A terror attack in Belleville greets Yom Kippur 5787

Ezekiel's vision from the Leipzig mahzor {prayer book for the high holy days}

On Rosh Hashanah it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed – how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time and who before time, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague  …

-         From the high holidays machzor

 May you all be inscribed and sealed for a good year, a healthy year, and a happy year.

Special for this year, the City of Toronto has erected signs in front of all the synagogues saying it's against a bylaw to harass Jews while we’re praying. (Actually, the sign’s a few hundred words long and doesn't mention Jews, but I thought I'd boil it down for you.) Thank you, Toronto. But in our current antizionist times, it's the policemen with guns that are actually more helpful. See here. 

Scene of attempted terror attack outside Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville
Constable Jeff Smith was critically wounded by the terrorist. Our prayers go out for his swift recovery.

As for Toronto’s new bylaw, the antizionists ignored it. They gathered outside the Meridian Centre in North York, which was being used for High Holiday services, to taunt Jews as they entered on Yom Kippur.

Neil Herland, a CBC journalist, recorded his experience of running the gauntlet.

“I'm a journalist,” he wrote. “And I happen to be Jewish. On Yom Kippur I went to a synagogue service in Toronto and was met by protesters trying to taunt and intimidate me from entering the building.

“My late father was an Austrian Jew who survived the Holocaust in Romania. And came to Canada as a refugee. This year I got an Austrian passport, in case Canada becomes unsafe for me as a Jew. I fear that moment is approaching, here in Canada and elsewhere.

“Jewish Canadians are living in a parallel world. Where police stand guard with guns outside synagogues. And Jewish schools, religious sites and businesses are targeted with bullets."

 See Neil's full posting and video here.

As for my family, we updated our non-Canadian passports a while ago, just in case. I wrote about it  here.

Update, Sept 25, 2026: The CBC has pulled Neil Herland off the air for posting what happened to him and subjected him to a disciplinary hearing. See here. 

Seven great gifts to put on your wish list or to get for a writer you love

Seven great gifts for the writer in your life

Can you get a fancy gift certificate for any of these? You bet!

1) A weekend writing retreat at Elm Hurst Inn & Spa. Treat your loved one (or yourself) to a weekend of creativity, togetherness, and growth as a writer. This will be our second time at this conveniently situated location by Ingersoll, Ontario. Last time, we loved the place, and expect the retreat to be even better this time around. Friday, April 24 – Monday, April 27, 2026. Details here.

Or join us for a weekend retreat at Arowhon Pines Resort,  a perfect little island of luxury in the midst of Algonquin Park wilderness. This is a magical weekend, at a magical location, with the finest of dining. Friday, June 5 – Monday, June 8, 2026. Details to come, but you can see details of 2025's June workshop here. If you're interested for 2026, email me: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

2) A manuscript critique: You or your spouse has spent a couple years writing a manuscript, and now she’s pretty sure it still needs work, but doesn’t know how to proceed. Time to give it over to a professional for a critique. Brian will explain what’s working, what’s not, and how to fix it. Since most of Brian's time is taken up with weekly classes, Saturday or Sunday workshops, and weekend retreats, his availability for  manuscript critiques gets filled in fast. See details of manuscript critiques and consults here. 

3) For a smaller investment, get a gift certificate for a short consult. Maybe the love of your life has a picture book manuscript, a short story, or an opening chapter that needs professional critiquing. Or maybe they're working on a query letter – odds are they'd love to have a professional rewrite that query and make it irresistible. Or maybe they’d just like to have a chat about their career. These are all things that can be done in about an hour and are ideal candidates for a consult. A consult is just $75/hour (plus hst). To arrange a consult, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca

4) The best stocking-stuffer is a gift certificate for a Saturday {or Sunday} workshop. See the full schedule of what’s coming here or just give a certificate for your special someone to hang on to until that special workshop they’re looking for comes around.

5) Or The Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar. This is a book giving the details for all the annual writing contests in Canada, listed by deadline date. The 2026 edition will be available soon, and we're accepting orders now. See details here. 

6) For a really special present, get a gift certificate for a weekly course. See details of classes starting in January here.

7) Or you might just give one of these presents to yourself. It’s a good time of year to consider what you want. Have you been thinking about writing? Well, it’s time to start! So give yourself that most important gift – which happens to be entirely free – space and time to get your creative self in gear.

