reaching for the s tars: the stellar literary...

A newsletter for writers and editorsproduced by

The Writers� Circle of Durham Region

November/December 2007 Vol 13 No.6

Inside• Board Message/New members.....2• Breakfast Reloaded......................3• Odds & Eds.............. ....................6• Who’s Who?..................................8• Workshops...................................10• Themed Challenge Submissions..11

WORDWORDWEAVERWEAVERThe

The Stellar Literary Festivalwas a vision that occurredduring a “eureka” moment:a brilliant flash of inspira-tion! Being involved in all

kinds of wonderful celebrations, festivalsand events throughout Durham Region, Inoticed that while music, children, andethnic culture were popular themes, anevent celebrating the best of Durham Re-gion’s poets, authors, writers, play-wrights, storytellers, and songwriters wasmissing.

Determined to rectify this imbalance,and with the aid of my husband and two

close friends, this past September 22nd

we launched the inaugural Stellar Liter-ary Festival at the Oshawa Valley Botani-cal Gardens.

The community was treated to a stellarprogram in a gorgeous setting with idealweather and a ribbon cutting ceremonywith Mayor John Grey, councillorsMaryanne Sholdra, Lynn Philip Hodg-son, John Henry, vice-president ofFAMEd.ca (Film Art Media Entertain-ment Durham) Chester Stocki, and my-self as the festival producer. David H.Hooker, an international speaker and hostof Rogers TV’s Mind Your Own Business,was the master of ceremonies for theday’s events. In his capable hands, theprogram was flawless.

I considered our first guest speaker ahero. Lynn Philip Hodgson was instru-mental in saving and preserving an im-portant piece of Canadian history withinDurham Region. Hodgson met with great

opposition in his quest to research anddocument the facts about Camp X (a topsecret World War II spy training school inWhitby, ON), and later published hisaptly-named book, Camp X.

With readings from authors Brian Pe-ters, Cal Muckle, Samuel Montas (inFrench as well as in English) and AllanBriesmaster, and guest speakers SharonLawrence, Tim Simms and DorotheaHelms, plus poetry offerings from thelikes of Honey Novick, John B. Lee andfirst-time reader Roxy Blanchard, toname but a few, it became amazinglyclear; the Stellar Literary Festival was in-dispensable in celebrating both emergingand seasoned artists.

It was wonderful to highlight and cele-brate the Stellar Poetry Contest winners,too. Presented with certificates and mon-etary awards by judge Ann Peacock were:Fred Ford, adult first place honours, JayHershberg, adult second place, MarionRuth Anderson, adult third place, plus 10honourable mentions! In the youth cate-gory (ages 12–14), Ashley NanaAgyapong took first place, Stephanie Yipgarnered second AND third place, and inthe 15 to 18 years old category, Julie-annRozel won first place honours with An-drew Black accepting awards for secondAND third place. It was a stellar moment,indeed!

From Brighton, Ontario, RichardGrove, publisher, spoke about the Cana-dian publishing industry and then ad-dressed questions from the audience andfrom queries send via e-mail. Grove, who

who is president of the Canada Cuba Lit-erary Alliance along with his wife Kim,read a written statement to festival atten-dees received from Manuel de Jesus Ve-lazquez Leon, vice-president of theCCLA in Cuba. What followed wereCCLA member readings, making theStellar Literary Festival a truly interna-tional affair.

A memorable performance by veteranstoryteller/singer/musician/songwriterHeather Whaley and Kim Michele, aharpist from Toronto, entitled SummerSeas & Memories, ended much too soon.

Emerging playwright and directorMichael Khashmanian, with the aid ofthree actors, demonstrated the progres-sion of a play from its conception to itsstage debut. It was most fascinating andinformative to see a play’s transformationfirst hand.

Graham Ducker, as Oshawa branchmanager of The Ontario Poetry Society,had some of its members and guests readtheir poetry. It was a perfect conclusionto our program and day.

With numerous positive and encourag-ing comments of appreciation, the festi-val organizers and its volunteers are look-ing forward to the Stellar Literary Festi-val 2008!

For further information and festival up-dates [email protected] or logonto www.stellarliteraryfestival.com.

Reaching For the Stars: The Stellar Literary FestivalBy Stella Ducker

With the holidaysjust around thecorner, I’m

struck by how much TheWriters’ Circle of DurhamRegion resembles myown family. Not only isthe board continuouslyattempting to budget itsway through lean andplentiful months, it’s alsoplanning for treats likethe Ontario Writers’Conference next May.We want to keep that“vacation jar” full of coinin order to splurge onsurprises for the chil-dren.

And through our break-fast speakers we hope tooffer a little somethingfor everyone in the fami-ly, knowing full well thatAuntie Joan loves herneedlepoint; Uncle Bill

always appreciates hu-mour; David is usuallyglued to the golf chan-nel; the twins walkaround with musicplugged into their ears;and Grandpa Jacob isgoing to grumble at pret-ty much everything!

So when we are gath-ered, forgive us if, fromtime to time, we resort toparlour games. Our De-cember breakfast will be

just suchan occa-sion with

an op-portunityfor mem-

bers to

takethe stage

and shine. “SOYOU THINK YOUCAN WRITE! will haveattendees penning afive-minute on-the-spotstory based on a writingprompt given by WCDRresident writing fairy,Dorothea Helms.Afterwards, anyone

wishing to put his/hername into a hat canenter a draw to be se-lected to read.

Everyone’s life is sobusy. We realize thatgetting the entire familytogether is nearly impos-sible, but through ourgood-old family outreachprogram—the websiteand our newsletter—wehope to remind all thecousins we seldom seethat there’s a big, gener-ous family out here that’seager to share and care.

In truth, whether wesuffer or celebrate ourwriting life, there is nobetter place to be thanwith a family of kindredspirits who support, en-

courage, providefeedback, and

praise. So pass

thepunch.Here’s toyou!

