I have a fridge magnet that says, “I will not obsess. I will not obsess. I will not obsess.” It’s a funny reminder that negative, repetitive internal dialogue does not relieve distress. Sure, pondering something troubling might help you find a solution, or convince you, upon reflection, that you did the right thing. However, dwelling upon a problem without making… Read the rest >
My friend and I were visiting Paris and wanted to take photos of a lovely cheese shop display, but the shopkeeper wouldn’t let us. Rather than take it personally, which I normally might do, I merely observed him for a moment. I noticed he had a head cold and decided that must be what was making him grumpy. In my… Read the rest >
Stressful situations can occur anywhere, including, of course, at work. For example, an angry customer might take their frustrations out on you. Or, a stressed-out co-worker might snap at you for no apparent reason. Perhaps you can’t stop thinking about a problem at home. At such times, you may feel somewhat helpless to both deal with your stress and carry… Read the rest >
When a nutritionist asked me to write for her company newsletter about managing stress, I replied that her request was stressing me out. I was only half joking. The truth is, I—like many other people—sometimes don’t handle stress well. Writing about this reminds me I should take my own wellness seriously.
Stress can be invigorating, such as when you are… Read the rest >
As editor Rebecca Wigod says in her latest article, normally the Vancouver Sun reviews books published by the big guys, such as Douglas & McIntyre locally, and HarperCollins internationally. But Wigod has now put the spotlight on a self-publishing author, and a Vancouver one to boot. Read her favourable review of Ryan Morris’ novel Molt here.
Related posts:
What does… Read the rest >
What inspired me the most at this week’s BCBusiness Top 100 Luncheon 2010 were the words of a magician. Listening to the 92-year-old Dal Richards playing O Canada on his sax was a close second, but the keynote speech by Giovanni Livera really stood out for me.
Gio, as he calls himself, interspersed his motivational message with magic tricks. There was… Read the rest >
I have two writing contests to tell you about today. The first is being held by the Great Little Publishing Company. The other is being held by SFU’s Summer Publishing Worshops. I’ll talk about the SFU one first, since the deadline to enter is July 5th, 2010.
SFU has joined with CBC Vancouver’s North by Northwest and The… Read the rest >
Are you a book-o-holic? Do you have colourful stacks of tomes on your dresser? If you are like me, you tend to buy your books before considering that they might be available at the library. And here’s your chance to get your hands on some more for only $2 a pop.
Geist magazine is holding a giant clearout of… Read the rest >
Is your manuscript tired and worn out? Could it use a massage, or perhaps a full-on retreat? Would it benefit from going to summer camp? If so, I suggest you air it out at one of the SFU Summer Publishing Workshops. And no, I’m not in cahoots with SFU. I just think writers might want to know these courses exist.… Read the rest >
I started keeping tabs on Andrew Smith after I read about him in Quill and Quire magazine last fall. The Canadian author of two traditionally published non-fiction books couldn’t find an agent or publisher for his first novel, Edith’s War, so he decided to self-publish it. He has been blogging about each stage of the writing, publishing and marketing process ever since. I think… Read the rest >
