In the spring of 2020, the world was flipped upside down. We never saw it coming. We never could have guessed a virus would alter our lives in the worst kind of story - one without a hero to swoop in and save us from our fate. The change in our world upset our circadian … Continue reading The Year of Pandemic Writing
Author: J.G. Chayko
J.G. Chayko is a writer, actress and international arthritis advocate living on the beautiful west coast of British Columbia. She has published poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction. She is the author of the blogs The Old Lady in My Bones, based on her experience living with Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Corkboards and Coffeehouses, essays on her writing life. Her work has been featured in Canadian Stories, Arthritis Digest UK, Health Central, and Pain Free Living Magazine. She is a contributing writer to the book “Real Life Diaries: Living with Rheumatic Disease”. She is a graduate of the Writer's Studio and is working on her first novel.
Poetry: Breathing New Life
I was a poet once, or at least I wrote poems. I sent them to my grandmother in thank-you cards, I scribbled them in my diary, I wrote them in notebooks to exorcise my adolescent feelings. I wrote poetry to heal, to discover beauty, but mostly I liked to play with words and see what … Continue reading Poetry: Breathing New Life
A Virtual Reading
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lf-1W2SBuc I’ve been self-isolating now, as most of us have, for about three weeks. I’m fortunate to be able to work at home and have a beautiful little patio so I don’t feel so boxed into the city apartment my fiancé and I share. I am finding happiness in little things, staying busy, developing my … Continue reading A Virtual Reading
The New Balance
Writers are known for self-isolation. We have carved out a space in our homes tailored especially for our creative work. Most writers have day jobs in another place and can usually leave the day job behind when they come home, separating it from their creative space. In March 2020 the Covid 19 pandemic shut down … Continue reading The New Balance
The Book Launch: Emerge 19
I’ve been away from the desk for a few weeks, first taking a well-deserved break after a long rewarding year with The Writer’s Studio, and then battling a nasty virus in the first couple weeks of 2020 - but now I’m ready to get back to work. I checked my social media and my email … Continue reading The Book Launch: Emerge 19
Nightmares Writers Have
“It’s not good enough” … “No one will read it…” “No one will like it…” “I’m not a real writer…” “Someone walked out in the middle of my reading…” “I got a bad review” … These are the nightmares writers have - the haunting doubts that wake us in the middle of the night, questioning … Continue reading Nightmares Writers Have
Break Your Chains: Write Everywhere
Summer has finally arrived on the west coast - after a stormy beginning, the cool overcast mornings have given way to clear skies and sultry twilights. It’s a time to sit back and breathe, maybe take some vacation time, and slow down from the rush of work and school. After six months of surviving workshops, … Continue reading Break Your Chains: Write Everywhere
Giving Your Voice to Your Words
The first time reading your work in front of an audience can be both exciting and terrifying. It’s exciting because we get to share our work; it’s terrifying because we are exposing our heart and soul and opening ourselves up to criticism. Writers are not the most social creatures. We spend the better part of … Continue reading Giving Your Voice to Your Words
A Good Place to Start: Writing and the Internet
“The internet is a dark road to infinity potholed with links” - Rex Pickett, Sideways I read this quote in Rex Pickett’s novel Sideways and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Aside from the fact that it’s a brilliant metaphor, it made me stop and think about technology today - technology and its … Continue reading A Good Place to Start: Writing and the Internet
The Writer’s Studio
It took three months, an essay, an application, a resume and 20 pages of my own work, published or not, finished or unfinished, and works in progress. A month after the deadline, I got the email I hoped for: “I am very pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into The Writer's Studio Vancouver at Simon Fraser … Continue reading The Writer’s Studio
