A newsletter for writers and editors produced by

January/February 2011Vol. 17 No. 1

Cheap (or free) copy comes in several forms, with three especially in evidence in periodical publications: content providers such as News Canada; self-promoting columnists whose primary career isn’t writing; and revenue-sharing sites like Suite 101.

On a scale of one to 10, with one being no threat to intrepid freelancers everywhere, and 10 being a scourge that should be stomped out like roaches, I give content providers a two. Sure, the content is copyright free, but it’s not very dynamic, and always contains a plug for a product or service; for example, an article about colour trends will slip in “says Mr. Expert at DuPont.” Many are blatant, with a “for more information call” line wrapping up the copy. As per its user agreement, editors are obliged to use as presented any source or sponsor appearing in the content. “In editorial, as in life, you get what you pay for,” says Sun Media national homes editor Sherry Noik. “Content that’s offered free is never on par with the quality you can get in original, custom-written articles. It is, of necessity, generic—and it’s tough to make a

ByAnnette McLeod

Content

to write a more balanced and in-depth piece on the subject, but budgets being budgets, we can’t always get what we want.”

Pay-to-write sites such as Demand Media and Suite 101 work in tandem with self-defeating, undercharging writers, driving them up to maximum on the undermine-o-meter.

“The ones that pay $15 per story and use algorithms to determine their editorial ‘line-up’?” Noik’s voice takes on a higher pitch even as she talks about them. “I have several strong, probably-unsuitable-for-publication words on those content mills, which can be summed up in this advice to writers: Run like hell!”

Such sites generally demand that you give up all rights, submit only work that hasn’t been previously published, and pay you on a per-view basis when the article is posted to the web. If they pay you, say, $1.50 for every thousand page views, you make a big $75 for 50,000 views. And let’s be clear—your article is not going to get 50,000 views. One writer on the forum of one

generic story sound anything more than mediocre. When articles are mediocre and self-serving, they’re simply of no use.”While the content may be free to users, it doesn’t actually take advantage of writers—News Canada staffers are getting paid.

“I can’t object to an organization that hires writers and pays them fairly for this content—writers deserve to make a living off their craft, and this kind of work can be part of the mix. But as an editor, I would (and do) go to great lengths to avoid using it,” Noiksays.

On the undermine-a-freelancer scale, I give expert-provided content a five. It still isn’t the content of choice for editors, but budget restrictions drive many of them to use it.

“I use free content provided by experts frequently, especially in ‘quick tips’ sidebars and fillers,” says Toronto Sun careers editor Diane Janes. “My email is filled with (it) and this, I feel, is where the bigger threat to a freelancer’s livelihood comes into play. My preference is to hire a freelancer

But at what price?

Continued on page 2...

It’s hard to say whether Stephen King was referring literally to

his editor’s pencil—most editors work on-screen these days—

but his gratitude toward her is unmistakable. Any professional

writer will tell you that it’s not possible to be all-seeing and all-

knowing about your own work—you’re just too close to it.

That’s where editors come in. Once your manuscript is

complete and you’re preparing it for submission or self-

publishing, it’s time to seek out the services of an editor. What

type of editing does your manuscript need? How do you find

and choose an editor? And what can you expect during the

process? This article is about the different types of editing and

editors, and is the first in a three-part series to appear in The

Word Weaver.

“I owe her a great debt of thanks for all the mornings when she got up at six AM and took her pencil in her hand. I tried to write a book that would keep the pedal consistently to the metal. Nan [Graham] understood that, and whenever I weakened, she jammed her foot down on top of mine and yelled (in the margins, as editors are wont to do), “Faster, Steve! Faster!”

—Stephen King, Under the Dome

So You Think You Need an EditorBy Sherry Hinman

The term “editor” is used in

so many different ways that it’s

common for people to refer to

very different activities when

they talk about it: magazine

editors, developmental editors,

copy editors, substantive

editors, production editors—the

list goes on. Some may fulfill

only one role, for example

those who are part of an

editorial team at a large

publisher. Others, such as

newsletter editors, may wear

several editing hats. With the

variety of roles, it’s not

surprising that editors come

with a variety of skill sets.

Many editors are skilled in

more than one area, but it’s not

safe to assume that all editors

are competent to carry out all

types of editing.

Here are a few of the major

steps in book editing and the

role editors play in each.

