So often on social media, in groups and classes, I see writers pull out a first draft of a piece of work and say to other students, critique partners, friends or family, “Tell me what you think.”

I cringe.  

These are six suggestions of how you might handle your first drafts.

• Keep it to yourself.
  To me, a first draft is the paint you throw at the wall to see what sticks. At this point you may not even be clear of what you’ve written, and why. And inviting feedback too soon can deflate you / send you down the wrong path / leave you open to other people’s interpretation rather than your own.
• Approach this draft with curiosity rather than judgement.
  Ask yourself what you have done? How does it make you feel – both in general terms of satisfaction, and craft terms. Go looking for things that resonate with you, excite or puzzle you. Or surprises that have emerged out of nowhere – what I call the ‘spooky writing stuff’.
• Go in with a highlighter and mark up the ‘best bits‘. Whether it’s a word, turn of phrase, metaphor, paragraph, plot point or other element, this can help remind you that even if this draft does not stand up to whatever expectation you may have had, there are things in it that have value, that satisfy you, that reinforce the knowledge that you can write.

• Pull back and write a few sentences about what you had planned to do.
  Identifying your initial goal – if you had one – when you first started putting these particular words on the page can be helpful. What was the main story, underlying theme, mood, genre and readership you were aiming for? I know some writers, especially those working on shorter pieces – short stories, personal narrative or poetry – who actually head each page of a work in progress with their ‘statement of intent’ or ‘premise statement’. It is worth the time checking in with yourself sooner rather than later about what prompted this piece of writing.
• Start again from scratch.
  Take another run at it using/incorporating everything you have learned, discovered, articulated or thought about in examining your first First draft. And write a New First Draft.
  I would, however, still urge you to hold off on sharing it with others, until you are ready to…
• Ask specific questions or request specific feedback.
  Let readers know which of the elements of craft you would like them to respond to. It is unfair to the reader to not let them know what kind of input you’re looking for – whether it’s about overall story development, POV, dialogue, description, characterization, logic of information, use of language… and not asking for what you really need right now can lead to your dissatisfaction with the responses you get. 

Often my students or writing peers want me to give them feedback on their work. The first question I ask is always, “What draft is this?” If they say the first, I send them away with these few points to think about.

And if they say, “It’s all done. I have just sent it off to <leading literary journal/major publisher/agent> I might suggest they hold off asking for input until they hear back. It takes courage to hit Send on a piece of work or project that you believe is as good as you can possibly make it. (If it’s not, it was not ready to go out, anyway – but you might not be ready to hear this yet.) 

Critiquing a ‘finished’ piece has its own potential landmines – and requires different skills and approaches – and a very careful hand!

Some helpful resources to help you move your work along to the next draft.

Manuscript Makeover – Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore by Elizabeth Lyon
The First Five Pages – A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman
How to Move From First to Last Draft to Publishable Book by Janet Friedman on her website
Reverse Outlining: A novel approach to revising fiction and memoir by Lois Peterson – feel free to use/adapt/share/ Listed on my webpage along with other free handouts.

I hope you have had a productive and interesting year – in both your writing and reading.
This is a random list of things that I have recommended to writers and others at one point or another. Perhaps you will find them useful in your work, and/or send me your own Best Bet for 2022/23.

