Lisa Young

In this  Hollywood , art is all "lies, connivance and darkness."   Kindle Edition (Biblioasis, 2016) Scrolling through the books on Biblioasis'  website ,  The Camera Always Lies , a novel by Hugh Hood, caught my eye. It's described as a story about " Hollywood politics and one woman’s struggle to survive them." I was intrigued, not only by the promise of an insider's view, but to boot, the main character is a woman. Sold. (Not to mention Hugh Hood's bio, which in itself is impressive.) I read the novel over two evenings and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Set in 1966-67, this is a very dark look at  Hollywood  filmmaking. Love and Art are all but extinguished in this Holly-land. The greed, lust and misogyny are palpable. Hugh Hood strikes the right balance by injecting humour into the mix. Even the truly "bad guys" are funny. And the overall statement Hood is making about art versus commercialism/careerism elevates ...

Everyone has a different writing process. Over time, of course, some methods grow stale and new "systems" take over. Poetry I like to write first drafts of poems in the company of other poets. We read our favourite poems and then dive in and write for 45 minutes or so, and then we share what we've written. It also helps that these writing sessions take place early in the morning, before the inner critic is awake. I usually write whatever I feel attracted to write about...and I don't worry too much about the result. That comes later when I transcribe what I've written and have a look to see what material I have. Sometimes the very things that I thought were working during the writing process are flat, while other bits and pieces that I wrote that I thought weren't working become the actual material that seems to have some energy in it. In terms of editing, sometimes it doesn't work to just keep moving the original words around. I have to basicall...

Bookmark Flowers I haven't had a staycation for 9 years. A whole week at home to write was just something I hadn't been able to organize...too many other demands on my "holiday" time. But this year, it finally happened! I am at home writing a chapter a day for a novel I'm working on. What a wonderful schedule. Three meals, some chores and some writing. How great is that? Sitting on my back deck yesterday, I realized that I've turned into the kind of person I used to envy. I'd hear about writers staying up all night, eating donuts, drinking Red Bull and writing their novel and I'd think, I WISH I was writing a novel. Now I finally am. I finally know what it feels like. Except there's no Red Bull, just iced coffee, and no donuts, just the occasional nectarine. After writing a chapter, I've basically filled my quota. That leaves a lot of downtime to fill for the rest of the day, even if I do have a few errands to run etc. Suddenly, I have ...