An editor who performs

substantive/structural editing

might have a knack for

clarifying and organizing a

manuscript for its content and

structure. The substantive (or

content) editor looks at the

manuscript as a whole for its

coherence, logical sequence

and completeness of

information. For a work of

fiction, a substantive editor

would comment on the basic

story elements of plot,

characters, dialogue, setting,

and so on.

...continued from page 1

of these sites says he posted 100 articles that got a combined34,000 views! And because the site owners just want content, any content, their standards aren’t very high, so they’re not going to add much sparkle to your portfolio. You’re far better off selling an article to your local newspaper for $25 or $50 instead. At least that’s a byline with credibility, and you’ll get the rights back so you can use it elsewhere.To do your best by your business, instead of underselling yourself, look for ways to dip into different income streams.

And remember, every time you undercharge for your work, God kills a kitten. (What? Too far? OK, OK, just remember that every time you undercharge for your work, you’re telling the world what you think writers are worth.)

continued on page 3 ....

Annette McLeod is embarking on a freelance career after more than two decades on staff at the Toronto Sun. She has no intention of putting the "free" in freelance.

2

…continued from page 2

Stylistic editing, or “line

editing,” is sometimes viewed as

the step between substantive

editing and copy editing. It

focuses on the language, ensuring

the readability of a of a text, and

sometimes the reading level. The

stylistic editor might do some

minor reconstruction, but the

major focus is on writing style.

This might include shortening

sentences, eliminating jargon and

confusing constructions, removing

bias, and creating smooth

transitions.

Copy editing zeroes in on the

grammar, spelling, usage and

punctuation of a manuscript. This

might also include addressing fine

points of terminology, making

sure the text is clear and concise,

checking that the writing adheres

to the publisher’s style, and

identifying any legal matters. A

copy editor must have an excellent

command of

the language, wide general

knowledge for spotting factual

errors, and strong critical thinking

to recognize inconsistencies in the

text.

Proofreading, which occurs

after the editing is complete, is

commonly misunderstood to mean

the same thing as copy editing.

Professional proofreading,

however, refers to checking

“proofs” or “galley proofs,” for

any critical missed errors in the

text, but also checking the

elements of the page such as

typography, spacing, artwork,

margins, headings, page numbers,

and anything else that impacts the

appearance of the page.

Hello fellow authors and writing aficionados,

There’s so much going on that we’re just going to fill you in on some important deadlines and opportunities:

February 28th The WCDR Education Grants and the Len Cullen Scholarships 13 grants totalling $3450. Winners from last year have graciously agreed to judge the entries this year, so they won’t be able to apply! So what’s holding you back? Your chances of receiving a grant to help you improve your creative writing skills are excellent!

February 28th Wild Words Anthology Cover Art Contest Our annual themed writing challenge has added a new feature—a cover art competition. Not only will your art grace the cover of the second volume of this fabulous series, you’ll be paid $150. Graphic artists please note!

We have more to tell you about, but we’ve run out of space again.

However, some members of the board will be stepping down this June after offering years of wonderful service. Want to be part of this fabulous organization in a leadership role? We need you!

James DewarPresident

Sherry Hinman is a Certified

Structural and Stylistic Editor and

a freelance writer and teacher. She

is vice-president and co-chair of

the Ontario Writers’ Conference,

and a past president of the

WCDR. You can reach Sherry at

info@thewriteangle.ca.

Each type of editing, as

well as proofreading, requires

a different skill set, only one

of the important

considerations in finding and

choosing an editor, which is

our topic for the next issue of

The Word Weaver.

Message from the Board

3

Good quotes lie at the heart of the best articles. They bring life to your writing and open windows for your reader. But how do you unlock the window? With a skilful interview. Though interrogating a complete stranger sounds intimidating, an interview is simply a friendly exchange of question and answer, just like the conversations you engage in every day. Follow these easy steps to success.

Be prepared Start with research. If you’re interviewing a stranger, dig around online or request a bio. Don’t forget to research your story. Do you have an angle? What direction do you see it taking?

Once you find the answers you need, decide what questions will take you to them. Choose open-ended questions needing more than a yes or no. Indulge your “inner nosy.”

Your interviewee may have been interviewed before—frequently. Prompt fresh answers and insights with fresh questions. “I’ve never been asked that question before” is a compliment.Organize your questions into a logical order so one idea leads to another. Start with the easiest, often biographical details.

