"Be in the moment with a dance that's simply yours."
Heather Grace Stewart is the Author of Three Spaces, Carry On Dancing, Leap, Where the Butterflies Go, The Groovy Granny, & The Friends I've Never Met
I’m writing a book. My first long work of fiction. I was supposed to keep that a secret. Oh well.
I’m at 19,500 words and I didn’t tell too many people ~ until now. Unless you count my Facebook Page, but with their wonky news feed that only hits 10 percent of my Likes, who knows who’s reading anything I post there?
Back to keeping it secret. How the heck is a writer ~ someone who tells stories for a living ~ supposed to keep quiet about the process of doing something they’ve always dreamed of doing, always felt a little intimidated to try, always felt they had in them? I can’t keep quiet about this!
I’ve read lots of advice along the lines of: Don’t tell anyone you’re writing a book. Not until you’re done. But what was I supposed to say I was doing at home all day these last few weeks? Dancing to Adam Levine’s Payphone while eating Swedish Berries? That would be truthful, but not the entire story. Everyone knows I spend my days dancing with a Swiffer down the stairs, freelance writing, and writing creative work. I can’t really hide from that. Or the Swiffer people, who keep begging me to shoot a commercial.
The book is a romantic comedy-drama, and I’m hoping it will be an enjoyable beach read for many. Yesterday, I was blushing as I wrote my first (tame) sex scene. I kept thinking: Oy. My parents are going to read this. But, I kept on writing. After all, they did have me. And my sister. I think they know just a little about the subject.
Today, Grandma (“Gram”) got a disco ball in her bedroom. I’m at summer camp, I tell you! I’m having the time of my life, growing with these characters and their experiences.
I’ve found some of my best plotting happens while in the shower. This works great, except that I become so lost in the story, I keep forgetting to shave my armpits. It’s pretty clear that by the time this novel’s done, I’ll have to move to France.
I’ve found some of my best plotting happens while in the shower. This works great, except that I become so lost in the story, I keep forgetting to shave my armpits. It’s pretty clear that by the time this novel’s done, I’ll have to move to France.
So, the secret’s out. I’m writing a book. Maybe I won’t finish it. I still have half way to go on the first draft, and I have all kinds of annoying inconveniences getting in the way of my writing. Paid magazine work. Photography work. Feeding my family. Geesh.
I’m betting I will realize this dream, since now I’ve told everyone I’m doing it, and I simply can’t stand quitting. Maybe it won’t get published; hopefully, some day, it will.
I’ll certainly share the journey with you, and all that I learn along the way.
Thanks for reading!
Eggs wrapped in ham (use an oiled muffin tin!): favourite go-to-dinner item for this author! Thankfully, our daughter loves it. She’ll be eating this often in the next few weeks, because Mommy’s writing a book!
You’re creative. You can come up with 100 excuses why it’s not convenient to write.
The ‘y’ on your keyboard is missing. Jay Leno is on. Your cat named Jay Leno ate your keyboard.
The truth is, writing is damned inconvenient. It’s never convenient to have a plot or character bothering you when you’re supposed to be presenting Marketing for Morons to, well, morons, or explaining what that thing is between your nose and your upper lip to your eldest child while talking on the phone and making your youngest child a ham sandwich (ham and lettuce on the side).
It’s easy to find 100 excuses why it’s not convenient to write.
A writer finds 100 ways to fit writing into their inconvenient life.
Here’s a great excuse for not writing on Mother’s Day: My daughter wanted me to BE SuperMom. No, seriously, with a pink cape and everything. So I did, and had a blast with her in the backyard. Then I wrote about it.
Reblogged from A Life Among The Pages:
That's right, while Stewart is hard at work on her first ever novel, she'd like share some of her poetry with readers for FREE! I'm in the middle of reading her collection Carry On Dancing, and I'm loving it. Stewart is a great poet, she really is.
I just wanted to make sure you all knew that Three Spaces will be free in the Kindle store today, May 9, 2013, through to early Sunday morning. Don’t have a Kindle? No worries, you can go to Amazon.com and download their free reading software for a Mac or PC, desktop or laptop.
Just wanted to give my readers a gift this Mother’s day weekend. Enjoy!
THREE SPACES FREE in KINDLE STORE
This is why I love flea marketing and gardening: seeing it all come together on our kitchen window sill!
Or, bathroom window sill: I use these lovely Mason Jars (a steal! from an antique store in New Hampshire USA) to store my sea salts, soaps, and bath beads on the sill just above our bathtub. How do you display some of your favorite flea market finds?
