Wisdom of the Week (April 9, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Isak Dinesen:

“There is no mystery in art. Do the things you can see, they will show you what you cannot see.”

I like this quote because it tries to explain the process of art, of creativity. It’s something I ponder almost on a daily basis, both in my studio and in the classroom.

In writing, we often talk about “plotters” or “pantsers” or any other number of concepts that try to categorize and label writers. I tend to think of myself as a planning-pantser. I don’t necessarily plot, but I plan up to a certain point when I feel I’m ready to dive into a world, into a story, and then find my way.

What I marvel at during this process is the joy of it. Often times, things are revealed in story—usually by a character or about a character—that I didn’t quite “see” beforehand. In those magical moments, it feels like the story is taking over and telling itself. It’s the peak experience of AEye (Author’s Eye)!

I’m including a photo I took on the way to pick up my son from school the other day: A perfect flower hidden among the “blossomfall.” Seems like a good visual match for the quote!

Wisdom of the Week (April 2, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from James Hillman:

“When we wrong the dream, we wrong the soul.”

This comes from the author’s book The Dream and the Underworld, and is part of his specific point that we should not focus on harvesting dreams for creative material, but simply honour them. However, this quote jumped out at me because I immediately put it into the context of a creative journey.

And, in that context, this quote really connected with my week.

The big part event recently is that my wife launched a passion project (first episode of a web series, WORTHY: please check it out!). That has been an anxious enterprise; anytime we release something to the world, especially something we are so passionate about, it is an act of extreme vulnerability. All we can hope is that it connects and that we are supported by our families and creative communities.

The other pattern that has been emerging recently is that I have had many past students reach out to me. Sometimes they just want to give updates, but often it’s to ask for references or advice and support. An overarching theme is that they are trying to figure out their place in the world. So often, what my students yearn for is a creative experience, a creative life, but reality is always tugging them in other directions. I understand this all too well. And I always tell my students that there is no one correct path forward. Just because you choose one road in the present, it doesn’t mean that it must come at the expense of another. But if you can find a general direction, then at least you’re moving forward with purpose.

What I am certain about—based on my own experience and observations—is that it’s hard to ignore passion. If you have that creative fire inside of you, good luck suppressing it. Passion has a way of finding cracks to sneak through! And to try and suppress it? Well, as I’ve decided to interpret the above quote, it imperils the soul.

I’m adding here a picture of this tree from my neighbourhood. I’ve posted it before, but it really matches up with this week’s theme. I know in my own life, the box I tried to build around my creative roots when I was younger simply could not hold . . .

Wisdom of the Week (March 26, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Kyo Maclear:

“I like the ideas of songs sung by those without big voices.”

Kyo Maclear is one of my favourite Canadian creators. She’s written beautiful picture books that we’ve cherished in our house (including It Began with a Page) and won the Governor-General’s award for her literary work, Unearthing.

As I tell my students, if you feel that your voice, your words, are important and insignificant . . . well, Kyo Maclear disagrees with you. And so do I.

I’m including here a photo I took during a recent visit to our favourite beach. I love the entire world that exists on this little rocky shore. To discover the crab “cities” that thrive beneath the stones and to spot the sea life clinging to the rocks always gives my son and I great joy. This is a world that exists independent of the brazen, ceaseless rage machine that is the news cycle. Here, on this stretch of beach, we can find countless worlds of small voices. They bring me a much-needed sense of peace and wonder.

Wisdom of the Week (March 19, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Robert Louis Stevenson:

“I am told there are people who do not care for maps, and find it hard to believe.”

I agree with Mr. Stevenson! Mapping is a big part of my personal writing process and also plays a big role in my classroom—not to mention our “home” classroom. My son is obsessed with maps. He always has been. He keeps every map he finds from every tourist spot we visit, and also pinches any maps he finds in my studio from the online interactive brainstorming sessions I do with schools and classes. He even takes the ones I bring home from in-person classes, once I’m done scanning them (and if the students themselves don’t want them back).

I eventually put together a binder for my son, which also includes the maps he draws himself (though he also has many other drawing notebooks filled with maps, drawings, and diagrams).

I love doing mapping with all ages. For youngest kids, it’s writing a story with pictures. For older students, it’s a way to add depth and texture to a world—and to realize a certain logic that may be missing in their words.

People often think mapping requires a semblance of illustration ability, but I disagree—especially if we view mapping as a writing tool, as opposed to a product (an illustration for the reader). It’s just about doodling and planning!

Wisdom of the Week (March 12, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Helen Keller:

“What I am looking for is not out there; it is in me.”

I think this quote speaks to the soul of most artists. When we truly quiet the noise and tune out the chaos, the act of creation is so often one of self-exploration—and surprising discovery.

It’s a journey that is hard to accomplish these days! How many of my students run to their devices the moment it comes to starting a story? They seek inspiration, answers, and easy “knowledge” out there, as opposed to taking even a few minutes to collect their own internal emotions and thoughts.

I cannot blame them.

Most of us our guilty of this. Still, I fight the good fight. I hand out paper and pencils, and give them the freedom to create, to doodle, to ponder even during our “formal” class times. This is the working out of things, the ideas that are given breath when we are not even conscious of our creative muscles flexing.

Recently, one of my students ended up doodling an illustration of bees while I was discussing the steps of the common plot cycle, The Hero’s Journey. Afterward, I saw her bees drawing and was delighted by it. When I asked her what had led her to working on this drawing, she playfully shrugged and replied with something flippant, like: “Because. Bees.”