Be considerate Send your questions in advance. It puts

What did you say?By Heather M. O’Connor

your subject at ease and prompts well-thought-out, articulate quotes. Arrange a mutually-agreeable date, time and place. Interviewing by phone? Decide who calls whom and at what number. Confirm these details by email.

Call or arrive at your meeting place promptly.

Build trust and rapport with a polite, respectful, friendly tone.

Be flexible Consider your questions a guide for the interview; follow up on where the interviewee’s answers take you. You’ll probably need to redirect at some point, but it’s often worth the detour. Ask one question at a time and then listen—hard. Don’t be afraid of a moment’s silence. Following up with “Tell me more,” “Please explain,” “Then what happened?” or “Why is that?” can prompt a more complete answer.

Be accurate Quotation marks denote word-for-word quotes. Either replicate the subject’s exact words or paraphrase those remarks without quotes. Put quotes around an approximation of what the speaker said at your peril. You risk your reputation and the

interviewee’s wrath at being misquoted.

Take detailed notes. If you need time to capture an answer, ask your subject to pause. If you’re recording the interview, note the time periodically on your notes, starring important points and quotes for easy retrieval.

You can shorten a quote. You can rearrange sentences. You can use brackets to indicate a missing word or phrase (…) or substitute a word for clarity. You must, however, preserve the meaning.Everyone has verbal tics. Some demonstrate unique speech patterns and can be retained, depending on the formality of the article. Remove the ums and ersand likes.

Not sure you got it right? Certain that’s not what he meant? Confirm the quote or idea with the interviewee by phone or email.ALWAYS request the correct spelling of the person’s name, as well as the position and organization, if applicable.

Interviewing is a technique worth practising, and practice makes perfect. Quoted well in an article, you can almost hear the subject speak. Quoted poorly, the je ne sais quoi that makes each person unique can be stripped away. And you can quote me on that.

Freelance writer Heather M. O'Connor

scribbles articles for national and

regional publications by day and fiction

by night. She thanks the writing gods for

WCDR, where she finds inspiration,

encouragement and a great many kindred

spirits.

4

At seventeen years old, I was meeting Stuart’s mother for the first time. It was a very big jump for us, for we had just started going steady. A brief stop before heading off to the pictures was all that was planned, while Stuart took care of a five-o’clock-shadow and a change of shirt. As we approached the tenement

building on this warm summer evening, there was a small gathering of people on the pavement at the entrance to #29. “Ma, I’d like you to meet Anne,”

Stuart said shyly. His mother turned, holding a golden-haired Pekingese in her arms like a prized possession.

“Mm. Hello,” she answered, squeezing the words out through her thin lips. Stuart’s mother was older than I expected. She had beautiful white hair and a low resting bosom where the dog nestled comfortably.

I returned an open smile, followed by, “Hello.”

“This is Topaz,” she said, rationing her words while stroking the dog’s back.

I petted Topaz, but he did a lot of snorting and his tongue protruded awkwardly, making him unattractive. The fuss and attention to his presence, coupled with his name, implied gem-like qualities beyond his pedigree.

She has tight, thin lips, I thought. I remembered my granny saying people who have thin, tight lips are bitter.

Thin Tight Lips I also learned from my granny some of the old fashioned traits of sizing up a person by their facial features. I learned, when eyebrows meet at the bridge of a person’s nose, the person is either deceitful or conceited.

“Anne, this is my sister, Margaret, and my niece, Sheila,” Stuart said in a more confident voice.

“Nice to meet you,” I responded, grasping Margaret’s outreached hand. Her lips were full and her disposition pleasant. She bent down to lift Sheila up in her arms to meet me.

Stuart left me with his family while he went upstairs. Sheila wanted back down from

her mother’s arms when she saw Topaz released to the ground. He and Sheila circled and chased each other for a few minutes before Topaz was retrieved lovingly into his mistress’s arms, while Sheila flailed and objected to being placed in her pram.

Hand waves and “Cheerios” were followed by a quick retreat upstairs by Stuart’s mother with Topaz. I stood alone on the pavement, feeling dismissed and unsuitable.

While I waited outside for Stuart, I couldn’t help but see how his mother’s mannerisms were similar to my father’s, especially in his attachment with our family dog, a Heinz 57 variety named Lassie. My father also had narrow lips, void of expressing emotional pleasure toward his children, yet able to overtly express love for Lassie. I often saw her snuggle across my

father’s feet by the coal fire. Sometimes she’d cuddle up on his knee, a place not offered to his children. Of course, Lassie met her master’s standards of obedience, loyalty and delight when in his presence. And my father delighted in her presence as she fussed over him, and he’d say, “Good Girl.”