1 year old Marmie: You think it’s safe to go out there? That white stuff is truly gone?
15 year old Sam: Our person is in there, typing away all day on that warm flat silver device she won’t let us sit on. I don’t want to leave her side. She seems like she needs me. Especially when she stands up and screams.
12 year old Shadow: But it smells like those feathered creatures with wings out here. I gotta go gotta go gotta go oo boy!
Sam: She’s forgetting to open the big white cold beast to nourish herself. She’s only getting up from that chair and that warm flat silver device to feed us, and to feed these gerbera daisies (I heard her call them that. She loves naming her flowers out loud). No. I’m really worried about her. I won’t leave her side.
Marmie: She’s fine. She had enough energy to yell at me when I ate her swimsuit. She’s fine.
Shadow: You ate her swimsuit?
Marmie: Just the strings. They were so salty! Delish!
Sam: I’m going back inside. I heard her say she’s at 8,300 words, but she’s tired. She needs me.
Shadow: She’d better portray cats in a nice light in this novel. I’m sick of being portrayed as mindless creatures who lick themselves all day long. Hm. I wonder what these daisies taste like?
Marmie: Big furry beast with teeth on a leash! Run! Run! Run for your life!
Sam: Oh brother.
I woke to find this phrase in my Twitter newsfeed. Not retweeted once, or twice, like I’m used to, but filling the entire newsfeed. People have been retweeting an interview I did for the wonderful site Celebrating Authors, with wonderful interviewer & author Carolyn Arnold (@Carolyn_Arnold) since it came out yesterday, and haven’t stopped yet. It’s pretty much all I see in my @ twitter feed every few minutes. It makes me chuckle and smile. I told my almost-8-year-old daughter and she said, “People want to know about the POET. That’s why. They want to know funny things about you!” I laughed. Well, now, certainly, all of Twitter does!
Here’s the interview http://celebratingauthors.blogspot.ca/2013/04/i-can-shake-my-eyeballs-back-and-forth.html and thanks again to Carolyn for inviting me to Celebrating Authors!
I wanted to remind you all that I’m a featured author this month on Authorgraph.com and very happy to sign your digital books (you’ll get a PDF for your ipad and other signatures go directly to your Kindle and other e-devices! It’s really simple and very cool. )
Heather
Another thing about me? I love wearing heels!
http://wintergoosepublishing.com/authors/heather-grace-stewart/
http://poets.ca/members_data/Heather%20Grace%20Stewart
http://www.heathergracestewart.com
Screenplays:
The Friends I've Never Met (Graceful Publications, Nov. 2012)
Books:
Three Spaces (Graceful Publications, February 2013)
Carry On Dancing (Winter Goose Publishing, March 2012)
The Groovy Granny (Graceful Publications, May 2011)
Leap (poetry, Lulu press, March 2010)
Where the Butterflies Go (poetry, Lulu press, February 2008)
Kim Campbell, the keener who broke down barriers (Jackfruit Press: 2007)
Sir Wilfrid Laurier: the weakling who stood his ground (Jackfruit Press, 2006)
Bubble Mud and Other Poems (Electric E Book Publishing, 2000)
helped make editorial decisions.
Columnist: edit and write profiles of graduates every two months
Interviewing
Photography
Proofing
Poetry Contest Organizer/Editor
Mission: to publish feature articles and photographs in magazines, newspapers, and online, and to publish books. Credits: The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, National Geographic Traveler, Reader's Digest, Equinox, Canadian Parents, Mothering, Mothering.com, The Doctor's Review, Queen's Alumni Review, Groom, Harrowsmith Country Life, Canadian Wildlife, Wild!, Ido.Ido.com, FitDV.com
Author of 'Sir Wilfrid Laurier: the weakling who stood his ground' and 'Kim Campbell: the keener who broke down barriers'
Volunteer position on the Professional Writers Association Board of Directors, representing Quebec members.
Edited a national law magazine; wrote articles, edited articles, hired and directed writers, performed all communications re: article requirements, edits and payment with writers.
Copy edited Reader's Digest's monthly, national magazine, in-office, under the direction of the editorial team.
Researched and wrote several sections for Reader's Digest Canadian Road Atlas 2002, focusing on Ontario and Quebec's tourism attractions.
Edited articles, proofread, worked with authors and photographers.
Edited articles, wrote articles, worked with illustrators, photographers and authors.
Associate editor until 1999.
Freelance columnist - regular Field Guide columns, 2006-2009.