2023 Workshops
(scroll down for details on upcoming workshops)
Join us for a variety of workshops this season from accomplished writers from all across Northwestern Ontario. Our workshops are always open to the public, but some do require registration so make sure to check back often for updates!
Upcoming Workshops
And Then What Happened?
How to Create and Build Suspense in Fiction
How to Create and Build Suspense in Fiction
with Deryn Collier
Wednesday February 8, 2023
7 pm to 9:00 pm
Meeting ID
857 1301 0939
Security
checked Waiting Room
Zoom Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85713010939
Suspense is the raw material that mystery and thriller writers rely on to create “unputdownable” stories. It’s what keeps readers up well past their bedtimes and keeps them coming back, again and again, to the authors who deliver that experience. But what is suspense exactly? And does there need to be a murder victim or a bomb about to go off to create it?
Learn the building blocks of suspense in this lively and engaging, 2-hour workshop with mystery writer Deryn Collier. Collier, whose Bern Fortin novels were called “close to masterful” by the Toronto Star, believes that writers in any genre can use the elements of suspense to create high stakes, even in the quietest stories.
Learn the building blocks of suspense in this lively and engaging, 2-hour workshop with mystery writer Deryn Collier. Collier, whose Bern Fortin novels were called “close to masterful” by the Toronto Star, believes that writers in any genre can use the elements of suspense to create high stakes, even in the quietest stories.
Deryn Collier has dreamed of writing mystery novels since reading her first Nancy Drew in the second grade. She is the author of Confined Space, which was nominated for a Best First Novel award by the Crime Writers of Canada, and Open Secret. Her latest work, A Real Somebody, a historical novel set in post-WWII Montreal, will be published in the summer of 2023. You can find Deryn on Instagram (@deryncollier) or through her website www.deryncollier.com.
Fiction Editing
with Lindsay Hobbs
Thursday March 16, 2023
7 pm to 9 pm EST
Free via Zoom
7 pm to 9 pm EST
Free via Zoom
Editing your own work can be a challenge! But it’s a challenge that is well worth taking on for anyone looking to make their manuscript ready for submission.
In this two-hour workshop, learn about the different stages of editing and the positive impact a good editorial process can have on your writing. Geared specifically toward fiction editing, this workshop will show you how to approach your own drafts with an editorial eye.
Beginning with big picture story assessment and working all the way down to the nitty-gritty of spelling and grammar, professional editor Lindsay Hobbs of Topaz Editing & Literary will teach you tips, tricks, and tools of the trade so that you can self-edit with skill and confidence.
Lindsay Hobbs (she/her) is an editor and writer living in the Haliburton Highlands of Ontario, the traditional lands of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg and Chippewa Nations, collectively known as the Williams Treaty First Nations. She is the creator of Topaz Editing & Literary, where she offers editing services, as well as book reviews and free resources for writers and critical readers. Lindsay is a lover of language, story, grammar, etymology, and the Oxford comma; she is also a cat mom to two high-maintenance felines.