I used to yearn to hear delight in his voice for me. I’d seek it by offering to go for cigarettes, a scarce commodity after the war. And shopkeepers were known for hiding a portion of their stock under the counter for their favourite customers.

When I’d return with the coveted packet of ten Woodbine, my excitement was generally doused with disappointment, for the master of the house didn’t offer a sense of delight in my efforts and my loyalty.

I left my musing as I heard the footsteps on the concrete passage behind me. I turned, and coming towards me was Stuart, lips parted and smiling.

“Sorry I kept you waiting. I thought Ma would bring you upstairs with her,” he said, taking my hand and squeezing it.

By Kathleen Martin

Word Weaver Writing Challenge

“Bitter”

Kathleen M. MartinMembership in WCDR invested Kathleen with a wealth of knowledge. Her first draft of “The Winds of Change,” (a memoir), is testament to her growth..

5

What’s your story?

Everyone has a story to tell. Share the story of how you became a writer with us.

Submit your story to wordweaver@wcdr.org

We’ll print the most interesting stories in The Word Weaver.

350 words maximumDeadline: March25

I had always been an avid

reader, did not make friends

easily and was desperate for

my new Grade 9 classmates

to like me. I had never

written a story before. When

Sister Clara announced that

25% of our mark in English

would be to write a story and

read it in front of the class, I

was stunned. I was so shy

that I had been bullied all

through grade school. But I

felt so lucky when she picked

the order of the readings, and

my name was drawn second

last.

My classmates read their

stories in class over the

following weeks and I

couldn’t believe how good

they were. They were all

getting A or B+. So I kept

writing new stories, but they

just seemed awful. In the

week before my turn to read,

I panicked. I was reading a

history book about the Trojan

War and there were short

vignettes about what it was

like to be a young Spartan. I

rewrote the story a little bit,

changed the names and handed

it in to Sister Clara almost

apoplectic with guilt. The next

day at reading time she called

my name and as I walked up to

the front of the class she had a

look on her face that I had never

seen before. It was

disappointment. But to my

shock, on the front of the story

was a huge green A.

Read the first in a series of WCDR

members’ stories...

I couldn’t read it. An hour must

have gone by before I turned and

asked, Sister, may I read another

story I wrote instead? She smiled

and nodded yes. I opened my

book and read a funny story I

had written about falling off my

bike. To my surprise, my

classmates and Sister Clara

laughed and laughed. She gave

me an A on that story, too. I’ve

spent the rest of my life trying to

make Sister Clara proud of me.

James Dewar

How I Became a Writer

6

“. . .each day you sit vacant, writing nothing but still a prisoner to the typewriter – each day like that is a special kind of hell. Questions come to you making small wounds. Why are you making this book? Does it matter? Do you believe in it? That’s why you get up and have a cigarette and/or a cup of coffee. Then a short walk. . . .You pick up things. Books you can’t concentrate on. Newspapers you can’t understand. Out again. . . to wander around the neighbourhood bookshops. So many books! Who – how – why are they written??. . . Once you go after a truth, you can only get so close. . . .There is no fame big enough or bribery money enough to compensate for the pain that goes into the making of a novel. (Even the mixed joy of publication is paltry, aspirins for cancer). So why do I write?. . . Nearest I can come is, ‘I have to.’” Letter to William Weintraub, 1954.

Charles Foran’s rich biography of Mordecai Richler, Mordecai: The Life and Times, should stimulate struggling writers. Don’t we all wonder – who will publish this? –who will read this? The book reminds us that even our greatest literary lions faced challenges. At nineteen, Richler turned his back on Canada, finding it boring and provincial, living briefly in Paris, then in London for twenty years.

from ordecaie s s a g e s

By Karen Cole

He borrowed money to support his writing habit. He also frequently returned to Canada to drum up work or publicize his writings, long before self-promotion was popular. His agents often found him irritatingly independent, but Richler believed in his work and pushed it tirelessly, despite his natural shyness.

