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When I was a kid, I loved to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I feel so inspired by __________________________.

I feel those most at peace when__________________________ .

I really enjoy it when I can:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I’ve always wanted to try:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

If I had the time, I would definitely_____________________________. 



Now make the time. Do a little less pinning and pining... and take action. Schedule a date with yourself for this week. Write it down and make it happen. Choose something inspired from that list above: colour, hike, go to a museum, browse around your favourite store, or simply spend that time listening to your favourite playlist. The important thing is that you are alone and intentional about your time. Don’t let anyone or anything steal it from you. Honour that commitment to yourself as though you were meeting an old friend. Because you are, really. And maybe it’s been a while.

Almost twenty years ago, I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and learned about her creative recovery tools: The Artist Date and The Morning Pages These two simple strategies changed not only how I saw myself, they empowered me as a creative person. Their synergy of self care and self knowledge, of filling and expressing, fueled my creativity in ways I never imagined. My journalling is weekly and my dates are monthly but even now, two decades later, they remain an important part of being creatively fulfilled.

Creativity is your birthright. It’s up to you if you want to claim it. 

This is my granny's recipe for Irish Potato Cakes. Knowing the right recipe is key to creating great food, but did you realize that every great movie, novel, play, and short story also has a recipe?

​Even though they all differ, great fiction starts with the same basic ingredients.

I've had a few people ask about my writing process. I'd love to say that I sequester myself in a cottage by the ocean and the ideas come in like the tide. Or that I have a turret in an old stone house and my butler brings me tea. (Not now, Bates, I'm on a roll.) Or that I dress like my protagonists. Or write while running on my treadmill desk. Ya right. Or that my muse speaks to me like a Galadriel voice over.

If only. 

The truth is, my process is pretty ordinary. It happens in the middle of my dining room. In the middle of my day. In the midst of all the family chaos. Maybe the fact that it happens at all makes it of note. Either way, I'm not as eccentric or exciting as my characters or many authors -- for me, writing a novel basically comes down to two things: getting stationery and getting stationary.

My kids call this my "nest" and you can bet if I'm sitting in there -- something's hatching. An idea. A scene. A character. Being still, being stationary gives my imagination the freedom to ramble around. Reading and researching in my nest also gives me a ton of ideas. It's like some Antiques Roadshow -- every time I go rummaging, I find something really cool, especially if I've been reading up on the time period. 

If I am stationary long enough, a lot of new ideas hatch. The problem is, if I don't grab them then and there... they're gone. This is where the stationery comes in: Post It Notes, highlighters, binders, dividers, journals (the right ones), pens (the right ones), and those plastic page protectors. 

Ok, yes -- I have a problem. I admit it. 

I just love buying supplies. Maybe it's the teacher in me, or the student, it's probably a nerd thing. But buying my stationery stash is all part of my process. A ritual, even. Each time I start a new novel, I buy a new journal. A place to scribble and mess about. Something no one else sees but me. It's where I try voices, jot bullets, script snippets of key conversations. It's where I snag those newly hatched fledgling ideas before they fly off and I press them between the pages-- 

Ew. Stop.

But you get the idea. We've all incubated some awesome ideas only to have them swoop up and away because we were too busy to jot them down. I keep hoping they'll come home to roost. Especially the blockbuster ones. The ones with movie deals.

​Anyways, after a few weeks or months of nesting, I start using Post It Notes. I post those ideas on the Old School Smartboard (six poster board and 3 Ikea shower rings) Not quite as interactive as the real ones, but way WAY cheaper.

There's something about physically capturing and moving around the ideas makes the story click. I get a sense of the whole. What belongs? What doesn't? What themes seem to be emerging? I also add photos and maps from my research. (Yay, another trip to the supplies store for photocopies!)

Here's an activity that I share with my grade 12 Writer's Craft class, but I think it applies to all of us. 

Years ago, when I did it -- when I applied the Hero's Journey to a personal struggle in my past, I had a real epiphany. It just made sense. It felt like that struggle had a greater purpose, I learned from it, I appreciated the mentors I had at that time and, in the end years later, I was able to help others experiencing a similar grief. I saw the whole thing in a whole new light. I saw how I was the hero of that story, not the victim of it and it was a huge moment for me.

Where are you on your journey? Just getting a call that makes you uncomfortable? Looking for a mentor? Finding the courage to cross a threshold into the unknown? Maybe you are facing the dragon or coming home with greater insight. 

Stop and think about. Stop running for a moment and see the bigger picture. I'm betting you'll be glad you did.



(here's the reflection assignment I give my class.)

MY HERO’S JOURNEY REFLECTION


DEPARTURE
What is the call -- Describe a time when you were called to step out of your comfort zone, to go beyond your familiar and ordinary world. Who or what was the Herald? Were you open to it or rejecting the call?

Mentor -- Who has been a mentor to you and in what way?

Allies -- Who journeys with you? How have your companions helped you -- what difference has their presence made in your life?

Talisman -- What is something given to you that helps you on your quest?

Thresholds -- What were important turning points, points of no return, or boundaries that you crossed?


INITIATION
Road of Trials -- What tested you?  What smaller obstacles and challenges have helped you grow stronger?

Your Dragon? What major obstacle (inner or outer) did you face? What was the cost?

Treasure -- Through facing and overcoming the dragon, what reward did you acquire? 


THE RETURN
How has this journey changed you and/or your ordinary world?

Being a writer means being a lifelong student. Over the years, I've  learned a lot about myself, the craft, and the business from some excellent resources. Here are some of my favourites on the Writer's Identity, The Art, and The Business ​of writing.
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Writing the Breakout Novel, Donald Maas  (workbook as well)
A Passion for Narrative, Jack Hodgins
The Discovery of Poetry, Frances Mayes
Spiritual Writing, Deborah Levine Herman
Story, Robert McKee
For Dummies series… yes, I’m serious.
Writers Digest series – great variety on all parts of writing.
The Elements of Fiction Series
Plot, Ansen Dibell
Plot and Structure, James Scott Bell
Beginnings, Middles & Ends, Nancy Kress
So You Want to Write a Children's Book, Peter Carver.
(I had the honour of writing the preface for this great resource written by my mentor and editor -- click here to read the preface)

Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market Guide, Writer’s Digest Books
Christian Writer’s Market Guide, Sally Stuart
1001 Ways to Market Your Books, John Kremer

A great list for Young Authors (thanks Karen Krossing)
Where Young Authors Can Submit

www.verlakay.com  (join the message board... great community)
www.write4kids.com
http://www.bookcentre.ca/
http://www.scbwicanada.org/
http://www.canscaip.org/
http://www.thewordguild.com/writecanada/
A great list of resources on Harold Underdown's website