Barbara HuntWCDR president

2 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2007 THE WORD WEAVER

AW a r m

W C D R W e l c o m e

t o o u rN e w e s t

M e m b e r s

Stan LongAllyson LattaFrances PauzeKaren DoironJun ChoiLinda CooperJune Duffy- SmithSandra ClarkeJacqueline ViscontiLeslie CaseyEsther BrouwerErin Thomas

A Message from the

B o a r dB o a r d

For the Love of WordsBy Judy Bagshaw

May 2008 marks the beginning of anew era in WCDR history as it hostsits first Ontario Writers’ Conference.

A two-day event with optional master classesheld on the afternoon of Friday, May 2, and afull day of amazing roll-up-your sleeves work-shops on Saturday, May 3, this conferencepromises to be like no other you’ve ever at-tended. With the tagline “for the love ofwords,” this event is a true celebration of writ-ers’ craft.

The Ontario Writers’ Conference is elated toannounce Scotiabank Giller Prize nominatedauthor and Order of Canada recipient, Mr.Wayson Choy, as its honorary patron. The au-thor of the novel The Jade Peony (1995) which

won the Trillium Book Award and the City ofVancouver Book Award, Choy also wrote thememoir Paper Shadows: A Chinatown Child-hood (1999), which won the Edna StaeblerAward for Creative Non-Fiction and was nomi-nated for the Governor General’s Award.

In an interview for Read magazine Choy said,“I can’t say enough about the power of storiesto give meaning to one’s life. And I guess thatevery writer hopes that he or she might one daywrite a story that can do that.”

With this in mind, plan to savour a smorgas-bord of workshops. Whether your creative in-terests draw you toward poetry and humourwriting; learning the how-to’s to craft atten-tion-getting query letters, synopses and bookproposals; or gleaning insider tips for effectivesubstantive editing, the Ontario Writers’ Con-ference—regardless of your level of exper-tise—has something for you. In all, attendeeswill choose three workshops from nine dynam-

ic classes on offer. The full-day event begins after registration, a

hot buffet breakfast, and the OWC’s officialwelcome to its delegates. Two workshop ses-sions in the morning with a coffee break in be-tween precedes the OWC’s gala luncheon andkeynote speaker address. There will be oppor-tunities galore for networking, too. The after-noon rings in the final workshop session, an-other coffee break, followed by a panel presen-tation entitled “Show me the Money!” The dayends with a catered reception featuring read-ings and book signings.

For complete conference information and toregister online, go to:www.ontariowritersconference.com.

Multi-published author and long-time WCDR memberJudy Bagshaw writes romantic fiction featuring full-fig-ured heroines. Recently retired from teaching, Bagshawnow writes full-time from her home in Bowmanville, On-tario. Visit her online at www.judybagshaw.com .


Wow! September saw two WCDR read-ers for the price of one. Raïssa Cher-nushenko’s story “Mother Tongue” wasthe honourable mention in the WCDRIdol competition, but since none of thefinalists were struck by lightning, Raïssadid not read. That situation was reme-died this month, and we heard the sagaof a multi-linguistic child inspired by thefoods of Europe. Her parents—salivat-ing at “the dream of a gastronomicallyfluent child”—were quick to take ad-vantage of Toronto’s multi-culturalrestaurants. Our members listened in de-light as the parents reaped the conse-quences of their haute-cuisine sins.

Sherry Hinman was our selected mem-ber reader. Jacob’s started out innocent-ly enough with two children pickingcontraband blueberries from a surlyneighbour’s field. From the outset, wedetected a dark thread of tension thatsoon manifested itself in the form of theneighbour’s huge and ferocious SaintBernard. Sherry’s story evoked a child’sfascination with a chained dog in whichdread and pity were intertwined. Unfor-tunately Sherry ran out of time, but heraudience shouted “No! Keep reading!”She obliged us by skipping to the end ofthe story.

Our September guest speakers provid-ed a unique insight into an icon of Cana-dian literature. Orm Mitchell is the sonof W.O. Mitchell. He, along with hiswife Barbara, have just completed atwo-volume biography of his father.This work is something new in that itblends academic and popular biography.Orm and Barbara make use of multiplenarrative voices, including W.O.Mitchell’s own, which allows them toexplore the various motifs and rhythms

in his life. They read from the biographyand also shared their insights intoMitchell’s creative life. He believed hisinvention of free-fall writing gave ac-cess to “the sea caves of the uncon-scious.” His characters often arose fromthis process, attaining lives of their own.“Why am I compelled to create such adark and destructive character?” Ormalso entertained us with some ofMitchell’s own “crotch” stories, butwhen he read the passage describingMitchell’s funeral, Orm’s evident affec-tion for his father became our affectiontoo.

When they were done, Orm and Barbgraciously donated W.O. Mitchell Coun-try to our breakfast raffle. They also hadan impressive array of Mitchell’s booksfor sale at more-than-reasonable prices.This is a good place to remind readersthat the WCDR breakfasts are usuallyterrific opportunities to purchase signededitions of our speakers’ books.

Our October [WCDR member] readerwas Brian Baker who decided—withHalloween around the corner—to readhis macabre story “Pit Stop.” His taleevoked the blinding heat and emptinessof the U.S. mid-west desert—a bleaklandscape that mirrored the desperationof a father whose child disappears. Thisrandom horror is augmented by a backstory of tragedy in the father’s life. LikeSherry the month before, Brian ran outof time. Once again the audience de-manded to know the end. Brian obligedand skipped to the terrifying conclusion.His character asks how such things[giant eagles] remain undiscovered.Brian’s character discovers the truth, butlike all those before him, he does notlive to tell the tale! Well done,Brian.

Alissa York’s newnovel Effigy has justbeen short-listed for theScotiabank Giller Prize, soher talk about the sources of herstories was a real inspiration. The Bear’sMouth was an Australian legend rewrit-

ten from the point of view of the canni-bal’s wife, which was combined with afriend’s story of escaping to the Yukon.When Alissa was in hospital with a burstappendix, the girl in the next bed con-fessed with alarming vagueness that shehad surgery because “something the sizeof an orange was in there.” This girl be-came a younger version of the characterof the first story. As Alissa said, “wecarry these scraps of memory aroundforever,” further surmising that our cre-ative life is the process of discovery.Some stories come from other people.Sad Bastards recounts a friend’s fishingtrip with his shell-shocked father, andthe peril that arose when he had a flash-back in the boat. Another story is basedon a memory of a big rig tipping a cargoof cattle into the river of the small townwhere she spent her childhood. Interest-ing in that— despite having the memo-ry—Alissa was not there at the time.

