Online workshop: How to Write Great Characters, Saturday, Oct 31

How to Write Great Characters   

Saturday, October 31, 2020
Come in costume!
1:00 – 4:30 p.m.

Offered online, so you can jon from wherever there's Internet
Note: This workshop was scheduled to be held at the London Central Library, but they've decided they can't host us this year.

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.

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).

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

This workshop will be offered on Zoom. Orientation provided, but you will need a computer, tablet or smartphone with a mic and, preferably, a camera {i.e. a webcam}. 

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

 See Brian’s complete current schedule here, including Saturday 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.

“The Royal Blue Dance Shoes” by Christina Walton

They’re satin royal blue Latin dance shoes, with a 2¼-inch heel, the perfect and very safe height for my older and aging dance frame.  I’m obsessed with them and ordered them for my daughter’s wedding.  I used to dance and still like my “dancer’s feeling.”  So my daughter’s wedding called for my special dance self, and dance shoes to carry me down the aisle as my husband and I lovingly escorted her to her loving partner.  

My daughter had ordered her own special brand of magical shoes, as she too had been a dancer.  Her magical shoes were purple velvet, her favourite colour and style to show off her beautiful dancer’s tattoo.  A tribute to her love of ballet, her tattoo says, “My heart is at your feet” – it’s a reference to her curtsy at the end of each class to acknowledge the instructor. 

My husband bought new shoes too, so he could embrace this special shoe conversation too.

My heart leapt every time the mail arrived or a package was delivered.  “is it the shoes?!” I’d ask.  Nope, not today.   Each day I’d run to the door … Nope not today.   I tracked my order and to my dismay realized they’d been ordered from England!  I saw the tracking order on my computer and saw that they had in fact been shipped.  The tracking order showed an airplane as the mode of transportation.  Oh my gosh, would they make it across the ocean to my doorstep to be on my feet for October 11^th? 

Well, dance shoes had never let me down before in my dancing life, and surely they were magical and knew I needed them for this special day in our family’s life! 

My middle daughter, the practical and organized one, secretly ordered me a backup pair of shoes, just in case mine did not arrive.  The shoes she ordered for me were the perfect shade to match my navy dress, with sparkly adornments.  The heel was stylish and low, and the sheen just poked out from under the long hem.  They were really nice, I had to admit.  And I really did appreciate her thoughtfulness of looking out for me. I respectfully delegated these to the role of understudy in case the royals didn’t arrive on time.

This obsession with wedding shoes was honestly a lovely relief and distraction that helped us to forget stress of the pandemic looming above and around and ahead of us.  Our family were in a beautiful wedding bubble, preparing details like blue shoes and blue dresses, blue bow ties and blue masks to match our elegant blue outfits. 

We printed schedules of the wedding day and for that day – unlike the rest of our pandemic lives – knew exactly what we were looking forward to.  It was a wonderful space to be in.

My shoes arrived on the Thursday before the wedding, quietly in a non-descript envelope, carefully folded together like dance partners. I tried them on: they beautiful and comfortable and looked stunning on  my feet 

But Miss Middle daughter asked me to put on one shoe from each pair, together, with my dress – side by side, she said, to really get a good long look, like an audition. 

Well, the understudy won the wedding job. They really did look better. But the royals go with all of my work clothes, because now I work from home and can wear my dancer’s feeling on my feet, all day long, any time I need to or want to!

***

Christina Walton lives in Hamilton, where she grew up and danced for    many years.  She works as a family therapist, and she and her husband Stephen, are the parents of three adult children. They recently celebrated the wedding of their eldest daughter.  This is Christina’s first short memoir writing piece.

See Brian Henry’s 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.

Six places to send your short fiction, essays, reviews, and poetry ~ and most of them pay

Quick Brown Fox Quick Brown Fox welcomes your short stories, poems, and essays about reading, writing, favourite books, and libraries. Read a few essays on the blog to get a taste of what other writers have done (see here and scroll down). Quick Brown Fox also welcomes book reviews – or any kind of review of anything, of anywhere or of anybody. If you want to review your favourite coffee shops or libraries, babysitters or lovers (no real names please), go for it. See examples of book reviews here (and scroll down); other reviews here (and scroll down).

Submit to: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

Include a short bio at the end of your piece and attach a photo of yourself if you have one that’s okay.

Storgy Magazine is a UK-based online magazine that seeks to publish and promote exceptional literary fiction whilst providing authors with the opportunity to reach a wider literary audience. We take pride in discovering new and emerging talent, whilst also celebrating the work of established writers. 

