ABACABA
This past week I saw an episode of TickleScratch Production’s The Writing Life featuring Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer. (The Writing Life is a wonderful series, giving a candid look into the lives of Canadian writers.)

Kathryn’s interview was balm for my scribbling soul. She talked about balancing being a mother with her writing and said that she felt that her writing was better for having had children. I nodded in agreement when she said: “After going through labour, I felt I could do anything.”

Goodness knows I’m not saying you have to have given birth to be a writer. It’s just that in my life, there was a sense of determination and strength that seemed to come right along with my children. For me, motherhood meant ‘no excuses’ when it came to getting things done.

Kathryn also spoke about the transition from writing short stories to writing her first novel and mentioned advice she had gotten from Paul Quarrington. “If you want to write a novel, listen to symphonies.”

Hurray! All my years in music school, all the hours spent listening to and reading over the scores of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Schoenberg, Bartok, Crumb, and countless others were not in vain. I’ve often said that my dedication to daily writing has come from learning the importance of practice at an early age, and that my attention for structure and flow in novel writing comes from having chased themes in music. Every form – from fugue to theme and variation, from tone poem to song cycle – left a mark on my creative brain.

Kathryn’s novel, The Nettle Spinner is published by Goose Lane Editions and her bloggy thoughts can be read at Book Ninja on a fairly regular basis.
Here’s her website: Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer

Everybody’s Doin’ it.
I know she’ll have plenty of links to her VidLit for her novel The Halo Effect, but I’m adding mine to the list…it’s for a good cause (Reading is Fundamental). Read all about it here:
MJ Rose’s Blog: Buzz Balls and Hype

And here’s the link to the VidLit for:
The Halo Effect