Blue Metropolis continued - April 2012

Blue Met – Part 2

When I’m at these events I either write notes that can help me to write, nuggets that inspire me that I may use to get me going at some point – the next event was just nuggets

Newfoundland Writers
Mark Callanan, Mary Dalton, Kathleen Winter
Mark Callanan was in a coma for quite some time and when he woke up his brother pretended it was 2 years later.
“jerking like a dreaming dog hunting rabbits” Mark Callanan
“Having the face blown off you – Kathleen Winter


The Montreal X Factor
Was a discussion of how Montreal has been the place for music over different time periods. For Jazz, Rock, Electronic…

“If you wanted to do it, you had to build it yourself”
Write Fast – What’s the story, reason, cause & effect, Where the story begins.”


Writers in Peril – Ahdaf Soueif
Yes, I loved her so much that I went to see her twice.
“Creativity & the ability to see beyond the difficulties and create”
Book, “In the Eye of the Sun” her best know book
Book, “A Map of Love,” shortlisted for the Booker.

Our revolution looks just like us. It had a sense of humour. It was creative, artistic, frilled with a resourcefulness, making use of whatever your environment had to use. She talked about the transit that has been in the middle of being built for the last 10 years and how the people in the square made bathrooms out of it and people lined up to use them. That they always made room for older Egyptians. The sense of camaraderie in the middle of a revolution. The importance that the whole world was watching.
What would you imagine a revolution to look like? It doesn’t look like that.
It was a demonstration of how we wanted to be. Being and doing our best.


Ray Robertson – Writer Happiness
I have to admit that I only went to Ray Robertson’s event because depression was mentioned in the description. I have watched him on TV in interviews from The Humber Writing School and I’d never connected with him because I found him to be a quote-aholic. I always found that too distracting. “I’d think, I know you’re smart, so tell me what you think”
Well, I was pleasantly surprised. Ray Robertson is funny as hell. The excerpts he read from his book of essays, “Why, Not?” were engaging and of my generation so I had similar memories or it brought on my own memories. This book is going to get me to write.
I wished that he would talk a bit more about depression but that can always be dicey.

He also made me think about what I do believe, In the end we just have to write what needs to be written. You hear that essays don’t sell or poetry collections don’t sell or short story collections don’t sell and there is always a writer that proves that wrong. We need to write what needs to be written by us.
Gems and quotes that inspired me:
Being born – “our kicking and screaming arrival”
You have a plan and you discover as you write the book what it’s about
Ray used to play “air piano” when he was a kid.

He reminded me of when I was in my early 20’s living on my own and spending my entire paycheque on records. I’d save just enough money for food and the rest went on records. It was a passion that was more important than food or a social life.

He talked about valuing language and what words can do. No matter what, you can’t help but have your ideas come in when you are writing. And when you experience something, you need the right words to describe it, “I didn’t have the whole experience because I didn’t have the words.”

His opinion from watching the adults when he was a child was that most jobs are degrading and soul crushing. So, what are we going to do with freedom? We have this opportunity, what are going to do with it?

“I became a novelist because I don’t play well with others. I’m highly selective of what I bother to do”

The e.e cumming quote, “I am through you so I, ” was mentioned when talking about love. Basically the best relationships, “help me be who I want to be.”
He said that there is a myth of unending orgasmic happiness when we’re in love and then we have to ask ourselves – “Why am I not happy? How much are you willing to sacrifice?”

All good books are about why we are here.

His writing schedule:
He writes 4 to 5 days a week for 3 hrs
It’s the daily commitment
He reads poetry/ prose when he feel out of sorts with his writing. He will take breaks and simply read. “When I feel like I’m not writing with the commitment to language, I take a break and read poetry & prose”

Final Event – Becoming a Writer
Tamara Faithburger
Mentioned reading Geroge Batailles – Story of the Eye as inspiring her to write.
In her late 20’s she became a writer.
She wrote diaries, experimental and got a job writing xxx story writing. . Having a job writing taught her how to write as work. She currently teaches yoga because it gives her a flexible schedule.
She writes whenever she can through out the day.
Her opinion is to establish writing contacts based on the people you know. Let it be more organic. And in promoting your work – say yes to everything.

Joshua Knelman: “Hot Art”
His Background – 4 years Concordia university in Creative Writing program & minor in English Lit.
He did an internship at Saturday Night as a fact checker for articles and said it was good for getting comfortable with talking to all sorts of people from Prime ministers to prostitutes and in between.
It was an organic 7 natural process in getting his agent, the agent called him based on his original article about art theft and asked him if he had enough to write a book, which he did.

Nicole Lundrigan – “Glass Boys”
She was called an “academic playgirl” by a professor because she was interested in so many things. She has a serious heavy science background.
She only started writing because she needed something to do as a stay-at home mom to feel like she still had a job outside of the house.
She started writing articles. She wrote a junior reader text book
“Never thinking about the reader kept me honest.”
She does a lot of writing/thinking in her head and writes in snippets, a little bit everyday. 500 words at the least
She wrote what interests her got publishers interested and then approached an agent who had a similar writer.
“you’ve gotta be different when approaching agents”
“assume that everything that you write online can be read by everyone”

Writing Regimen:
Reading is part of my writing work. Deadlines are really good. you need to show up at the studio
500 words a day, I delete more than I write. But write everyday
Has weeks of discipline

The following notes are just a mish mash of the three of them writing:
Read your work out loud
Themes – isolation & disconnect
Young female sexuality

Screen writing is really good money
You need good writing friends who can support you
You need a great editor

Confidence depends on the day

Sex writing taught Tamara Faithburger – voice, language, you have to write as real as possible, as urgent as possible. “I want you to not put the writing down”

Nicole said – “Writing is an acceptable form of Self abuse”

Set it up so you have something to work on the next day.
“I always want to do better than the last thing I’ve done. I try to outdo myself.”
Pretend that a writer you respect is reading your book.