Another teaser...

So much going on these days...

Tomorrow I have the usual Tuesday CWC creative writing class, with a bonus visit to Van Tech Secondary in the morning. This is becoming an annual event -- I think it's the third year in a row I've visited -- and I'm looking forward to a ton of fun.

In the meantime, we are working very hard behind the scenes to get the new website design up and going. This blog will migrate over there as soon as it is ready to go...here's another sneak peak of the front page...

Make sure you check out the Surrey International Writers' Conference site blog, too, as this year's presenters are slowly making their way into the public eye. You'll love them all!

More soon...

~kc

SBH+CWC=CBD*

*Crazy Busy Day, of course.







I accidentally double-booked myself for the day, and had planned to bring my Creative Writing for Children (CWC) class to Spring Book Hatching (SBH -- at last, all acronyms explained!), but alas -- it didn't work out.

As I was bolting from the library after helping with the SBH decorating, en route to Port Coquitlam to teach the class, I happened to glance up. (I nearly caught a rope in the face, otherwise, it would have been a bee-line straight for the car.)

The rope was attached to the folks in the picture. Apparantly this rappel-dance is in celebration of the cultural Olympiad. It was pretty darned astonishing, I can tell you that.

I managed to shoot a couple more pictures (on my iPhone, so the quality is not the best, I'm afraid) and you can see them HERE on my Flickr photostream under the category of Nothing But Cool).

And speaking of nothing but cool, here's a peek at Shelley McDonald's CWC class today -- a very cool group of reading and writing experts.


Good taste in books, eh?

Thanks for making me so welcome, gang!

~kc

Solstice!

Spent the day snowbound in a house with fire roaring, candles glowing and a tree gleaming with light in celebration of winter solstice, which officially took place on our planet today at 12:04 pm this year. (If you'd like to read a very funny take on the subject of the solstice and solar ping-pong, check out Jo Bourne's blog HERE.)

I was supposed to attend a BC Boys Choir Christmas concert this evening, and we made it about 5 km down the highway before turning back. I'm so sorry to miss hearing the boys -- they always create a magical atmosphere with their music. I can't embed this piece, but you can have a taste of their beautiful voices HERE.

Long day planned for tomorrow, teaching with the lovely CWC (Creative Writing for Children) group, this time in Port Coquitlam, BC. I have a great World of Warcraft-themed quest story in the works, involving lots of gold, swashbuckling, adventure and copious amounts of holiday sugar. I'm hoping it's a big hit. Will post pix here with an update.

Until then, happy solstice to all and Happy Chanukah to those celebrating their own special Festival of Light!

~kc

Seasonal Suggestions for Teens -- December 11th

So, here we are...two weeks until Christmas. Chanukah runs December 22 -29th this year. December 22 is also winter solstice (scene of much pagan celebration around these parts this year, I can tell you...). Kwanzaa begins December 26th.

All wonderful reasons to celebrate in a world filled with empty stockings. If part of your gift-giving ritual, whatever it may be, includes sharing with someone else, may I point you to boing boing, where Cory Doctorow has put up an excellent compendium of charitable organizations who need your help.

And don't forget the SPCA -- we've talked about them before.

Reminder of a couple of upcoming events -- my buddy CC Humphreys is doing a reading downtown in the Alma Van Dusen room of the Vancouver Public Library (main branch) this Friday, December 12th at 7:30 pm. And...

Lee Edward Fodi, James McCann and I are doing a Holiday Book Signing at Once Upon a Huckleberry Bush (4387 Main Street, Vancouver) this Sunday, December 14th from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

Then next week, I'll be off to CWC WinterCamp, 2008, where I have a mammoth role-playing-game set up for a little holiday fun in my classes. See you there, guys!

Uh...and at some point, I'd better turn my mind to Christmas shopping... anybody have any Seasonal Suggestions for me? If you do, post 'em in the comments. I'm collecting up all the names of December commenters and putting 'em in a draw for a signed copy of MS. ZEPHYR'S NOTEBOOK. I think I'll do the draw on December 22nd, in honour of all things solstice. So get your name in there -- and help me with my shopping!




~kc

CWC Saturday...

Busy Saturday, most of it spent with the creative minds of the kids at CWC -- Creative Writing For Children. In the morning, I hied myself over to the Cameron Rec Centre in Burnaby, and we spend some time discussing The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, by none other than the apparently prolific author Julie Andrews Edwards.






Yep, that Julie Andrews Edwards.


I must say, I had no idea of this facet to her career.





The CWC kids at Cameron Rec Centre were divided in their opinions about the book, tho' the group at Molly Nye House in the afternoon were unstinting in their praise.


We spent the rest of the time deep in discussion of biographies and testimonials and other things authorial. Oh...and making funny pictures with Photobooth (on the break, of course...)





PopArt...














Light-tunnel...














And of course, comic book heroes.









Finished the day with a look at the new Indiana Jones. It was not bad...which is to say I didn't hate it, anyway.

~kc

Today's Potpourri...

A hodge-podge of events to report...

Tomorrow I'm lending a hand to my buddy, writer-illustrator Lee Edward Fodi. (You'll remember him from a couple of posts ago -- nice smile, wizard hat...)

