“How to Build Your Novel” with guest Kelley Armstrong

“How to Build Your Novel”

With New York Times #1 bestselling author Kelley Armstrong

Sunday, July 20, 2025
1:15 – 5:00 p.m. Toronto time
Offered online and accessible wherever there's Internet

This workshop will show you how writers actually plot out a novel. Guest speaker Kelley Armstrong and I will explore both the process of creating a novel-length story and what you actually need to give your novel the structure it requires to hold your readers' attention. Kelley will also be sharing her story of her writing career so far. Most important, we’re here to answer all your questions. ~Brian

Guest speaker Kelley Armstrong lives in Aylmer, south of London, Ontario, with her husband and three children and spends her summers in the Yukon. She used to program computers and attend Brian Henry workshops. Now she writes international bestsellers. Kelley has hit the New York Times bestseller list with both her supernatural thrillers for adults and her urban fantasy for teens.

To date, she's published more than 60 books, most recently, I’ll Be Waiting (from Macmillan, available here), Schemes and Scandals (Subterranean Press, here), The Boy Who Cried Bear (St. Martin’s, here), and Finding Mr. Write, (Grand Central Publishing, here). And coming in February, Cold as Hell (St. Martin’s, here). By the time we get to July, she’ll have more books out, so keep tuned!

Bitten, a TV series based on Kelley’s first 13 novels, was on the air Jan 2014 through April 2016.

Visit Kelley’s website here. 

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 Windsor 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 and works inspired by Brian's classes, workshops, and retreats here.

Fee: $45.13 + 13% hst = $51 paid in advance by mail or Interac

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

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

Online How to Build Your Novel workshop, Saturday, May 7

How to Build Your Novel

 ~ An editor and an author give you their insights

Saturday, May 7, 2022
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Online and accessible wherever there’s Internet.

In this workshop, we’ll work with you on creating the arc of your novel. Beyond giving you a how-to overview of plotting and story-telling, participants are invited to submit a one-page synopsis of a novel they have in process or have in mind. Your synopsis must be less than 500 words, and if it’s only 50 words – just a concept, not a synopsis – that’s fine. 

Our plan is to share a couple of these with the group and see what suggestions we might make. And if you’ve got nothing, don’t sweat it; we’ll get you started on the spot.

Guest speaker Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is a former model who lives in London, Ontario, with her husband and their four children. Under the name L.E. Flynn, she is the author of three young adult novels: Firsts (Macmillan), Last Girl Lied To  (Macmillan), and All Eyes On Her (Macmillan Imprint label).

Her adult fiction debut, The Girls Are All So Nice Here,  was released by Simon and Schuster in the US and Canada in March 2021. In Canada, it went straight to the bestsellers list, and stayed there for two months. The Girls Are All So Nice has sold in 11 territories worldwide and been optioned for television by AMC. It’s available from Chapters (here) or from your favourite independent bookstore here.

When she’s not writing, you can likely find Laurie hiking in the woods, perusing thrift stores for vintage dresses, or bingeing on reality TV.

At the workshop, Laurie will talk about her process for plotting her novels and creating character arcs.

Visit Laurie’s website here.

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 Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published. 

Read a review of Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

Fee: $39.82 + hst = $45 advance payment only

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

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

How to Build Your Novel, an online workshop, Sunday, April 11

How to Build Your Novel

 ~ An editor and an author give you their insights

Sunday, April 11, 2021
12:45 – 5:00 p.m.
Online and accessible wherever there’s Internet.

In this workshop, we’ll work with you on creating the arc of your novel. Beyond giving you a how-to overview of plotting and story-telling, participants are invited to submit a one-page synopsis of a novel they have in process or have in mind. Your synopsis must be less than 500 words, and if it’s only 50 words – just a concept, not a synopsis – that’s fine. And if you’ve got nothing, don’t sweat it; we’ll get you started on the spot.

Guest speaker Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is a former model who lives in London, Ontario, with her husband and their three children. Under the name L.E. Flynn, she is the author of three young adult novels: Firsts (Macmillan), Last Girl Lied To (Macmillan), and All Eyes On Her (Macmillan Imprint label).

