Plot Twists of Life

A  favourite one-liner I saw online:

When you don't like the way your life is going, look up at the sky and yell, "PLOT TWIST!"

Lately life has seemed like a roller coaster. But that's a terrible cliche. The editor in me wants to improve that overused phrasing.

Instead of a roller coaster, I've decided to see life as a San Francisco cable car. 

Sure, I'm still going over some steep hills and then back down them. 

But I'm hanging onto the handrail and enjoying the pretty scenery instead of just feeling nauseated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUODdPpnxcA

Paul Simon, Slip Slidin' Away

How AI Use Might Be Ruining Good Newspapers

I suspect The Toronto Star, an award-winning newspaper, is highly dependent upon AI for proofreading, copy editing, and fact checking.

Lately I've noticed a lot more spelling errors. Sometimes they're even in big bold type: headlines. 

Also I've seen homonyms misused. These are real words that sound the same as what should be there, but spelled incorrectly in that context.

Sometimes words are missing in a sentence.

 All of these errors cause me to slow down, reread, and fill in the blanks correctly.

But worst of all is the lack of fact checking, which I only noticed in a recent travel article which referenced the movie, Roman Holiday. The article was delightfully written, but contained a mistake about the stars of the movie. Gregory Peck, not Robert Mitchum, starred with Audrey Hepburn. 

A correctly spelled but wrong actor's name was printed. 

And that means that no human was proofreading or fact checking! 

It seems likely that the newspaper has replaced its copy editors and fact checkers with some equivalent of spell check. That is unacceptable for a good newspaper. 

Because it's not very serious to misremember an actor in a film. But what about the facts that I don't notice because I don't know the subject?

Stream-of-Consciousness Saturday Prompt: "May your..."

Trying this Stream-of-Consciousness Prompt

Begin to write without editing, using the prompt, "May your..."

https://lindaghill.com/2026/05/22/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-23-2026/

Like Debbie D., from whom I borrowed this prompt (which originated with Linda G. Hill), I find it hard not to edit as I go along. Maybe doing this will encourage the freewheelin' side of the brain. (Yes, I'm tempted to Google whether that is the right or the left side, but that's a no-no. Ha!)

What I came up with is

May your long-term memory store lots of good stuff, so if you get dementia sometime in the future, all the bad stuff will disappear and be replaced by the good stuff.

Which makes me think about the various people I've known with Alzheimer's and dementia.

Especially my mother-in-law, Deborah, who got Alzheimer's after a bout of flu with a high fever, during which she spoke a lot of nonsense. That went away after a day, but eventually bad signs started to appear: poor judgment, moodiness, forgetfulness about grooming, inability to do buttons and to cut meat. 

Eventually, we thought it best to have her doctor tell her it was time to stop driving. She didn't take it well. She had been a doctor herself and was brilliant and very independent. She also had a phenomenal memory. She did all the right things they tell you to do: read a lot, do crossword puzzles, exercise (she walked to work in the good weather).  But none of that prevented her from getting the unlucky number.

But getting back to the prompt. Deborah had always been a super-serious person. She just didn't get jokes. Which was quite difficult for M and me, who loved joking. Also Deborah's great memory meant she could indulge her grudge-keeping habit. 

Well, once she got Alzheimer's two good things happened: 

She got a sense of humour. 

And she forgot who she was supposed to be mad at.

Alzheimer's was a tragedy in many ways for her and for those who knew her. But it actually improved her personality!

Writing with Tarot Card Prompts

Talking with my critique partner about Tarot cards reminded me that some writers use Tarot cards for plotting and characterization.

My muse has been sleeping on the job.

Can I reawaken her by using Tarot cards?

Tarot Cards for Creative Writing is a blog post by Whitney Hill, which gives examples of using Tarot cards for writing prompts.

https://whitneyhillwrites.com/writing-updates/tarot-cards-for-creative-writing/

Of course, that made me look for an owl Tarot deck!            

