A few of my non-fiction kid’s books with Weigl Educational Publishers are out as of late this summer. Check them out:
The first of the batch...
Not in my backyard, but maybe in yours?
Captivating subject... really!
A bright subject!
“You can’t wait for inspiration.
You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London
I played hooky from writing for a couple of days to head into the backcountry with my trail crew girl – and what a blast!
Too much fun! (Photo: M.Kopp)
We hiked and talked and climbed and talked and worked (okay… all I had to do was belay her while she cleaned the backcountry cabin chimney, but I did carry the rope, harness, caribiners and climbing shoes!).
After the chimney we strolled up to the camping area, I watched as she cleaned the outhouse, checked the bear bins for stashes of garbage left by lazy hikers, and removed a couple of random firepits. She wouldn’t let me lift a finger.
We sat up at the lake and enjoyed the glow of evening light before heading back to the cabin, where she filled out the cabin log and I started jotting down a few blog/article ideas. Two pages later, I was done.
Playing hooky is positively inspiring!
I love getting presents!
Latest Capstone book arrived yesterday, in a small box tucked neatly in between the screen and front door. There’s something akin to Christmas when you unpack a plain cardboard box labelled author complimentary copies – it never grows old.
Latest book! (Photo: M.Kopp)
And that’s one of my favourite things about being a freelancer in general – the work never grows old. One day I’m writing a travel piece about Italy, the next I’m working on an outdoor blog post, the following I’m off on a sea kayaking trip building up new story ideas.
Life – as a freelance writer – is pretty sweet!
“Never tell me the sky’s the limit,
When there are footprints on the moon.”
– Unknown
Summer’s charging ahead with very little time for writing beyond the Brooks-Range blog – but that’s as it should be, all play and little work in this short period of warmth. Flowers blooming, sun shining, insects buzzing, feet moving, bears roaming – all sounds good to me. Yup, even the bears.
Enjoying the open alpine of Yoho’s Kindersley Pass. (Photo: M.Kopp)
Hiked Kindersley Pass in Yoho National Park this past week and met a grizzly bear on the way. It appeared disinterested in us as we backed off and peered around the trunk of a large tree. Quietly it moved off the trail, ghosting into the woods before our eyes.
Safety off the bear spray, canister in hand, we yelled our approach for the next kilometer or so, kept eyes open for any movement in the trees and heaved a big sigh of relief when we reached the alpine – open – slopes of the pass. Most memorable piece of wooded trail I’ve hiked in a long time.
My mind started racing with a couple of article ideas as we walked. See that’s the great thing about not working, stories can unfold even as you are out enjoying life.
What stories are you experiencing this summer?
“If one advances confidently in the directions of his dreams,
And endeavours to live a life which he has imagined,
He will meet a success unexpected in common hours.”
– Henry David Thoreau
“The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamouring to become visible.“- Vladimir Nabakov
I showed a friend some travel pics a while ago and he asked, “Why aren’t these, and stories of your adventures, on your blog?”
Cinque Terre’s Blue Path at sunset, Italy. (Photo: Megan Kopp)
Good question.
I guess it’s safe to say, I’ve been busy. It may be true, but it’s probably a bit of a cheat.
Lazy? Perhaps a little.
Unfocused? Yup.
Unsure if maintaining this blog was really necessary? Definitely.
I’ve recently come to the realization that promoting yourself is not only necessary, it’s rather critical for a freelance writer. Letting people know who you are and your specialties is important – especially if one your niches is something like enjoying the outdoors through self-powered travel. It can be a somewhat small market for a writer.
That being said, here goes a toot or two – and no, you don’t need to stand back from the monitor!
What did you like about the course?
What changes would you like to have made that would improve the course?
Other Comments:
I may be blushing, but I’m also focused, knowing that what I say can have an impact and that what I write can be useful to others.
What about you, do you think it’s important for your writing and work to have an impact?
“Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I will not forget you.”
– William Arthur Ward
It feels like school all over again. When one steps away from the familiar and into the unknown, learning is a given. Over the past year and a bit I’ve joined the Facebook fray, started several Twitter accounts, built a blog, and started learning how to promote my online presence. Not bad for a self-confessed techno-phobe. But I didn’t do it alone; I had great help.
When I posted on a question on a freelance forum about how to promote a new blog, I certainly wasn’t expecting this encouraging and pertinent response:
You can share links on Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit, Yahoo! Buzz, Google Buzz, Netvibes, Sphinn, Delicious, etc. Adding the blog to Technorati can help.
I try to post links to Twitter and Facebook using bit.ly so I can see how many clicks the post has received, as directly related to my tweets and status updates.
…
Thanks Ron Doyle. Gotta go now, I have to study up on and Digg and Redditt and ohhh… my head is starting to Buzz!
There are days as a freelancer, where it’s nothing but an uphill slog in a whiteout.
And then there are days when the snow lifts, the sun breaks free and snow-draped evergreens punctuate picture-perfect powder. Today’s one of those days – just saw the covers for two of my latest Capstone kid’s books.
I feel like a kid catching Santa before he scoots up the chimney. It didn’t matter that I knew these projects were in the works. It didn’t help that I’ve received a paycheque already. But when I saw the pictures of the covers, it was like the sun breaking out and everything looks beautiful – and I don’t even really like snakes.
Coming out soon!
Spring 2011 from Capstone
May the sun come out for you today – and magically turn snakes into sunshine!
“It never rains, but it pours!”
That saying has never been more true. Since September, I’ve completed four magazine articles and five work-for-hire, non-fiction children’s books. I’m in the process of finishing up a sixth book due December 24th.
In November, B-R Dispatch went live. Last week it morphed into five days a week of outdoor-related posts. Also in November, I prepped for and taught my bi-annual travel writing course at Mount Royal University in Calgary.
Among all of this, I took an eye-opening four-day trip along Alberta’s Cowboy Trail and headed to the southern States for five weeks of hiking and exploration. Loaded with article ideas, I’ve been steadily plugging away sending out queries to potential markets.
So, if you’re wondering why I haven’t been posting as often as I’d like on this site, there are my excuses!
Have computer, will travel.
Finished up edits on my latest kid’s book in between hikes through Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, and BLM lands outside of Colorado National Monument. Life is good!
A walk up to Montana's oldest guest ranch just outside Yellowstone.
Glorious Grand Teton
Hiking to Rattlesnake Arches Canyon, Co