Sidura Ludwig

It seems that whenever I set blogging goals for myself, I end up running away from my blog screaming. So yes, I am still reading locally (loved Jian Ghomeshi’s 1982. Am now rereading Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens in preparation for a book talk in April. Haven’t decided what my next book will be. Ideas?). I had grandiose plans of blogging my local reading journey. Not to point out the obvious, but that hasn’t happened!

In the meantime, fellow writer, Sandi Krawchenko Altner, tagged me in a post called The Next Big Blog Hop. Writers are asked to answer a few questions about their current work and then tag others writers whose work they enjoy. Thank you, Sandi, for including me! Here’s my stab at the hop

What is the title of your book and what is it about?

Yikes! I’m already stuck at question #1! I’m currently working in a first draft of a novel about a 70-ish-year-old man, Isaac, who is brought back to live in Toronto by his younger sister, after suffering a nervous breakdown in LA. He is convinced he is receiving text messages from his mother, who died when he was two. Isaac has not been back to Toronto, where he grew up, since he left at 18. After living all over the world, he finds himself smack dab in the very community from which he had been running away, living in a basement apartment in Thornhill, a suburban Jewish area just north of the city. Through wandering the neighbourhood, he develops an unusual support group – including a 95-year-old kosher Meals-on-Wheels recipient, a cellphone kiosk employee, and a mysterious 6-year-old girl who is always on her own. Ultimately, this story is about brothers and sisters, reluctant love and finding personal peace in unusual places and circumstances. I don’t have a title for it yet. Maybe as a working title, I’ll call it Walking With Isaac.

 Where did the idea come from?

My husband’s uncle moved to Toronto to be with family after living all over the world. I am inspired by his stories – his adventures abroad, but more so, his interactions with people here as he builds a life for himself in a place I don’t think he ever imagined he would live. This book started with a short story I wrote called, “The Flag,” which was based on a story he told me. The main character (who I called Irving, but I now know is Isaac) gets incensed when he spots a school flying the Canadian and Israeli flags on one pole. He takes it upon himself to do something about this blatant violation of international law. People who care about things the rest of us would just overlook make for fantastic characters.

What genre does your book fall under?

Plain old fiction.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

It’s too early for me to know. Isaac would probably be played by someone like Dustin Hoffman or Paul Giamatti.

Is your book self-published or represented by an agency?

Right now, neither. I am not currently represented by an agent, although I am looking. I would prefer not to self-publish. As noted before, I’m awful at self-promotion (I can’t even keep up my own blog!!), and I believe you need to be a skilled marketer to make it as a self-published writer. More to the point, I value the process of working with an editor to complete a manuscript. My first book, Holding My Breath, would not be the book it is today were it not for the great guidance I got from my editor, Janie Yoon.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?


Again, it’s too early for me to tell. And I don’t want to think too much about similar books while I’m in the early stages of writing this one.

 Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I usually start my creative journey with an image and a question. In this case, it was Isaac, walking the streets of Thornhill alone, and me wondering what’s his story?

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

What’s wonderful about working on a first draft, is that you never know what’s around the corner. Right now, Isaac is on a TTC bus on Rosh Hashana in early September and he’s bumped into the 6-year-old. I know they’re going to go somewhere, and I know that when I get back into that scene and I open the door to where they’re going, their journey could lead me anywhere.

Some writers I recommend:

Lori Lansens

 Jian Ghomeshi (and I’m pleased to see another writer whose web address is his/her first name!)

Terry Fallis

Annie Murray

I started Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis the other night. Loving it so far. Thanks to the description of the infidelity scene in the prologue, I will never look at parliamentary language the same way again.

But as I suspected, I am also loving it for reconnecting me to Ottawa, where I lived for two years between 1999 and 2001. I was a journalism student at the time, engaged and then newly married. I lived in two different apartments, both a stone’s throw away from Parliament. I am retracing my steps with every page.

This is one of the reasons I want to read locally this year – so that I can connect to the diverse region in which I live and write. I’ve come up with a “Top 5” list for why to read locally (not that I’m trying to persuade you…).

1. Learn about places in your own backyard.

Good writing can make me feel like I am immersed in a setting, even if it was previously unfamiliar to me. Sometimes that’s what drives me to read novels set in far off places like India or South Africa. That’s also part of the thrill I get sharing Harry Potter with my seven-year-old and marveling at how real J.K. Rowling’s imaginary world can be.

But then there’s the thrill of discovering a place that’s close to home. For example, I loved Lori Lansen’s Rush Home Road, the setting of which is based on her childhood hometown in southwestern Ontario. I’ll be re-reading Rush Home Road this year in preparation for a book talk. I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with Lansen’s world, and I like knowing that should I want to visit the area that inspired her, it’s doable in a day trip.

