplify! If you were to let go of three things before bedtime tonight, what would they be? What would you gain by letting them go?” The prompt comes courtesy of Suleika Jaouad, who recently released her second book, a self-help manual called The Book of […]
Then I saw her pushing a baby carriage… A new writing tip
This post originally appeared in the newsletter by publishing industry insider Jane Friedman until the headline, What’s the difference between an anecdote and a story? A few years ago, a friend and I were walking past a reno project. A complete gut job of a two-story brick house across the street from ours. “Did you […]
Book Review: Mud and Stars by Sara Wheeler
Last time, I wrote about reading travel books I had no intention of reviewing. Then I reviewed the first one, Travels in a Thin Country: A Journey through Chile by Sara Wheeler. I’ve written a travel book myself [1]and love the genre. I also love armchair travelling—or in this case, lounge-chair travelling. Backyard. Garden. Sunny summer days. Those […]
Book Review: Travels in a Thin Country by Sara Wheeler
I recently rebelled against my harsh schedule, set by me, and spent several days reading. It’s summer. Time to gear down. Mainly I read travel books that I had no intention of reviewing. They had nothing to do with the novella that I’m researching, either. I love travel books—I wrote one myself—and I decided I […]
How to write a bestseller: a review of Caro Claire Burke’s novel Yesteryear
This summer we seem to be riding two cultural waves. Everyone is watching Christopher Nolan’s movie of The Odyssey and reading Caro Claire Burke’s novel, Yesteryear. Since Nolan’s film is three hours long, I’m waiting for the streamer, sort of, although I have trouble with the idea of Matt Damon as Odysseus. In most of his performances, […]
Remarkable women, freed by war
It wasn’t a conversation I’d expected to have. I was visiting my mother-in-law Mary, who was 100 years old. This was in 2022, and she was ensconced in the apartment at the seniors residence where she’d lived since she’d turned 90. As we talked, she surprised me by speaking about her time in the math […]
Ghost stories and zombies
I recently wrote a piece for publishing insider Jane Friedman about turning anecdotes into stories. It’s a how-to post for writers—and a behind-the-scenes look for readers interested in the writing craft. When I went into my journals to look out an anecdote for Jane, I found a wealth of incidents to choose from. The one […]
With PTSD in the family, every day is Remembrance Day
I never quite trusted my father’s stories about World War II. My dad, known as Ron. Officially he was Clarence Roland, but very few men named Clarence ever call themselves that. My father always said he signed up the day war was declared. He was 22 and served overseas from the end of 1939 until […]
Book Review: Ghosts of Ortona by Ian Cosh (Part Two)
I asked anthropologist Ian Cosh why he’d decided to interview Canadian war veterans for his first book. There was a pause. “Gosh,” he said. “Yeah, you know, like, it’s… some of these are the sorts of things where I might remember something more that I can email you later?” We laughed a bit, since Cosh’s […]
Book Review: Ghosts of Ortona by Ian Cosh
Main character energy. It’s a new term for an old urge: the need to feel that you’re a good person who matters. You’re at the centre of the action, the protagonist, a hero. You’re not a little person tossed around by a big bored universe. Instead, you have agency. (And 10,000 followers on TikTok.)[1] I […]
Writing Tip: Notice what you notice. (Thoughts for readers, too.)
If you teach creative writing, you may have faced it. A student stalks through the door before class, chin forward like Reese Witherspoon motoring through the hallways in Election. We might as well call the student Reese. After slinging into a chair, Reese tells you that someone in the class is going to steal the essence […]
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