Blog

Aurora Awards Nomination Season

My story “New Tudors” published in Neo-opsis March 2022 is on the Eligibility List for the Auroras, the Canadian SFF awards. I’d be honoured if you’d consider nominating it so that it can make the final ballot! It only costs $10 to become a member and you can nominate in all categories. See https://www.csffa.ca/

You must be a Canadian citizen or resident to nominate. Do it this month! Then, if the story makes the final ballot, I’ll be asking for a vote! I’d love to win an Aurora award for short fiction!

Also, I have a poem eligible too – “Sweet Morning Fog” in May 2022 Polar Borealis #21

Free download of the magazine with the poem at www.polarborealis.ca, go to downloads area and select #21.

The story was originally published by Neo-Opsis as seen below.

Continue reading Aurora Awards Nomination Season

March 1, 2023

Today I drove to the RiverRock near the airport for the One Dance Competition. Jessica had students competing. It reminded me that we are all competing for attention as writers and artists. Our work needs to gain attention and hold it – this is the trick that’s the hardest to accomplish. It’s also why, so far, AI creative writing is so bad, it relies on trophes and old pieces of writing, when in reality, we’re attempting to create something new.

January 2023

Thinking about annual goals is difficult for me. I hate setting wildly optimistic ones but later having to admit, that life and the day job got in the way of the creative writing.

Maybe the best thing for me in 2023 is to have a few key phrases to stand in for formal goals:

  • Create inventory
  • Do the writing
  • Get to a conference or a film market

I think many writers put undue pressure on ourselves I regards to performance goals.. Every screenwriter thinks they should output more. Every novelist is in awe of someone who writes more novels per year than they do. I believe the key is still balance. Those who sacrifice quality of writing for quantity of words don’t keep their audiences. Balance is key, write as much as you can write well.

Jessica Fraser in Fungi Film Festival 2022!

Jessica’s in the 2022 Fungi Film Festival. It’s her third year in this fun, and quirky film festival. Her piece is called “Heaven” and features her own animating, cinematography and writing. #StudentFilmmaker! Streaming costs about 9$ and you can watch it for a day on Vimeo at streaming is at https://vimeo.com/ondemand/2022fungifilmfest

UBC outdoor fireplace at Great Dane’s Coffee

Also, some great snowfall pictures and a gingerbread house from #GreatDanesCoffee where I awaited J as she finished an exam on Saturday.

Kerrisdale horse and wagon rides!

Snow day