2. The thrill of seeing a setting you know or recognize in print

Growing up in Winnipeg, it was not often that I saw my hometown reflected between the covers of a book. I will never forget reading Carol Shields when I was a teenager and my excitement of recognizing my neighbourhood in her book Republic of Love. Winnipeg became not just a place where I lived – it was a place full of stories.

3. Support local writers

There are starving artists in your own backyard! Good local writing will not get published unless there is an audience for it. Often, it’s the small presses which publish local writers, giving many their start of their literary careers. Reading and buying the work of local writers enables small presses to publish other local writers.

4. Get connected to local writers

Local writers can be found at all kinds of literary events throughout the year. Many give book talks and are available for book group chats. Over the last five years I’ve been the special guest at many wonderful book group evenings, meeting engaged readers and having the pleasure of discussing the creative process with them. When I was a teenager, I went to any lit event I could find in Winnipeg – and there were many! I took every opportunity to meet people actually living the writing life. My own dreams seemed more attainable when I could meet others who had succeeded. Events with local writers are usually intimate affairs where you get a real opportunity to have one-on-one time with someone whose work you admire. And there is nothing like hearing a book excerpt read live in the author’s voice.

5. Be inspired by stories close to your heart and home

As a young writer, I often resisted the cliché “write what you know” for fear that what I knew was dull or uninteresting to a faceless reader. As a Jewish writer in North America, I began to expect that all good Jewish stories were somehow connected to either New York City or the Holocaust…. Reading books that took place in Winnipeg inspired me to value the stories I knew and wanted to tell. I could make Jewish Winnipeg come alive because other Winnipeg stories had come alive for me.

Right now I’m working on a book that largely takes place in Thornhill. I have not yet read a book that takes place in this neighbourhood. So, I’m adding Jian Ghomeshi’s memoir, 1982, to my Local Reader List, because I want to see how a fellow Thornhiller (and one who also wasn’t born here) handles this setting. And because it’s Jian Ghomeshi .

As an aside, this blogging thing is time consuming! I started this post on Thursday. It’s now Sunday evening and I’m just managing to get it up. Time, it seems, is disappearing for me, slipping away every day. And I have a novel I’m working on. And I want to be a dedicated Local Reader. But maybe that’s one other reason I’ve made this local reading pledge: my reading time is so precious, and I don’t want to waste it.

Next time, I’ll share my Local Reading wishlist with you. Any suggestions?

Signed,

Sidura Ludwig

The Local Reader

Time and time again I find myself in conversations about the demise of the Canadian publishing world. We are told that Amazon is singlehandedly killing off Canadian publishers by demanding low prices on books. Publishers don’t make money; Canadian writers don’t get exposure; more people end up reading 50 Shades of Grey, etc. Independent bookstores are closing; Indigo, Canada’s last retail book chain, has reduced its shelf space for books to make way for household items. It’s all bad news like a grey November day.

This week I received a letter informing me that Tindal Street Press, the independent UK publisher for Holding My Breath, has been bought by the London-based Profile Books. The Tindal Street name will remain as an imprint of Profile Books, through their Serpent’s Tail strand (still with me?), but will no longer exist in Birmingham, where it has operated for the last 14 years.

My book, Holding My Breath, came out less than six years ago. Over a two-year period, it was published by three separate houses: Key Porter Books, in Canada; Tindal Street Press, in the UK; and Shaye Areheart Books in the US. None of those publishers exists today. That’s how quickly the publishing world has changed.

All this got me thinking: I could very easily continue whining about the state of publishing in Canada. But whining is not going to help me write better fiction, nor is it going to increase the chances of my manuscripts getting published. I don’t like feeling powerless, and I don’t fancy sitting around waiting for the next Canadian publisher to close its doors.

So I’m making a pledge. For the next year, I pledge to read locally. I am becoming the Local Reader. You’ve heard of the Eat Local movement? Well, I’ve decided to feed my writing mind on a similar diet. For the next year, I pledge to only buy and read Ontario writers. I want my book money to feed the industry I rely on to feed me! But more importantly, I want to make a statement about my commitment to the preservation of Canadian literature and stories in Canadian culture.

Why limit myself to Ontario? It’s now where I call home. I’m currently working on a book that takes place in Thornhill. I’ve read and written a lot about Winnipeg, and I LOVE the Manitoba writing community, but it’s time for me to explore the literature in my own backyard. And I have a feeling I will not run out of writers to choose from (especially because I’m reading rather slowly these days… about 10 minutes a night before I fall asleep… thank you my three children).

Once a week I will blog about my local reading, whether it’s to promote a book, share upcoming local writing events I know of, or muse about the benefits of reading locally. I’m buzzing with ideas right now. I may have even found a reason to start using that Twitter account…

But here’s the catch: I don’t want to do it alone. Anyone care to join me? Which of you pledges to spend the year reading locally? Maybe you can’t commit to an exclusive year-long reading list, but perhaps commit to picking six books that take place in your region. And it doesn’t have to be fiction – whatever you enjoy. Just join me.