TAROT OF THE OWLS 

written by Pamela Chen, art by Elisabeth Alba

contains an easy to understand guidebook for beginners and a deck with delightful, imaginative owl art. 

I glanced at the guidebook last night and haven't even tried the deck yet. 

But, much to my surprise, this morning writing ideas came flying in. 

My moose muse has returned!

Telling Someone You're a Writer...

Telling people you are a writer is nothing to be ashamed about. Or talking about your progress towards publication. It's part of the job. Writers understand that this is a process. Others don't get it.

Here's what can happen when you talk about it to non-writers.

Years ago, I had told close friends that I finally got an agent, an important step towards getting my novel published. They were happy for me and we went out to dinner to celebrate.

Months later, over dinner at the same favourite Italian restaurant, the woman asked me whether I had sold my novel yet.

"No," I replied, "my agent is sending it out to editors."

"Still?"

Another time we ran into an acquaintance we hadn't seen in years. He asked me what was new. I told him I had self-published a book of poetry. 

He immediately asked me, "How many copies did you sell?" 

I was trying to come up with an answer when he added, "How much money did you make?"

People don't think it's rude to ask you these kinds of questions if you're in the arts, the same way it's rude to ask a doctor or lawyer how much they make.

The consequence was I regretted ever telling him. 

I had accomplished lots of things to be proud of: writing a book; hiring a cover designer, logo designer, and proofreader; forming a company; dealing with the IRS and Amazon, etc. But those didn't count--to him.

Lawyers never have to talk about all the cases they lost. You're a lawyer! You must be smart and successful! people think.

But a writer who doesn't make it to the bestseller list? 

People think, or say, "It's nice to have a hobby. I'd write a book, too, but I don't have the time."

Like Rodney Dangerfield, we get no respect.

Literary Quotes

 "He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to a dictionary."

            - William Faulkner about Hemingway

"Does he really think big emotions come from big words?"

            - Ernest Hemingway about Faulkner

Prompt word: happenstance

Happenstance

I met you on a blind date

arranged by a woman

who knew our parents

but not us.

She thought we liked fine art

but you liked classical music

and I preferred writing.

You lured me with humour

and we've been married 32 years.

Were you my beshert? Fate?

Or happenstance?

Where Does Creativity Hide? TED Talk from Amy Tan

 https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_tan_where_does_creativity_hide

Timeless

 A couple of weeks ago I slept with my watch on  accidentally broke my watch's metal band.

This should not have been a problem because I always slept with my watch on own three other beautiful watches:

1. My grandfather's pocket watch, a true art deco antique, which I wore on a gold chain for my wedding as my "something old." All I have to do is wind it and the thing keeps on ticking. Just like in the Timex commercials! However, you have to wind it at least 50 times. Who has the time for that?

2. My father's watch. It works fine when you wind it, but the clasp doesn't work and I was afraid I'd lose it.

3. Another watch which I thought worked but never wear. I found out why I don't wear it. It must have died in the drawer a while ago, neglected and lonely. I put it in the donation box in the recycling room.

So I took my watch to the jewellery store in the mall to send to the manufacturer to fix. This was right before Christmas. I had to wait 10 days to get it back.

Ten days of not being able to time how long something cooked. (Needless to say, I forgot to update the oven clock every time the power went off so it was hopelessly wrong.)

Ten days of not knowing how late I was for anything.

At first it was frustrating and I had to find various ways to work around it.

I put my (working) father's watch on the bathroom counter.

I turned on the tv even if I wasn't interested in the program, just to check the time in the upper right corner.

I asked M what time it was. Constantly.

However, there were advantages to being Timeless.

As long as I didn't have any appointments that day, I could just relax and go at a more leisurely pace.

Sure, I was still busy all day. (I'm the equivalent of a personal support worker to my husband.) There was laundry, dishes, and meals and medications to prepare.

But I forgave myself if I didn't do all the chores.

