31 March, 2007
Toronto

Toronto Writers' Centre

Spring Workshop-“Story Structure: Seven Essentials of a Great Plot”

Join me on Saturday March 31, 2007 at the Toronto Writers’ Centre for a workshop on “Story Structure: Seven Essentials of a Great Plot.”

Whether you’re a new writer or an experienced one, you know that creating a novel takes a lot of planning. Successful authors know that to plan effectively takes an understanding of story structure.

In this half-day workshop you’ll learn how to create a powerful story by mastering seven crucial elements:

• inciting incident
• escalating conflict
• reversals and revelations
• dramatic question
• turning points
• controlling idea
• story climax

You’ll leave this workshop a big step closer to writing a novel that publishers will buy.

• Date: Saturday, March 31
• Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Location: Toronto Writers’ Center, Suite 200, 101 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto
• Cost: $35

To Register: contract the Toronto Writers’ Centre at 416.975.5172 or md@writerscentre.ca (See www.writerscentre.ca)

SPECIAL OFFER! Print this page and bring it to the workshop on March 31 and get 10% off the $85 purchase price of my 4-DVD set “Writing Fiction That Sells.”

6 February, 2007 – 10 April, 2007
Toronto

University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies:

Course: "WRITING THE NOVEL: INTRODUCTION"
10 evening sessions of 2 hours each

For more info: www.learn.utoronto.ca

11 April, 2007 – 30 May, 2007
Toronto

University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies:

Course: "WRITING THE POPULAR NOVEL"
8 evening sessions of 2.5 hours each

Whether it's through a poignant love story or nail-biting suspense, popular novels deliver an emotional experience, explore important themes, and reach millions of readers. This course introduces the bestselling genres – romance, mystery, thriller, science fiction/fantasy, and horror – and examines their essential elements, including strong plot and pro-active characters. Through writing assignments, you'll advance in the genre of your choice, receive helpful critiques, and learn about breaking into the U.S. market.

For more info: www.learn.utoronto.ca

30 July, 2007 – 3 August, 2007
Haliburton, Ontario

Haliburton School of The Arts

Join my “FICTION WRITER’S BOOT CAMP” for five stimulating days of writing and learning. Each day focuses on essential elements of the craft, including:

• Characters: Inventing Lives
• Story Structure: Seven Essentials of a Great Plot
• Style: Your Story’s Voice
• Storylining: Building Your Book
• The Business: Getting Published

Whether you’re a new writer or experienced, the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” will inform you, inspire you, and sharpen your personal creative skills.
Through sessions that include lectures, writing exercises, readings, workshopping your work with other writers, and instructor critiques, you’ll come away from the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” equipped to create concise, compelling, and marketable fiction.

For more info: www.HaliburtonSchoolofTheArts.ca.

9 July, 2007 – 13 July, 2007
North Bay, Ontario

Canadore College

Join my “FICTION WRITER’S BOOT CAMP” for five stimulating days of writing and learning. Each day focuses on essential elements of the craft, including:

• Characters: Inventing Lives
• Story Structure: Seven Essentials of a Great Plot
• Style: Your Story’s Voice
• Storylining: Building Your Book
• The Business: Getting Published

Whether you’re a new writer or experienced, the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” will inform you, inspire you, and sharpen your personal creative skills. Through sessions that include lectures, writing exercises, readings, workshopping your work with other writers, and instructor critiques, you’ll come away from the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” equipped to create concise, compelling, and marketable fiction.

For info: www.Canadorecollege.on.ca

19 September, 2007
St. Catharines, Ontario

Canadian Authors Association, Niagara Branch

Workshop: "MYTHIC STRUCTURE IN THE POPULAR NOVEL: 12 STAGES IN YOUR HERO OR HEROINE'S JOURNEY"

At heart, a hero or heroine's story is always a journey. Based on the work of Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler, this workshop will inspire you to apply mythic structure and timeless archetypes to reinvigorate your storytelling.

For info contact Evan at tweed@allstream.net
 

July 24 – 28, 2006
Haliburton, Ontario

I will conduct a week-long creative writing course called the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” for the Haliburton School of the Arts.

Join the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” for five stimulating days of writing and learning. Each day focuses on essential elements of the craft, including:

• Characters: Inventing Lives
• Story Structure: Seven Essentials of a Great Plot
• Style: Your Story’s Voice
• Storylining: Building Your Book
• The Business: Getting Published
• Staying the Course: Tales of a First Draft Survivor

Whether you’re a new writer or experienced, the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” will inform you, inspire you, and sharpen your personal creative skills.

Through sessions that include lectures, writing exercises, readings, workshopping your work with other writers, and instructor critiques, you’ll come away from the “Fiction Writer’s Boot Camp” equipped to create concise, compelling, and marketable fiction.

For more info: www.HaliburtonSchoolofTheArts.ca.or contact@HaliburtonSchoolofTheArts.ca

October 2, 2005
Ottawa, Ontario

I will present “The Heartbeat of the Compelling Heroine,” a workshop for the Ottawa Romance Writers Association. For information please see www.ottawaromancewriters.com

October 15, 2005
Toronto, Ontario

I will present a “Writing Novels That Sell” workshop for the Canadian Authors Association Toronto Branch. This full-day event delivers techniques to help you create the kind of page-turner publishers want.