STORGY welcomes unsolicited submissions from published and unpublished authors. They are looking for literary short fiction, particularly short stories which challenge literary conventions and experiment with genre, style, form and content. They consider all genres and welcome all submissions. “We want writing which forces the reader to face the reality in which we live, or the illusions in which we hide. We want soul, be it broken or bruised, or endless and almighty. We want to laugh, cry, cower, and applaud. Tell us, teach us, transform us.”

For flash fiction, 500 words maximum; for short stories, 5.000 words maximum.

STORGY also publishes essays and reviews, art illustrations and photography, and editorials that focus on cultural interests.

Submission guidelines here.

Room Magazine  seeks feminist fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, art, interviews, and book reviews. Men not welcome; the usual suspects – including women (cis and trans), trans men, Two Spirit and non-binary writers who are Black, Indigenous, people of colour, queer, and/or disabled—are particularly encouraged to submit. Pays $50 CAD for one page, $60 for two pages, $90 for three pages, $120 for four pages, $150 for five or more pages. 

Deadline: October 31, 2020 for next issue. Guidelines here.

 

Consequence Magazine seeks short fiction, poetry, nonfiction, interviews, reviews, and visual art mainly focused on the culture of war. Pays $10/page for prose (up to $250), $25/page for poetry, $15/page for translations (up to $250).

Deadline: October 31, 2020. Guidelines here.

 

Brick is an international literary journal published twice a year out of Toronto. “With a focus on literary nonfiction – and a willingness to stray when our hearts are taken – the magazine prizes the personal voice and celebrates life, art, and the written word with the most invigorating and challenging essays, interviews, translations, memoirs, belles lettres, and unusual musings we can get our hands on.”Pays $55–660, depending on the length of accepted work, plus two copies of the issue the work appears in and a one-year subscription to the magazine.  

Reading periods: Sept 1 – Oct 31 and March 1 – April 30. Guidelines here.

See Brian Henry’s 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.

Amanda Orozco joins Transatlantic Literary Agency, seeks new authors

Diamond Mistake Mystery
by Sylvia McNicoll, 
represented by Transatlantic

Transatlantic Agency

2 Bloor Street East,Suite 3500

Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

http://transatlanticagency.com/

Note: Don't ever miss a post on Quick Brown Fox. Fill in your email in the Follow Brian by Email box to the right under my bio, and get each post delivered to your Inbox. If you’re not yet on my newsletter list, send me an email, including your locale to:  brianhenry@sympatico.ca ~Brian

Transatlantic Agency offers a full spectrum of career representation to authors (Adult, Children’s & YA, and illustrators) and storytellers (Speakers, Industry leaders & Influencers) across all genres and formats for book, content development, speaking and TV & Film.

Amanda Orozco recently joined Transatlantic and is looking for authors. Six other agents at Transatlantic are also open to queries – see here.

Amanda is particularly drawn to stories from Asian and Latinx writers, though she is always looking for stories with compelling writing featuring protagonists with a distinct voice and personality; clever, quirky, gritty, and/or twisty stories that surprise her and keep her reading through the night.

For fiction, she’s looking for YA contemporary romance and fantasy, as well as adult fiction in the speculative, horror, literary, and upmarket genres. She has a soft spot for coming-of-age stories, short story collections, and the occasional urban fantasy. Recent favorites include Mary H.K. Choi, Elizabeth Acevedo, Weike Wang, Kiley Reid, Ling Ma, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and Leigh Bardugo.

For nonfiction, she’s interested in stories that offer fresh cultural, political, and/or social critiques along with personal narratives on art, pop culture, tech, and forgotten, unexamined history. She is looking for perspectives from the margins or from emerging artists and academics with original ideas and sharp commentary. 

She is open to select poetry, memoirs, and illustrated gift/humor books. Recent favorites include Carmen Maria Machado, Cathy Park Hong, Roxane Gay, Ayad Akhtar, and Jenny Odell.

Before joining the Transatlantic Agency, Amanda Orozco gained a breadth of experience in academic publishing, publicity, subsidiary rights, and agenting. She completeed the New York University Masters of Science in Publishing: Digital and Print Media and, while at NYU, worked at the National Book Foundation, Shreve Williams Public Relations, and The Gernert Company; she was also selected to attend the Frankfurt Book Fair and the Beijing International Book Fair. Upon graduating from NYU in 2019, she worked in Subsidiary Rights at Little, Brown until discovering agenting was her true calling. She worked at Park & Fine Literary and Media before moving back to Los Angeles, where she grew up and where she is now excited to build her list at Transatlantic.

Amanda has been a member of PoCinPub since 2018 and currently works for Dryland, the literary journal born in South Central, where she aims to amplify marginalized voices from the literary underground.

Query Amanda at: queryamanda@transatlanticagency.com

Please include “Query” in the subject line, include a 25-page sample (for fiction) or proposal (for nonfiction), and please notify her if you receive another offer of representation. Alternatively, queries can be submitted through Query Manager here,

See Transatlantic’s Submissions Page here.

