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Merry Monday - Prose in the Park

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On Saturday, I dropped by Parkdale Park to visit writing friends and take in two panels at the 3rd annual Prose in the Park. The first was called "The Musicality of Fiction," and I enjoyed listening to the authors speak about music and their books that feature it. I might read all three when I can afford the books and have the time. The authors were Sean Michaels (Us Conductors), Susan Doherty Hannaford (A Secret Music), and Robert Barclay (Death at the Podium). Mr. Barclay said something that I feel was misinformation. He believes young people don't go to many of the orchestra concerts at the National Art Centre because the maestros choose only old music from long dead composers. This, I and the other young people beside me, felt is incorrect. While I love the idea of them choosing to play some film scores and such, the reason we rarely go to those things is not at all that we don't enjoy the music, but that we simply can't afford the cost of tickets, parking, etc for a night out. When we can, we opt for things like rock concerts in part because the option to see our favourite band live is much more limited. Celebrities don't live as long as the music of Bach, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, and the like, so the urgency isn't there to go to the orchestra. Have some more budget-friendly performances for students and those in the low-income brackets and younger people are more likely to turn up. I often get classical vinyl at thrift stores because I do enjoy the music. Also, I prefer instrumental music while writing.

The second panel was called, "Emerging Crime," and one of the members is a member of my Monday writing group. I learned some neat things about her and several of the books sounded interesting. The authors on that panel were Dr. Melissa Yi (Human Remains), Michael Blair (The Evil That Men Do), Catherine Astolfo (Emily Taylor Mystery Series), Jim Napier (Legacy), and Patricia Filteau (Kate Roarty, P. I. Series). I also learned about Linda Wiken who is an Ottawa area author of cozy mysteries. I enjoyed Agatha Christie in high school, so I'm going to check her stuff out at some point too.

I also need to get Laurie Stewart's second book in the Mechanicsville series, Alone in the Night, Benoit Chartier's new book Afterdeath, and I need a copy of Blackflies by Robert Munsch, which is illustrated by Jay Odjick.

In the past, I spent all day at events like this one, but I didn't feel like spending my whole day there this year. I enjoyed visiting the members of my Monday writing group as it has been some time since I last saw them. I'm hoping to see them more soon.

Really, I just wanted to be at home continuing to learn more about screenwriting.

Goals Update

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Fitness: I missed martial arts yesterday. With the plus 38 weather making me feel fevered, I couldn't get into going into a dojo with no air conditioning. I get overheated easier than other people and don't always sweat because my body hates every part of it that is involved in moisture. Planks are going better now that I know there are beginner versions that don't use the elbows.

Writing: I'm chunking away at both my spec script and a novel. I think the novel is going better. I feel like I should've just bought a copy of Save the Cat instead of doing that one Screenwriting course I did. At least it was free. I'm watching movies of a similar type to see what has been done in those. I've been revising the first part of my novel to get back into it and figure out what happens next. I'm having fun with it.

Course: I'm doing the course on Transmedia, but not worrying about the assignments. My goal is to learn the content and just apply it to my own projects that I'm not ready to share with the world yet.

Sewing: I'm working on a new purse for myself. I'm finding it is more pinning than sewing. You can find out more about this goal on my sewing blog.

Cleaning: Slowly getting there. Finishing the reno will help.

Reno: I have misplaced all my measuring things and thus am stuck. I swear there are gnome thieves stealing my tools. This measuring issue is a key one because my drawers have a piteau with a wheel that has to be place in the right spot. I've also cut my left index finger and that isn't helpful for putting things together.

School: I'm booked for orientation in late August. I should be able to get ready in this one day. Everything from lockers, to bus pass, to software. There's something else to sign up for in September too. I'm supposed to have a copy of my schedule around August 7th. The planner in me wants it NOW, but that's not an option. Waiting to hear about OSAP.

I guess that's it for today. I'm debating heading anywhere that has air conditioning to get some writing done. Perhaps I can get by with my fan and a cool cloth over it though.

Salut,
R~

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