Lee's a busy guy these days, so tomorrow I'm looking forward to stepping into his shoes for a day and working with two of his CWC creative writing classes. More on how it all shakes down tomorrow.

***

Spent some time with the new novel today. (The picture you see right here is the Millennium Clock, from the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, and it plays a pivotal role in the story...)

I'm messing about with a new piece of software, too -- it's called Scrivener, and works really beautifully with my Mac's operating system. So far it's a lot of fun -- who knows where it'll take me?

What else....?

New blog post up at the SiWC site -- click here to read about Bob Dugoni, one of the amazing presenters we have coming to SiWC this year. The speaker's list is almost complete...an embarrassment of literary riches to choose from.

***

This week is a busy one -- Spring Book Hatching 2008 is coming, the final wrap-up for the CWILL BC season, I've got a chat lined up at UBC with some aspiring writers one night, and ...well, a whole lot more.

The rest will have to wait for now -- I've got lesson plans to review!

~kc

On Teaching, Writing, Conferences and One Sweet Baboo

Where to begin....

I've been running on too little day for all those things needing my attention, lately, so will try to catch up here a bit.


Let's start with a shout out to James McCann's CWC class, who welcomed me as their guest-teacher last week. We talked about escape and time travel and had a wickedly competitive game of pictionary with words from the very funny (very Dalh-esque) YOU ARE A BAD MAN, MR. GUM, by Andy Stanton.



These shots (deliberately anonymous) were taken as the kids spent time on their own writing projects. By the end of the session, each student will have written a novel to call their own.















On Wednesday night, I had a great time participating in a panel discussion on the subject of writing for young people. The evening was put on by the Canadian Authors Association, and fellow author (and CWILL BC members) James McCann and Meg Tilly were the other panel members. We had a packed house, and the questions from the audience (and from most excellent moderator Jean Kay) drove the evening. Two hours went by in a flash. Thanks to all the CAA exec for their warm welcome!

While we're on the subject, one of the things on my agenda for this summer is to attend CanWrite, the CAA AGM in Edmonton this year. Conference coordinator Suzanne Harris and her team are going to put on a great show.

And to finish, for now -- allow me to formally introduce Ronan:



You've seen his picture before, but now that he is actually home in Calgary, I can proudly proclaim him as my newest canine nephew -- cousin to Seamus and Silas Ermineskin. (Silas is currently in the doghouse [both literal and figurative] after eating the steering wheel of the vehicle in which he was reposing during the lacrosse game today. Pictures to follow.)

Of course, Ronan will never do anything like that.

Isn't he a beauty?


~kc

It's Late

...and I have so much ground to cover. And cover it I will -- but in the morning, I think.

We lost power/telephone/cable/internet here in my little village this week, and I'm afraid to say it was All My Fault. And yours, [sez she, never afraid to share the blame when possible] .

I posted a random pic of the highway (aka my driveway, since it is the only way in or out of this place, save by water or air) and made a blythe (and yet somehow callous) comment on the progress -- or lack thereof -- of the upgrade.

That night, the blasting went awry, rock faces were blown away, trees and greenery were smithereened -- and along with them went the telephone and cable wires.

And thus, you find me, dear readers, in a position to blame only myself (and perhaps you, if you are willing to share) for the fact I am behind in posting and email and everything.

Almost everything.

Lack of internet means that the re-write progressed much more than apace. Am nearly ready to send it out to a small group of my fiercest critics, long cultivated (by poking them with sharp sticks and so on).

Even without technology, the words march on.

Tomorrow is a big blog day. Prepare yourselves. Much of import to export, so to speak. Discussion of my day with James McCann's CWC class. Analysis of a Most Excellent Canadian Authors Association panel with the very same James McCann and the very lovely Meg Tilly.

And I will not neglect the usual wildlife and weather reports, along with much more.

'Til then, dear readers -- I bid you good night.

~kc

Teaching Day

Stepped in today for James McCann, and taught his Creative Writing class. I've worked with these kids before -- they are terrific writers. We had a lot of fun today.

Pix and more tomorrow. I'm pooped!

(Apropos of nothing, this is a shot of the current state of construction on the Sea to Sky. It's a long way from done, yet.)

~kc

Reading Break

..and the sun came out today!

Had a great visit this weekend with James McCann's CWC class. I stepped into his shoes for the afternoon on Saturday, and his students and I had an in-depth look through Ms. Zephyr's Notebook. We debated which character in the story was the most interesting and had an in-book scavenger hunt, among other things. The lesson was a near-disaster when the teacher (moi) got lost, but the class and their parents were wonderful, sympathetic and ready to stay a little later to make up for the tardy tutor.

Thanks to all for the warm welcome!

Tomorrow night at 7 pm brings the 'Getting Published' panel to the Alice McKay room in the downtown branch of the Vancouver Public Library. I'll be there with authors Ellen Schwartz, Alison Acheson, David Ward, Diane Haynes, Julie Burtinshaw and Elizabeth Shefrin. We'll be talking a bit about our own experiences getting published and answering questions from the audience. Co-sponsored by CWILL BC and the Vancouver Public Library. Hope to see you there.

