Well, we had a great time at the Nova Scotia Seafood Festival yesterday. Lots of great food, and what's more, great story ideas. I received a media pass from the Department of Aquaculture (thank you, Jennifer Bourque!), and made sure that I was there for the opening of the event.

The festival was a great chance to break out of my mold. Try new things. New foods. Meet new people. And now I have at least three article ideas from my short time there. Now, to find markets for those articles....

And it goes a little something like this

It's spring. The snow is gone, the weather is warming up, and new life is beginning anew.

Another thing that is starting up again is my writing. After two years of putting my freelance writing on the back burner (see previous posts), it's finally time to get back into my passion.

While I plan to write about the things I still love - science, technology, space - I also plan on branching into a wonderful new field. I hope to start producing travel pieces.

It's a natural fit for me. I love to travel, and do so for work quite frequently throughout Atlantic Canada and beyond. So why not do combine the two? I've had numerous pieces published in the past, including my very first one, so I think it should be an easy fit.

I look forward to new experiences and new adventures. And I hope that you'll follow along as well. I will not only be writing for publications, but will also update my travel blog as well.

So feel free to follow along and see where I end up!

Here we go again

Well, here we go again. Another year, another excuse. As noted in my previous post, I've been taking a bit of time off from the writing to do more of my day job during the past year. That's likely going to continue for the next year (I'm also finishing a course after work - for work!), but I'm planning on taking a little relaxation time to get back to my passion, writing. Otherwise, I'll just burn out.

So with that, I need to see what kind of articles are of interest to me, that I can work on with while not disrupting my other work. So I foresee travel pieces, science and technology, and other in my future. Now I just have to find the time to actually DO the writing...

Until next post.

Write on!

Time flies

Well, it's been a while since I've written on the writing blog. so I figured now would be a good time to update on past material.

As I stated on my previous post, I've redirected some of my work towards other fields. Some of it back to my original work, and some towards my day job. As a result, I've had two articles published (actually, in the process of being published) on each asbestos and vermiculite in homes. As an environmental consultant, I encounter many of these things on a daily basis. I also teach quite often on these hazards, so these were easy pieces to put together. Anyways, one publication is going to have me do a series, so that's always welcome. Looks good on the portfolio.

The down-side to the day-job is that I do a lot of teaching, through several Provinces., meaning lots of travel, and not much time to write. I know, it's a sad thing to make excuses on why a writer hasn't written...but sometimes life happens, and something has to give. For a while, I let the writing slide. But I've decided that after my little vacation at the end of the month, I'm back in the writer's chair, pounding out queries and science pieces all over again.

I'm also looking at writing more travel pieces. Up to now, my travel clips have been "where not to go", although I've also written material more suitable for travel publications, such as my first article, on the Fundy Trail in New Brunswick. I've been doing lots of reading and research, so with any luck, I'll have some work in that field soon. After all , I do LOVE to travel! If you ever wish to follow some of my travel, feel free to check out my other blog, "M & M's Travel Blog".

And with that thought, I best get a cup of coffee, sit back, do some reading, and get some inspiration going. After all, the world awaits.

New Year's Resolutions

It's that time of the year again. Have you made your New Year's resolutions? I know at least one person who has decided that their resolution is to not make any resolutions. She probably has a good chance at keeping hers.

What resolutions have you made this year? For me, I have decided that I need to refocus my writing. Back when I started in the field, I dedicated time to writing each day / week. Over time, that's slipped. But that's going to change. I resolve to set up my writing time again, and to send out more queries. If I don't send out queries, then what are the odds of gettng an article in a publication? While I have had an editor contact me in the past to do a pieces that weren't queried, most articles I've had published have been generated by the query process.

Another thing I have decided is to start turning my writing back towards medical, science, and technology. Not that I'm turning my back on the men's magazine articles that I've written, but I also want to get back to my writing roots. I love writing about those things, so it's time to get back to it.

Speaking of getting back to it, that's it for this blog entry. Time to write.

New / Updated site!

Well, after a LONG time, I've finally updated my website to the new domain. Check my site out at:

www.matthewbrewer.ca

What's changed? Well, a number of things.

First, the address. My own domain, for easier searching and remembering. I felt that in order to have a more professional appearance, I needed a better domain.

The second thing that's different is that by going to this domain, I've rid myself (and you, the visitor) of ads and pop-ups. But if you DO encounter any, let me know. I'll see what I can do.

The navigaiton has changed on the site somewhat. I have text navigation on the left side, where it was button-oriented before. This may change back, but not right now.

Also, the pages are more uniform. I had several themes running throughout the site, but visitors found it somewhat disorienting. So that's changed.

Feel free to look around the site. I'd appreciate it if you let me know what you think of it, and what changes should be made, if any.

Thanks.

Welcome!

Well folks, I welcome you to my online blog. I'm hoping that with this page I'll be able to show you a bit of the things that interest me. The things that drive me.

The things that inspire me to write.

Because that's what this site is all about. It's about me showing you the world through my eyes.

I hope you like what you see.