I kicked out the voice of the Mean Home Ec Teacher who lived in my head, criticizing me. She was (and probably still is) a perfectionist. Well, I didn't need to be.

I decided that there would be a new way to do things. I asked myself:

- Must I do this? (If not, forget it!)

- If so, must I do this NOW? (If not, I'll postpone and do something else. Something fun.)

- If I need to do this NOW, how can I break it into manageable little pieces?

It was a revelation. I'm much more relaxed now that MHET has been evicted. I even somehow found the time to write and submit a few short non-fiction pieces. 

I have my watch back now.

But I hope the new me I discovered when I was Timeless will remain.

Time is on my side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oSRvcdlgSI

 

The Last Word (a 50-word biography)

 The Last Word

Pregnant Paris doctor flees Nazis.

Landlady: Someday you speaking English. Then you being a lady.

Crossword puzzles become her English lessons.

Toronto medical school head: Stay home. Be a mother.

Accepted two years later.

"You actually passed. And your English is so good!"

"It should be. I memorized your textbook."

Writing Mentors

 

Until recently, I always thought that a writing mentor was a result of lucky happenstance. Someone who gave useful advice or who helped you connect with the right person or market, sprinkling fairy dust on one's writing journey.

It didn't occur to me that you could seek out a mentor, as some people now do in Twitter pitch sessions. You just had to be lucky and hope someone would sprinkle fairy dust in your direction.

I've had four such incredible people in my life.

1. Rita Fromkess 

was the wife of a movie producer and an assistant producer. I met her in August 1970 in London's Dorchester Hotel when everyone was stuck in the lobby during a sudden downpour. We started talking and I told her that I was in university and wanted to be a drama critic. She gave me some tips on what to see in London and in Florence. She said that her husband was producing the movie, "The Last of Sheila." She said she wanted me to see it and write her to tell her what I thought of it. She gave me self-confidence in my ability to write. 

2. Barbara West

was an editor at Chatelaine magazine. My future mother-in-law was her doctor and insisted that I give her a call to get writing tips. Ms. West was kind enough to talk to me about Chatelaine and what kind of articles it used. I sent her a few queries but never hit the Chatelaine sweet spot. However, after rejecting my query about James Houston, she told me exactly which market would accept it: enRoute. She was right.

3. James Houston

was the author/artist/screenwriter/glass designer/discoverer of Inuit sculpture and printmaking who was the subject of my cover story for enRoute. He took a chance on a novice journalist and let me interview him on speculation. (I didn't have a market yet when he was in town for his Glass Art Gallery show opening.) I will always be grateful to him. And to Janak Khendry, the owner of the gallery who arranged the interview.

4. The woman at Italian Night

M and I went to an Italian Night sponsored by the church of our friends in the fall of 2008. (We just liked Italy and our friends suggested that we might have fun.) Although we were the only Jewish people there, everyone made us feel welcome. The Italian food was delicious, of course, and we enjoyed the entertainment. Sitting at our table was a couple whose son was an author of children's books. The woman told me the name of the publisher and I recognized it. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't bring my business cards with me for this purely social occasion. 

After we left early to feed and walk Echo, I researched her son. He had written some high quality non-fiction children's books. And he had an agent. A Canadian agent. It hadn't occurred to me that there were any Canadian agents who might handle children's authors. Soon after, I sent a query to a Canadian agent and was successful.

From my mentors, I learned that market and publishing information is always changing and it's important to keep up-to date. Talking to complete strangers, while scary, can be rewarding. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected sources. Act self-confident before you actually are.

Also, never go anywhere without your business cards (or your book's bookmarks)!

No Bear Hugs: The Importance of Copyright

 Copyright.

It's something all authors need and take for granted.

We place that little symbol on the copyright page of our self-published book. Our traditional book publisher does that. The newspaper or magazine or ezine where we publish articles, short stories, or poems.

I'm not a lawyer and am not giving legal advice here. I'm just noticing something disturbing in an article in today's Toronto Star about the new

WINNIE THE POOH movie FOR ADULTS, that's a HORROR SLASHER MOVIE.

