tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8645849463497541712024-12-18T19:26:04.896-08:00Novelist and Poet reflecting on the great world by selecting from the great words.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-84960233463196991962016-01-18T11:33:00.003-08:002016-01-18T11:35:43.968-08:00

Feedback is great motivator. Feedback helps a writer make determinations about what they are doing and what is working in presentation. I read two peices of writing yesterday, January 17, for the reading at Audrey's Book Store. One was a new peice I have been working on which I will share here, and the other was an older peice I chose to submit for the Stroll of Poets Anthology. The feedback&

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-60897225993126802562016-01-01T16:48:00.002-08:002016-01-01T16:48:10.402-08:00

A year ago, on the first of 2015, began poetry. And among those words a multitude of divergent distraction. And among those distractions were words. For any writer words are the the bone of every day, and the string of days are connected by words. This is a year for the writer of words. These poetic fragments have been numbered by their place on the calendar, thier day in the life of a year

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-72284008022911127542015-11-16T23:13:00.000-08:002015-11-17T00:26:28.200-08:00

Sometimes art imitates life. For this reason I struggle with completing a book that is, for the most part, complete. Life sneaks in while I am editing and demands to be visible. I don’t want it to be visible in this way, pushing itself in where it doesn’t belong. I want the writing to be pure and true to itself and its own story without hints of the terrors we face today. Sometimes I think I

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-508452159191408462015-10-01T09:45:00.000-07:002015-10-01T09:45:35.141-07:00

Some time ago, the number of days escapes me, I began with a small idea. A single seed carefully selected from a bowl of seeds, germinated and planted into soil which was expressly chosen from all available soils. And like any good grower, chose from the tools to tender the life as it developed, selecting the best tools for each stage of this life. It becomes of utmost necessity

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-42422611707021782442015-07-21T08:14:00.001-07:002015-07-21T08:18:39.723-07:00

Sometimes the seed of a thought is dropped onto the most barren of ground and yet it takes root. And to spite the desolation the roots of the thought sprout and push through even the hardest of barriers. And where love seems lost and depressed by the environment the seed will take its nurturing from mere memory. For those who know isolation in everyday living the seed is a beautiful

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-55380067615267850682015-06-26T10:37:00.002-07:002015-06-26T10:37:26.853-07:00

It has been a while since I came here to share with you, busy getting ducks in a row. Not the carnival shooting game ducks and not the painstakingly detailed painting of decoy ducks, although sometimes it feels like this and like that. What have I been doing with my time? I volunteered once more at North Country Fair, if you have ever thought about volunteering for something I recommend you

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-75944548568190709712015-04-05T15:42:00.002-07:002015-04-05T15:42:11.230-07:00

Easter is a time most will think about renewal, new life blossoming, and new energy in the air. It is springtime, a time to refocus and rededicate our selves. For some Passover follows Easter, a practice of surrendering the physical things we are not in need of, and in doing so a refocus develops for the things in our lives most important, that which we cannot live without. This can be more than

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-18552434746654356852015-01-25T08:41:00.001-08:002015-01-25T08:45:14.704-08:00

Sometime the characters a reader finds interesting are not the main players in the story. In writing I am placing a good deal of focus on character development, not only for main characters but for every individual who plays a part in the account. The main players here are as follows; Anton, Amanda, Emil, Emily,  Karl, Peter, Willow, and Wolfgang. I’m not going to tell you about

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-41551005896880512912015-01-09T20:40:00.001-08:002015-01-18T20:26:19.242-08:00

Proust Questionnaire At the turn of the century a French teen named Marcel Proust answered a series of questions in an English language journal titled  "An Album to Record Thoughts, Feelings, etc.", it was1890. Young Proust titled his own answers "by Marcel Proust himself,". Proust’s answers were later uncovered in 1924. His recorded answers were left un-noticed until 2003 when

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-85384779937066720182014-12-31T08:31:00.000-08:002015-01-03T21:20:05.801-08:00

Here we all are together on the thin end of another year as it passes into the next. They say now is the time to take stock of our days, count our blessings, and view the shortcomings as those things we aim to change. We look at opportunities for improvement in our personal lives, our communities, and in our country. Why do these list tend to look the same year after year? We always hope to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-89811894178735969612014-12-24T06:58:00.001-08:002014-12-24T22:23:16.160-08:00

It slips from tongues all too often but what does the phrase “forgive and forget” mean? Sometimes the most common of phrases are never questioned. Are phrases like this meant to be taken literally? How can people achieve a directive such as this when the main components seem unattainable? Forgive and Forget! Often when we feel wronged, insulted, or deceived these seemingly sage words are

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-7627870383804206132014-12-23T22:46:00.001-08:002014-12-27T22:52:02.682-08:00

  I just received a rejection letter from my application for a writing grant. I may be a bit down about the rejection letter but it is a minor shadow on the progression of the book. Rejection letters are a dime a dozen, and they have little to do with the quality or dedication of a writer. I've read that Agatha Cristie endured 5 years of rejection letters, Louis L’Amour amassed over

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-16516651843271287932014-12-06T23:13:00.001-08:002014-12-07T07:45:02.234-08:00