Check out 77 more gifts for writers here. 

Plus, don't forget, try to shop local. Buy your books straight from the publisher or from a book store. 

See Brian Henry’s upcoming weekly writing classes, one-day workshops, and weekend retreats here.

Shana Tova ~ Happy New Year for 5786

On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we blow the shofar (which is made of a ram's horn) to call the people to repentance. But the shofar doesn't call only to men and women. In the prayer book for Rosh Hashanah, the shofar is said to create angels who carry our message of repentance to the heavenly throne. 

God himself also uses the shofar. At Mount Sinai, God spoke to all Jews alive at the time and all generations of Jews to come through the sound of the shofar. Likewise, it is said, at the coming of the Messiah, a great shofar will sound that will free all who are in bondage and gather all Jews to Jerusalem.

We could use such a powerful shofar blast today to free the hostages that Hamas has held – and beaten and starved and abused – for the past two years. But the theologians say (or some of them) that the time of miracles is past because God has made space for us to make our own miracles. And so we shall. Because we must.

For all of us, may this year be much sweeter than last year.

To everyone who celebrates it: Merry Christmas!

And may you have a wonderful holiday season!

“Now is the worst time of the year to query an agent or publisher” by Brian Henry

Now is the worst time of the year to query an agent or publisher

~ But it’s the best time to plan your strategy

So, it’s Christmas break and you plan to finish your novel, polish your query letter, and with New Year’s coming up fast, you’re full of resolution to land yourself an agent this year. Wonderful. But hold up. Right now is the worst time of the year to query an agent.

You want to avoid querying an agent when:

      -         She’s not in the office

      -         She is in the office but not working

      -         She’s trying to get work out of the way before going on holiday

      -         She’s crazy busy 

So, forget sending queries during the holiday season. Starting near the beginning of December, the publishing world begins shutting down. Yes, agents and editors are still in the office, but they’re trying to clear their desks before the holidays start. The last thing they want is to look at queries.  

As Christmas gets closer, less and less work gets done, and agents are disinclined to pitch your manuscript anyway, because they know that editors at publishing houses are doing just as little work; they’re more likely to be sipping eggnog than looking at new manuscripts.

Then from Christmas to New Year’s, odds are no one’s even in the office. Come January 2 (or the first Monday after New Year’s), agents are back in the office and discovering that the work hasn’t gone away. They have 967 emails cluttering their In Boxes, a pile of manuscripts they should really have read a couple weeks ago, and in general so much work that they (almost) regret taking time off.

Do they want to read queries now? Hardly. Give them a week (or maybe two) to get things under control again. But then! January is maybe one of the best times to query. Everyone's trying to turn over a new leaf – and for agents and editors that includes getting through their queries or slush pile and finding that fabulous new author who they're going to fall in love with.

And right now – during the Christmas lull – this is a great time to plan your campaign, to comb through the postings about agents on Quick Brown Fox {and there are other sites}, to make your lists of possible agents and preferred agents, or to decide which publishers you want to pitch, and to write targeted queries. 

You'll find all sorts of agents who are actively looking for authors here {and scroll down}; agents who are looking for kid lit, picture books to young adult, plus usually all sorts of other things here; and Canadian agents looking for authors here. (And see much more about finding agents looking for particular kinds of books here.) 

For information about publishers accepting unagented manuscripts see here {and scroll down}.

If you haven’t done so yet, trash your generic query and make a New Year’s resolution to write only personalized queries from now on – at least to those agents you’re particularly interested in. Because once the holidays are out of the way, this is an excellent time of year to query agents or submit to editors. Better than the fall, I think, which tends to be crazy busy in the publishing world. 

The very best time of the year to query is probably the summer, particularly August, when agents and editors aren't working so much to deadline. They may be on vacation, but for agents and editors, "vacation" means time to read queries and manuscripts, preferably with her feet up and a cool drink to hand. 

But do you want to wait six months before you start querying? I hope not. Also make plans to sharpen your writing skills. We have two writing retreats coming up in the new year: April 25 – 28 at Elm Hurst Inn & Spa (see here), and June 13 – 16  at Arowhon Pines Resort in Algonquin Park (see here).

