Shawn L. Bird

Original poetry, commentary, and fiction. All copyrights reserved.

happiness is meeting your favourite author! October 18, 2012

Filed under: OUTLANDERishness,Reading,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 10:07 pm
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Diana Gabaldon  and I at the Strawberry Hill Chapters in Surrey:  a gala fund raiser for the Surrey International Writers’ Conference.  This was a nice opportunity to chat a bit with her, as I visited with all of the other authors, waiting until the crowds were gone to speak to her.  Since we’ve been corresponding for a few months, she knew who I was and was very welcoming.

Now to get a good night’s sleep before falling off the deep end into the conference!

PS.  You can’t see them, but there are new Fluevogs on my feet after a pilgrimage to the Gastown Fluevog HQ… 🙂  (It’s been a very happy day celebrating my addictions).

PS2.  I didn’t even hyper-ventilate when I met her, although coming home  I wondered if I was having a heart attack.  After determining I simply did not have TIME to fit in a heart attack this weekend, I decided it was the Thai chicken wrap I had for dinner. 🙂

PS3. This trip was partially to help me prepare psychologically for my Blue Pencil session two days later.  You might be interested in reading the post Diana Gabaldon Said To Me as well

PS4. I was also amused to meet Diana’s son Sam Sykes, who wasn’t an official author at this event.  He’s amusing.

 

 

hyper-ventilating October 16, 2012

Filed under: OUTLANDERishness,Pondering,Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:29 pm
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I have met some ‘famous’ people over the years, and while I may be in awe of their talent, they generally turn out to be people pretty much like me. I know that. But at the moment, it’s rather difficult to BELIEVE it.

As you’ve noticed if you’ve read this blog for any time, I love Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, and I am amazed by her talent and her generosity to her fans and other writers. I have posted questions on her Facebook page and on the Compuserve Writers’ Forum, and she has provided helpful (and sometimes lengthy) responses.

For these reasons, I am hyperventilating as this week ticks by, because in less than 48 hours I will be meeting Diana Gabaldon (and J. J. Lee, Jack Whyte, Mary Balogh, Anne Perry and Michael Slade, not to name drop or anything) 🙂 at a fund raiser for the Surrey Writers’ Conference, and on Saturday I have the honour of sharing the scene that Diana had helped me with in a 15 minute blue pencil appointment at the conference.  I am nervous, excited, and slightly terrified of making a fool of myself.

My son said, “Just don’t be a fan, Mom. Be professional.”

Yeah. Easier said than done, kid!

 

9 simple ways to be a better writer from Catherine Coulter July 13, 2012

Filed under: Writing — Shawn L. Bird @ 9:49 am
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CATHERINE COULTER has had 62 books on the New York Times bestseller list, so she knows a thing or two about writing.  Here are her 9 SIMPLE WAYS TO BE A BETTER WRITER from her session at Thrillerfest:

1. Nix the adjectives.

2. Avoid other words for “said,” and avoid redundancies.

3. Excise the exclamation marks.

4. Forget the euphemisms.

5. Don’t fall into stereotypes.

6. Use caution in sex scenes.

7. Avoid endless introspection.

8. Skip over-the-top violence and language.

9. “And above all, don’t take yourself too seriously.”

Read the complete article on WritersDigest.com