When my daughter met Mr. Clean, she jokingly asked him if he had a first name.
“Indeed,” he declared, “I do have a first name. It is Veritably.”
How odd is that? The dictionary defines Veritably as absolute so Mr. Clean could be introduced as
‘Mr. Absolutely Clean.’
When I thought about this brilliant advertising concept, it occurred to me that perhaps we should apply it to this month’s topic, ‘Being Canadian.’
Try this quiz and see how you make out. Likely you can add a few questions of your own.
When I write, am I absolutely true to who I am as a Canadian? For instance, is my spell checker geared to a Canadian dictionary or have I switched to an American one because I expect Canadian publishers to swallow the spelling, while American ones will not?
Do I set my stories in Canadian cities or do I pretend that Toronto is really Las Vegas and scribble from that perspective?
What if a huge American book contract comes my way but they insist I take out every reference to Canada? Will the dollars speak louder than my history?
Do I fudge details by using south-of-the border statistics to impress my readers?
Even worse, would I shake up my integrity just a bit and ignore Biblical principles to file a story with slightly incorrect details?
Being Canadian surely must stand for more than wearing red and white on July 1st.
How can I stand for Canada, remain true to myself and still catch the American market?
Is it possible?
You tell me.
Brenda J Wood
I guess it's a Canadian trait to want to be liked by everybody, especially true if they have the money.
ReplyDeleteBut to cannibalize another writer: "to thine own self be true, and let the chips fall where they may!"