Many of our best Canadian books come from the pens of authors living abroad: Mary Lawson, Michael Redhill, and Joseph Boyden all write of home from “away.” At first, Richler needed distance to satirize the neighbourhood and people who formed him as he did in DuddyKravitz; later, he needed to re-immerse himself in the place of his childhood. Eventually, he realized he must return to the place that fueled his writing—his experiences of those places were fading. He wanted to sharpen the scents and sounds and characters that would make up his later books. In 1971, he uprooted his wife and five children for a permanent return to Montreal.

He found Montreal and Canada much changed. Under Pierre Trudeau, Canadian culture was supported by the federal government. But in Quebec, calls for separation would not be stilled. Richler loved being in the thick of conflict, so the chaos of the ‘70s in Quebec suited him. However, writing Oh Canada! Oh Quebec!, his anti-separatist diatribe, lost him support in that province.

Richler tried almost every style of writing both to feed his growing family and to speak his mind. He condemned government-supported Canadian content, yet introduced Americans to Margaret Atwood, Robertson Davies and others through his Book-of-the-Month Club submissions. Screenplays, essays, and non-fiction books like On Snooker, show a cranky, opinionated, funny man, proud of both his Jewishness and his Canadian citizenship.

After the 1971 release of St. Urbain’s Horseman, Richler didn’t publish another adult novel until Joshua Then and Now in 1980. In between, Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang became the first in a series of gifts for his children. His books needed to percolate, often being written over several years. His last two, Barney’s Version and Solomon Gursky, are considered his greatest. This should encourage writers who wrestle with large projects.

Finally, a supportive partner proved invaluable to Richler. His wife Florence was his first and most-trusted reader. He also sent his manuscripts to close friends to peruse before sending them to his editors or agents. If we’re lucky, we have people like this in our lives.

Karen L. Cole is the author of the 2009 memoir Lifting the Veil. She is shopping her novel about Jamaica, Southern

Exposure, to publishers. Currently, Karen is writing a novel, Letters to Louise, based on an old box of

letters. http://karenlcole.wordpress.com.

7

I’ve been asked many times during my career how I manage to earn six-digit revenues as a freelancer when the average writer in Canada makes about $24,000. I often hear from clients, “We love to work with you, because you’re so professional” and “You’re so much easier to work with than other writers we’ve hired.” From experience, I believe what sets me apart are little things, which in reality are big things when it comes to word-of-mouth marketing.

In fact, last year, I presented a WCDR mini-workshop called “The Little Things,” which focused on this topic. By “little things,” I refer to everything from placing only one space after the period at the end of a sentence, to taking responsibility for mistakes (which all writers make from time to time).

One of my bits of advice is make it fun to do business with you. That may seem odd, but trust me, when it comes to fun, I’m serious. I’m not suggesting that you do stand-up during meetings, but do nurture a good sense of humour and use it.

This comes in handy when I deal with people who are stressed to the max – which is just about everyone in business today. Be patient and assume the best. Taking offense at something someone says is a decision on your part. I know it’s hard to believe, but I often hold my tongue when a client is rude.

Rather than take it personally, I assume that person is tired, overworked or angry at the world for some other reason. It’s amazing how many times I’ve used gentle humour to diffuse a situation and then received a phone call or message from the client apologizing and complimenting me.

As with most things in life, however, humour can be carried too far. Don’t, for example, put clients on your I-think-this-is-funny email list. There are a billion jokes and funny videos on the Internet. If I want to know that a cow who’s just delivered a calf is decalfinated or that Russians get their milk from Mos-cows, I’ll Google “cow jokes.” Businesspeople already receive

more emails every day than they want; avoid annoying them with more.

And now, I’ll leave you with something to think about that’s inspired by a joke I read on the Internet. If you ask for help in the self-help section of a bookstore, does that defeat the purpose?

Read more about Dorothea Helms

a.k.a. The Writing Fairy at www.thewritingfairy.com

8

The five simple FreefallWriting™ precepts that I outlined in the previous article don’t always work for everyone – at least not right away. But by the third day of a week-long workshop, it’s pretty clear sailing for most people. After all, these precepts offer little to rebel against. Write what comes up for you and don’t change it, go where the energy is (or go fearward), give all the sensuous detail: it’s like being told to watch your breath in meditation. Everybody breathes. After that, it comes down to you, how much you want what you came for, and the breath.

Of course, to some people, the precepts can sound idiotically simple. The strategies they’ve put in place to deal with decades-old fears and misgivings can be difficult even for them to shift. And then there are the dreams of what they could accomplish, if they could just write something other than what comes up for them when they do sit down to write.

