Blog Dis
In Dublin's fair city 🍀
2026-03-17
The best writing advice I've ever received came from an editor who pointedly reminded me that to drink and blog is a big no-no. "Never drink and blog," he warned. "The next morning, if by chance, you happen to look over your post from the night before, you'll be shocked by what you've written."
Good advice.
I never write a post under the influence of anything, aside from coffee, and I don't write a new post and then happily fire it off. I allow my ideas to gestate, in order to reflect, before hitting the publish button. Even then, I'll review and yet, I'll still miss a typo that makes it to the final version. Now the power to edit in this space has been increased from the tight-a** one-hour limit, to more than two hours, providing you purchase a Premium account. This is a good thing, to my mind. I remind myself that 'X is Musk's social network after all, not mine. Whereas, Facebook allows you to edit long after the fact. So, in returning to the beginning of this post, to avoid blogging while imbibing, the best one liner where alcohol can muddy the waters is from a play I caught in the UK, where John Malkovich had declared on stage, "Drinking and thinking is worse than drinking and driving." [Some will argue this, when compared to drinking and driving; clearly the more serious and obvious failing].
Let us all agree that drinking isn't a crime, nor should it be, any more than are many other forms of indulgence. But when it comes to operating a vehicle, like a car, a bus, Uber, farm equipment, or other large vehicles like 20,000 ton rigs, where the public may be impacted, the avoidance of alcohol is wise. Vehicular homicide isn't a joke, any more than it is for a farmer to become trapped and entangled in their own equipment or to damage someone else.
Our temps in Ottawa plummeted to -14 last week. Yet, the Monday prior the temps rose to a high of 14 Celsius, rather than dip into the negative zone, and it was a pleasure to get out for a one-hour walk around the canal. If it were a Friday or Saturday, I'd follow-up with a cider, an ice-cold Corona or a vodka and juice, to invite company over for a salad and a bevvy. There's also a wonderful restaurant near my apartment, given that I live in centertown, and this particular eatery has been in operation for decades. Their pasta is generally spot on, and their selection of Italian reds is right up their too; it reminds me of the food I've tasted in Italy, which is above par, similar to this restaurant. With last week's sudden chilly weather, the temptation is ripe, I tell ya, to warm up with a good quality red.
When I travelled to Ireland, two separate occasions, I spent plenty of time visiting pubs in Dublin, Blarney, Kilkenny, Cork and Derry in Northern Ireland. Each time, the pub fare hit the spot, as did the fresh ale, which takes me back to the days when I was able to enjoy a frothy ale without it upsetting my tum-tum. Pity that my body can no longer digest bitter, dark ales, which were always my choice. To be in Ireland, and to sample their craft ales, brewed specifically by the pub and not sold wholesale elsewhere, is a treat that everyone should experience in their lifetime. In Ireland, many workers will step out for lunch in a pub, to be able to enjoy ale. My sister-in-law had the onerous responsibility of managing a team of employees, all of whom were based in Dublin, and it gave me a good laugh when she'd remark on the annual recognition of St. Patrick's Day, in Ireland, and how pointless it was to place expectations on her counselees, who were in full throttle mode, to enjoy the celebrations that went on for the entire week, not just one day but which began the weekend prior, the entire week, and the weekend afterward, to cap off the work week. This is a civilized approach, and a wonderful way to encourage socialization. I think they get in right in Ireland. Here, in Ottawa, however, we make a go of just the day on St. Patrick's day, spilling into the evening — a travesty, to be sure.
Regrettably, my editor hasn't visited Ireland, tho' in the past when we had connected at my digs, to pour over commentary on my manuscripts in progress, you can guarantee that there were a few dead soldiers, bottles of red that were thoroughly enjoyed and drained by us both. You don't need to be in Dublin to let your hair down with your editor, even while this too would be an awesome way to work, while imbibing. The power of your editor under the influence of red wine, should not go understated, that age-old platitude of 'in vino veritas' — in wine there's truth, to explain the fluidity with which an editor can express his or her influence over the quality of your writing. Mine had no doubt gleefully insert insults into the margins, on my writing quality, and each one gave me a belly-laugh. Hey, it's just a work-in-progress. If you can't laugh about yourself, may I recommend you begin your St. Paddy Day's celebrations in the early morning. You'll be right pissed by end of day, and ready to jig.
