Uncle Travelling Matt is travelling again. We're off this week to drive down to Vancouver (with a stop-off in Kelowna to visit the in-laws) before catching a flight over the water to England. It's Finlay's first big trip so it will be an interesting adventure. There is some nice synchronicity with this trip in that Fin will be around eight-months-old, the same age Amelia was when we first took her over to meet the family. Life on the road, as usual, will be complicated and not only because we're travelling with two kids, a baby and a toddler; my time will be constrained by a need to spend several hours each week on coursework for the instructor's program I'm enrolled in. Busy, busy, busy.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Three Days of Literary Madness
I did it. I wrote a novel in three days. It was savagely wonderful. With some sponsorship, I managed to rent a room in a local BnB and lock myself away from household chores and the demands and distractions (both good and bad) of kids. I was afraid I'd stall out in the middle, but something about the deadline spurred me on, exactly what I'd hoped for. Ironically, the novel came in at only 31,000 words, but checking in with fellow writers, I've found that that's quite normal for a 3-day novel. Whew! I won't find out until January if the impossible has happened and I've actually won the contest. Not likely, but then, that's not really the point. Until then, I think I'll leave the book alone.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
3 Day Novel
It's official - I'm entering the infamous 3-Day Novel Contest. Over the Labour Day weekend, September 5-7, I will be holed up somewhere in Prince Rupert, consuming vast quantities of coffee and writing madly. I suppose in a way I'm doing it because it's the ultimate motivation to finally finish a novel. Twice I've stalled at around 30,000 words, or about half way. This, I hope, will be the catalyst to produce a complete work.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Cover Shot
The article about my autumn escapades up in the Rockies has just been published in Cottage Magazine. They chose my photo of the Alpine Club hut for the cover, which was a nice bonus. Cottage did a fantastic job with the layout and I'm hoping I get the chance to work with them again soon. Check out the article online at backcountry cabins or, better yet, go out and buy a copy of the magazine!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Renovation and Relaxation
The Rupert house reno is nearly finished - or at least as finished as it's going to be before the baby arrives - and, for the first time since December 20 or thereabouts, I'm sitting at an actual desk to work. Bliss. I even have my record player and some records here, an indulgence that gives me much pleasure. We live on Jamaica Avenue, so I've tried to increase my reggae intake as much as possible.
Since my last post, I've barely written a word, my hands instead being used for construction and as a result, they're thoroughly battered and calloused. But I did sneak in a couple of articles, writing with the laptop on my lap amidst a chaos of power tools, half-demolished walls and drywall dust: one for a publication called Northword about Shames Mountain, the closest ski hill to Prince Rupert, and a couple for Monday Mag in Victoria. Check them out in my archive.
Since my last post, I've barely written a word, my hands instead being used for construction and as a result, they're thoroughly battered and calloused. But I did sneak in a couple of articles, writing with the laptop on my lap amidst a chaos of power tools, half-demolished walls and drywall dust: one for a publication called Northword about Shames Mountain, the closest ski hill to Prince Rupert, and a couple for Monday Mag in Victoria. Check them out in my archive.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Neglect
Well, I've done it again, I've neglected the news. It's almost December now, which is clearly completely insane, and I've already written and had published the Monday Mag annual Christmas guide. We're making xmas cards, thinking up present ideas, even going so far as going shopping for supplies. Ugh. And this year, we've got much more on our plate - the move to the North. But that's now, and what about then? I never posted a story or pictures from an interlude adventure I managed to sneak in at the end of the hiking season.