~kc

Local Writers Go International...

My buddies, author (and CWILL BC Prez) James McCann

and author-illustrator Lee Edward Fodi

are off to Korea tomorrow, for a week or so.

They'll be teaching a Creating Writing for Children (CWC) winter camp in Seoul, under the auspices of Joon Park, head of the CWC organization.

I'm hoping they'll blog the trip, so we can keep up with their adventures.

Have a great time, guys!

~kc

Creative Writing Weekend

As a most excellent way to end last week, I got to spend a couple of days with a bunch of really creative minds -- the kids of CWC -- Creative Writing for Children. This group, run by the esteemed Joon Park, regularly meet to practice their creative writing skills. Twice a year they get together for an intensive camp, with writers and drama teachers to help add a spark to the process. I joined the group last summer in Abbotsford, and last week we met again, this time at Simon Fraser University. My groups spent two days learning how to flesh out a character and how to become 'setting magicians', finding a way to work setting into a story so it advances the plot and enhances the reading experience. I had a wonderful time.

In other news -- I just heard from the inimitable Janet Reid of the FinePrint Agency in New York (one of the pre-eminent agents who attended the Surrey International Writers' Conference this year) that she has signed a new client from among the 2007 SiWC conference attendees. Janet's blog can be found here: http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/ (Always a great read -- Janet is one of the wittiest bloggers I know...)

The writer she signed is Susan Adrian. You can check out HER blog at http://writers-tale.blogspot.com

I'm sending my fond wishes to both for a writer-agent marriage made in heaven!

And speaking of Surrey...

Now that the new year is here, things are stirring on the SiWC front. More on that soon.

~kc

Pictureless Post....

Am sitting at an incredibly foggy-screened terminal in a faceless little internet cafe in Abbottsford, BC. My laptop computer is refusing to acknowledge any access to wireless on the campus, so I have hied myself down here to quickly catch up on my email and any other electronic excitement to be had. The woman on the other side of the counter has a severe disease I can only hope is past the communicable stage. The thrill of the hunt for internet access intensifies!

First class at the CWC Summer Camp today -- great fun, much imagination in the 16 grade 6 students who are in my class. Tonight they are learning circus tricks and dramatic movement, all of which will add deep resonance to their writing tomorrow, I am sure. They are a lovely group, but I am sorry to say that the meatballs at the dinner table (combined with the lack of internet) sent me fleeing to town. Found sushi and this place, so all is well.

Will take a few pictures tomorrow, but today have failed miserably, so this post will have to go unillustrated.

Writing Tip of the Day: Today with my CWC group, we worked on developing character and all the little things that allow for a greater dimensional depth. However -- for the purposes of the stories we are writing together, it mostly boiled down to identifying the primary goal of the character and then planting a giant PROBLEM in the way. Nothing like a decent problem to see what a character is really made of...

~kc

Summer Camp!

I've never been to a sleep-over summer camp. Last year I taught at the Vancouver Public Library's Canadian Summer Writing Camp, but that doesn't count, because we still went home at the end of the day.



Things are about to change.

On Monday, I shall hie myself off to Abbottsford to teach (and sleep over!) at the Creative Writing for Children (CWC) Summer Camp 2007. Three days of writing stories, learning new skills and making great friends. I'll bring my camera and get a few shots of some of the action to share. I'm also bringing my computer -- time to take another shot at DEADLINE.

One of the CWC teachers this year is James McCann. James' new book PYRE has just come out and he and I will be sharing a book launch sometime soon. Stay tuned for details!

~kc, wondering if there is such a thing as marshmallow-free s'mores...

Caution: Busy Summer Ahead...

It was a gorgeous day in my part of the world today -- sorta looked like this: A day to remember how lucky we are to live here and now. Important to remember these things once in a while.

Two great meetings tonight. The first was over my first Korean dinner (vegetarian, too!) with Joon Park and the teachers of CWC -- Creative Writing for Children, a creative writing program that has been developing over the past five years in Vancouver. I will be teaching at their summer school this year, with my CWILL BC buddies James McCann, Lee Edward Fodi, Kari-Lynn Winters and two other wonderful instructors -- Lori Sherritt (who is Kari's partner with the Tickle Trunk Players) and Shelley MacDonald, another amazing drama teacher.

We'll be teaching somewhere around 50 kids at the Summit Pacific College in Abbotsford for three days in July, and it sounds like it's going to be a great time. More details as they become available, but I think it's safe to say we'll be running away to the circus this summer.

After dinner, James and I went for coffee to sort out the details of our upcoming book launches. We have big plans in the works as soon as some of the finer details are confirmed -- like book completion dates!

My DEADLINE deadline is this weekend. DEADLINE or bust.You read it here first.

Finally, I had two conversations today with amazing writers -- Jay Clarke known to the world as Michael Slade, (http://specialx.net/)and Jack Whyte, (www.camulod.com) writer and raconteur extraordinaire. They will both be a part of the Surrey International Writers' Conference this year, which is rapidly evolving into the Go-To Event of the fall season.

I'm done for the day. Time only for a few words of The Chamber of Secrets to take me away...

~kc