• _{Bookseller: You might get the best financial deals when you go shopping at the ‘big boxes’. But building a relationship with your local independent is more beneficial to everyone. And don’t just go there when you have a book to ‘flog’ – shop there, too!}
• _{Community: Creative Academy for Writers is an invaluable resource – it offers critique groups, motivation sessions, craft and planning workshops, books by Academy organizers and loads of other resources.}
• _{Current list of Canadian publishers, compiled by the Canadian Authors Association}.
• _{Critiquing tip: Whether you’re working with a single ‘buddy’ or in a group, the most useful critiquing is that which is text-based… point out examples in the MS of the craft element you are addressing, rather than just saying, “I loved that character,”, “I really like this,” “The plot doesn’t work for me…”}
• _{Best book for helping with editing and revision of fiction: Manuscript Makeover: Editing Techniques No Writer Can Afford to Ignore by Elizabeth Lyon}
• _{New to marketing your book? If you’re starting a website or social media page, to ensure ‘it’s not all about you’, try to post  about others’ books or useful writing/publishing-related info in a ratio of about 1 post about you and your work to 1 about others. There’s an introductory handout you might find useful here.}
• _{Word by Word newsletter: I distribute this a couple of times a year to readers, students and anyone else who would like to subscribe.} 
• _{Organizing your files: To avoid spending hours searching your computer files for ‘lost’ files, develop naming protocols – eg. m/y / Title / Draft #, ‘07.22 / One Way Only / #2’. And include it in the header or footer when you print it out as a reminder.}
• _{Publishing Options: Jane Friedman’s Book Publishing Paths. Still the best resource
  for anyone contemplating going their own way rather than the ‘traditional/mainstream’ route.}
• _{Lists of useful websites: Writer’s Digest’s most recent list is here.}

All the best in your writing efforts in 2023.
Send me your Best Bet, and if I add it here (attributed to you) I will include your name in a draw for a free five-page or 2500-word free critique.
For more writing tips and resources checks my Facebook page.

Sometimes life gets in the way.

But I am getting back up to speed, and planning my first presentation of the year.

I am just fine-tuning the presentation content, and more details will soon follow on my Help for Writers page.

Meanwhile, mark your calendars for this lively event which will include brainstorming, discussion, and list making.

Last year as part of early research for my new book on creativity, I logged on to an ‘Ideas Jam’ Creativity Check-In on the website of the Canadian Network for Imagination and Creativity. And was intrigued to find the discussion being led by Stan Baines, Custodial Supervisor for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Someone who oversees the work of janitors and maintenance staff.

Creativity really is everywhere!

This, my second midgrade nonfiction book, is not a how-to. More of a who/why/where and when book. A chance to explore the nature of creativity, why it is so important to our lives and our world. How we use it to explore experience, solve problems, document our lives, and celebrate and record how the world works. And a chance to convey to kids that we are all – by nature – creative, and we don’t have to have a million hits on Youtube, our name on a book cover, or our art in a famous gallery, to prove it.

The book won’t be out until late-2024 or early 2025.  Meanwhile, I get to research and write about kindness stones, the McCarthy Era, the history of animation, The Famous People Players, the smallest/strangest art gallery in the world, Leonardo da Vinci, opposable thumbs, The Arts and Crafts Movement, grafitti,  brain science, adaptive and assistive technologies, perspective…

You get the idea… So many ways to go with this – I feel as if I am on a journey of discovery myself.

To to add an element of creativity to the whole process, I am documenting the journey in my note/sketch book – a place to note ideas, leads, resources, links and contacts and a chance to work another part of my creative brain at the same time!

If you have a particular perspective on or experience with encouraging and exploring creativity with children, or know of kids who demonstrate their creativity in innovative and surprising ways, I would love to here from you.

To repeat the quote by Albert Einstein, ‘Creativity is contagious. Pass it on”.

Recently on Facebook, someone announced with understandable pride and pleasure that they had just published their first book. More than 500 people Liked the post. But as the poster provided neither the title of the book nor a link so people could get more information or buy the book – 500 chances of connecting readers with the author’s hard work and achievement were lost.

The first of a series of Tip Sheets – my new project for 2022 – is Promoting Your Self-Published book.

The series will focus on various elements of writing and publishing, which will be compiled at year-end into an ebook, proceeds from the sale of which will go to Literacy Central Vancouver Island.

Meanwhile, individual Tip Sheets will be posted here for interested writers to download and use for free. With 30 years of teaching to draw on – and more than 130 handouts – I have lots to work with, and hope to provide useful info for all those people whose main concern at the end of a conference or workship is “Were there handouts?”.

Each two-page sheet includes ten to twelve tips, and links to related How To information, building on the content of the tips provided.

Please download the first in the series, read, share, and contact me with comments and suggestions for further Tip Sheets.

Next up: Tips for Public Readings

Recently on Facebook, someone announced with understandable pride and pleasure that they had just published their first book. More than 500 people Liked the post. But as the poster provided neither the title of the book nor a link so people could get more information or buy the book – 500 chances of connecting readers with the author’s hard work and achievement were lost.