On Saturday, March 1, I'll be leading a fabulous workshop: “Writing for Children & for Young Adults” with Patricia Ocampo senior editor at Kids Can Press and a former literary agent, so she understands the publishing industry from a few angles. Details to come, but if you want to reserve a seat, email me at: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

But the best thing you can do for yourself as a writer might be to sign up for a weekly course. Check out all upcoming classes, workshops, and retreats here.

But what if you've been so busy sending out a flurry of queries that you haven't gotten around to reading this posting till New Year's Day?

Well, Don’t worry, be happy. A few agents and editors will have used the dead time in the publishing world to catch up on things – like reading queries. Some are extra dutiful and will get to your query eventually even if you sent it in December 24. As for the rest, give it a reasonable amount of time and re-query all agents and editors who haven’t sent you a reject. At least, that’s what I’d do.  –Brian

P.S. Still looking for the ideal present for yourself? Check out this list of 77+ Gifts for Writers here.

Seventy-seven-plus Great Gifts for Writers

Stocking Stuffers

A tote bag for carrying around your books or manuscript that reads: “And one day the girl with the book became the woman writing them” – Kristen Costello. Here.

Sleep tight – you know you want a comfy, fleecy writer's blanket here. 

And naturally you want to work in your writers’ pajamas here.

Socks that say “I am a writer. I make the voices in my head work for me.” Here.

A gift bag of coffee or tea and snack foods, because writers have long thought that caffeine and sugar are their best friends. At one of our writing retreats,  we determined that Hawkins Cheezies are the best junk food ever – and they're Canadian. Yum.

Healthy snacks, because sugar is not truly your bff. If you're crafty in the kitchen, try some of these homemade treats here.

A bottle of Writers' Tears Copper Pot Irish whisky here.

More cool ideas:

Time away – a motel or hotel room for the weekend or the week. It doesn't have to be somewhere fancy; better if there are few distractions, as the idea is to get away and write. Alternatively, you could volunteer to take over a spouse's responsibilities for the weekend: walking the dogs or getting the kids out of the house in the morning, chauffeuring them to their activities, cleaning the house, cooking meals & doing the dishes etc. 

Or go big and send the writer you love off for a writing retreat (here).

More books of course! Always a great idea for writers. According to Chapters you can find the best books of the year here. And don't forget that writers have kids who also like books.

If you're looking for Christmas books, Penguin has a boxed set of six Christmas classics: A Christmas Carol by Dickens, Christmas at Thomspon Hall by Trollope, The Night Before Christmas by Gogol, The Nutcracker by Hoffman … here.

You can find a selection of kids' Christmas books here or here or here. Sixteen Canadian Christmas books for kids here ... There are a lot of Christmas books for kids.

Good lists of Hanukkah books for kids are hard to find. Try here or here, or see what's recommended on The Book of Life podcast here, or just buy all of Eric Kimmel's books here. 

Plus, Joanne Levy and Marissa Meyer have a middle grade Hanukkah / Christmas book just out, Let it Glow, here.

Gift certificates

A gift certificate to your local café, because a comfortable café is often the best place to write.

Gift certificates for the favourite take-out restaurants of the writer you love, because who can stop and cook or even sit down for a meal when they're in the middle of a creative frenzy?

A gift certificate to your local bookstore.

A gift certificate for a Brian Henry class, workshop, or writing retreat. See what’s coming here.

Random good ideas

Fingerless gloves (type and have warm fingers). You can also get a Pride and Prejudice scarf, a Sense and Sensibility pillow cover, a Black Beauty baby blanket ... here

Reading is Sexy button … here

Timer for writing sprints

AquaNotes waterproof notepads (for shower ideas—yes, these really work!)

Pens 

Highlighters 

A stamp with a happy face for critiquing your fellow writers 

Board Games & Creativity Helpers

Apples to Apples is a great creative game; you need to match a noun card in your hand to a given adjective card and convince the dealer that your (absurd) choice really is the best. We had a hoot playing this at the end of the day at the Algonguin Writing Retreat last June. ~Brian

“The Story Engine” deck of cards with extension packs. Very helpful for new ideas here.

Dixit may be the most popular writing board game out there. Players have to convince other players that their story card is the best way to tell the story.

With 540 cards, the Storymatic feeds the imagination. Just pull out cards from each category (such as “Obstacle” and “What-choo-want”) and let the storytelling begin. Great for writers experiencing writer’s block and collaborative writing groups.  

Writer Emergency Pack. It includes 52 cards with fantastic illustrations and loads of ideas. Whenever you’re struggling with a story, you can pull out a card and get inspiration! (Or at least a giggle.)