What????!!!!

I'm not going to give it any free publicity by naming it, but you can easily do a search to find its name.

I couldn't help groaning and shaking my head several times as I read the article. (The journalist was clearly as shocked and disgusted as I was.)

Apparently, the copyright protection for Winnie the Pooh has gone into public domain.

 Anyone can write whatever screenplay or novel or whatever they wish. But sometimes common sense and decency should be at play as well a crass desire to cash in a childhood classic's popularity and turn it into the exact opposite of the author's intention.

I'm going out on a tree limb to guess the intention of author, A.A. Milne:

To share some gentle wisdom and humour that will help a child, lull them to sleep, or brighten their day.

Let this be a lesson to all authors about copyright protection. You'd think 100 years would be long enough to protect a children's classic from this sort of thing. Guess not.

The thought of this new horror movie can be expressed best by Eeyore:

"It moved me to tears."

Characterization Lessons from Old TV Series

Recently we joined the 21st century and started using tv streaming services. 

I really like the access to old tv series whenever I want. Columbo. Blue Bloods. The Twilight Zone. And the two Hawaii Five-Os.

The original series starred Jack Lord and aired from 1968-1980. 

Link to Wikipedia description:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_Five-O_(1968_TV_series)

I didn't watch it when it first ran. (It probably conflicted with something else I preferred.) It's a police procedural, set in Honolulu. The dialogue and the acting style is kind of dated. But it's fun in its own way. Jack Lord runs around scorching Honolulu chasing criminals in a wool suit and tie (wide lapels, wide tie). The young people are always hippies and dumb (and usually the criminals). But there's always a mystery to solve and lots of action.

The reboot, most of which I watched when it was current, is much better. Why? Because the main characters on Reboot Five-O have personal lives, aside from their jobs. Families, romantic interests, personal conflicts, and background stories. They aren't just cardboard figures to slot into a plot to solve a mystery in 53 minutes. They're rounded characters, not flat. There's lots of humorous dialogue, interplay between McGarrett and Danny. We care about them. And because we care about them, the stakes are higher when they're in danger.

Another example of this is the original NCIS. Gibbs is more than just the leader of the NCIS team. He has an elderly father, three ex-wives, a former partner, and a first wife and daughter who died tragically. He dates from time to time. Tony has a problematic relationship with his father, too. And he doesn't relate well to women until Ziva comes along. Ziva has a problematic relationship with her father, has to decide which country has her loyalty (Israel or the U.S.), and has a lovely, teasing relationship with Tony that plays out over several seasons. Even Ducky has lots of background stories: the military, a long-lost brother, an elderly mother with dementia. These are truly rounded characters and we care about them.

Signs of the Times, Part Two

 Remember the

clever billboards in front of a synagogue

that have been brightening up a nearby street?

The synagogue hasn't had any visitors since March,

 but that writer has been busy making drivers smile.

Here are more examples of sparse writing, 

where every word counts.

Thou shalt not covid thy neighbour's wife.

2020 is hindsight.

In my copywriting days, the layout came first and I had to fit my copy into it.

I had to count words. Sometimes I had to count characters.

That was excellent training for other kinds of writing.

I appreciate this writer's economy of words and sense of humour.

Letter to My Younger Self

Dear Younger Barb,

Keep your diary. You'll be a writer eventually and you'll regret throwing it away.

Your father is wrong about the Beatles, but he is right about almost everything else.

You can do math despite your grades. You just find it boring.

Even the worst experience and the meanest people can be writing material.

Travel as much as you can while you still have your health.

Take more photos of your family and friends. Keep printed photos. Don't put important memories exclusively onto technology that will disappear.

Keep paper copies of all your writing. One day floppy disks will be unusable.

You'll go on a lot of blind dates. Most will be okay, a few good, one horrid-but-hilarious (good material!), and you'll hit the jackpot with one.