Fortunately, I know what these people have come for. And I know what the precepts can do. Plus, as someone smart and concise once said (à propos of writing thrillers, actually): “If you want to heighten the tension, shorten the time.”

There are only five full days of writing in my week-long workshops. So I knew that by the end of the third day, this participant would be anxious. He could pretty well infer that everyone else’s writing had been read out at least once already, and he’d heard clear evidence of some really big shifts in people’s writing.

But up to now, his writing had had a cramped self-consciousness that made it difficult to read. The subject matter was hard to fathom through the layers of irony that made up his defence. And although I had urged him to “go fearward,” today he had written about going fearward, which just doesn’t produce the same results:

Go ‘Fearward’

How about some concrete, sensuous detail?

By Barbara Turner-Vesselago

The door slides opens, the disk drops in. ‘This’ll work’ assures a rather too familiar voice. The silent orders start screaming through my being. Soldiers here, medics there and, in amongst them, a quiet child is watching. Bewildered, bemused and confused. In amongst the turmoil a question. ‘What is going on?’ it asks a once friendly face. ‘Evacuation’ comes the reply ‘we must run to the head.’And so the journey began. Here it is said that

we are furthest from the fall and thus ‘head’ has been renamed ‘Safety.’ The walls have gone up and from behind them we are free to look upon all those who are beneath us. Each day we look upon these troubled lands formulating ideas, hypotheses and generally Very Big Words.

Very Big Words indeed. But he’s right, the attempt at loftiness feels hollow. The “safety” of the head has become a prison that that one small witness feels powerless to escape. Writing like this doesn’t “work” and he knows it. But what is the alternative?

How about some concrete, sensuous detail? How about going fearward?

The next day, this writer turned in a story. Gone were the elaborate layers of metaphor. The piece had tension and sensuous detail. Still stilted, still the big words, but nonetheless, a story. I read it out, and people liked it.

In the afterglow, I think he became a believer. On Day Five, he turned in the riveting, moment-by-moment story of a poker game, told with humour and ease, in a natural voice unrecognizable from his earlier work. Except for one thing. We actually got to see the inner voice (now called “the silent compère”) that once controlled his writing make its exit -- this time, I think, forever:The dealer dealt the burn, then three cards face

down—the flop. He turned them over. The silent compère spoke. ‘Welcome...oh, there are no ladies and barely a gentleman. First off we have the king of hearts, my regal friend take a bow.’ Shut the fuck up and get on with it, I thought. ‘OK’ said the silent and now invisible compère. This writer was on his way.

For more about Barbara's work, go to www.freefallwriting.com

9

Longtime WCDR members remember Gwynn Scheltema as a regular fixture at WCDR breakfasts and a founding editor for the Canadian journal LICHEN Arts & Letters Preview. Since her move to Northumberland, Gwynn appears less frequently at our early-morning Saturday breakfasts. Newer WCDR members more likely know the award-winning writer as a wise and supportive writing coach with Writescape workshops and retreats.

WORD WEAVER: How old were you when you discovered writing? How has your writing changed over the years?

GWYNN SCHELTEMA: I’ve always loved words and language. As a child I read voraciously, and wrote stories for my own amusement. I had my first piece published when I was 14. It was a poem that I submitted to a magazine called the Farmers’ Weekly. I got paid £2. Then I married, had kids, did the Mom thing and lost touch with writing and only rediscovered it in my forties. My skill level has certainly changed over the years since, but I still hear echoes of the same writer’s voice that was there when I was a child.

WW: You see the literary landscape through different eyes. How did a childhood in Zimbabwe shape the way you view the world?

GS: Africa is a powerful landscape and culture. My roots are there. My psyche was shaped there. Many of my stories are set there. My years living through civil war also helped me to be always keenly aware of my surroundings. Even when I view a Canadian landscape, I think my

subconscious is constantly comparing, noticing, connecting like a newcomer would. It’s good practice for writing in any setting.

WW: You’re a writer, a poet—and an accountant. How does this interesting blend of the creative and the analytical impact your work?

GS: The analytical side of me helps my editing, and keeps me practical. It helps me make a living as a writer/editor because creative or not, it is still a business. But even on the purely creative side, it’s all about patterns, connections and relationships, whether it’s writing or accounting.