A resolution is just a firm decision or determination. I guess they are usually made at New Years but since I’ve never been know for conformity I state my resolute determinations when and where I will. Also my Horoscope tells me this, “Allow yourself to say what you are feeling, and don't pretend otherwise. Learning to speak from the depths of your heart will take you into

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-74536990614242939692014-11-19T16:52:00.002-08:002014-11-19T16:54:10.797-08:00

I received, just yesterday, a most welcome and timely review of my novel “Unremarkable In Light”. Welcome because I know the lady who wrote it is righteous and straightforward and timely because I have been feeling less inspired in my writing of late. To receive recognition for the forethought and planning I had infused in my character development and story structure is truly validating and

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-6668090943959788612014-11-06T20:11:00.000-08:002014-11-07T06:05:47.985-08:00

Not everyone writes everyday as I do but occasionally people choose to take up their pen and make a permanent record of their thoughts or feeling on a subject. This can lead to some frustration regardless of the subject matter. Writing can seem to become an erratic ramble if the writer has not given some thought to what they really wish to say in their letter. It is, in my mind, always

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-26367009669266388932014-10-13T19:06:00.001-07:002014-10-13T19:11:36.936-07:00

A giving of thanks and gratitude. Moving forward I am finding new ways to be a better writer, finding new ways to be involved in my community, finding new ways to be a better person tomorrow than I view myself today. Always, from my first day to my last, I am becoming. What I am becoming is the reflection of my actions and my words, and these are reflections of my perception. When I fail to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-18562658936297033642014-09-19T17:22:00.002-07:002014-09-19T17:24:12.054-07:00

Sunday September 21st is International World Peace Day. Here in Edmonton I am blessed to be a part of the wonderful group organizing World Peace Day Concerts Edmonton 2014 happening Saturday and Sunday at Wunderbar on Whyte Ave. It's going to be an amazing expression of joy and activism through music. The world can get hectic with negativity and strife and so today and every day I stop to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-82868880032782496922014-07-25T06:06:00.000-07:002014-07-25T06:06:28.788-07:00

It's been darn difficult to focus on projects and poetry when I turn on the news and am subject to helplessly watch as the world seems to fall apart. Yes I feel helpless, don't we all. The only tools I possess against those atrocities are my heart and my pen and I harbour thoughts of gross and ineffectual meaninglessness with such small weaponry at my disposal. How does anyone cope these days?

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-42051466224426757062014-07-20T09:33:00.001-07:002014-07-20T09:33:38.611-07:00

I am blessed to have so many positive influences and connections here in Edmonton. This is one of the reasons I came here; to connect and recieve insight and feedback on my work. Paula E. Kirman is a self employed freelance writer, editor of Boyle McCauley News, and producer of From the Ground Up a community access television program for Shaw TV highlighting activists and activism in Edmonton.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-424000174354550552014-07-07T07:21:00.001-07:002014-07-07T07:23:37.660-07:00

Any writer will tell you it is imposible to truely separeate life from art, and why would we?  Life is what creates art and art is reflective of life. Also the generalized advice to new writers is to write what you know. On that note I encourage any writer to have outside interests and to incorporate all of thier interests into their written work if they are to present well rounded

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-9093729043378564042014-05-28T09:19:00.000-07:002014-05-28T09:19:15.812-07:00

On the passing of Maya Angelou (1928 -2014). When I think of Maya I am reminded that poetry never sleeps in me. Like Maya and other poets the words are always just beneath the surface waiting to meet the page. I am reminded that I have and will wear many hats in my life and yet the hat of poet is always there beneath every other personification I will know in my days. More than anything I am

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-33128643708303143272014-05-27T09:18:00.000-07:002014-05-27T09:18:52.203-07:00

For all grand plans and hopes to accomplish some sort of completion on many of those things on my to-do list here I sit trying to get even one thing to the finish line. I reluctantly learn that no matter how long I am in this body or how well I think I know this body it still can surprise me and that the distance between feeling a little ill and horribly ill is not very far. I am now on the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-91346881057696296532014-04-14T08:36:00.000-07:002014-04-14T08:36:20.646-07:00

Work continues on the new book “The Life of Trees”. I am 20 chapters in; not definite but that’s likely the halfway point. The story is a multicultural and multigenerational look at one Alberta family’s journey. In these pages I touch on many aspects of Alberta history, both positive and negative, in relation to the many cultures and traditions that contribute to the current Alberta and Canada

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-76463667642943842552014-03-29T19:32:00.000-07:002014-03-29T20:45:55.855-07:00

I went to The Shaw Conference Centre to attend part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission this afternoon to bear witness to some of the stories. I feel that everyone of us has many stories. Some stories are harder to share than others. I wanted to see this great bravery in story telling first hand. As I was walking home from the event I was thinking about the history of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-864584946349754171.post-40508908386366679312014-03-24T10:12:00.000-07:002014-03-24T10:28:57.797-07:00

Life is hard. Well not always, but sometimes people would rather not focus on the hard parts. It is those hard parts however that generally generate personal growth and that teach life lessons which become foundations for who we are and what we believe and hold sacred as personal truths. A written legacy of your life need not be about all the hard parts but rather can be about personal growth

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0