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Day 7
2007-11-08 07:32:00
Reached 9,245 words today = 18.5% of target; but I've used up 23% of my time. Given that the long weekend is coming up when I am unlikely to have many opportunities to write, I have to consider myself behind. Still, over 9,000 words is good.I am 3/4 of the way through my second short story, which is linked to the first one -- same characters, different mystery. I'm surprised to find myself writing mystery, since that is not my genre.But thanks to a suggestion from my wife, I already have an idea for a third story in the set, so will probably stick to that through to the end of November.I'm generally pleased with what I am writing, allowing always that I am leaving editing and revision until December and on. I have already detected a tendency to run on sentences and too many asides, but I'll deal with these later. I remain nervous about investing in story sequels when I do not yet know if the original short story is any good, but I guess ultimately that is no different than wond...

Day 5
2007-11-06 07:47:00
So, I finished the short story I was writing tonight, at just under 5000 words. So I guess I actually have to start writing a novel. Unless I continue to develop the adventures of the protangonist of my short story. My wife just gave me a great idea for another in the series, if that is what it turns out to be. But they are both mysteries, which is not normally my genre. Decisions decisions....The NaNoWriMo rules suggest not using previous partial novels, but rather starting fresh. I'm torn, because although I probably only have a few fragments and an outline for each of the six or seven novels that I have been writing in my head the last 40 years, I have been writing these in my head for the last 40 years. Part of me thinks that it is obvious that thisis the opportunity to finally get one of these down on paper, But another part of me accepts NaNoWriMo logic that if you use previous materials, you care too much about the characters to do the blind stream of consciousness writing r...

Kasia art
2007-11-05 22:13:00
These two pieces represent significant landmarks in Kasia's art development, and I thought I would share them because they are such textbook examples of developmental stages. The first shows the first actual figure that Kasia drew -- everything up to that having consisted primarily of random lines, dots and squiggles, though she would readily identify such scribbling as pictures of family or trees or planes or etc. I was astonished that she went from scribbling on a page to this clear figure in one go. But note that the arms and legs emerge out of a single figure -- its all head. This is absolutely typical of this initial stage of figure drawing. In the second drawing (annotated by her Mom) we see another figure, but in this case there is an attempt to identify a separate head, body and foot.

Day 3
2007-11-04 05:37:00
Not much luck at finding time to write, it being a weekend and the kids underfoot. So, grabbed a few minutes whenever I could to look through some of my existing novel / short story outlines, to see if there was anything worth recycling. Had I thought of doing the National novel writing month thing before, I would have sorted through all that ahead of time and been ready to go with something, but it was only mentioned to me the last couple of days of October, and it was only Nov.1 I decided to go for it. So I just started writing the short story that was currently in my head. That should be good for at least one more session, but then I will have to start working on an actual novel or at least some other stories.Looking through the files, I was distressed to find my most developed novel so far is missing. I'll have to see if I can track down a hard copy out in the garage somewhere. But there are still five or six others that I have in more or less complete outline form, so will hav...

Day 2
2007-11-03 04:08:00
Only 955 words today, but still averaging the required 1500/day. I'm relatively pleased with story so far; although rough and in need of editing, it is generally holding together.

Halloween
2007-11-02 06:23:00
Kasia (as unicorn, sans head portion), Tigan's friend Emily (as dead cheerleader), and Tigana (as Hippie).
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National Novel Writing Month
2007-11-02 04:48:00
 National Novel Writing Month has started (November 1) and I have taken the plunge and signed up, my family responsibilities and crushing day job commitments notwithstanding. Made 2000 words today, a decent enough start, but we'll have to see if I can keep that up.
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NeoOpsis wins Aurora
2007-11-01 05:30:00
The magazine I review for, NeoOpsis won an Aurora for "Best Work in English, Other" earlier this week. The Auroras are for best Canadian SF.NeoOpsis editors and publishers Karl Johanson and Stephanie Johanson.Photo by Nina MunteanuOther award results and photos from the Aurora Awards ceremony are here
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Tigana Artwork
2007-10-18 19:46:00
A quick doodleAge 9, October, 2007
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Kasia Artwork
2007-10-18 19:32:00
Right:Title: "My Mom, Dad and me, fixing my sister's leg"Original 8.5X11October, 2007Age: 3yrs. 11 months.   Below: Three other fall art projects:
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What?
2007-10-18 17:57:00
Tim Horton's donuts shop located in new Wellness Centre at University of Lethbridge.   I have to walk through the new Wellness Center at the University of Lethbridge each day to reach my office, while construction of the new Education tower is itself completed -- we currently only have access through the rear door while they finish the front entrance and atrium.So my question is this: Who puts a Tim Horton's outlet in a Wellness Center? We just spent x millions of dollars to build a facility with the province's biggest climbing wall, an indoor track, weight rooms, gyms, and a ton of exercise equipment, and then put a donut shop next to the exit so people using the facility can grab a few calories on the way out? What am I missing here?

