It was a stimulating and inspirational day at our most recent salon in Cardiff-by- the-sea (or so I’m told). I was thrilled that a couple of repeat attendees said they got even more out of this one than the earlier ones. Apparently, we are improving over time, so that’s great to hear. As usual, I keep the salon small so it is an intimate and personal day, which allows the attendees to get to know each other and also ask questions of the … [Read more...]
Recording History While We Can
When I was a teenager, my father said he wanted to introduce me to a man who went by the nickname of “Irish”. He was originally from Ireland, my father explained, but he'd joined the Canadian Army and fought the Germans in the First World War. Prior to our meeting, dad told me some of the stories Irish told him about fighting in the trenches, especially about the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France in April 1917. Being a voracious reader of military … [Read more...]
The Iceberg Theory: Ron Franscell on Research and Writing
Life-long journalist and author Ron Franscell talks about the importance of research in the writing process: For me, the most fascinating element of storytelling, whether fiction or nonfiction, is research. A long time ago, we made photographs from film negatives. If you had a crappy negative, you’d probably have a crappy picture. The quality of your image depended entirely on the quality of that negative. That’s how I feel about research. The … [Read more...]