The creative response in which memo-ry is created perhaps underlies her nov-els. She started Effigy after wonderingwhat living in a polygamous familywould be like. Alissa told us how re-search feeds the imagination, and a dis-crepancy in the reported number of sur-vivors of a massacre (was it 17 or 18?)was enough to create a whole character.By the same token, the actual writingopens up new vistas to be researched.By the end of the process, Alissa is ableto write convincingly about places andtimes she never witnessed. Let’s hopethe Giller judges think so too!

Breakfast Breakfast ReloadedReloaded

By Fred Ford


How to Write Like a Historian… Without Being One: Part TwoBy Laura Suchan

Historians use conceptual frameworks toconnect and organize knowledge tomake it more meaningful and to helppeople make sense of history. Fitting in-formation into a framework makes itmore usable. Examples of frameworksmay include themes, timelines, ques-tions, maps and chronological narrative.

Writing with themes is usually themost popular choice to arrange informa-tion. Think about what themes and sub-themes might be relevant to your story.Examples of themes may include migra-tion, food, myths/stories, celebrations,war, recreation, politics, community andbusiness. Ask yourself questions such asdoes your family have stories about aparticular historical event or did anyoneparticipate in a migration? Were anyfamily members involved in a particularorganization? Did anyone play sports?Questions such as these will help yourecognize and organize the themes inyour history.

Below is an example of how I used mygrandfather’s story as a displaced personarriving in Canada post Second WorldWar in an immigration history paper. Iwove the story of my grandfather and hisexperiences into the larger picture of theimmigration of displaced persons toCanada.

“Canada’s post-war immigration poli-cy was designed to encouraged the de-velopment of the raw material resourcesindustry, mainly forestry and mining inNorthern Ontario and Quebec. SinceStefan (my grandfather) did not haveany relatives in Canada, he chose toenter the country using the second routeand reported for employment in a log-ging camp in La Tuque, Quebec. Fromdiscussions with many displaced per-sons, this appears as a typical scenario

for Ukrainian immigrants who did notbenefit from the support of relatives al-ready settled in Canada. Immigrantsfaced a period of employment (usuallyone year) in the field in which they werebrought to Canada. During this timethey were expected to pay the Canadiangovernment for their passage and if for-tunate, save enough money to providepassage for their families from Ger-many.

Stefan and his family, like many otherUkrainians, chose immigration ratherthan face repatriation to the homelandwhich was now under Soviet rule. Post-war Germany held very few prospectsfor the thousands of Ukrainians…”

My grandfather, an average immigrant,became an excellent illustration of Cana-da’s post-war immigration policy atwork. In order to write about my grand-father’s story in any detail I had to re-search Canada’s role in accepting theseimmigrants. My relative’s journey wasplayed out against the larger picture ofhistorical events taking place nationallyin Canada and even internationally inpost-war Germany.

Keep in mind your subjects and theirexperiences were typical, and also part,of collective behaviour. For examplewhen researching my grandfather’s ex-perience, I asked the question of howcommon or uncommon was his behav-iour? Were other immigrants followingthe same path as my grandfather? Whatexternal forces were at work to influencehis decision? This is what is meant byinserting the experiences into historicalcontext. If you are lacking for informa-tion on your relative, it is acceptable touse historical descriptions of what wastypical behaviour for the time to fill inthe blanks of your family history.

Define and identify any unfamiliar ter-minology or dated names for things. Forexample, do you know to what a MaeWest refers? The first time I heard thisterm I knew of the actress but not of itsreference to the yellow life preservers ofthe Allied soldiers during the SecondWorld War. When I use this example inhigh school presentations I am lucky ifone student has ever heard of Mae West.Including a brief description will ensurethe term remains recognized.

Avoid what Sturdevant calls the “Ti-tanic Syndrome.” This refers to the in-sertion of historical events that are irrel-evant to a story. Sturdevant noticed herstudents tended to throw bits of histori-cal knowledge into their genealogicalsummaries whether the event had any-thing to do with the assignment or not.The Titanic appeared to be a favouritetopic. References such as “my grand-mother was born five years before theTitanic sank,” do not contribute much tothe story. When using social history forhistorical context, keep it relevant to thestory.

Writing with these simple guidelines inmind will enrich your personal historystories and ensure your writing is morethan just names and dates.

One final comment. When you are finished with your fami-

ly history, consider donating a copy tothe applicable archives, museum or ge-nealogy society. They will usually wel-come well written, researched and rele-vant material. Practise these guidelinesand you too will be writing like a histori-an in no time.

Laura Suchan is a writer, historian, facilitator andproject consultant. She is the executive directorof the Oshawa Community Museum and a part-time instructor in the Department of History atTrent University. Suchan can be reached [email protected].

You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills. –Jim Rohn –


Breakfastinfo…November 10... guest speaker

Adrienne KressAdrienne Kress is a writer and ac-

tress born and raised in Toronto,Canada. It was only natural that Adri-enne, the daughter oftwo high school Englishteachers, should fall inlove with both creating andperforming the written word.

She majored in drama at the ageof 11 at the Claude Watson School forthe Arts, and continued to follow thispath through post-secondary school,graduating summa cum laude fromthe University of Toronto with an hon-ours BA in theatre. She then movedto London, England, to study at theLondon Academy of Music and Dra-matic Arts and stayed for three years,acting in a variety of productions.

Running parallel to her passion foracting was always her passion forwriting. In high school she won theGordon C. Johnson award for herwork, and in university she studiedwith top Canadian playwright DjanetSears. A play she wrote as a result ofthat experience was performed at theSummerworks Festival in Toronto aswell as the Edinburgh Festival Fringeto excellent reviews and sold outhouses.

Currently, Kress resides in Toronto.Alex and the Ironic Gentleman is herfirst novel.

December 8…

So, you think you can write!