If you’re interested in meeting an agent and in getting published, don’t miss our online How to Get Published workshops Saturday, Oct 24, with Paige Sisley of the CookeMcdermid agency (see here though this one is probably full) and Saturday, Nov 28, with Stephanie Winter of P.S. Literary (see here).

And if you’re specifically interested in writing and publishing Kid Lit, don’t miss our  online Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshop with Anne Shone, Executive Editor, Scholastic Books, Saturday, January 30, (see here) and the Writing Kid Lit weekly class Tuesday afternoons in the new year, Jan 26 – March 23 (see here).

Beyond that, Brian’s schedule continues to take shape...

Online: How to Write Great Characters, Saturday, Oct 31. Come in costume! Details here.

Online: How to Write a Bestseller, with New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong,  Saturday, Nov 7. Details here.

Jackson's Point: Writing Retreat at the Briar's Resort & Spa on Lake Simcoe: The ambiance of a country estate and the comforts of a modern resort – a perfect place to write. Friday, Nov 13 – Monday, Nov 16. Details here.

Weekly classes starting in January:

Online: Exploring Creative Writing, an introductory, low pressure course to get the creative juices flowing Thursday evenings, Jan 21 – March 25. Details here.

Online: Writing Personal Stories, nine weeks of creativity and fellowship. Thursday afternoons, Jan 28 – March 25. Details here.

Online: Writing Kid Lit, Picture Books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade books, and Young Adult novels, with enormously talented and experienced authors as guest speakers for two of the classes, Tuesday afternoon, Jan 26 – March 23. Details here.

For more details or to register for any workshop, retreat or weekly class, 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.

Navigation tips: Always check out the Labels underneath a post; they’ll lead you to various distinct collections of postings. If you're searching for more interviews with literary agents or a literary agent who represents a particular type of book, check out this post.

Online course for adults: Writing Kid Lit, Feb 2 – March 30

The Calling a YA novel by Kelley Armstrong
a New York Times #1 bestselling author
and one of Brian's students

Writing Kid Lit

Picture Books to Young Adult Novels

Tuesday evenings, 7 – 9 p.m.

February 2 – March 30, 2021

Offered online and accessible from anywhere there's internet 

Also on offer this winter: “Exploring Creative Writing” {see here}, "Writing Personal Stories" {see here}, and "Writing Little Kid Lit" {see here}.

 This course is for adults {or teens} interested in writing picture books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade books, or Young Adult novels. This course is accessible for beginners and meaty enough for advanced writers. Through lectures, in-class assignments, homework, and feedback on your writing, we’ll give you ins and outs of writing for younger readers and set you on course toward writing your own books.

We’ll have two published children’s authors as guest speakers:

Sylvia McNicoll is the author of over thirty books, many of which have garnered awards. Her most recent YA novel,  Body Swap, won the 2019 Hamilton Literary Award for fiction and in the spring of 2021 will be released in Korean. 

Crush.candy.corpse was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis YA Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Red Maple Award, the Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award, and the Snow Willow Award. 

Most acclaimed, though, are her three middle grade books about fostering guide dogs:  Bringing Up Beauty, Beauty Returns, and A Different Kind of Beauty which won and were nominated for many children’s choice awards. See the trailer here.

In 2019, Sylvia completed her middle grade series The Great Mistake Mysteries by adding The Diamond Mistake Mystery (see the trailer here). The three earlier books in this series were: The Best Mistake Mystery, The Artsy Mistake Mystery, and The Snake Mystery were recently released in Russia to rave reviews. The Diamond Mistake Mystery is currently up for The Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award, a literary program designed for young readers in Atlantic Canada.

Kira Vermond is an award-winning writer with over 2,000 articles to her name. She has been a frequent contributor to the Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, CBC and Today's Parent.

Kira is the author of six nonfiction books for young readers:  Trending: How and Why Stuff Gets Popular, which was recently nominated for a Yellow Cedar Award (more here); Why Don’t Cars Run on Apple Juice (more here); Half-Truths and Brazen Lies, (more here); Why We Live Where We Live (more here);  Growing Up: Inside and Out (nominated for on Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Award); and The Secret Life of Money: A Kid's Guide to Cash, which was my son’s and daughter’s favourite book  the year it came out, although my kids are four years apart.

Plus, coming in 2021, Why Does My Shadow Follow Me?

Fee: $176.11 plus 13% hst = $199

To reserve your spot, email: brianhenry@sympatico.ca

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.  Brian is the author o f a children's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  (Tribute Publishing). But his proudest boast is that he’s has helped many of his students get published. 

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

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.