I was reading an interview with Paul McCartney this morning in which he talks about how important it is to create for yourself, not for people who are reviewing your work. He writes songs for fun, for himself, and because he enjoys it. This is a man who loves what he does.

“We didn’t all get into music for a job! We got into music to avoid a job, in truth – and get lots of girls.”

How does this attitude resonate with you and your writing?

Tonight I’m going to a workshop on Digital Storytelling run by the SWG. I’ll see what I learn and share anything useful here. It’s certainly an exciting (scary, perplexing, strange?) time for writers, filled with opportunities to share stories in new ways and I’m looking forward to educating myself about some of all that.

One way for writers, published or unpublished, to improve as writers and as members of the writing community is to attend workshops like this, hearing the opinions of other writers.  Plus, it’s only the first or second time I’ve been out of the house late (it runs until 10pm which is late for me!) since my daughter was born nearly a year ago.  Sometimes writing time is listening time.  I’ll keep you posted.

The weather is changing in Saskatoon, with the sun warming up the streets, and the air smelling of early morning on a Florida golf course. I know this because I stepped outside today and made a note of exactly what the outside smelled like, felt like, looked like. Step outside and take a moment to notice these elements yourself, wherever it is that you’re writing. You never know when you might need the air to smell of a Florida golf course in your fiction or poetry…