At the December breakfast meet-ing, WCDR’s very own residentwriting fairy (a.k.a. Ms. DorotheaHelms) will give a timed five-minute writing-on-the-spot promptafter which anyone wishing to puthis or her name into a hat can entera draw to be a selected reader.Thosepeople read, and the audience votes.

This meeting promises an abun-dance of laughs and good cheer that

will set the tonefor a season

of rejoic-ing and

merri-ment.

Breakfast isheld from

8:30 to 11 a.m.at J.P. Fitzpatrick

& Son75 Consumers Rd.

(at Sunray St.), Whitby, ON

Cost is $13 for WCDR members; $16 for guests.

To confirm your space, please leave a message at

905-686-0211or respond by e-mail to

[email protected],by no later than noon on the

Thursday before the next

breakfast meeting.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. Winston Churchill, Sir (1874-1965)

I write to discover what I think.–Joan Didion–

New venue!

The OntarioWriters’

Conference

May 2 & 3, 2008

in TORONTOat the conviently located

Delta Toronto East Hotel

Mark your calendar

Further details at:www.ontariowritersconference.com

The only limits are,

as always, those of vision.

�James Broughton�

Malcolm shook his headas he read the note forthe fifth time; drainedwhat was left of hislukewarm coffee.

“Fourth and Pine,” he mumbled. “Fourthand Pine.” He ran the address over in hismind trying to recall why the locationseemed so familiar. Claire was crafty andhe knew she was up to something.

Fourth and Pine. Now he remembered! Itwas in the warehouse district on the lowereast side. In his mind’s eye he could seeher standing there, in the middle of theempty loft, her grey tweed power suit dart-ed in all the right places. The seam in theback of her black stockings perfect paral-lels, centered perfectly on her go-on-for-ever, perfectly shaped legs. Jesus, howcould he forget those beautiful legs? Orthe electrifying touch of her hand whenshe introduced herself. And her full lips—painted “hot nights red,” or some othersuch-named shade he hoped would provean omen. He remembered how she hadtowered over him in her three-inch heelsand how that made him feel: Her with abirds-eye view of his balding head.

And now she wanted to see him again,even after everything that had happenedbetween them. If Claire was a man,thought Malcolm, she’d have balls the sizeof grapefruit. He peeled four singles fromhis money clip and put them under hisempty coffee cup. He flashed his perfectsmile at Jenny, giving the waitress his sig-nature, two-finger John Wayne salute as heleft the café. “They’re not all like Claire,”he reminded himself.

Malcolm walked the seven blocks tohis office rereading the note. Then he

made an executive decision. He crumbledClaire’s calligraphied “Notice to Appear”and tossed it into the gutter. There was noway he was going to tempt fate a secondtime. She’d ruined his marriage and al-most succeeded in destroying his careertoo. Though, if truth were told, his mar-riage was heading south long before Claireappeared on the scene. So, Claire hasn’tsold the loft yet, he thought. Now I knowwhy she wants to see me.

Sarah Rogers, Malcolm’s brand new sec-retary, looked up from her computer.“Good morning, Mr. Goodwin,” she said,brightening. “Your nine o’clock called,they’re running late, they’ll be here intwenty minutes, do you want to go overthe rest of your day?” Efficiently, Sarahfollowed the back of Malcolm’s head intohis office.

“Sure, but can you get me a cup of coffeeand a couple of Aspirins first?”

“Yes, Mr. Goodwin.”“Thanks. And it’s Malcolm, okay? Mr.

Goodwin is my father.” Jesus! Did I justsay that? Mr. Goodwin is my father? Howfrigging lame is that? Now I sound like theold man. “It gets confusing around herewhen we’re both called Mr. Goodwin.”

“Yes sir Mr. Goo… Mr. Malc…” Sarahshook her head, her eyes apologizing forthe screwup. “I mean, yes sir. Malcolm.”

Malcolm grinned.Embarrassed, Sarah backed out of the

office clutching her files like a lifeline, theblue pen vised upside down between herfingers making curlicues on the shoulderof her white silk blouse.

“Sarah?”“Yes, Sir. Malcolm?”“Black, one sugar, okay?” “Black, one sugar, okay,” she repeated,

resisting the urge to scribble his coffeeorder on the palm of her hand.

Sarah’s heel caught on the threshold inMalcolm’s office doorway. She smiledawkwardly as she righted herself.

Malcolm circled the air with his indexfinger. “Perhaps it would be better if youturned yourself around?”

Sarah nod-smiled, turned, and went insearch of the staff room.

Malcolm pinched the bridge of his nosehard; hoping the brightness of the actionwould reduce the banging inside his headto a dull throb. And, just when he thoughthe might not need the Aspirin after all, thephone in the outer office pealed. “Sarah,can you get tha…?”

The phone continued to thunder. “Shit,” Malcolm whispered. “Maybe

Claire’s got to me more than I think.” Hepunched the flashing button on his hand-set. “Malcolm Goodwin.”

“Did Jenny give you my note?” a smokyvoice asked.

“Jesus Christ, Claire, I don’t have timefor this shit. Come alone. Don’t tell any-one. Who the hell do to you think you are,Mata friggin’ Hari?”

“Malcolm, please, just come, okay?”Malcolm could see Claire’s full, pouting

lips. “Really, Claire, stop screwingaround. I’m busy. Just tell me what it isyou want.”

“I want you.”

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

Now it�s your turn. Read the�themed� writing challenge onpage NINE to find out how thestory ends. Your mission,should you choose to accept it, isto give this story �body.�

Remember, all published sub-missions are extended a $50honorarium.

Happy writing and happyholidays, too!


Odds & EdsBy Deborah A. Rankine,

Word Weaver Editor

Writ ing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead

~Gene Fowler~


Secret Agent WWoman:oman: Part 3By Rosalyn Cronin

To self-publish or to not selfpublish? That is a questionfacing many of today’s writ-ers. In the last installment of“Secret Agent Woman,” I was

waiting to hear back from a literary agent Ihad met at the Surrey International Writ-ers’ Conference. Months have passed, noword received, time to move on.

