WORKSHOPS
NOWW offers a variety of workshops throughout the season, some virtual and some in-person.
Visit our calendar here or see below for more details.
Visit our calendar here or see below for more details.
January Workshop
Editing Workshop: What Every Writer Needs to Know
Monday January 26
7 pm - 9 pm
Via: Zoom (Free for all)
Email: [email protected] to register
Many writers think editing means fixing commas and typos. In this workshop, editor and memoir writer Laurie Gough shows why real editing goes much deeper — shaping meaning, clarifying voice, and turning good writing into powerful storytelling.
Drawing on years of experience as an editor, Laurie will walk participants through the five most common issues she sees in manuscripts, no matter the writer’s level of experience. From “show, don’t tell” to finding the deeper meaning beneath an anecdote, this workshop offers practical tools writers can use immediately in their own work.
In this 2-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to:
- See your own writing more clearly — and why it’s so hard to be objective
- Strengthen scenes through concrete detail, dialogue, and sensory language
- Move beyond anecdote to find the deeper meaning and emotional layers in your work
- Identify and develop the critical moments that make stories memorable
- Avoid common pitfalls such as over-telling, vague language, tangents, and cluttered prose
- Prepare your work effectively before sending it to an editor or submitting it for publication
There will be time at the end for questions and discussion. All levels of writers welcome!
Laurie Gough is a journalist and award-winning author of three memoirs: Kite Strings of the Southern Cross: A Woman’s Travel Odyssey (Random House); Kiss the Sunset Pig: An American Road Trip with Exotic Detours (Penguin); and Stolen Child: A Mother’s Journey to Rescue Her Son from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Dundurn). Over twenty of her stories have been anthologized in literary travel books and her books have been translated into several languages. She has been a travel columnist for The Globe and Mail, and has written for The Guardian, The L.A. Times, Maclean’s, The Walrus, USA Today, Salon.com, The National Post, Canadian Geographic, among others. She now works as a freelance book editor. See: https://lauriegough.com/
WORKSHOP ARCHIVES
Here's what we've been doing so far this year!
December Workshop
The Writer's Guide to the Tax Season
December 13, 2025 - 10:00am to 12:00pm EST
Via ZOOM (free to attend)
Registration Required.
Email [email protected] to register.
Description:
In this workshop, financial services consultant Michelle Elrick will guide participants through the basics of Canadian tax preparation. We'll discuss the various types of businesses in Canada, when to incorporate, when to register for HST, how to budget for taxes and CPP, and what types of expenses are eligible. Michelle will also offer tips on how to keep business finances organized, and advice on working with a professional bookkeeper or accountant.
Bio:
Michelle Elrick is the author of two books, a couple of chapter books and half a dozen poetry films. She is also the owner and lead finance manager of Islet Inc., a financial services firm with a niche clientele of musicians, writers and arts organizations. She runs her business from Sulieweykitk (the Mi'kmaq name for New Germany, Nova Scotia), which means "flowing money."
December 13, 2025 - 10:00am to 12:00pm EST
Via ZOOM (free to attend)
Registration Required.
Email [email protected] to register.
Description:
In this workshop, financial services consultant Michelle Elrick will guide participants through the basics of Canadian tax preparation. We'll discuss the various types of businesses in Canada, when to incorporate, when to register for HST, how to budget for taxes and CPP, and what types of expenses are eligible. Michelle will also offer tips on how to keep business finances organized, and advice on working with a professional bookkeeper or accountant.
Bio:
Michelle Elrick is the author of two books, a couple of chapter books and half a dozen poetry films. She is also the owner and lead finance manager of Islet Inc., a financial services firm with a niche clientele of musicians, writers and arts organizations. She runs her business from Sulieweykitk (the Mi'kmaq name for New Germany, Nova Scotia), which means "flowing money."
November Workshop:
Mystery and Crime Writing Workshop ( Part 2 )
Join Canadian crime fiction writers J.E. (Jayne) Barnard and Darrow Woods for part 2 of their workshop on writing crime fiction.
This will be a new workshop with valuable information for everyone regardless of whether or not they attended Jayne and Darrow's last presentation.
Thursday November 27
7 pm to 9 pm
Via Zoom
Free for all
Registration is required.
Email your intention to attend to [email protected]. Include Crime Writing Workshop in subject title of your email.
This will be a new workshop with valuable information for everyone regardless of whether or not they attended Jayne and Darrow's last presentation.
Thursday November 27
7 pm to 9 pm
Via Zoom
Free for all
Registration is required.
Email your intention to attend to [email protected]. Include Crime Writing Workshop in subject title of your email.
J.E. (Jayne) Barnard has been writing fiction since third grade and acting since fifth grade. Trail of the Wolfwon the NOWW short fiction contest in 2013. She’s also won the SWG Award, Bloody Pete, and Unhanged Arthur. Her first book is a YA Steampunk mystery, Maddie Hatter and the Deadly Diamond. Maddie Hatter and the Gilded Gauge comes out in April 2017 from Tyche Books.
Darrow Woods is a crime fiction writer. His first mystery novel, The Book of Answers, made the short list for The Unhanged Arthur Ellis award. His protagonist, Reverend Thomas, is featured in a number of his works.
"The Book of Answers” is Father Brown meets Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, in Oakville. Mystery lovers will delight in the building suspense and the steady disclosure of clues. A Five Star read by Darrow Woods, Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence Finalist. "
David Giuliano, author of The Undertaking of Billy Buffone
Kouhi award-winner H. Leighton Dickson got her start as an indie author with the Sci/Fi fantasy series, Rise of the Upper Kingdon. Next came the Gothic thriller series, Cold Stone and Ivy and then award-winning Dragon of Ash and Stars: The Autobiography of a Dragon. Her latest novel, Ship of Spells, is coming out November 2025 from Red Tower Books.