Don't be afraid either. Let you editor tear off the Band-Aid in one fell swoop. It's pain is quick but worth the while. And so, for the fledgling writers out there, and after having released three collections of poetry, and seven novels, of which the seventh took me nine dastardly years to write, and is a beast, coming in at 770 pages (like reading four books in one), this is how I've come to comprehend the editorial process:
Principal editor: He or she reads through your entire manuscript, not with the eye of a copy editor looking for mistakes but with an eye for thematic content — Are characters fully developed? Is the pacing logical? Is there an arc to the story and if so, is it in the right place? My principal editor had the power to alter the tone of characters, the flow of the story and its pacing.
Copy editor: Forensic in nature. Their role is to catch spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors, not to teach you how to write or to sift through the illogic of your narrative. A good copy editor doesn't give a tinker's damn about your feelings. Their job is to ensure that you don't write like an idiot.
Proof reader: Not quite the same as an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) but an individual who's yet to lay eyes on your manuscript, and shouldn't be called to step in until the first two stages are complete. A proof-reader is someone who enjoys reading, and often, and will catch those last few errors that might sneak past your principal and copy editors. Proof readers are fond of the power of red pens, to mark up a manuscript. I'm convinced it brings them great pleasure in finding that one last inconsistency, and even more pleasure when they can point it out to you.
Confession time: my brain feels like jelly this morning. I am aware that today is St. Patrick's day. I'll be treating myself to an ice-cold Corona with lime, after which I'll be ready to glug a gin and tonic or another specialty drink. Thinking afterward may be tricky. Good thing I've written this post well in advance, prior to when my muddied brain may get me into a spot of trouble.
Dublin is sure a pretty city... just like their ale, poets, playwrights, authors, actors and musicians. Ireland doesn't experience the plummeting temperatures that we have to endure in Ottawa, though in some of their hilly and mountainous regions, they get frost that leads to snow, though it doesn't last long. Their ales, however, have lasted for over 4,000 years! Imagine that... 🍺🍻
Happy St. Patty's Day to you! 🍀🍀🍀
Good advice.
I never write a post under the influence of anything, aside from coffee, and I don't write a new post and then happily fire it off. I allow my ideas to gestate, in order to reflect, before hitting the publish button. Even then, I'll review and yet, I'll still miss a typo that makes it to the final version. Now the power to edit in this space has been increased from the tight-a** one-hour limit, to more than two hours, providing you purchase a Premium account. This is a good thing, to my mind. I remind myself that 'X is Musk's social network after all, not mine. Whereas, Facebook allows you to edit long after the fact. So, in returning to the beginning of this post, to avoid blogging while imbibing, the best one liner where alcohol can muddy the waters is from a play I caught in the UK, where John Malkovich had declared on stage, "Drinking and thinking is worse than drinking and driving." [Some will argue this, when compared to drinking and driving; clearly the more serious and obvious failing].
Let us all agree that drinking isn't a crime, nor should it be, any more than are many other forms of indulgence. But when it comes to operating a vehicle, like a car, a bus, Uber, farm equipment, or other large vehicles like 20,000 ton rigs, where the public may be impacted, the avoidance of alcohol is wise. Vehicular homicide isn't a joke, any more than it is for a farmer to become trapped and entangled in their own equipment or to damage someone else.
Our temps in Ottawa plummeted to -14 last week. Yet, the Monday prior the temps rose to a high of 14 Celsius, rather than dip into the negative zone, and it was a pleasure to get out for a one-hour walk around the canal. If it were a Friday or Saturday, I'd follow-up with a cider, an ice-cold Corona or a vodka and juice, to invite company over for a salad and a bevvy. There's also a wonderful restaurant near my apartment, given that I live in centertown, and this particular eatery has been in operation for decades. Their pasta is generally spot on, and their selection of Italian reds is right up their too; it reminds me of the food I've tasted in Italy, which is above par, similar to this restaurant. With last week's sudden chilly weather, the temptation is ripe, I tell ya, to warm up with a good quality red.