To determine which writers’ conferenceswould give me the best bang for my buck, Ifirst researched agents’ websites, checkingwhere they’d be appearing. I narrowed thefield by comparing the author-to agentpitch methods to be employed at each con-ference. Less stressful casual encounterswith agents, over the conference lunch pe-riod or at the end-of conference wrap upreception are less frequent now, and thethought of trying to pitch my book in ahallway in between workshops makespreparing tax returns—my other job—looklike fun.

This past May, I attended the Muse andthe Marketplace Writers’ Conference inBoston. Two days of “talking head” work-shops plus an opportunity to pre-registerfor a 20-minute one-on-one critique ses-sion with an agent: I needed to send 20pages of manuscript and a one-page synop-sis in advance of the conference.

I picked an agent who listed “personal fi-nance” as one of her interests, and calledahead to ensure a time slot was availablebefore I booked as a conference delegate.

The Omni Parker House, situated in themiddle of the financial sector of Boston,played host to the conference. Grasping forpositive signs, this venue seemed a fittingplace to pitch a book on personal finance.

I met many wonderful participants, andthose of us who had chosen to have our

manuscripts evaluated, formed subset…Easily distinguished in a crowd, we werethe ones gripping binders with tight,sweaty fingers, our voices three octaveshigher than normal, swarming thoseemerging from the blue pencil critiquingroom with a barrage of anxious questions.

As instructed, I arrived for my one-on-one 10 minutes early, confident the agentwould fall on her knees giving thanks thatshe was finally going to meet a publishablewriter. I confess, I was a little surprised shehad not called in advance of this meetingto sign me on the spot the moment she’dread my manuscript.

Dream big or go home, right?

I walked in, shook her hand, and sat. Shesmiled back and started with, “I don’t likethe title of your book.”

Oh no! I’d spent months agonizing oversix different book titles, finally deciding onMOOLA… The Art of Being a SavvySpender. I had not envisioned, however,how my book would look crammed besideothers on a shelf at Chapters with the sub-title lopped off. The agent believed mostreaders wouldn’t relate the word MOOLAto “money” and then shredded my bookformat, explaining that non-fiction readersno longer enjoyed parables. She suggestedI ditch my characters. My stomachclenched. I smiled bravely, mutteringsomething about them being a part of mefor so long. Her answer was clear—thesewere suggestions only. I could take them orleave them. But, no. No! I came here to

learn. I willed my ego to the back seat so Icould embrace what was being said with-out justification or denial.

Her next question floored me. “Have youpresented a workshop based on yourbook?”

Oops.“You need testimonials from real people” Here is where I triumphed. Annette McLeod edited the first three

chapters of my manuscript and wrote a tes-timonial about the effect it had on her. Iproudly pulled a copy of it from my bagand watched as her attitude shifted to thepositive. She then asked for my 14-pageproposal, scanned it, made several greatsuggestions, and then kept it! She handedme her agency’s submission requirements.Time was up and she was still talking.Then I heard the words that made this con-ference a success. “I like your writing. Ifyou make the revisions I suggested, I willread your manuscript again.”

In general, agents do not revisit pitchedsubmissions—they have enough reading todo with the authors they’ve already signed.This was huge.

I spent two weeks pondering her sugges-tions, then sent her a thank you note tellingher I was putting the workshop together,rewriting the book proposal, and would beback in touch.

Even if I don’t land her as an agent, heradvice was priceless. I presented a six-week course based on the book and learnedwhat worked (most of it), and where claritywas needed. I have 12 wonderful real sto-ries to tell, and have fallen in love withconducting workshop courses. My questcontinues, and my book has just gotten bet-ter.

Rosalyn Cronin is an accountant and writer currentlylooking for an agent for her manuscript, Money Strate-gies: The Art of Being A Savvy Spender. She has de-veloped two exciting workshops based on the book’spremise. Cronin asks, “If you are not spending yourmoney well now, how can you prepare for your future?”

Reach Cronin at www.rosalyncronin.com.

I’d spent months agonizingover six different book titles,

finally deciding onMOOLA� The Art of Being a

Savvy Spender. I had not envisioned, however, how

my book would lookcrammed beside others on a

shelf at Chapters with thesub-title lopped off.

The things I like to find in a story are punch and poetry.~ Sean O'Faolain


Catherine Daley, an eight-yearmember of the WCDR, left acareer in advertising to work asa freelance writer and editor.She recently took on the role of

managing editor for HOMES magazine, afterleaving the same position at Esteem maga-zine. But she insists her most challenging jobis that of being a mom, the true test of herproduction and organizational skills.

Word Weaver: You’ve worn both thewriter’s and the editor’s hat. Which one doyou prefer?

Catherine Daley: I like them both. Whileworking at Esteem magazine and nowHOMES, I realized that my production back-ground, graphic design and organizationalskills were not being used to their full poten-tial. I love to oversee the whole of any cre-ative initiative and to have input into that fin-ished product.

WW: What are the pros and cons of free-lancing?

CD: Discipline is the biggest challenge ofall. It’s amazing how one can be tempted todo another load of laundry or start dinner at 9in the morning just to avoid getting down tobusiness. However, working freelance hasproven to be the best thing I ever did and suitsmy personality. It gives me the freedom tochoose—to decide for myself whether I canattend a basketball game of one of my chil-dren in the afternoon. Initially, I missed thesocial atmosphere of an office environment,but not the politics. Now, if I need a social fix,I call up a friend and arrange to meet forlunch.

WW: Did you ever dream you would oneday make a living as a writer?

CD: Growing up, my passion was photogra-phy and design. I studied graphic design andphotography and worked in advertising for

years. I always enjoyed writing and wouldwrite letters and business correspondence forfriends and family. Eventually my creativeoutlet shifted.

When I moved to Uxbridge, I was writingfor an online magazine and Dorothea Helmssuggested I could write builder stories for theToronto Sun. I worked freelance with themfor about eight years, which led to contactsfor other promotional writing with buildersand related companies. I made a point of at-tending a few functions last year, and met anumber of people at HOMES Publishing.After talking with one editor, I started writingfor Active Adult. One thing led to another andthey offered me the position of managing edi-tor. HOMES comes out 10 times per year, asdoes Condo Life. Active Adult and Reno &Decor are also published by HOMES andthey are bimonthly. It’s a great arrangementas all the editors and art directors work fromtheir home offices.