Lance Robinson’s short fiction has appeared in magazines such as Analog, Riverside Quarterly, Tales of the Unanticipated, and Chaos Theory: Tales Askew. He also won first place in the Writers of the Future contest. He currently makes his home in the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario, within the territory of the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850 on the traditional land of the Anishnaabeg peoples and Fort William First Nation
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April WorkshopWHAT IF?Tips and Techniques for Writing Speculative Fiction
Thursday April 10, 2025
7:00pm - 9:00pm Entershine Bookshop 196 Algoma Street South, Thunder Bay Join Award-winning Authors Lance Robinson and H. Leighton Dickson in an interactive workshop with practical tips on writing and publishing speculative fiction, more commonly known as Science Fiction and Fantasy. In-person Event at Entershine Bookshop in Thunder Bay. Pre-registration is required. |
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ANYONE CAN PEN A TUNE!Songwriting Workshop with Heather McLeod
Thursday March 13, 2025 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Entershine Bookshop Whether you want to compose a convincing lyric in your fiction or an occasion-specific song for a friend, you too can be a songwriter! Learn some fun fundamentals and handy short-cuts in this songwriting workshop for the curious, novice and simply daring with singer-songwriter Heather McLeod. No instruments required, singing optional. |
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Mystery WritingShaping Sherlock and Making Moriarity
Taking (some) of the mystery out of writing mysteries. Thursday February 13, 2025
J.E. Barnard, award winning author of the Falls Mystery novels, and Darrow Woods, finalist for a Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence for his debut mystery, The Book of Answers, will be your guides in exploring key aspects of the mystery genre and trying our hands at creating compelling heroes and killer villains.
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Graham Strong is a full-time freelance writer, ghostwriter and writing coach, and web professional who writes novels in his spare time. He has been an active NOWW member off and on since 1998, and sat on the Board of Directors for several years. Graham’s dream literary dinner party would include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joan Didion, Hunter S. Thompson, Nora Ephron, Paul Quarrington, and whoever owns Caymus Winery.
Charles Campbell is a playwright, accountant, and educator. He has campaigned for municipal office, been trained to do climate talks by Al Gore and teaches accounting. He has done public readings of his work as a member of NOWW and attended countless readings by other writers. He’s even done some stand-up, so if you’re not impressed, at least you’ll be entertained.
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READIN' & WRITIN' (NO 'RITHMETIC)Saturday January 11th, 2025
NOWW presents a unique double workshop on Saturday, January 11 2025, where we get insights into the writer’s world from two sides:
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Debbie Anderson
Born and raised in Northern Ireland, Debbie Anderson joined the FriesenPress publishing team in 2012 after a career in the financial services industry. As a Publishing Consultant, she has helped hundreds of authors start their publishing journey and fully realize their literary aspirations |
The Great Debate: Traditional vs Self- PublishingThursday November 14, 2024
7pm - 8:30pm EST Virtual: ( Zoom Link will be mailed to all members ) The publishing industry today looks much different than it did a decade ago. In that time, self-publishing has outgrown its longstanding 'vanity' stigma and become a viable publishing option for many writers. The traditional publishing industry has also experienced great changes and just isn’t what it used to be – even for those who’ve found success within the system.
This workshop will outline the ways in which self-publishing differs from traditional publishing, and how the unrestricted nature of this path might align better with your publishing needs. We’ll also discuss the process of preparing your manuscript for publication and offer advice on how to successfully navigate the industry. |
Michael Sobota was born and raised in Independence, Wisconsin. and immigrated to Thunder Bay in 1969. He co-founded and worked in Kam Theatre Lab, touring Northwestern Ontario and Canada. He co-founded and was the Executive Director for AIDS Thunder Bay. Upon retirement, Michael taught courses in the Department of Sociology at Lakehead University and served as the Chairperson of the Board of the Lakehead University Student Union. Michael returned to active work in theatre, directing plays for Cambrian Players and New Noise Productions as well as contributing to the 10x10 Annual Playwrights Showcase. Throughout his adult working career, he continued making contributions to local media, publishing poetry, and having plays produced. Michael is currently contributing to three local print publications: The Chronicle Journal, The Walleye, and Thunder Bay Seniors. He’s addicted to movies, reading, and life in Thunder Bay.
Ryan Mackett
Ryan Mackett is a Thunder Bay, Ontario based artist, writer and photographer. He is a graduate of Lakehead University with an Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Education.
Ryan’s art tends to skew a little on the darker side, and is usually heavily influenced by music and pop culture, and explores themes surrounding mental health. Typical mediums include ink, graphite, digital, watercolours, and photography. Additionally, Ryan spent the past 15 years writing a weekly movie review for the local newspaper as “TBayMovieGuy”. |
Critical Reviews of Books and FilmsPresenters: Michael Sobota and Ryan Mackett
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An Evening with Rod Carley
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Romance Writing Workshop
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November Workshop - Presentation and Panel Discussion
THE ART OF VISUAL STORYTELLING
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October Workshop - VirtualFROM PADDLING TO PENwith Alec RossThursday October 12
7 pm - 9 pm via Zoom Join Alec Ross, Kingston-based author and editor, as he describes his journey from idea formation to nonfiction publication. This is a valuable workshop for authors new to the craft and for those in need of inspiration in their own writing endeavours. This workshop provides a wealth of tips for the author on their journey to publication. Questions and queries greatly encouraged! Zoom link will go out to members closer to the event. Non-members can contact [email protected] for registration information.
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