Sisters Susanna Moodie and Catherine Parr Traill were Canadian pioneers. Their husbands brought them from England to Canada in the early 1830's, settling near Peterborough, Ontario where Samuel Strickland, a brother of Catherine and Susanna had earlier settled. The sisters had each written and published books before marrying and coming to Canada and both continued … Continue reading The Strickland sisters told it like it was
writing
Eloquent words
I was a member of the Anglican Church of Canada during my youth and a faithful participant in her worship services. The services and prayers of the Book of Common Prayer presented the gospel message in simple, yet eloquent, words and I found comfort in the familiar liturgy. As I entered my twenties, I realized … Continue reading Eloquent words
Effective Words
It is not a simple thing to learn how to use words to say exactly what one wants to say in the most effective way possible. But the words themselves should be simple. Here is some of the best writing advice I have come across. The first two were written by Canadians, the third by … Continue reading Effective Words
Show, don’t tell
Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the sensation of being rained upon. E. L. Doctorow
Women and men
“A man once asked me ... how I managed in my books to write such natural conversation between men when they were by themselves. Was I, by any chance, a member of a large, mixed family with a lot of male friends? I replied that, on the contrary, I was an only child and had … Continue reading Women and men
The Editorial Burden That Weighs on the Author
This is the title of an excellent article on the need for editing, posted today by C.S. Lakin. Every aspiring writer should take this seriously, including myself. We have a natural tendency to be blind to the flaws in our own writing. You will find the article here.
Tongue-tied no more
I was painfully shy in my younger days. The only child of older parents, I wandered the hills of our farm anddeveloped a lively imagination but felt inhibited in communicating with adults or in a large group. In high school we had to give speeches once a year. I was good at researching and preparing … Continue reading Tongue-tied no more
Weeds and stones in our writing
Floyd McNeill* farmed near the banks of the Moose Jaw River, one of those prairie rivers consisting of a deep, wide valley with a little creek meandering its way along a narrow channel on the bottom. Being near the river bank, there were stones scattered through the fields, some small enough that a man could … Continue reading Weeds and stones in our writing
I owe the Lord a morning song
Amos Herr (1816-1897) lived on a Lancaster county, Pennsylvania farm that had been in the Herr family since 1710 when his ancestors fist arrived from Europe. In addition to being a farmer, he was a minister of the local Mennonite congregation. One wintry Sunday morning about 150 years ago, he awoke to a raging blizzard … Continue reading I owe the Lord a morning song
Start somewhere progress report
Well, I haven’t got as far with the weight loss project as I had hoped. After 30 days I was down six pounds. But hey, that’s still six pounds that I don’t have to carry around anymore. I am doing OK with the eating less part, not so well with the part of moving more. … Continue reading Start somewhere progress report
Flatlander Faith 