Tonight I’m starting The Best Laid Plans, by Terry Fallis. Stay tuned for my thoughts! What book will you start with?

In a recent Toronto Star article, two parents were quoted saying the following about children and reading:

“I think to be successful later in life in the field they choose to be in, (our kids) are going to need those skills. They’re going to need those skills to be basically happy people in society, to be well-rounded and to be able to think for themselves. The only thing you really own in this life is your mind,” said Stephen Palmer, 39, of Scarborough.

and

“It’s a very competitive world so (kids) have to be up to a high learning level of an early age so they can explore and expand other skills when they’re older. (Literacy) is a tool, it’s a very handy tool,” said Santiago Sanchez, 26.

As a writer and someone who has taught creative writing in schools, I shake my head. A love of reading is about teaching your kids the value of story telling. It’s about appreciating the written word as an art form, as well as a form of creative expression. It’s about giving kids the confidence to tell their own stories, so that they in turn feel valued and heard. It’s not about training to be successful in a competitive world. It is not simply a skill.

Kids will only learn to love reading when they are given the freedom to get lost in a story, and when they are exposed to parents and role models who give themselves that freedom. We will not succeed in producing life-long readers if they grow up believing literacy is a skill they can check off once they’ve mastered it.

My short story “The Flag” was recently published in Jewish Fiction.Net. Great publication (and not just because they accepted my piece!). Enjoy!

Thank you to Rebecca Ihilchik, from Friday Night Magazine, for this lovely interview. Shabbat Shalom to all!

I love meeting with book clubs. When you think about it, what a wonderful concept – people getting together to talk about books. Last night I met with a group of women at a home in the Bathurst Manor area of Toronto. They had invited me to come speak to their group about Holding My Breath. The host had even prepared a bundt cake a la Goldie. The women had wonderful questions, questions that really make me think about this book four years later. I cherish the opportunity to revisit the characters from Holding. It’s as if talking about them makes them come alive again for me.

Mostly, I’m honoured that after four years, there are still book groups that want to review my book and are interested in my story. So, if you’re in a book club and you’re interested in reading Holding My Breath, contact me. I’m more than happy to find the time to come speak.

I think I’ll start with the Kobo. You can now purchase Holding My Breath on Chapters/Indigo’s e-reader, Kobo. Click here to go to my listing on the Kobo website. In the next little while, I plan to get the book up on Kindle, iBook, etc. Happy shopping and happy e-reading!

In other electronic, literary news, I was asked to blog for the CBC’s Manitoba Scene, thanks to all of you and my book’s success on the Cross Canada Bookshelf. Have a look here at my post about writing what matters.

Lovely to have news to share, and readers to share it with! Shabbat shalom and happy weekend to all.

I sometimes feel I am two people. I am the writer/creator, and then the writer/entrepreneur. And I need to be both to sustain my writing life, but when I stay too long under one category, I begin to crave the other.

In new “entrepreneurial” news, York Region Writers (my series of writing classes) now has its own website! For details on my summer classes and to register online, visit http://www.yorkregionwriters.ca. And once again, a BIG thank you to Aviva Krygier, my extraordinary web designer.

The CBC Cross Country Bookshelf contest is official finished. Thank you all for your continued support. Holding My Breath finished in the Manitoba rankings with over 71% of the vote! I’ve been shipping copies of the book off to interested stores (because I’m now a book distributor too…). And it a week or two’s time it will be available on Kobo. It feels wonderful to know that so many people were touched by the story. I hope that it will continue to be read by many more (and that my next book gets picked up somewhere, and that I have the creative energy to write another one…).

And now back to the categories. I’ll admit, with planning my summer classes and organizing my websites, I haven’t done much new writing lately. And I’m craving it. That quiet space. That desire to throw the internet and all other distractions out the window and give myself a clear, blank, creative slate. There is something so liberating about not knowing what is coming next. I know it’s there. I just need to slow down to find it.

It’s been a very busy time! The CBC Cross Country Bookshelf has renewed interest in Holding My Breath, and I’ve been sending out plenty of books. I’m nearly finished converting it to ebook format and it will soon be available on Kobo (with other versions to follow). And, of course, I’m bugging everyone I know and their dog to vote (vote where, you ask? Have a look at this http://www.cbc.ca/books/crosscountrybookshelf/manitoba.html)

In the meantime, there are classes to run! I’m offering two Finding Your Voice classes this summer as taster sessions. Class one will be Thursday mornings from 10-11.30am (July 7, 14, 21, and 28th). Class two will be Tuesday evenings from 7.30-9pm (July 5, 12, 19, and 26th). You can sign up for individual classes or the series of four. Classes take place in Thornhill, ON. All classes are designed to spark your creativity and help you uncover the stories you want to tell. Contact me if you’d like to register or you have any questions. Be inspired this summer – and come and write!