A Winning Combination
“I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.” ~ Maya Angelou
Creating and Appreciating
Something I love about the creative process? The opportunity to expand my knowledge and continue learning. Workshops, webinars and conferences are abundant and they’re much more accessible these days, thanks to Zoom.
Early in December, I attended JollyCon: A Winter Conference for Children’s Writers. Hosted by The Little Press, it was fantastic! Topics included: How to Write a Fresh take on Santa, Snowmen and Seasonal Traditions; Humour in Holiday and Winter Books, and Writing Winter without a Specific Holiday.
Last night I attended Julie Bliven’s Novel in Verse webinar, hosted by Inked Voices. Writing in verse is masterful. It’s all about the economy of language. But you still need to include the same story elements used when writing in prose (e.g. story arc, conflict, character development, etc.).
Honing the craft of writing also means reading. Lots and lots of reading.
How lucky am I that my creative occupation involves two of the things I enjoy most? Learning and reading. It’s truly a win-win.
Bring on the books!
Book Nook
An e-mail from Meghan Howe at The Canadian Children’s Book Centre surprised me by doing just that!
Subject line of the e-mail:
Winner of the CCBC’s December newsletter contest
And the message:
Hi Stacey,
I am writing to let you know that you are the winner of our December newsletter contest! You’ve won the entire 2025 CCBC Book Awards shortlist…
A box arrived on my doorstep this morning.
What an ideal win! Thirty-five books written by Canadians!
Thank you to The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. I can’t wait to crack open these beauties!
Wandering and Pondering
Phoebe and I have gotten out of our usual routine of wandering the neighbourhood. We’ll be getting back to it soon.
In the meantime, here’s another well-loved pooch with something for you to ponder.
Thanks so much for being here. Your support is a huge win for me.