The first of a series of Weekly Tip Sheets – my new project for 2022 – is Promoting Your Self-Published book.

The series will focus on various elements of writing and publishing, all 52+ of which will be compiled at year-end into an ebook, proceeds from the sale of which will go to Literacy Central Vancouver Island.

Meanwhile, individual Tip Sheets will be posted here for interested writers to download and use for free. With 30 years of teaching to draw on – and more than 130 handouts – I have lots to work with, and hope to provide useful info for all those people whose main concern at the end of a conference or workship is “Were there handouts?”.

Each two-page sheet includes ten to twelve tips, and links to related How To information, building on the content of the tips provided.

Please download the first in the series, read, share, and contact me with comments and suggestions for further Tip Sheets.

Next up: Tips for Public Readings

December already?

It’s been a busy six weeks since my latest book was released on October 12. I have been deeply touched by the reviews, interviews and support it has received – much of which I have posted on this page.

I do feel like I have indundated FB, Twitter and various forums with information about the book. But I am glad news about it has not only reached homelessness and anti-poverty groups, but also generated quite a few sales for my two local independent bookstores.

I am currently in those doldrums of wondering what to focus on next. I await news on another nonfiction book proposal, am still playing with drafts of a few picture books, working with my wonderful critique groups – one in person, and another online by Zoom – and just this week started the draft of what may become a new midgrade realistic novel.

Or not.

But it’s also coming up to Christmas. So family, community and social events beckon, and I’m hoping to have the chance for a while of taking each day as it comes, rather than consulting my calendar as soon as I open my eyes.

I am early to this – although it may well be a week or so before any of my Christmas lights or decorations go up. But best wishes to all for a happy and healthy holiday season – however you celebrate it. I look forward to seeing you again in the New Year.

I’ve not been doing much writing these days – partly sidelined by the various promotional activities related to the Oct 12 release of SHELTER: HOMELESSNESS IN OUR COMMUNITY. Partly because I have discovered watercolours.

I have been dabbling in both sketching and watercolours for the past few years, largely as an alternative to using a written journal when I have been traveling . But in the last few months I have been doing it a lot more. And in the process, I have recognized tendencies and practices that seem to serve me well across both media.

Less is more. I have always been what I think of as a ‘quick and dirty’ writer. My practise is to write a lot and quickly, and not worry too much about the details. In art it’s the same. I like the broad strokes, at least in the early stages, before I start getting much closer.

Know what I want the reader/viewer to get out of the piece. In writing, for me that means identifying and articulating my central premise / theme / the story or scene goal right off the top. (Sometimes I put the premise line at the top of each page to keep me focussed.) In sketching and painting, it’s about being aware of where I want the reader’s eye to go (‘Focal Point’). I am often amazed at many pieces of new artists’ work give no real idea of what they want the viewer to look at – this applies to photogrpahers, too. I am glad I learned this early.

Lean on mentors. In writing, early on I relied on Gary Provost (Make Your Words Work), Constance Hale (Sin and Syntax), The Art of Narrative by Vancouver Island writer Jack Hodgins, and others, as I found my way. For art, I watch a lot of Ian Roberts’ invaluable and admirably concise video series on composition, British artist Liz Chaderton, and the book Loosen up Your Watercolours by Judi Whitton.

Share what I have learned. I don’t know much about art yet. But if someone admires something about a piece, or is curious about it, I will gladly tell them why I did it that way, and how.

Write / sketch or paint first. Edit and add detail later. I love a good first draft – that heady moment when I look at something and really discover what I am working with and how I might continue. It’s a pretty neat moment in art when I see the first marks or washes on the page. So many ways to go! But not too soon!

Do it a lot. I’m a pretty immersive learner. Although right now I call what I do with paint and pencil ‘dabbling’ – as much for the watercolour analogy as anything – I am actually working on it nearly every day for as much as two to three hours. I did pretty much the same when I was writing. Word is that it takes a million words to attain mastery at writing. I wonder how many of my 10-minute watercolour ‘jobbies’ will it take to get anywhere close with art.