WW: Your Esteem humour column, “TheDaley Grind,” focused on the life issues ofmiddle-age women. What are the big ones?

CD: I think middle-age women face someof the biggest life choices in their 40s, 50sand 60s. It’s an exciting and scary time duringthese transitional periods. Many women haveto face their own future, sometimes alone.They’ve been the caregivers for years, worry-ing about everyone else. Once the kids haveflown the coop, marriages are often at risk.But most importantly, women have to decidewhat they want to do with the rest of their lifeand how they might implement some of thosedreams and desires that they have been sim-mering on the back burner.

WW: You have grown children. What arethe challenges in balancing your work as aneditor and writer with your work as a mom?

CD: As of [this past] September we’reempty nesters. It’s a liberating and a sad time.Prior to that, holidays and after-school hoursposed challenges when it came to my kidsviewing my work as a professional businessand taking proper messages. While they knewwhat I did, I was still expected to be availableto drop off forgotten homework, pick upfriends after school or respond to requeststhat wouldn’t be expected of someone whoworked outside of the home.

WW: Describe a typical writing day.CD: I have a writing business; therefore I’m

at my desk first thing in the morning. Dead-lines often determine how many hours I put ina day. This summer we were living off-sitefrom our offices and it was great to turn offtechnology at the end of the day and not feelthe pressure of having to respond to an e-mail. My creative writing hat has been

shelved lately, but I find that I have to get outof my environment and set aside specific timeto work on personal projects. I had a friendwarn me that when you take your passion andmake it your business, you often sacrifice thework that is really important to you. It’s likethe carpenter who never finishes building hisown house.

WW: What is the one thing that can dragyou away from writing?

CD: Food and travel.WW: Which writer would you most like to

have dinner with?CD: Annie Proulx. I’m in awe of how she

strings words together. Even when I rereadher work, I can never really figure out what itis about her writing that I so admire. AlsoJohn Irving. He tackles subjects that many ofus think about, but seldom verbalize. I can re-late to the way his mind works and devourany new book he puts out.

WW: Complete this phrase: “The strangestthing you would find in my…”

CD: …drawer is one of the first Midgedolls, a friend of Barbie’s. My dad insists thatI hold onto it because it may be worth some-thing some day.

WW: What is the most gratifying feedbackyou ever received from a reader?

CD: Perhaps one of the most memorabletimes was a note I received from my aunt.She’d had a hard life, but whenever I receiveda note or card from her, it would include thisbeautiful prose she had composed, in themost handsome penmanship. She encouragedme to continue to write and said that I hadtouched all her senses in a piece I wrote. Shecould have been—was—an amazing writer,but considered herself a trash writer, eventu-ally tossing anything she wrote into thegarbage, assuming no one would want to readit. I asked her to throw them in a box for me,but we never found anything after her death.

WW: If you had the chance to try it again,you would…

CD: …be fearless.Visit Catherine Daley’s website:

www.takeabiteoutoflife.ca

WCDR’s

Who�s Whofeaturing…

CatherineCatherineDaley Daley

B y Nancy Del Col


Collette Yvonne’s book, The Queen of Cups, wasa finalist in the Fiction & Literature: ChickLit/Women’s Lit category of USA Booknews Na-tional Best Books 2007 Awards. The Queen ofCups will receive a live listing on USA-BookNews.com for five months starting Novem-ber 2007. Way to go, Collette!

Graham Ducker was pleased to announce thatout of the 19,000 entries in the Writer’s DigestWriting Competition, he received an honourablemention for “Wilderness Camping” in the non-rhyming poem category. This is the third timeGraham has placed in this prestigious contest!

Glady Farquharson was delighted to have twomajor articles published recently in CanadianHomes & Cottages magazine. In “House Rais-ing,” Glady described having her own house lift-ed to add height to her basement. “Road Work,”mentored homeowners on what to expect whentheir city decides to rebuild the street fromthe sewers up. A third sidebar article,“Fix For a Running Toilet,” demon-strated the installation of a new gadgetfor inside the tank.

WCDR member and past president,Ruth E. Walker, has been named bythe Ontario Arts Council as one of fourartists-in-residence to the Durham Dis-trict School Board. During the 2007/08school year, Ruth will work with musi-cian/songwriter Jim Parker, visual artistSteven Laurie, and actor/director GeoffreyCoulter in a classroom-based pilot project forstudents at the Durham Alternative SecondarySchool (DASS) in Oshawa. In collaboration withteachers, the artists will design and deliver arts-infused curriculum, expanding and challenging

the students’ creative learning experience. Lastwinter, working with an English teacher and anart teacher, Ruth led two DASS classes in an ex-ploration of poetry, resulting in Inside Out Minds,a students’ poetry and art anthology. She was de-lighted to announce that this ArtsSmarts/Break-through project was accepted for display this pastOctober at the National ArtsSmarts Exhibition inPrince Edward Island. Ruth says, “Watching thelook of awe, delight and surprise on the face of astudent whose lyrics had just moved a stranger totears was amazing. As an artist, we don’t alwaysknow when we make a difference.” Suffice it tosay, Ms. Walker never ceases to amaze! BRAVO,Ruth!

Kevin Craig was thrilled to announce that hisnovel, Sebastian’s Poet, written in 46 hours dur-ing the 2007 Muskoka Novel Marathon, won firstplace in the adult category of the competition.Kevin had one month to polish his manuscript be-fore having his novel sent directly to a publisher,for consideration. Kevin also came away with agreat new Muskoka chair… and the award for

B.I.C. (Bum In Chair), which heshared with two other marathon-ers.

Fred Ford was elated and as-tonished to announce that hispoem, “Bound,” received firstprize in the Stellar Literary Fes-

tival’s Poetry Contest. Con-grats, Fred!

Sue Eaman waspleased to announcethe publication of oneof her pieces in thefall edition of Tapes-try, the King Town-ship Arts SocietyMagazine. Congratu-lations Sue!