The blind date experience is also good practice for writing query letters. Keep submitting.

Keep up your fitness routine. But avoid the high-impact stuff (jogging, skipping, step aerobics) and protect your knees.

Love,

Barb

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Happy 2020!

For the first time in many years, we had a quiet New Year's Eve at home.

Our friends didn't have their usual party. That's okay. Schlepping out in potentially dicey weather on slippery sidewalks isn't for us anymore. So we ordered pizza (a new tradition) and had my chocolate pots de creme (our old tradition).

2020 starts a new decade (although there are people who think it starts next year).



Here are some things I accomplished in the past decade.

- sold our house

- moved to a condo and decorated it

- sold a piano after much angst, and got a poem out of the experience

- gave away too many books before moving

- rebought a lot of those books

- turned a closet into a hidden bookcase

- helped Echo live his senior doggy years waggingly in a one-level home before he passed away in 2016

- attended two writing workshops and learned lots

- wrote and self-published a poetry book, which involved hiring a proofreader, choosing a logo, choosing a cover design, learning how to format, and starting a business

- moderated a writers' forum (Verla Kay/SCBWI)

- had nine wonderful healthy years with my husband

- went to Holland with him to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary

- spent one year supporting him through some health challenges

- had a humorous article published in The Toronto Star

- improved my fitness (bought a Fitbit which motivated me to exercise regularly, eat better and lose some weight)


Wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year!

My Best Review

My mother left this message on my telephone answering machine.

I listened to it frequently for three and half years before it was accidentally erased. By then I had memorized it. I'm sure it's the best review I'll ever receive.




"It's just past 8 o'clock and you're probably out for dinner, but I just wanted to let you know I've been reading your book that you wrote and I'm just thrilled!

"I'm only up to page [pause while she checks] 68, but your description and imagination are amazing!

"I'll talk to you later, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm reading it and enjoying it so much."

As the (Upstart) Crow Flies

Upstart Crow is a charming bookstore-cafe in Seaport Village, SanDiego,  where I like to write while drinking coffee.

When I Googled it yesterday I found out that it's closing this year due to redevelopment. I tried to submit a review of it to Trip Advisor, but I was politely told that, although they value my input, my most recent visit was too old to be useful for its site.

So here is an approximation of what I submitted to Trip Advisor.

Books Plus Coffee = Bliss

Since we discovered Seaport Village about 1986, we've visited Upstart Crow whenever we were in San Diego, which is about twenty times. I get a cup of coffee, sit at my favourite table by the window, and work on my novels. If my writing goes well, I treat myself to a slice of chocolate layer cake. 

Besides books and writing notebooks, I've found a delightful range of quirky gifts and cards here. I own two Upstart Crow t-shirts, as well as one that wore out, which read, "Careful or I'll put you in my novel" in black Courier typeface on a white background.

Soon I will visit Upstart Crow for what will be the last time because it is closing.

On my most recent visit, in February 2016, I noticed two crows on the hill outside the window. I like to think that one of those crows is the ghost of Shakespeare, checking on his namesake bookstore.

 

December 1, 1983

34 years ago today


I interviewed James Houston

at the Glass Art Gallery...

and sold my profile of him
to enRoute magazine!


It was also the day that

M secretly bought

Houston's "Snowy Owl"

from The Yaneff Gallery next door

and hid it for seven months

to give it to me for my next birthday.

October Leaves and A Lesson in Persistence

Before the month is over, I'd better post these photos of October's leafy extravaganza.

That is what we expect from October in southern Ontario.


What I didn't expect was this renaissance of the purple mums we planted back in June.

They flowered for about a week. Then, despite my constant watering and fertilizing,
I didn't see any more flowers. Lots of leaves, but that was it.

About Labour Day, I stopped watering the planters.

A few days ago, the purple mums came back to life.

Mother Nature is reminding me to keep watering, keep believing, even when it seems that flowering season is over.

You never know when that mum plant--or that sleeping manuscript--will have a renaissance.