noah richler, turning the page, walrus
In Uncategorized on November 12, 2009 at 9:10 pm
In his article, Turning the Page, in the Walrus magazine, former Whistler Writers’ Group guest author Noah Richler, pins the publishing industry to the dartboard and begins throwing some very well-aimed projectiles at it.
For example, why are Canada’s automakers holding tight to archaic technology, but Canada’s publishers so willing to throw out the baby with the bathwater and jump into bed with e-publishing before they’ve even had an STD test?
And why do publishers equate their product with toilet paper – you run out, you buy some more. Toilet paper that sells better if the publisher has paid for a big bin full of titles located in prime floorspace…
What Richler says that’s most interesting and insightful is that most books sell, because people want to be talking about what everyone is talking about. One interpretation – we’re all lemmings. Or, alternatively, a book needs to be part of common conversations to be a success. So what are you talking about? And is anybody listening?
geist literal literary postcard story contest
In communication, creative writing, writing on November 11, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Sure, he could have skyped or texted me or emailed a photo from his phone. But when a postcard from my brother peeked out amongst all the uninspiring bills and how-did-you-find-me catalogues in my post box, I was pretty stoked. There’s an old school magic to postcards, and Geist is waving its magic wand and beckoning postcards and postcard stories its way.
It’s the writing contest whose name is almost as long as an entry – the 6th annual Geist Literal Literary Postcard Story Contest - and 500 words is the max verbiage allowed, fiction or non-fiction, inspired by the image on a postcard, that must be sent as part of the entry.
Deadline has been extended to January 15. Yeehaa. Start scouring your old shoeboxes, postcard stands, art stores, museum gift shops…
boot-camp, mapping memoires, story mapping, virtually vicious boot camp, Wayne Grady
In creative writing, vicious circle, whistler, whistler readers and writers festival, whistler writers group, workshops, writing on November 8, 2009 at 7:07 pm
Whistler’s 2009 Writer-in-residence took a group of non-fiction writers back in time this fall, with creative writing exercises aimed at excavating memories.
The drill – which spurred a round of frantic scribbling and several incredible pieces of writing – is resurrected here for bootcamp ex 21.
Draw a map of the first neighbourhood you can remember living in.
Sketch and scribble and wander again streets that are buried deep…
Research only in your own head. Leave aside had evidence – atlases and street maps and photographs. You’re excavating your stories…
Savour the immersion.
And then, start to write. A memory from that world.