The Game of Things  makes everyone write. You’re given a category like “Things that Jiggle” and everybody has to write down a funny or crazy answer. Then the leader of the round reads them anonymously and you have to guess who wrote what. If you play with the right people, it’s fun and funny.

In The Writer’s Toolbox, there are 60 games to play to inspire writers to create — be the first to create a story based on “First Sentences, Non Sequiturs, and Last Straws.” Also, use one of two spinners to generate a random detail that you have to include in your story. 

In Once Upon a Time, the leader plays cards to start a story, trying to guide the story toward his end card. Other players try to jump in and play their cards. First one to use all their cards up wins! Great fun for creative writers.

Bananagrams anagram game … here

Scrabble Magnetic Refrigerator Tiles … here

For Writers Who Outline

Index cards

Post-It notes

Corkboard &  pushpins

Whiteboard with dry erase markers and eraser

For writers who procrastinate

Start using the Pomodoro method: book here, Pomodoro Planner here, and a timer here, or if you don't like the tick, tick, tick of a mechanical kitchen timer, you can use an online timer here. {Many thanks to Kira Vermond! I'm getting  lot more done on the computer these days using the Pomodoro method ~Brian}

Or if you like procrastinating, give yourself a break from your screen time and get some magnets to mess around with while you're supposed to be writing here.

For Writers Who Don't Always Write on Computers

Notebooks! Book stores often have great selections of notebooks and other essential writerly tools. Personally, I have a pile of gorgeous notebooks, but I can't bring myself to just write in them. Instead, I go to the dollar store and look for something cheap, with a spiral binding so that it will open all the way and a stiff cover so that I don't need a desk.

Inspirational pencils here.

Technology Helpers

Programs like Scrivener for organizing and word processing

Typing program (learn to type faster!), such as KeyBlaze.

Wireless/ergonomic keyboard or mouse

Virtual keyboard for mobile use

Multi-dock charging stand for the truly addicted here.

Big Ticket Items

New computer

Bigger computer monitor

Ergonomic desk chair

Cover design or editing costs for self-published authors

Writing Craft and Publishing-Related Books

The Art of Fiction, John Gardner

The Art of War for Writers, James Scott Bell

The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron

Bird by Bird: some instructions on writing and life,  by Anne Lamott.

Conflict, Action and Suspense, William Noble

The Elements of Style, William Strunk and E.B. White

The Fiction Editor, Thomas McCormak

How Stories Work, James Woods

On Writing: a memoir of the craft, Stephen King
The Sense of Style, Steven Pinker

Spunk and Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold Contemporary Style, Arthur Plotnik

Writing Down the Bones, Natlie Goldberg

The Thesaurus books by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi (The Emotion Thesaurus, The Positive Trait Thesaurus, and The Negative Trait Thesaurus)

Save the Cat by Blake Snyder or Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

Rivet Your Reader with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

The Power of Point of View by Alicia Rasley

And don't forget, books are available at actual book stores.

Miscellaneous Suggestions

Comfort clothes (robe and fuzzy slippers, sweat pants, but be careful; you may never change out of them. See here!)

Gift basket full of writing-related ideas (pens, notebooks, special beverage and glass, inspirational items or quotes, etc.)

Gift cards for books

Gift cards for office supply stores

Fun reader/writer-type gifts (“Careful, or you’ll end up in my novel” mug, The Literary Gift Company, etc.) Famous first-line mugs here.

Subscription to music source; such as Spotify

Lithographs: Shirts and totes printed with images and the text of your favourite novels. Tattoos available, too … here.

Out of Print Tee’s: T-shirts, tote bags, iphone cases – all sorts of things, decorated with your favourite book covers (here).

Premium level of online service (Dropbox for automatic backups, Amazon Prime for free shipping/lending library, etc.)

Entry fee for a writing contest

Massage gift certificates, a back or foot massager

A head scratcher  – which surely no writer can do without! (Dogs love them, too. Cats will tolerate them.)

Earrings, t-shirts, candles, wax seals ... Etsy has a potpourri of trinkets for writers here.

And don't forget pajamas, because you don't need to dress up to write, but you do want to be comfortable here.

And check out some of the very best gifts for writers here. 

Plus, don't forget, try to shop local. Buy your books straight from the publisher or from a book store.