PaeansWCDR writers

are on a roll!

The wastepaper basket is thewriter’s best friend.

~ Isaac B. Singer~

YourJanuary/February

ThemedWriting Challenge

Beginning and end...fill in the middle

Write a story that ends with the following

sentence:

Claire took one last, wistfullook through the compact�smirror at the reflection ofthe man laying naked and

dead on the loft floor.She retouched her lipstick,

closed the compact, andheaded for the door.

Her new life was about to begin.

Then send it to:

[email protected]: December 20th

Maximum word count: 800

See page six for the beginning of this story, or createyour own!

Speak Up!Date: November 2 to 23, 2007Time: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.Fee: $130 (includes GST)Location: Meta 4 Gallery,

180 Queen Street,Port Perry, ON

Register: [email protected] or call 705-786-7138 to reserve your spot and arrange

Speak Up! WCDR member JacquelineVisconti’s signature program, tailoredspecifically for writers, artists and othercreative folk. Challenge your fear of publicspeaking, gain self-confidence, learn theart of speechmaking–and have fun! Learnhow to discuss your passion and yourwork with enthusiasm and ease. Find outhow to capture the imagination of your au-dience, choose information, anecdotesand humour to enhance your messageand organize it into an entertaining pre-sentation. Then learn how to deliver thatpresentation comfortably (yes, you canfeel good while public speaking!) and eas-ily.

Program limited to 10 participants. Facility is marginally accessible.A similar program for business starts No-vember 6, 2007 at 30 Crandell St.—fully accessible

TriPawed Productions,P.O. Box 167, Little Britain, ON, K0M 2C0Tel: 705-786-7138 Web: www.tripawed.ca

Travel Writing WorkshopDate: November 24, 2007Time: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Fee: $80 ($75 for WCDR members)Location: 106 Pilkey Road,

Sunderland, ONRegister: Shirley Neal

[email protected]

Relax all you travel buffs! Due to popuIardemand, Shirley Neal is faciliating anothertravel writing workshop!

Learn how to write effective travel articlesand/or books. Explore the world of traveland create stories that will encouragepeople to visit places they have onlydreamt of. Writing exercises, marketingtips all conducted on a lakeside propertywill enhance your writing experience andprovide you with the necessary tools.

Small class—8 maximum

Bring your own lunch. Coffee andtreats will be provided.

Write Your Websitewith WordPressDate: January 19, 2008Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Fee: $116.60

($106 for WCDR members)Price includes GST and a copy ofRich Helms’ Learning WordPressWorkbook.Location: Uxbridge Durham College,

2 Campbell Drive,Uxbridge, ON

Register:www.wsws.ca/richhelms/?p=219

Maximum Class Size: 18 students

Join faciliator Rich Helms and learn howto navigate WordPress—a popular blogengine used to write websites.

Helms informs, “A website can serve sev-eral purposes. For me, it is a portfolio con-taining my articles and writings. For you, itmay be a selling tool, information vehicle,etc. Click to see my website[RichHelms.com] which I created utilizingWordPress.”

During this six-hour workshop, studentswill sign up for a free WordPress.comwebsite and create their own individualbasic website. The course handbook,Learning WordPress Workbook, will walkstudents through the steps of creating anddesigning their site based on specific sitegoals. The workbook serves as a refer-ence and worksheet for student site de-sign and implementation.

Students will:• Bring with them pertinent materials theyneed for creating their website • Sign up for a WordPress free blog (be-fore the class starts) • Learn categories, posts, pages and links • Select a template • Add images • Manage comments • Post-date a post • Set up a personal URL

On a design level, learn:• Site philosophy and purpose • Free WordPress.com vs. running Word-Press on your website • Promoting your site


November/DecemberProfessional Development Workshops

Your SweetMajestyBy CreativeJames

To Your Sweet Majesty:Hello again and welcome to

a letter I know you will read,but are unlikely to return,thoughts I am compelled towrite regardless of your incli-nation to respond in kind.

How well I remember myarrival at your court, my lady.How out of place I felt sonewly arrived, an ambas-sador from a land you hardlyknew, armed only with mynative savvy, my wit, my po-etry and my wonderful, se-cret charms. How taken youbecame with me despite thedemands of your powerful al-lies and attentive suitors, themany responsibilities of yourhouse and your retinues.How well we played our se-cret games. How bravely Iset out to gain your trust, aman among men in yourcourt of smiles and favours,unmindful of the rules andthe tactful displays thatwould protect me from myown inevitable ruin.

How should a man in lovewith you thrive in such a flur-ry of courteous manners?What plans would he makeand clever schemes contrivedto find a way to be by yourside, to hope to feel the gen-tle touch of your hand on hisarm once again? How puffedup with pride would he feelto have known you, to knowhow happily you wend yourway, your arm passing byhim to touch another man’sarm, perhaps while you

laugh, perhaps while yousmile and a

passing com-ment of missed, in-

triguing intent?

How could he hope to findanything of himself stillclinging to any part of youwhile he orbits from theplace that you have sent him?Like a distant planet he cir-cles silently in the cold darkof space, looking back to thecentre where you blaze withthe brightness and heat of asun to him, caught forever inthe pull of your beautiful,powerful gravity?

How precious would thosesecret, courteous calls be-come, those gentle conversa-tions with you that are all thatis left of what was once soclose and intense and excit-ing with the prospects ofwhat is and what could sud-denly, sensually be? Whatyou and he could never bareto the bright light of day.

As for me, my sweet, dis-tant love, as for me, well, Ijourney along in this worldparallel to you, now, safely atthe distance you have chosenso carefully for me, quitewell aware that there will beno more opportunities tospend hours in your companyin idle fun, no interestingchats afoot on your spaciouslawns, nor any of the manypursuits that a man who’s afriend in your court mustenjoy.

No, I am that special breedof friend, now, aren’t I? Thatfriend who somehow con-vinced you to be touched byhim and is not to touch again,that friend kept safely dis-tant, that he may not remindyou of your weakness forhim, a friend spinning slowlybut certainly away, your eyessteady and dry, your lipspressed firmly shut, no sighsnor tears for him while yourhandkerchief lies, lost andunused, in his pocket.

