Great writing workshops coming soon: Writing Great Characters, Writing & Revising, and Writing for Children & for Young Adults

How to Write Great Characters   

Offered in two locations:

Saturday, May 14, 2016
10:15 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Glenview Presbyterian Church, Bethlehem Room, 1 Glenview Ave, Toronto, Ontario (Map here)

Fee: 40.71+ 13% hst = 46 paid in advance or 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 at the door

And

Sunday, June 5, 2016

1:30 – 5:00 p.m.
St. Alban's Church, 537 Main Street, Georgetown, Ontario (in the village of Glen Williams (Map here.)

Fee: 34.51 + hst = 39 in advance or 37.17 + hst = 42 if you wait to pay at the door

Whatever you're writing ~ fiction or nonfiction ~ readers will care about your story only if they care about your people. In this workshop, you'll learn techniques for creating fictional characters and depicting real people. You’ll learn how to breathe life into the page so that your characters start telling you how the story should go.

To reserve a spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Writing and Revising

Saturday, May 28, 2016
10:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Unity Church, Unit 8, 3075 Ridgeway Drive, Mississauga, Ontario (Map here.)
If you want to refine your story-telling skills and cut the time you will need to spend editing, this workshop is for you. You'll learn how to step back from a manuscript in order to find – and fix – flaws in your plot, structure, characterization and style. You'll learn how to rethink, rework and rewrite so that your manuscript will live up to your vision.

Special option: Participants are invited to bring a piece of their own writing (though you don’t have to!) If you do bring a piece, bring 3 copies of something short (1,000 words absolute maximum, though 750 words works better).

Fee: 40.71+ 13% hst = 46 paid in advance or 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 at the door

To reserve a spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Writing for Children & for Young Adults, the world’s hottest market

Alan Cumyn

Sunday, May 29, 2016

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Nepean Sportsplex, Hall E, 1701 Woodroffe Ave, Ottawa, Ontario (map here)

With guest speaker Alan Cumyn, author of the Owen Skye series for kids and numerous acclaimed novels for adults

Fee: 40.71+ 13% hst = 46 paid in advance or 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 at the door

If you want to write the next best-selling children’s books or just want to create stories for your own kids, this workshop is for you. Learn how to write stories kids and young adults will love and find out what you need to know to sell your book.

Special option: You may, but don't have to, bring 3 copies of the opening couple pages (first 500 words) of your children’s book or young adult novel (or 1,000 words if that will get you to the end of your picture book or to the end of your first chapter.) If you’re not currently working on a children’s story, don’t worry, we’ll get you started on the spot!

To reserve a spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published.

See Brian’s full schedule here, including writing workshops, writing retreats, and creative writing courses in Algonquin Park, Alton, Barrie, Bracebridge, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Newmarket, Orillia, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, St. John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Halton, Ingersoll, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.