Newman is a storyman: author of Fey Girl and All Night by the Rose, in addition to being an eclectic blogger on his website www.voxnewman.com. Publishers and agents think that your work is a subjective experience, which is a fair assessment. They also think that way about your query letter. Not so sure that’s the…
Ten Things I've Learned
Guestpost #56: Tiersa Buckley – Ten things I’ve learned from utilizing online dating sites
Tiersa is the owner and writer for datingsite.org where they post articles, tips and features humurous and quirky stories about dating. I don’t know Tiersa personally, but because I find online dating intriguing, funny, and confusing, I wanted to feature this guestpost. So here it is: Your potential matches always include a Tom, Dick or…
Ten things I've learned from hosting stuffed animal parades with my sister as a child
Stuffed animals love being in parades. Many stuffed animals are named after the type of animal that they are. For instance: “bear” “owl” “big mouse” “fluffy bunny”. Other animals are named “Mr. Soldier” or “Sally”. The parades we held always had a trio of bad guys trying to stop the parades from happening. Those bad…
Ten things I've learned from being neurotic
I always need to “check in” with people when I get “weird vibes”. Are things ok? Are we cool? The thing is, my instincts are often right. Worrying leads to more worrying. No matter how many times I go back to check if I packed everything, I still always forget something. It’s amazing how deeply…
Ten things I will do on my vacation next week
Note: I am on a vacation next week, in the wilds of Ontario. Please excuse the unusual formatting of this list, but I have yet to learn anything from the trip. Maybe when I get back, my experience will necessitate an additional post. Canoe Kayak Drink beer Sit on a dock Swim in a lake…
Guestpost #55: Mr. Who-ver – Ten things I’ve learned from being a custodial single father
I’m Jason, and I’ve been raising my kids by myself for going on two years now. In these past two years I’ve learned a little, and I’ve learned a lot. I started a blog about my experience a month and a half ago, mrwhover.wordpress.com. The point of this blog is to help other single parents…
Ten things I've learned from meddling in other people's relationships
Don’t. Seriously…if at all possible, don’t. The problem is, the thing people most like to talk about to their friends is their relationship. So it’s tricky. Here’s a good response when asked what you think about somebody’s romantic partner: “she/he seems cool, but I don’t know her/him very well, so it’s hard to say.” Here’s…
Ten things I've learned from running sound for my dad's jazz band
Everybody wants something different, which makes it impossible to keep everybody happy. With live sound, it’s not always a question of volume. You can often do more to highlight and clarify an instrument or vocals with EQ than with volume. You can have perfect levels, but once the musicians start playing and singing, they are…
Ten things I've learned from singing karaoke
Make sure that the song title is “Ignition (remix)”. Ignition is a different song. Know at least most of the lyrics. It might be cute and funny for you, but it’s brutal to watch somebody standing and giggling for 4 minutes because they chose a song they do not know at all. “Just a Friend”…
Guestpost #54: thenakedlistener – Ten things I've learned from clubbing in Hong Kong
I stumbled on The Naked Listener’s blog recently, and it’s great: http://thenakedlistener.wordpress.com This is The Naked Listener’s bio. Note: I USE THE WORD ’clubbing’ as in clubbing + the act of going to gigs + a night out. It isn’t right, but then again, most things aren’t in this town. Clubbing in Hong Kong is way, way more…
Ten things I've learned from misreading social cues
If you are talking to somebody who is looking around the entire conversation, they are probably eager to escape that conversation. Girls who are interested in you, act interested in you. Status exists in every social circle. There are “cool” nerds, and there are “loser” jocks. We create our own hierarchies. Sometimes, it’s way funnier…
Ten things I’ve learned from wearing contact lenses
Poking your eye gets less gross over time…but it’s still always a bit gross. At some point in time, there was a revolution in the contact lens solution world, and the tyranny of rubbing was overthrown. Since then, it is heresy to even think of rubbing your lenses. The king is dead, long live the…
Ten things I've learned from my mom (repost)
In honour of Mother’s Day: http://wp.me/p1dBHZ-2q Thanks mom!
Ten things I've learned from watching Nigerian (Nollywood) movies
Note: Nollywood is the second-largest film industry in the world. Bigger than Hollywood (at least in terms of volume of movies, if not gross revenue). Movie titles are great places to give potential viewers a heads up on what they are about to see. If the movie is about love, for instance, how about “Feelings”,…
Ten things I’ve learned from taking showers
I used to hate showering when I was young. I think it’s because my parents used to run the shower at a really high temperature when I was sick, and force me to sit in the bathroom and breathe in the steam. Showering with another person is like being in a clown car. Somehow it…
Ten things I've learned from the 2011 Canadian election
Note: my very smart friend Sean challenges me in the comments below, and makes some excellent points. Toronto’s last municipal election where we elected Rob Ford is an excellent example of the cult of personality and the power of the suburban vote. Thanks Sean. Canada has become a polarized nation, like never before. I feel…