cornerofmadness

Okay less a writerly ways and more of I have two weeks worth of saved up links and didn't want them all in one post. I missed posting on the adventure last night because I didn't get home til late and I'm at the portion where it's just random notes and I have to write it into something cogent and I'm already forgetting details. You know me and details, I want them for future stories.

So here are some links from around the web.

What Does It Mean to Write a Scene That Works?

A Woman Fakes Her Death on 9/11: The Story Behind the Story

Q&A with Sarah Landis, Literary Agent Sterling Lord Literistic

Ancestors As Inspiration

Crafting Resonance: Music and Writing

The Responsibility of Narratives

Writing Tiny: A Look Into Flash Fiction

The Power of Sharing Writing, Even in Draft Form I try to do this one (and I'm failing at it with poor

tinhutlady). I'd like to do more, sharing mine for yours so if you're interested let me know and I'll try to do better.

It was another mostly travel day. We packed up and left PEI heading back into Nova Scotia. It was chilly, and we had a 75-minute ferry crossing on a boat that rocked more than was necessary. My Dramamine kept me safe but barely. I did have to stay out on the deck (for some reason that seems to make me less nauseous) but needed coffee to do it. But the line for coffee was so long (they served a full breakfast on this ferry) that by the time I got it, it was practically time to leave. I did get a little writing in on the water.

We traveled from NS to Cape Breton (where we’ll be for 4 days). We did stop in Antigonish (which in theory is Mi’kmaq for the place where the branches are broken by bears looking for beechnuts) where Saint Xavier University it. What a beautiful campus. I’m jealous of it. We stopped for lunch at the Snow Queen diner. I wanted lobster roll, but they had a sign that said free breakfast on your birthday. I had a huge plate of scrambled eggs, a gillion hash browns and a ton of bacon.

The trip here was very long. We’re staying in Chetticamp, a French colony. We stopped at the The Mi-⁠Carême Interpretive Centre. Mi-⁠Carême dates back to at least the Middle Ages, heavily rooted in France. At that time the Catholic church ruled and as we all know Carnival marks the beginning of Lent, 40 days of denial and penitence. Well the French apparently decided that was way too long to be good (especially during a crappy time of year with few distractions) so Mi-⁠Carême means the middle of Lent. They would go house to house, partying. In a way it reminds me of the Mari Llywd celebration in Wales (that’s Christmas time though). To hide their partying selves from the more pious, they would wear masks and costumes ala Halloween. The centre was filled with masks and information on the Mi-⁠Carême parties (which still go on, and last a week these days instead of a day). It was interesting and something I had never heard of.

We came to Laurie’s Inn, our home for the next two days. Dinner was an Acadian meat pie, which is ground chicken and pork in a pie. Our guide talked it up and a lot of us were excited to try some local French-Acadian food. Awful. I mean down right gross. Even the gravy and cranberry sauce didn’t help. It was like boiled unspiced meat. (I’m hoping it’s just this place sort of sucks and that others are better.) I’m still glad I tried it because I like to experiment with local cuisine and I’m very glad there was soup and salad to fill me up
We had a singer Sylvia LeLievre who performed Cape Breton-French Acadian music at Laurie’s. We heard her cd on the bus and I saw a song that would be perfect for my books, a love song being unable eto be together due to man’s intolerance. I told her that, adding it was for a gay story (figuring that’s what it was about ) and she was so thrilled. She said I was true family (No, I’m technically not but I am a decent ally). It was nice with one exception: The bartender at the bar was clueless and some of my bus mates were getting into arguments with her ruining it for everyone.

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