Fast forward a few weeks, and she’s four chapters deep into an epic fantasy story centered around bees!

Wisdom of the Week (March 5, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Kate Bingaman-Burt:

“The goal: create a space where ideas bounce around, where mistakes are OK, where everyone feels like they have something to offer.”

This quote perfectly describes the realm I try to create, not only in my home studio, but in my son’s creative station and my creative writing classrooms. There are a lot of mistakes in these spaces—many of them by me!

I’m training my students—and son—to try and embrace these mistakes. As for the ones I make, well if they are technical (typos, misinformation, etc.), I’ve trained my students to call them out; one thing I’m certain about is that we need to do a much better job of educating our kids on how to hold authority accountable. If the mistakes are creative? Well, then the training is that maybe these aren’t mistakes at all. At worst, they are part of the process. At best, maybe they are newly-discovered solutions.

Speaking of the classroom, I’m feeling particularly grateful this week for a few student interactions that left me with a sense of fulfilled purpose and hope for humanity. One student was from a past class, eight years ago, who reached out specifically to express kind words about how important our classroom, our special space, was in their life’s journey. I often receive messages like these about my books or my characters, and it’s equally as humbling when it’s about the classroom. Amidst the chaos of the world, it’s a tiny glimmer of thankfulness.

Wisdom of the Week (February 26, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Craig Mod:

“Boredom: the great engine of creativity.”

If you’re a parent, a teacher, or anyone who’s ever been around a kid . . . you’ve heard this line: “I’m bored.” Yep, we can give our kids distraction. We can give them screens. We can give them busy work. Or . . . we can just give them a pad of paper and all the power in the world.

This quote reminded me of the “I’M” books by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi. A popular title in the series is I’m Bored, and we have a brand-new one to add to our library now: I’m Busy. And being TOO busy, of course, takes away the joy of being bored!

Wisdom of the Week (February 19, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Georgia O’Keefe:

“Whether you succeed or not is irrelevant, there is no such thing. Making your unknown known is the important thing.”

I would like to argue that “making your unknown known” is not only important—but in fact IS success. And maybe, just maybe, it’s the only definition of success that truly matters at the end of the day. For when we create art that is meaningful to us, there’s a good chance it will be meaningful to someone else. Not to an algorithm or a bot or a metric . . . but to someone who connects with you.

These days, authors inboxes are avalanched with marketing spam asking us to dole out dollars so that we can push our books to the top of the charts. They’re mostly written by AI, so are grossly imperfect (they often get my name or the title of my books incorrect). They are the antithesis of what Georgia O’Keefe is talking about.

More meaningful is the email I get from a reader who gives a heartfelt response to one of my books, or one of my characters, or even to a magical situation that entertained them. Are my books NYT bestsellers? No. Are they at the top of the Amazon charts? No. But . . . I visit schools and receive emails from readers and cannot possibly argue that I have generally created worlds and characters that have connected with them.

Here’s a photo from a school I recently visited. Hey, my Land of Een—my creation—made the signpost of magical worlds!

Wisdom of the Week (February 12, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Austin Kleon:

“What if you replaced your dread with curiosity?”

I think this quote can help us in our general daily lives. Really, it’s a call to action! But when I recently re-read this quote, I thought in terms of my students’ typical approach to creative writing.

So many of my students constantly fret about their finished product—before they even put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. I’m continually asked:

“How long does it have to be?”

“What should I call my story?”

“How do I spell . . .”

Or, just as often, when we’re in sharing mode, I’m treated to an explanation or apology for what is about to be presented. This is a strategy to steel themselves against the judgment they are worried will come from me or their peers.

What I am continually reminding my students is to live “in process.” What we are working on, what we are sharing, is not a final product. It’s our imagination in process.

Another way to think of it? It’s our curiosity!

Curiosity means exploration. It means experimentation and investigation. So, what if we replace our worry of judgment, our obsession with final product, with a sense of scientific enquiry as we present our work? This is our chance to receive those authentic reactions from our peers—the gasps, the laughs, the quirked eyebrows. This is our chance to see what’s landing, and what maybe needs some tweaking.

There is time down to road to polish the marble—right now, we’re still working with our chisels as we discover the right shapes, the best angles, the perfect perspectives.

After all, what is creativity (or human existence, for that matter) without curiosity?

***

I’m including some photos of the mini doorknocker props we’re building in some of my classes. I’m loving how these curios are coming to life!

Wisdom of the Week (February 5, 2026)

The quote of the week for the teens in my creative writing classes comes from Cynthia Kadohata:

“Books are music for my mind and my imagination.”

This is part of a longer quote: “For me, books are music for my mind and my imagination. When I am stuck in something I’m writing, I simply read my way out of being stuck. You can never waste time reading.”

Well said! It’s one of the reasons I love having “open book” chats with my students in my creative writing classes. On these designated days, each students brings a book (or books!) to share with their classmates. These can be books they are currently reading, have read in the past, or even something they haven’t read—but one that caught their interest. The books can be any format, any genre, for any age, and in any language.

These books definitely fill our classrooms with “music.” So many great conversations, connections, and recommendations come from these chats. I get to know my students better, they get to know each other, and we build a strong creative culture. It’s literacy in action.

So far this year, we’ve had, among other things, a Shakespeare play, a picture book, graphic novels in Mandarin, classic books, contemporary reads, nonfiction, books by local authors, books by authors from distant lands, and a book that was written by one of the student’s sisters in a past term of our program!