Learn what makes a novel marketable. Discover the five essential elements of compelling story structure and the heartbeat of multi-dimensional characters. Understand and beware of three crippling myths about writing. Learn how to find an agent, submit a manuscript, and how the publishing business really works.

Whether you're a beginning writer, or stuck in the middle of your novel, or ready to approach publishers with your manuscript, this workshop will inform and inspire you.

• Location: Northern District Library, 40 Orchard Blvd (one block north of Yonge & Eglinton), Toronto.

• Workshop Cost: $50 for CAA members and $65 for non-members. Early Bird Special until September 1, 2005: $35 for CAA members and $50 for non-members

• Information: This event is sponsored by the Canadian Authors Association Toronto Branch. For information, and to download a registration form, click here: http://www.canauthorstoronto.org /events/htm. Or contact Dawn Nelson at nelantd@yahoo.com

October 22, 2005
Haliburton, Ontario

I will present two-half day workshops – “The Heartbeat of Character” and “Storylining: Building Your Book” – for the Haliburton Highlands Writers and Editors Network. For information please see www.hhwen.org or download workshop poster in PDF format.

October 6 – December 8, 2005
Orangeville, Ontario

For the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies I’ll teach “Creative Writing: Introduction” for 10 Wednesday evenings this fall.

From the U of T website: “This introductory course offers students the opportunity to explore various forms, genres and approaches to creative writing. Topics include plot, character, prose techniques, dialogue and appropriate levels of style, as well as how to outline a piece of writing, logical development, balance and pacing, textual maximization (getting the most out of what you write) and the various forms available to writers.”

For info see www.learn.utoronto.ca or phone the U of T School of Continuing Studies at 416-978-6714.

June 23-26, 2005
Kitchener, Ontario

I’ll be a speaker at the Canadian Authors Association national conference “CanWrite” – three days of seminars, writing workshops, panels, and speakers at the Walper House Hotel in Kitchener. For info see www.author.ca/caawaterwell

April 6 – June 8, 2005
Orangeville, Ontario

For the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies I’ll teach “Creative Writing: Introduction” for 10 Wednesday evenings this spring. From the U of T website: “This introductory course offers students the opportunity to explore various forms, genres and approaches to creative writing. Topics include plot, character, prose techniques, dialogue and appropriate levels of style, as well as how to outline a piece of writing, logical development, balance and pacing, textual maximization (getting the most out of what you write) and the various forms available to writers.” For info see www.learn.utoronto.ca or phone the U of T School of Continuing Studies at 416-978-6714.

May 21, 2005
Toronto, Ontario

I’ll speak to the Writers and Editors Network (WEN) about “Deep Genre: taking the thriller beyond cheap thrills.” Thrillers are about high stakes and countdowns, but I use the thriller to explore important themes as well. Call it the Super-thriller or Thriller Plus. In all popular fiction, exciting stories are a must, but in my books the thriller is even more: a means to carry serious issues to the widest possible audience. In Beyond Recall, environmental degradation exacerbated by overpopulation. In After Shock, the abuse of science by the American military-industrial complex. In The Experiment, our god-like powers of biotechnology. And always, my characters, confronting moral conflicts, are people to care deeply about. Do readers want high message mixed with thrills? Do publishers “get it?” Hear my take on the challenges and rewards of writing the Thriller Plus. For info contact Karen Alison at karmik@rogers.com or info@wenetwork.org.

May 19, 2005
Toronto, Ontario

I’ll speak to the Canadian Authors Association Toronto branch about “Deep Genre: taking the thriller beyond cheap thrills.” Thrillers are about high stakes and countdowns, but I use the thriller to explore important themes as well. Call it the Thriller Plus. In all popular fiction, exciting stories are a must, but in my books the thriller is more: a means to carry serious issues to the widest possible audience. In Beyond Recall, environmental degradation exacerbated by overpopulation. In After Shock, the abuse of science by the American military-industrial complex. In The Experiment, our god-like powers of biotechnology. And always, my characters, confronting moral conflicts, are people to care deeply about. Do readers want high message mixed with thrills? Do publishers “get it?” Hear my take on the challenges and rewards of writing the Thriller Plus. For info see www.canauthorstoronto.org.

May 14, 2005
Toronto, Ontario

For the Toronto Romance Writers I’ll speak about “Storylining: Building Your Book.” No writer, however experienced, gets a whole novel right in one attempt. The result is usually a monolithic draft that needs extensive reworking, and a demoralized author clinging to mediocre material. Instead, learn how to take your one-paragraph basic premise to a five-page framework, then expand and enrich that to fifteen pages, then to thirty. Result? A distilled, dramatic, manageable blueprint for a compelling novel. "Storylining" is my term for this invaluable technique. It’s where the heavy lifting of creation gets done. The storyline's brevity allows you to be bold and flexible with ideas. After storylining, writing your book becomes easier and goes far more quickly. It’s a paradox, but true: limits liberate your creativity; freedom constrains.

November 13, 2004
St. Catharines, Ontario

The Canadian Authors Association Niagara branch hosts a mini-conference at which I conduct a workshop on “The Heartbeat of Character.” Readers come to a book for the plot but they stay for the people. In this intense half-day workshop you'll discover the eight essentials of unforgettable characters. You'll learn how to enrich your characters through conflict and close relationships. And you'll gain an understanding of the "3 C's" of deep character: choice, change, and contrast. When you use these techniques, your writing will spring to life with the kind of living, breathing people that readers care about and remember.