Camelot
2007-10-18 17:39:00
An amusing uTube video forwarded by John Herbert:Camelot But it and the millions of other videos like it raise an important pedagogical point: In her fabulous paper, "Conflicting Cultures: Promoting Academic Integrity to the Millennial Generation" Selinda A. Berg (University of Western Ontario) makes the telling point that the millennial generation is surrounded by examples (like the above) of the creative mashup -- people take images and sounds from various other peoples' original works, and creates something new. Although these mashups clearly violate the originators copyright, they are considered (by the millennial generation) as original compositions. So then these same kids come to campus and are told that their original compositions -- consisting of paragraphs put together from 15 different articles and books -- is plagiarism and they're going to face this or that draconian punishment. Berg asks how academia can simply ignore that these students are not entering university ...

Matthew Hughes and the Archonate
2007-10-04 21:54:00
Having recently hosted a virtual book tour here, I thought I'd participate in another book promotion, this time by one of my favorite Canadian SF authors, Matthew Hugh es .Hughes first SF book (I'm still looking for a copy of his first ever book, Downshift, which was a mystery) was Fools Errant. I picked it up out of my self-imposed duty to read every Canadian Sf ever written, but immedately fell in love with his writing. Fools Errant is a highly entertaining novel of the far future when the sun is slowly diming and the humanity has largely been everywhere and tried everything and those left on Earth are suffering a kind of drole enui. In this, the first of the novels set in the Archonate, we follow the adventures of one Filidor Vesh, a rather fopish young gentlemen press ganged into an adventure that in spite of his initiall shallowness, causes Vesh to rise to the occasion and well, turn out to be a decent enough fellow after all. The adventures were continued too good effect in th...
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Fire Hall #1
2007-09-13 06:45:00
I've always wanted to see inside a fire station, but got my first chance to do so this morning, accompanying Kasia's Montessori preschool class to Fire Hall #1. It was pretty interesting!Kasia's preschool class at Fire Station #1Paramedic demonstrates Oxygen mask on Kasia"Hey, get down from there!" Well, not really. They gave each of the kids a chance to sit in the driver's seat. Kasia is obviously enjoying herself!I found the whole expedition highly enjoyable, and watching the kids climbing over the equipment, kept thinking of the Robert Munch story where a couple of kids insert themselves into a fire station. Guess that would make a good choice for tonight's bed time reading.Cover of Robert Munsch book, "Fire Station".

Criminal Minds Episode
2007-08-10 06:04:00
Watched Criminal Minds episode last night. Mary called me to watch because the promos had mentioned that the episode was about a science fiction author. In the event it was an okay if slightly predictable program, but the part that Mary and I couldn't help reacting to was when they were dealing with a couple of university professors. In one scene a professor of post-modern literature takes the FBI agents back to her office, and as soon as the office came on screen, Mary and I collapsed into helpless laughter. Not only was her office HUGE (five time regulation size for a prof, at least twice the size of the office of our University President) but it was palatially and tastefully furnished. Obviously, none of the writers nor set designers has ever been to university, because they have obviously never seen a prof's office. Real profs offices are tiny spaces piled high with books, ungraded student papers, and empty coffee mugs. None of my colleagues have expensive art on their walls; ...
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He has an axe
2007-08-08 15:40:00
Great TV commercial (forwarded from Karl Johansono):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =z5uxs4wQAhI

