Writing...Just because!

Jack Scott, author and publisher, Springtime Books This week I'm so thrilled to welcome Jack Scott to Writing...Just Because to share his author journey and a few words of advice. Jack is the author of   Turkey Street - Jack and Liam move to Bodrum , t he sequel to the best-selling memoir Perking the Pansies - Jack and Liam move to Turkey . Here's a little taster of Turkey Street... Six months into their Turkish affair, Jack and Liam, a gay couple from London, took lodgings in the oldest ward of Bodrum Town. If they wanted to shy away from the curtain-twitchers, they couldn’t have chosen a worse position. Their terrace overlooked Turkey Street like the balcony of Buckingham Palace and the middle-aged infidels stuck out like a couple of drunks at a temperance meeting. Against all the odds, the boys from the Smoke were welcomed into the fold by a feisty mix of eccentric locals and a select group of trailblazing expats, irresistible ladies with racy pasts and pluck...

I thought I would do something a little different since I've been a little derelict in my blogging duties lately.  It's still in keeping with my mission to write about writing in that, I find that the pure act of exploring a strange (to me) Asian city on the hunt for the best street vendor, flogging the most compelling local dish, gives me so much experiential fodder to draw from when describing any sense in my writing - sight, sound, smell, taste (and even touch when attempting to successfully wield the series of utensils presented to us).  I attentively watch the locals who surround us and try to mimic their motions as they make it look so effortless and never end up with the spicey juices flowing down their chins, which is fortunate for them as there often seems to be a serious lack of materials with which to mop the drips from one's face! So, here is a pictorial meander through the flavors of Singapore from a recent trip I took with my husband.  I threw in a few vis...

I wrote this originally for Suite101 on August 2, 2010 but I think it's so important that it deserves to be re-posted. It's amazing to me how many people just don't realize (or care) the damage they can do to themselves by not 'minding their Ps & Qs" as my mom always said,  So, with my permission (and as per the copyright of the piece which allows me to repost any of my work from Suite101 one year following the original post) here are some thoughts on protecting yourself while taking advantage of the awesome power of Social Media! --> Photo credit: Graur Razvan Jonut, Freedigitalphotos.net Organizations and individuals in the past benefited from years of experience, a certain level of maturity and often a paid professional to guide them through the intricacies of creating and maintaining a positive corporate or professional image. With the explosion of social media, an individual’s online reputation now starts to be built at a very young age. ...

As I’ve been combing the streets of Paris I’ve been keeping all my senses at attention, as every good writer should.  Except, there's one missing… touch.  It’s interesting as I evaluate my experiences I realize I’m very good at seeing, smelling, tasting and hearing but I always forget to include the tactile experience (unless I come across an animal that needs patting).  I guess that’s a good thing in the city I am currently exploring since everywhere we go (I’m referring to the dozens of museums we’ve visited) there are signs that say “Ne Touchez Pas!”  It’s okay, really, since the sites , sounds and smells of Paris are spectacular enough.   Fresco on the ceiling in Opera Garnier...not sure who the artist is Absorbing Aromas and Art Yesterday, I commented to my mother-in-law, with whom I’m traveling, that we’ve savored crepes in the gardens at Versailles, sipped wine on the Left Bank and swilled beer in a pub on the Grand Boulevard...

During a recent visit to my hometown, Halifax, Nova Scotia, I stumbled upon an amazing opportunity to learn more about the book publishing process.  As I was sitting around the kitchen table with my mom, having coffee and perusing the Chronicle Herald (the local paper), I spied a notice about an event that was coming up the following weekend called, "Pitch the Publisher" which was part of The Word on the Street Festival , a day long literary event that's held every year.  It was a call for all aspiring authors to bring their manuscripts, ideas or proposals and test them out on an actual panel of local publishers (yes, I am working on a book about living in Dubai and it's to the point where I'm developing my proposal and researching agents and publishers).  I decided it was too great an opportunity to pass up and called right away to find out how to get on the list.  Alas, the schedule was full but I was put on a waiting list and reassured that the previous year t...