(Feb. 14) About faith

A time for faith

Now is the time in the writing process when I need to hold on to my initial vision and have faith that all the pieces will soon fall into place.

This photo, taken yesterday on Queen East on my way home, illustrates perfectly my current state of mind: 

There's light at the end of the tunnel but exterior influences are not pointing in that direction!

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The making of a Toronto walking guide

Walking Dead promo at Union Station

High five to a good Twitter campaign 

By chance, I came across two giant hands (2-meter high zombie hands) in the middle of an empty Union Station on February 5. It was the first day of a countdown promo created by Leo Burnett agency for AMC's Walking Dead, resuming on Sunday February 10th.

As I was taking pictures, a security guard offered to take my photo by the hands. "You could tweet it and have a chance to win a finger!" he explains to me. 

On the floor by the right hand lie five ugly zombie fingers. I'm thinking: "Yeah.... no. One of these things entering my house? Over my dead body!" But I can understand the appeal. My husband and daughter are big fans of the series. (He even gave me Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for Christmas, you get the gist...)

So people were encouraged to tweet their photo with the ashtag #TWDFEB10 to enter the raffle. Every day, one more finger fell of the left hand.

When I returned on February 9th, there was indeed only one finger attached to the hand. (The artist who created this prop would come at 9 p.m. every night and carefully cut a finger so it would look "realistic".) Some people showed up dressed in "zombie attire". There was always someone having his or her picture done.

By the evening of February 9th, when I googled their ashtag, it was featured in over 4,000 links. On Twitter, I could see that between 150 to 340 tweets were sent every day.

Since @TheWalkingFans (Walking Dead fan's account on Twitter) and @WalkingDead_AMC (the Twitter account for the series) were both participants in the Twitter conversations, it gave exposure to the fan's  Facebook page and the series' website (both linked on their Twitter profile page).

I'd say it was a pretty successful campaign!
I wonder who got the hands?

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(Feb. 12) Last minute changes

Do you think she'll still want to work with me?

The quickest way for me to pass on info about addition of names on the maps is to scribble over a photocopy of them, take a photo with my iphone and email it to my illustrator with the details.  

Not the most elegant method, I agree...

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(Feb. 12) Last chance to improve on the maps!

About the maps

Oops! My illustrator Johanne Pepin just emailed me these pictures of her colouring the maps.

Now is my last chance to give her additional street names to add to the maps before she handwrites them on the originals (an aesthetic choice, but we're scanning the originals before, just in case).

Mental note: double check with Johanne that we ARE indeed scanning the originals before she writes on them!!!

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(Feb. 10) Creating a book cover

About the creation of a book cover

A few weeks ago, I sent my illustrator Johanne Pepin a DVD filled with photos of places I've visited for Toronto Urban Strolls 2.

She sat on it, thought about it while finishing other contracts and this week, was ready to send me a first rough draft. 

Now, we're engaging in a fun back and forth dialog to achieve the best result, using her eye to create a balanced composition and my knowledge of what would most appeal to my readers.

Getting there!

Orange was the colour popping out on the cover of the first Toronto Urban Strolls. This time, we're going for a shocking pink. The goal here is to make sure buyers won't confuse Toronto Urban Strolls 1 (28 walks) with Toronto Urban Strolls 2 (with 24 additional walks).

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(Feb. 05) Tips about working in cafés The Making of a guide

Working in cafés

A friend of mine who knows I prefer to work in cafés just sent to me this article which explains well the benefits I get from working in cafés. Why you should work from a coffee shop, even when you have an office by Wesley Verhoeve, Jan 25, 2013 on website fastcompany.com.

I agree with everything Wesley says in her article! I'd add the following tips:
• Don't monopolize a table for four!
• Don't spread all over a table. (Be ready to share the space with someone if they ask. When they do, my experience is they never stay long.)
• Make sure the staff sees you leave a tip. When they're really busy, they might not notice. You don't want to risk passing for a big leech!

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(Feb. 3) Knowing when it's good enough

About letting go
Over the years, I've learned one thing a writer needs to develop, the ability to know when to let go. A book, an article, a blog could always be better, but there's also such a thing as dead-lines! 

Yesterday, I went on Ossington Avenue to double-check some info and try one last restaurant before wrapping up my Ossington Effervescent Vibe Stroll... and I came across a graffiti alley which I had totally missed! (It's in the lane just west of Ossington, north of Queen Street West.)

It was so impressive I decided to redo my circuit to include it. When this happens, I can't help to think about all the other great spots I must be missing. It drives me nuts, until I remember the above mentioned lesson. (Note to ego: we're not writing a novel here!)

What about the last restaurant I tried? 
Tiny Hawker Bar (164 Ossington, next to laid-back Ideal Coffee), the one with the funny sign reading: Prove that you love me and buy the next round. I tasted their intriguing Son-in-law eggs. Delish!!! They're soft-boiled, then fried and laid on a special marmalade. (Love my job!)

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