WW: You and Ruth present workshops and retreats under the Writescape banner. What is it about your partnership that works so well?

GS: Before we formed our partnership, we had already worked for many years in a job-share capacity with the provincial government. We still do. Our

partnerships succeed because we recognize that we each have different talents and skills to bring to the table, and we divide tasks accordingly. This synergy makes us more effective as a pair than either of us would be as an individual. We also happen to be longtime close friends and trust each other implicitly.

WW: What do you learn about writing from your students?

GS: Anything and everything. There is never a class where I don’t learn something new. It might be as practical as a book recommendation or interesting website, or as profound as a new way to see the world. Everyone has stories and experiences to share and each unique writing voice presents another way to tell them.

WW: Glentula, your home in Trent River, sits on five acres of wooded lakeside property. How does the picturesque location feed your creativity?

GS: Glentula is my escape from the rat race. I feel at peace here. Unfortunately, I also work from home enough that I can’t always separate myself from the writing I’d like to do and the writing I have to do to earn a living. When I do make the time though, I have a creative retreat space ready and waiting...fire in the woodstove, snow-covered woods marked with deer tracks and pale sunlight reflecting off the frozen water...

WW: What three things do you need to write?

GS: Time, time and time. I don’t need silence or a special writing space or anything. After raising five kids, I’ve learned to write anywhere, anytime.

By Heather M. O’Connor

WhoGwynn

Scheltema

Who’s

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Who’s Coming to

Breakfast?

MarchCharles Foran

AprilJames Harbeck

After-Breakfast

Mini-Workshops

MarchThe Amazing Seven Things I Learned

from Tabloids – Gwynn Scheltema

AprilYoga for Writers Jackie O’Brien

MayE-Publishing

Gwen Campbell

For a complete list of workshops, visitwww.wcdr.org

Welcome to OurNew & Returning Members

Jennifer AdamsonFaisal Azeem Mirza

Mandy BakerTanya BerezukCeline BoutinPeter CardilloDiana Czortek

Elizabeth FacciolMargaret Farrar

Todd Fischer

Joe FonteAnna Geldart

Kimberly GersonMichelle Harrison

Janis McCallenElaine Ruth Mitchell

Karen Richardson Khalid SohailHeidi Stock

Beverley Wood

MemberCongratulations to these WCDR members:

Kevin CraigMonika Morivan

Patricia MillerCollette Yvonne

Phyllis Diller StewartElaine Cruise Smith

Elizabeth (Betty) TyrrellYvonne HarriottGraham Ducker

Todd FischerFor a detailed list of what your fellow writers

have been up to visit www.wcdr.org.

Paeans

You have your parents’ blood on your hands and you’re on the brink of starvation.

Can things get any worse?

Sure they can—if your name is Delia Dreenan, and you are about to be plunged,

headlong into another nightmare.

By Elizabeth TyrrellNow available at

THE

STRANGLING

ANGEL

The Word Weaver has a new editor!

I’m so excited to be the editor for The Word Weaver and I’m looking forward to hearing from you.

Submit your story ideas to wordweaver@wcdr.org and be sure to send in your personal tale of how you became a writer.

- Cathy Minz

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2010/2011Board of Directors

James DewarPresident

Theresa DekkerVice-President/

Breakfast Co-ordinator

Sue ReynoldsPast President/

Treasurer

Christina VasilevskiSecretary

Dorothea HelmsPublic Relations

Sally MooreWorkshop Co-ordinator

Maureen CurryMembership

Rich HelmsWeb Liaison

webmaster@wcdr.org

Thomas MossSpecial Events

For complete board bios or to contact a board member visit

www.wcdr.org

The Word Weaver is published by The Writers’ Community of Durham Region as a service to its members and other interested

parties. No one should act upon advice given without considering the facts of specific situations and/or consulting appropriate professional advisors.

Publications are invited to quote from The Word Weaver upon obtaining written

permission from the President,The Writers’ Community of Durham Region, Bayly Postal Outlet, P.O. Box 14558, 75 BaylyStreet West, Ajax, ON L1S 7K7 905-686-0211

www.wcdr.org.

Word Weaver subscription:$12/year (six issues).

We reserve the right to edit or reject submissions at our discretion.

Editor/Desktop Publishing: Cathy MinzCopy Editor: Sherry Hinman

We welcome your input!Send questions/comments/article ideas to

wordweaver@wcdr.org.

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