Study the work of others. Reading and analysing what’s on the page and how the writer achieved it is one of the best ways for writers to learn their craft. I recently discovered Dan Scott’s Draw Paint Academy where he offfers courses and shows the progress on individual pieces of his own work, and also analyses the work of the great artists. I find I am learning a lot about composition, colour, light, and values from them.

Finding the best tools takes time – and in the case of art, even more money. I have spent hours standing in front of displays of notebooks and pens – in an agonized search for the right ones. For art there are even more tools to spend time – and much more money – on. Watercolour paints and pencils comes in many forms, qualities and colours. Paper is a very personal choice – I prefer to work on 5.5 x 8.5 spiral pads of mix media or cold press watercolour paper. But I will keep buying and trying different ones – and the rate I am going I need lots of it!

Process over product. I don’t worry about ‘getting it right’ or being ‘good’. I am always more excited – both in writing and watercolour sketching – on practising the craft than worrying about the outcome – yet.

Always return to ‘Beginner’s mind’. I try to be open to new ways of doing things, new topics and themes all the time… even though no story I have ever written included ‘kitties’, and they are not likely to be a subject of my watercolour sketches. any time soon.

Since January I have been committed exclusively to picture books. Reading them. Critiquing them. Studying them. Writing them. I plan to keep it up until December 31 at least, hoping that this might be THE year that I can sell one.

Picture books are the equivalent to poetry in my mind. Good ones engage, enlighten, entertain and have the power – when done well – to be ‘about more than they’re about’. Leaving the reader or listener with more than they are aware of, something that stays with them.

Thinking about this today, I was reminded of something that happened on April 20, 1995. Almost 26 years ago.

I had been teaching weekly creative writing classes to inmates at a medium/maximum security prison in BC’s Fraser Valley. Some men showed up every week because they were interested in writing. Most, because the class was the best option when there was nothing else to do.

As I prepared for class that day, I knew I had to come up with something particularly engaging. The day before, the Oklahoma Bombing had occurred, killing 168 people, including 19 children, with many more injured.

I wanted to head off any discussion – which was very likely to arise – about the crime, the penal system and the need for anarchy. Something I discouraged as these topics often arose as writing subjects and topics for general discussion.

That day, some instinct made me reach for something I had never done before. I pulled every picture book I could find from my own shelves and made a run to the library for another handful.

I began the class that afternoon with what I told the students I did regularly in the library where I worked – a storytime. I may have read them In The Night Kitchen. Or The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Most men there looked bored, lit cigarettes, tipped their chairs back against the wall and talked amongst themselves. But a few listened.

Then I talked very briefly about some of the qualities of picture books, and fanned my selections out across the table and invited them to take a look.

It took a while. But soon, even those who had been bored earlier were engaged. Picking one up book after another, reading it to themselves or to a neighbour. One man reminisced about his memories of his childhood ‘library storytime lady.’ Another described how his grandfather had bought him a subscription to a series of Disney books, of which he received one a month through the mail. Another mentioned reading picture books to his estranged son. Their voices softened. Their stance shifted.

Soon everyone was poring over the books, passing them around, reading entire stories aloud to themselves or each other, laughing, joking, competing for books they recognized or wanted to explore for the first time.

I didn’t teach anything else that day. Instead, I sat back and watched and listened, relishing the sight of these men whose experiences I could hardly imagine and whose crimes I knew little about, returning to gentler times for just a short while, though the magic of picture books.

There are a number of significant dates in the journey of a book from idea to publication.

1. The contact is signed…. In this case April, 2019. (This after pitching the book in fall 2018).

2. The manuscript is delivered.
(Jan 2020).

3. The publisher and author sign off on the final version of the MS.  (Fall 2020)

4. The cover reveal. And here it is!

Thanks to Toronto illustrator Taryn Gee, who did not only do the cover image, but also contributes illustrations that accompany the text – which will also includes a number of photos as well – a few of which are my own.

I could not be more excited or proud of this book, which is due out October 2021, and can be pre-ordered through Orca Book Publishers’ website and on Amazon and other online sites.