In September, I went out to the Rockies - I allude to this trip briefly below - to write an article about one of the Alpine Club's backcountry huts. The article is slated for May publication in Cottage Magazine. My friend Dave joined me for this one. He drove out to meet me in Kelowna, and we continued on together. We stayed in Yoho the first night, camping, and of course the temperature dipped below zero. I lost my voice to a vicious cold I picked up a couple days previous. Fun. That night we talked - or rather, Dave talked, I whispered - to a group on their final night of a Rockies tour. Funnily enough, Gayle Robinson, owner-operator of Robinson's, a popular outdoors shop in Victoria, was on the tour. I stayed up chatting with the tour guide, Tim, until late. In the morning, we packed up and drove to the Marble Canyon trailhead. Amid the tourists, we set off, soon leaving them behind for the stillness of the valley, which was razed by forest fires in 2003. Blue skies kept us warm, as did the exertion. The trail follows Tokumm Creek for about 10 km, until it leads sharply up a gully to the hut. The last 2 km are, as Tim put it to me the night before, burly. We meet a moose by the creek, which is cool, but no grizzlies, which is a relief. I can't do bear calls because of my voice, so Dave has double-duty. The hut, when we finally drag ourselves up to it, is amazing and luxurious. And the stars, when they come out, are startling and intense. We sip scotch and play cards by a fire and sit outside watching the sky for hours.
The article will have more on the hut and the trip, but it was one of those amazing, quick, perfect little adventures. I want to go back and explore the area more - the hut was originally built as access to the Ten Peaks, the easy way up. Suits me.
Check out the pictures from this trip here: Fay Hut
In September, I went out to the Rockies - I allude to this trip briefly below - to write an article about one of the Alpine Club's backcountry huts. The article is slated for May publication in Cottage Magazine. My friend Dave joined me for this one. He drove out to meet me in Kelowna, and we continued on together. We stayed in Yoho the first night, camping, and of course the temperature dipped below zero. I lost my voice to a vicious cold I picked up a couple days previous. Fun. That night we talked - or rather, Dave talked, I whispered - to a group on their final night of a Rockies tour. Funnily enough, Gayle Robinson, owner-operator of Robinson's, a popular outdoors shop in Victoria, was on the tour. I stayed up chatting with the tour guide, Tim, until late. In the morning, we packed up and drove to the Marble Canyon trailhead. Amid the tourists, we set off, soon leaving them behind for the stillness of the valley, which was razed by forest fires in 2003. Blue skies kept us warm, as did the exertion. The trail follows Tokumm Creek for about 10 km, until it leads sharply up a gully to the hut. The last 2 km are, as Tim put it to me the night before, burly. We meet a moose by the creek, which is cool, but no grizzlies, which is a relief. I can't do bear calls because of my voice, so Dave has double-duty. The hut, when we finally drag ourselves up to it, is amazing and luxurious. And the stars, when they come out, are startling and intense. We sip scotch and play cards by a fire and sit outside watching the sky for hours.
The article will have more on the hut and the trip, but it was one of those amazing, quick, perfect little adventures. I want to go back and explore the area more - the hut was originally built as access to the Ten Peaks, the easy way up. Suits me.
Check out the pictures from this trip here: Fay Hut
Monday, October 27, 2008
Editorial Review
I occasionally self-indulge and google my name to see what comes up, just for fun really. Partly, I like to keep tabs on those people out there who share my name (the Matt Simmons Project, forthcoming), and partly I like to see if anything other than my website comes up. Usually not.
Not too long ago, however, I was suprised to find that I've been quoted! I wrote a review of a kayaking guide and Amazon's page for the book quotes from my article. Fun. Check it out here.
I guess someday I'll get used to this kind of thing; I'll consider it blase no doubt. But for now, the novelty's fresh and exciting, and I still get a kick out of it. Jo once said to me, "I wonder if all famous writers used to get excited about their early writing?" Maybe it's just me... Whichever it is, I don't care, I'm having fun.
Not too long ago, however, I was suprised to find that I've been quoted! I wrote a review of a kayaking guide and Amazon's page for the book quotes from my article. Fun. Check it out here.
I guess someday I'll get used to this kind of thing; I'll consider it blase no doubt. But for now, the novelty's fresh and exciting, and I still get a kick out of it. Jo once said to me, "I wonder if all famous writers used to get excited about their early writing?" Maybe it's just me... Whichever it is, I don't care, I'm having fun.
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