Her adult fiction debut, The Girls Are All So Nice Here, will be released by Simon and Schuster in the US and Canada on March 9, 2021. It has sold in 11 territories worldwide and been optioned for television by AMC. Pre-order your copy from Chapters (here) or from your favourite independent bookstore here.

When she’s not writing, you can likely find Laurie hiking in the woods, perusing thrift stores for vintage dresses, or bingeing on reality TV.

At the workshop, Laurie will talk about her process for plotting her novels and creating character arcs and about her career as an author.

Visit Laurie’s website here.

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 Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published. 

Read a review of Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

Fee: $39.82 + hst = $45 advance payment only

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

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

This July, join me for the first in-person writing workshops since the beginning of March ....

Raising the Stakes

How to increase your story's tension 

Saturday, July 18, 2020
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.

St. Elizabeth Anglican Church, 5324 Bromley Rd, Burlington, 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 raise the tension in each scene they write.

Note: To allow physical distancing, we will of necessity be a small group and enjoy ample opportunity for interaction. Participants are asked to wear a mask, and I'll bring the hand sanitizer.

Fee: $40.71+ hst = $46 paid in advance 

or $44.25 + hst = $50 if you wait to pay at the door

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

Come join me this July in a lovely beach town on Lake Huron for a pair of writing workshops:

How to Build Your Story

Plotting novels and Writing short stories

Saturday, July 25, 2020

1:00–4:30 p.m.
Southampton Arts Centre, 3 – 201 High Street, Southampton, Ontario (Map here)

This workshop will show you how writers plot a novel and will give you the best tips on writing short stories. We’ll also look at where to get your stories published and how to win contests. Best yet, you’ll see how to apply the story-building techniques you’ve learned to your own writing.

Fee: $50

Register through Southampton Arts here.

How to Write Great Characters
Sunday, July 26, 2020

1:00–4:30 p.m.
Southampton Arts Centre, 3 – 201 High Street  Southampton, Ontario (Map here)

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.

Fee: $50

Register through Southampton Arts here.

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.

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

How to Build Your Story and How to Write Great Characters, Saturday and Sunday, July 25 and 26, in Southampton

Come join me this July in a lovely beach town on Lake Huron for a pair of writing workshops:

How to Build Your Story

Plotting novels and Writing short stories

Saturday, July 25, 2020

1:00–4:30 p.m.
Southampton Arts Centre, 3 – 201 High Street, Southampton, Ontario (Map here)

This workshop will show you how writers plot a novel and will give you the best tips on writing short stories. We’ll also look at where to get your stories published and how to win contests. Best yet, you’ll see how to apply the story-building techniques you’ve learned to your own writing.

Fee: $50

Register through Southampton Arts here.

How to Write Great Characters
Sunday, July 26, 2020

1:00–4:30 p.m.
Southampton Arts Centre, 3 – 201 High Street  Southampton, Ontario (Map here)

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.

Fee: $50

Register through Southampton Arts here.

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 Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published and launch their careers as authors.

Read reviews of Brian's workshops, classes, and writing retreats here (and scroll down).

See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Southampton, udbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

Plotting novels & Writing short stories workshop, Saturday, Sept 14, in Toronto

How to Build Your Story

 ~ Plotting novels & Writing short stories

Saturday, Sept ember 14, 2019

1o:15 – 2:30 p.m.

Glenview Church, Bethlehem Room, 1 Glenview Ave, Toronto, Ontario (Map here.)

This workshop will show you how writers plot a novel and will give you the best tips on writing short stories. We’ll also look at where to get your stories published and how to win contests. Best yet, you’ll see how to apply the story-building techniques you’ve learned to your own writing.

Instructor 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 Saint John. But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published. 

Read a review of Brian's various courses and workshops here (and scroll down).

Fee: $37.17 + hst = $42 paid in advance 

or $39.82 + hst = $45 if you wait to pay at the door

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

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