Maybe I’m listening to Slayer. You should, too. It really helps to get a project done. I also love horror movies, watching Arsenal (which can be sort of like a horror movie) and spending time with my family. I spend time as a volunteer coaching basketball and baseball.
I used to edit the Edmonton urban paper, Vue Weekly. I also used to write for the Sun Media chain and spent time in Toronto as the soccer columnist. There was also a time I edited Zone, the Edmonton Oilers’ magazine. Writing is what I do, because I am not handy.
I know there’s a lot of sports in there, but I didn’t start off that way. In fact, I thought I would do anything BUT write about sports. After I graduated from Ryerson University in Toronto, I moved west so I could started off writing at small-town Alberta papers. I didn’t even stay long enough to attend the convocation.
After I got to Alberta, I’d head to Edmonton on my days off so I could follow the passion that had been sparked when I was in university — writing about bands. Staying out all night. Going backstage. Then, Vue offered me the chance to edit an urban weekly, back in a time when urban weeklies were the coolest thing in the world. It was awesome. It was through a series of happy coincidences that I sort of fell into sports, and I approach it the same way I did the rock and roll biz. I love the larger-than-life-ness of it all. But, as you’ll see, I’ve written about a wide variety of topics. Jack of all trades, master of none, right?
Want me to visit your school to talk about writing, character building, plotting? I do that. Find out more at http://www.yabs.ab.ca/artistprofile.php?id=107