Tigana on Front Page
2007-07-12 05:57:00
Photo by David RossiterIn addition to this photo on the front cover of the Lethbridge Herald, Tiga na was also interviewed on CTV news yesterday on the space camp she is attending. Since she had her picture in the paper just last week, and this is now the fourth time she has had her photo in the paper, she is slightly insufferable. So where was space camp when we were kids, that's what I want to know...
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Mary Featured in Lethbridge Herald
2007-07-01 05:45:00
Photo by David RossiterMary was the feature interview on the cover of the Careers Section of the Lethbridge Herald today... The headline was "Are You a Workaholic"; story was by Dave Mabell. It's currently on-line full text at the Herald site, if you care to read it, and if it is still up when you read this post.Mary was reasonably pleased with how it turned out, felt the reporter was professional and competent. One is always a little nervous how the press is going to report something one is involved in, but this came out more or less intact. (Mary felt the punchline was missing -- that the last line of the story quoting Tigana missed that 'this was a bad thing'. But close enough.)
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Benoit Book Launch Successful
2007-06-30 05:35:00
Following her successful virtual book tour (including a stop here, see below) M. D. Benoit held her official live book launch of Synergy in Ottawa June 19th, and sends this report:"My book launch went smashingly well. I sold tons of books, and, most important of all, people came! My knees were shaking so much when I did my reading I could barely stand afterwards but apparently only those who know me really well knew I was nervous. The combination art gallery (venue), music (artist playing music about one of the themes of my book) and reading pleased people no end -- and so did the munchies and wine, I gather. Most people stayed an extra half hour and we had to kick some out because the gallery owner wanted to close.I can go back to my cave for a while, now."(I apologize for being behind in posting this and other entries, but I've been on the road most of June -- more on that shortly, I hope.)
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Tigana Art
2007-05-25 04:12:00
Kasia, our 3.5 year old, is crazy for My Little Pony. Her mother has therefore redone her bedroom with an My Little Pony wall paper border and stick ons. Tiga na , not to be out done, contributed this portrait of a pony on Kasia's blackboard.
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videos
2007-05-22 18:14:00
Some excellent video recommendations from Keith Fenske via Randy ReichardtGervais (originator of "The Office")fund raiser satire.A brilliant short called Spina short skit on Medieval "Helpdesk And a couple that I found for my Ed 4391 Course on cyberculture:What if you could see 10 seconds into the futureCell phone problems and more more problems and yet more problems and finally, crime deterrent
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The Relative Merits of Saving the World
2007-05-08 06:37:00
I spent most of last night fighting off alien invaders. I am pleased to say that I was successful in defending Earth. But I must admit a certain disappointment upon waking to discover that my wife and children were not in awe of my feats of daring-do in protecting our city. I may have gone so far as to mention to my wife that I deserved some special consideration this morning for saving Earth.Her response: "I dreamt that I took has to take both Tigana and Kasia to the dentist."Me: "Okay, you win."
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A different approach to politics
2007-04-24 06:55:00
Not your typical campaign speech -- I really love the last two lines especially. (Forwarded from Charlton Barreto).
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Literature meets technology
2007-04-15 16:03:00
Not sure how I react to this one...Twitter is a website that updates one on what one's friends are doing at any particular second (Twitter describes itself as "A global community of friends and strangers answering one simple question: What are you doing?") That's already an awesomely "we have the technology so we're going to do it whether it is socially reasonable or not", but someone decided to use a twitter feed to read James Joyce's Ulysses, one line every 15 minutes. To quote the original mandate:Booktwo is currently using Swotter to read James Joyce?s Ulysses to the world. Aside from it being one of our favourite books, it also contains enough strangeness to make anyone coming across it at random pay attention. Possibly.You can see how it?s getting on at http://twitter.com/booktwo. If you?d like to subscribe, get a twitter account if you don?t have one, and make friends with booktwo.Ulysses, in the Gutenberg plain text edition, has 24765 lines. Reading one every fifteen mi...
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Easter Decorations at West Edmonton Mall
2007-04-12 00:02:00
One of dozens of Christmas Trees up at West Edmonton Mall over Easter      We were in Edmonton briefly over the Easter Weekend to celebrate my mother's 98th birthday and Mary's mother's 75th birthday. But no trip is allowed to Edmonton without a stop at West Edmonton Mall so that Kasia and Tigana can have a quick round of bungie jumping on the Center of Gravity trampolines. This being the Easter weekend, we were a bit concerned by the sight of Christmas trees everywhere throughout the mall. At 800 stores, WEM is one of the largest malls in the world, but Edmontonians have long held the suspicion that it is only a matter of time before it, like other malls before it, starts its slow decline into ruin. The apparent lack of staff or funding priorities to take down last Christmas' trees seemed a pretty blatant sign that the mall's collapes was nigh.However, as it turns out, it's not that at all. The mall is the location for a movie and the trees are props. ...
