the stranger

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i’ve been edited before but not like this. i’ve learned a lot about craft, much more than i anticipated. my editor, Sean Virgo, pointed out my tics (in that moment), lazy phrasings (consistently describing characters by their eye colour), and repetitions of indirections (think, wonder, consider). the indirections, the indirections! his ability to hold eleven stories in his … Read more

frazil

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frazil (defined): (plural) ice crystals or granules sometimes resembling slush that are formed in turbulent water here’s my recipe for a delicious Canadian cocktail called, you guessed it, the frazil: 1 1/2 oz. crown royal black 1/2 oz. maple syrup 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice garnish of cinnamon stick pour crown royal, maple syrup and lemon … Read more

tendency toward refusal

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Zadie Smith gave a lecture on creativity last week and discussed a “tendency toward refusal” and “a little friction”. it was highly stimulating. my head hurt, afterward. and i’m still processing. i think it was a call to arms. to push oneself into new territory and make a personal stand. here’s an excerpt: To my … Read more

writing advice from Sherman Alexie

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The Top 10 Pieces of Writing Advice I’ve Been Given (Or That I’ll Pretend Were Given to Me)* by Sherman Alexie [10] Don’t Google search yourself. [9]  When you’ve finished Google searching yourself, don’t do it again. [8]  Every word on your blog is a word not in your book. [7]  Don’t have any writing … Read more

my response to books i read in 2015

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i’m doing a series of weekly prompts by Sarah Selecky and the prompt is to respond to the books i’ve read. i took the opportunity to do so with my 2015 book list in a kinda stream-of-consciousness way: Anatomy of a Girl Gang by Ashley Little (fiction). a disturbing scene that involves a curling iron. … Read more

small town girl

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outside Lukie’s store, the pay phone rang. at the checkout Mrs. X, in her slippers and curlers, grabbed me by my ear and tugged hard. “Thief,” she hissed. she thought i’d stolen scratch tickets and there was nothing i could do to convince her otherwise; i had not choice, i moved where she tugged. fortunately … Read more

books i read in 2015

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here they are. i’m missing a few because i forgot to write them down. Anatomy of a Girl Gang by Ashley Little (fiction) Missing Men by Joyce Johnson (CNF) Minor Characters by Joyce Johnson (CNF) Journey Prize Anthology #26 (2014)(short stories) Novelists by CP Boyko (short stories) (half-read) The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (fiction) … Read more

b

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  blind black-and-blue blueprints to be or not to be bustling blindfold battle battlefield bottle-blond boobs bruises baseball first-base second-base third-base home-base baseball bat blue truck bearings bastard blank black blacked out black mascara running best friends blabber assault and battery baseline borderline blue, blue, blue burning oh boy boys bad boys barking dogs bad … Read more