Coming soon: Writing Conflict, Secrets of Writing a Page-Turner, and the Writing Kid Lit mini-conference

Writing Conflict: Fight scenes, Dialogue scenes & Love scenes

Saturday, April 7, 2018
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Askennonia Senior’s Centre, North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre, 527 Len Self Blvd, Midland, Ontario (Map here)

This workshop is geared to both beginners and more experienced writers.  We look at the most important part of all stories whether fictional or true: the fully dramatized scene. You’ll learn how to write great dialogue and how to mix it with your narrative so that the interaction between your characters comes alive. 

As a bonus we'll look at how to create the most difficult scenes of all: the fight scene, the dialogue scene and the love scene. Best yet, you'll learn some of the successful tricks of the trade so that you'll never write a lifeless scene again.

  Fee: 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 paid in advance or 46.90 + 13% hst = 53 at the door

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

The Sudbury Writers Guild presents …

Secrets of Writing a Page-turner

Techniques for making any story more compelling

Sunday, April 8, 2018
10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

College Boreal, Room M3360, Sudbury, Ontario (Map here)

Ever stayed up all night reading a book? In this workshop, you’ll learn you how to build that kind of tension.  And we'll help you put into practice the techniques professionals use – on every page and in every kind of story – to create drama and tension.

Fee: 43.36 + 13% hst = 49 paid in advance or 46.90 + 13% hst = 53  at the door

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

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong,
a New York Times #1 bestselling authors
and one of Brian's students

Writing for Children and for Young Adults

  the world’s hottest market

A mini-conference featuring three guest speakers:

  Literary agent Barbara Berson

  Simon & Schuster Children’s Books editor Patricia Ocampo

  and Young Adult author Tanaz Bhathena

Saturday, April 21

10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Waterloo Regional Police Station, Community Room

45 Columbia St E, Waterloo, Ontario (Map here)

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!

Barbara Berson, is a  literary agent with the Helen Heller Agency. Barbara has been an editor for the past 30 years, first in her native New York, then in Toronto, where she was most recently a senior editor with Penguin Canada, one of Canada’s premier general publishers. 

Barbara has worked with both established and emerging authors of literary fiction, nonfiction, and young adult books. Her authors have been the recipients of numerous prizes, including the Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Award. For Young Adults, she’s especially looking for fiction that’s dark, funny, energetic, and compelling.

Read more about the Helen Heller Agency here.

Patricia Ocampo joined Simon & Schuster Canada as Managing Editor in 2015. She was also named Children’s Book Editor in 2016. She is a past president of the Canadian division of the International Board on Books for Young People and a former literary agent.

Patricia is currently accepting agented submissions of early readers, middle-grade fiction, young adult fiction, and parenting books.

Tanaz Bhathena was born in Mumbai and raised in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Toronto. Her first YA novel, A Girl Like That has just been published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. and her second YA novel, Last Days, First Days, will be coming out with FSG and Penguin Canada in the winter of 2019.

Tanaz is also the winner of the 2009 MARTY for Emerging Literary Arts, a semi-finalist for the 2013 Jeffrey Archer Short Story Challenge and the Readers’ Choice pick for the 2015 U of T Magazine Short Story Contest. Her short stories have appeared in various journals, including Blackbird, Witness and Room Magazine.

Visit her website here.

Fee: $49.56 + 13% hst = $56 paid in advance or $53.10 + 13% hst = $60 at the door

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

Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing instructor for more than 25 years. He publishes Quick Brown Fox, Canada’s most popular blog for writers, 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 and launch their careers as authors. 

See reviews of Brian's classes and workshops here.

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. ~ Brian

See Brian’s complete current schedule here,  including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Georgetown, Guelph, Hamilton, Ingersoll, Kingston, Kitchener, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Saint John, NB, Sudbury, Thessalon, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.