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M. D. Benoit Interview Introduction
2007-04-04 17:38:00
M.D. Benoit , on Virtual TourM.D. Benoit's third published novel, Synergy, is coming out this week, prompting this virtual book tour. I had the opportunity to interview Dominique over the course of the last several weeks, and tried to focus on areas not likely already covered elsewhere in her tour. So let me just briefly introduce her book:Synergy is a near future (perhaps alternate history) novel set in Ottawa. The plot concerns a genetic researcher in a future where genetic research is so tightly controlled as to be effectively banned. The illegal research attracts the attention of a local drug lord, government regulators, and the statistician hired to help analyze the data (unaware that the research is unauthorized). Some interesting speculation on genetics, the role of dreams in innovation, and the ethics of research form subthemes within the larger narrative, but mostly this is an actioner -- especially in the second half of the book where it becomes quite a page-turner.In anot...
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M. D. Benoit on Publishing
2007-04-04 12:57:00
M. D. Benoit on Virtual Book Tour in front of famous rail bridge, Lethbridge Alberta, via this blogInterviewed by Robert RuntéRobert: As the big monopoly publishers increasingly focus on a few blockbuster-style titles/authors with sales in the millions, we've seen the emergence of many more regional and specialty presses to fill the vacuum for titles with more limited local or genre appeal. I'm interested in how authors decide where to position themselves in the market. What made you choose to go with a small specialty press like Zumaya, rather than a more mass market publisher? Dominique: In the beginning, I tried the large presses (Tor, Baen, etc.) and I had some nibbles, but the responses always ended up as "we like what you write but we can?t fit it anywhere." I've learned that large publishers are not flexible with mixed genres or difficult to classify books, and my books definitely are. So I decided to look for a publisher that could be more flexible in its approach....
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M. D. Benoit on Cover Art
2007-04-04 11:19:00
Cover of M.D. Benoit 's latest novel, Synergy, now available from Amazon.com.Robert: Most writers have stories (positive or negative) about the cover art for their books. Did you choose the artists, or did the publisher? Dominique: The publisher chose the artist, but I did have some input into the creative process. For instance, I didn?t want people in my covers for the Jack Meter Case File series, because I don?t really describe my main character, Jack Meter. Martine Jardin, the cover artist and designer, came up with the door opening unto the universe, which we?ll keep for the entire series. I liked the concept.For Synergy, Moor Dragon (who worked on covers for Ursula LeGuin) did the cover. Again, I wanted something that evoked DNA and time. Hence the ribbons and the DNA ladders on the cover.Robert: How much input did you have over what your covers would look like? Did you get to see preliminary sketches, or did the final cover just turn up as a fait accompli?Dominique: As I sai...
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M.D. Benoit on Authors on the Web
2007-04-04 11:00:00
M.D. Benoit on Virtual Tour outside Lethbridge WaterTower (now resturant) via this blogRobert: One of the factors that attracted me to your writing originally was your blog. It was one of the very first blogs of someone I didn?t already know that I started reading on a regular basis. How important do you think it is for an author to maintain a presence on the web?Dominique: It?s absolutely crucial, especially for an emerging writer or a writer who can?t get a lot of financial support from her publisher. I think blogs are becoming the medium to communicate with people, but still a website is important. Websites give static information that gets lost from one post to the other. By having a blog, visitors can get to know you, see what?s important to you, how you look at life. Robert: How much time do you put into your blog? Do you have more than one?Dominique: I have my own, Life?s Weirder than Fiction. I also contribute to It?s a mad, mad, world: Writing confessions of ten mad author...
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M. D. Benoit on Synergy
2007-04-04 08:36:00
Robert: What drew you to your interest in genetics?Dominique: I became interested in genetic engineering during the controversies about Genetically Modified Organisms. Then I came upon a newspaper article about genetic warfare, and I followed avidly the issues around cloning with Dolly the sheep and the race to map the human genome. This gave me ideas for stories. Synergy is about genetic modification and warfare. The next in the trio of novels about genetic engineering, Catalyst, is about human cloning farms. The third, which I?m working on right now, is entitled Entropy, and deals with the consequences of monoculture and genetically modifying food staples like rice, maize, and wheat.Robert: Where did the complex characters come from in this novel? Did you model the characters on people you know, or are they entirely from your own imagination?Dominique: Torver Lockwood, one of my two protagonists, popped out of a dream, all grown up. I woke up one morning and there he was, standing...
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