Who knows what the landscape will look like next fall, but wouldn’t it be great if it were possible to plan an in-person launch!

Especially if I can combine it with the launch of fellow BC writer Jacquie Pearce’s book in the same series What Animals Want: The Five Freedoms in Action.

Hard as it may be to believe, not every writer is as enamoured of words as I am. I love the sound, shape and taste of them (yes, many seem to actually have a taste to them!)

Many writers love concepts and ideas, are great storytellers, create engaging characters, explore signifianct themes and subjects and develop interesting plots. But not everyone is keen to get down, dig deep and pick over each word, making sure it’s doing the job it’s there to do, conveying the idea most clearly, helping define the tone and pace of the piece.

I learned to love wordsmithing from reading works by Dickens, Rumer Godden, Hemingway, Margaret Wise Brown, Rudyard Kipling, Karma Wilson, Dr. Seuss. William Mayne, Anthony Doer, Dylan Thomas, Maya Angelou, Anne Kenyon, Mary Oliver… From hearing my father read aloud, and a high school teacher reciting Chaucer in Middle English, from animated children’s storytime readers and adult storytellers, from lyricists and poets, bible-thumping minsters and political orators, children and elders, and everyone whose work I have read or heard.

The writing teacher and author Gary Provost explored many elements of language in his book Make Your Words Work; his classic piece ‘This Sentence Has Five Words’ is always worth revisiting. Oregon editor and writing instructor Elizabeth Lyon digs deep into diction and syntax in many of her writing books. A new book I recently discovered Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase by Mark Forsythe takes words, language and its meanings seriously. And in a recent presentation called ‘Sound, Sense and Shape – The Work of Our Words’ author Sutta Crum provided a highly engaging and useful look at the power of words to shape meaning and tone.

In my opinion, every word counts. And every time I come across a wonderful piece of writing, or a teacher who makes the point eloquently by sharing examples along with their own passion for language, I am reminded once again to slow down and look closer at every word I commit to the page.

Edited to add the link to this useful presentation by Pat Zeitlow Miller – ‘When Less is More’.

I do quite a bit of critiquing. As a member of two writing groups and as a writing teacher, and randomly supporting other writers online.

I love it. I learn more about my own craft from critically reviewing other people’s work. And I hope my input helps other writers move their work along to the next draft.

What I am uncomfortable with, are first drafts.

First drafts to me are compost heaps. You throw everything on there, let it season, then later dig through it to find what’s germinated. First drafts are where you figure out what you want to write about, why, the tone, tense, POV you might use. Where you might just be laying down a premise or idea without committing to it yet. Something you will use later to discover what you still need to learn about your topic, or your intent.

Giving your first draft to someone else to read is one thing. Asking for input on it is another. In a way, it’s asking others to do much of the heavy lifting that you should be doing yourself in the second draft – as a way to discover the why and what of what you’re writing. And to figure out the best way to write it.

This is why I ask people who ask me to critique their work s to tell me which draft they are sharing. And why I will probably send it back if they say it’s in first draft.

Sharing ideas, themes, story germs is a wonderful thing for writers to do. Asking others to throw a lot of What Ifs at the idea for you to pick through can be tremendously helpful. Having others ask any of the Five Ws and How questions may help you clarify your idea and your thoughts.

But that is not critiquing. It’s brainstorming, something that can be fun, energizing and enlightening.

Plan a brainstorming session with your group or writing partner from time to time. Or make it a regular part of your meetings. Everyone will get a lot out of it.

But those first drafts? Get in the habit of throwing everything you have at them, without worrying about who else will see it. Keep it to yourself. Then, in the next draft apply what you know about the craft to refine your central premise, identify your intent, and fine-tune the writing.

And only then pass it on to a trusted reader or writer to critique. 

I will be posting a Tip Sheet on critiquing here in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, check out other information on my Help for Writers page.

As of January 1, every day I am posting a writing prompt to help anyone hoping to develop a regular writing habit,  strengthen their writing practise, generate words, explore ideas and examine craft.

Now all listed on the Prompts page of Help for Writers.

There you will also find tips for using the prompts, and others for what to do with the results.