When I travelled to Ireland, two separate occasions, I spent plenty of time visiting pubs in Dublin, Blarney, Kilkenny, Cork and Derry in Northern Ireland. Each time, the pub fare hit the spot, as did the fresh ale, which takes me back to the days when I was able to enjoy a frothy ale without it upsetting my tum-tum. Pity that my body can no longer digest bitter, dark ales, which were always my choice. To be in Ireland, and to sample their craft ales, brewed specifically by the pub and not sold wholesale elsewhere, is a treat that everyone should experience in their lifetime. In Ireland, many workers will step out for lunch in a pub, to be able to enjoy ale. My sister-in-law had the onerous responsibility of managing a team of employees, all of whom were based in Dublin, and it gave me a good laugh when she'd remark on the annual recognition of St. Patrick's Day, in Ireland, and how pointless it was to place expectations on her counselees, who were in full throttle mode, to enjoy the celebrations that went on for the entire week, not just one day but which began the weekend prior, the entire week, and the weekend afterward, to cap off the work week. This is a civilized approach, and a wonderful way to encourage socialization. I think they get in right in Ireland. Here, in Ottawa, however, we make a go of just the day on St. Patrick's day, spilling into the evening — a travesty, to be sure.
Regrettably, my editor hasn't visited Ireland, tho' in the past when we had connected at my digs, to pour over commentary on my manuscripts in progress, you can guarantee that there were a few dead soldiers, bottles of red that were thoroughly enjoyed and drained by us both. You don't need to be in Dublin to let your hair down with your editor, even while this too would be an awesome way to work, while imbibing. The power of your editor under the influence of red wine, should not go understated, that age-old platitude of 'in vino veritas' — in wine there's truth, to explain the fluidity with which an editor can express his or her influence over the quality of your writing. Mine had no doubt gleefully insert insults into the margins, on my writing quality, and each one gave me a belly-laugh. Hey, it's just a work-in-progress. If you can't laugh about yourself, may I recommend you begin your St. Paddy Day's celebrations in the early morning. You'll be right pissed by end of day, and ready to jig.
Don't be afraid either. Let you editor tear off the Band-Aid in one fell swoop. It's pain is quick but worth the while. And so, for the fledgling writers out there, and after having released three collections of poetry, and seven novels, of which the seventh took me nine dastardly years to write, and is a beast, coming in at 770 pages (like reading four books in one), this is how I've come to comprehend the editorial process:
Principal editor: He or she reads through your entire manuscript, not with the eye of a copy editor looking for mistakes but with an eye for thematic content — Are characters fully developed? Is the pacing logical? Is there an arc to the story and if so, is it in the right place? My principal editor had the power to alter the tone of characters, the flow of the story and its pacing.
Copy editor: Forensic in nature. Their role is to catch spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors, not to teach you how to write or to sift through the illogic of your narrative. A good copy editor doesn't give a tinker's damn about your feelings. Their job is to ensure that you don't write like an idiot.
Proof reader: Not quite the same as an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) but an individual who's yet to lay eyes on your manuscript, and shouldn't be called to step in until the first two stages are complete. A proof-reader is someone who enjoys reading, and often, and will catch those last few errors that might sneak past your principal and copy editors. Proof readers are fond of the power of red pens, to mark up a manuscript. I'm convinced it brings them great pleasure in finding that one last inconsistency, and even more pleasure when they can point it out to you.
Confession time: my brain feels like jelly this morning. I am aware that today is St. Patrick's day. I'll be treating myself to an ice-cold Corona with lime, after which I'll be ready to glug a gin and tonic or another specialty drink. Thinking afterward may be tricky. Good thing I've written this post well in advance, prior to when my muddied brain may get me into a spot of trouble.
Dublin is sure a pretty city... just like their ale, poets, playwrights, authors, actors and musicians. Ireland doesn't experience the plummeting temperatures that we have to endure in Ottawa, though in some of their hilly and mountainous regions, they get frost that leads to snow, though it doesn't last long. Their ales, however, have lasted for over 4,000 years! Imagine that... 🍺🍻
Happy St. Patty's Day to you! 🍀🍀🍀