I reside in my own courtnow, though there may be

some friends who pass backand forth between us, sourcesof welcomed gossip aboutour mutual paths and our sep-arate ways. Yes, I grow toenjoy the pleasures of myown court, again, once sosparse and despondent withneglect from my absence,now ablaze in the splendourof my own, reluctant return.But returned I have and thesublime issues that interestme, the enjoyable pursuitsthat entertain me grow morepervasive and comfortable bythe day. Perhaps I may inhab-it it with the special gracethat you show as you moveso freely through your own.

And as much as I miss youand will forever compare theexcellence of your attentivepleasures to anything thatmay catch my interest andcuriosity, I must attend to thedemands of my own courtand house with the samevigour that anyone of ourspecial natures must apply.And though the touch of agentle hand on my arm al-most comforts me in the wayyours has, and the sweetsmiles of an interested face,the intriguing laughter andattention of a woman whoseintent, it seems, is to pleaseme, lures from me my witand charm and social graces,my heart is most certainlytrapped in its love for you,my body torn between its in-tense needs and my lover’sdiscipline, and I find myselfyet unable to forget the fad-ing hope that you will eversmile favourably upon meagain.

You have my best regardsand love, always.

Your unhumble, mostwicked and reluctant servant.

Fractured

SeasonsBy LeslieCasey

Illness arrives,shoes cakedwith dry earth leaving printson the carpet-ed stairs.Outside, pinkshadows trailthe windfloweras it winds likespilled perfumein the cool brickdarkness nearthe house.

Larkspur,roses bentbrown withthirst sucklehalf brokenstems. Sum-mer not halfover and so lit-tle rain, thewind spins theair to grit be-tween myteeth.

Who knowswhat it means?Sudden fever. Seasonsturned onthemselves.

The years wespent north.The tree linetracing the bar-ren light, weshed our skin,diminished andfilled with a beauty wecould barelyhold.

To travel sohigh for adven-ture, finding instead a con-stancy in the

impenetrablecold. Foghung thick withice, early morn-ings we walkeda moonscapeof shatteredcrystal, a mil-lion jeweledparticles likeday-time stars.So much a re-birth. The win-ter sun, an in-finity of azuresky, snow, andthe lakes fath-oms black inice.

Patterned inroads, theybore the weightof trucks haul-ing goods fromEdmonton toHigh Level andfurther on to Yellowknife.

Across thetundra, com-munities re-mote as winterdaylight.

At the edge ofthe lake, ourfourth yearthere, I stillmade you stopthe car while Itested the icewith carefulsteps.

As a child Iwatched theseasonschange. Springice soften intoopen water,into summer'sblue-greendays. Light running, Ifollowed as itpassedthrough flameand whitened.

Years laterand we'vemade our own.Home,children—yourfive, my three.What we car-riedthrough sea-sons. Webegan, our loveas fragile asspring ice, amiracle we did-n't expect. Nei-ther of us be-lieving it wouldlast, we testedthe edges,ready withevery step toturn back.

Now on themend from thefirst bad fluyou've had allyear, I'm learn-ing to let thingsgo. Worry, theway the land-scapechanges, fromlight to shadesof light. Frac-tured seasons.Things yet tocome, unseenuntil they areupon us.

Leslie Casey is apoet and a teacherof English as aSecond Language.Her poetry has ap-peared in TheAmethyst Review,Queen’s AlumniReview, and in sev-eral anthologies.She is presently atwork on a poetrymanuscript entitled,Seeking Ground.Leslie is delightedat being a newmember of WCDR.


November/DecemberT h e m e d

Writing Challenge SubmissionsSubmissions

Put it in a letter...


2 0 0 7 / 2 0 0 8 W C D R B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s

The Word WeaverThe Word Weaver is published by the Writers’ Circle of Durham Region as a service to its membersand other interested parties. No one should act upon advice given without considering the facts ofspecific situations and/or consulting appropriate professional advisors. Publications are invited toquote from the Word Weaver upon obtaining written permission from the President, The Writers’ Cir-cle of Durham Region, Bayly Postal Outlet, Health Rite Pharmacy, P.O. Box 14558, 75 Bayly StreetWest, Ajax, ON L1S 7K7. Phone 905-686-0211. Web address: www.wcdr.orgWord Weaver subscription: $20/year (six issues)We reserve the right to edit or reject submissions at our discretion.

Editor/Desktop PublishingDeborah A. Rankine

Copy EditorSherry Hinman

We welcome your input!Send comments to

[email protected]

The Word Weaver, c/o WCDRBayly Postal Outlet, Health Rite Pharmacy

P.O. Box 14558, 75 Bayly Street WestAjax, ON L1S 7K7

Barbara HuntPresident

[email protected]

James DewarPublic Relations

Assistant Web [email protected]

[email protected]

Sue ReynoldsVice-President

Breakfast-Workshop SpeakerLiaison

[email protected]@wcdr.org

[email protected]

Brian BakerSecretary

[email protected]

Thelma DavidsonTreasurer

[email protected] Rich HelmsWeb Liaison

[email protected]

Lana CutraraMembership Co-ordinator

[email protected]

Janet Boccone Breakfast-Workshop Logistics

[email protected]

Sherry HinmanPast President

Events [email protected]@wcdr.org

For complete board bios log on to www.wcdr.org.

Pay it Forward: Spread the Word!The Writers’ Circle of Durham Region (WCDR) is dedicated to raising the profile of writers of all kinds, and at all

levels, by offering a forum through which they can find support, education and networking opportunities.

As a non-profit umbrella organization, WCDR has worked since 1995 to draw together individuals and groups withcommon interests in promoting the art and skill of writing, fostering literacy, and providing moral support to our mem-

bers. To find out about the many writing-related activities WCDR offers, explore our website, www.wcdr.org. We encourage you to attend a breakfast meeting or two to experience first-hand

the excitement generated when like-minded individuals gather to share their passion for writing.

New members are always welcome, including those who are just starting to explore their interest in writing. Currentmembers include novices, award-winning and published writers and poets, editors, illustrators and songwriters.

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