Barrie Writers' Club

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Category Archives: Workshops


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Free Workshop on getting published

Courtesy of Damian Lopes:

Barrie’s Culture Department is hosting a free workshop on how to get published on 18 May 2016. Topics range from placing pieces in magazines and journals, all the way to landing an agent and book contract, with some self-publishing, zine and micro press publishing thrown in. Though free, registration is required.

Join Alana Wilcox of Coach House Books, Bruce Meyer and me on 18 May!

Follow the link for more details: http://www.damianlopes.com/news/barrie-workshop-how-to-get-published-18-may/


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Story Structure Workshops

workshop
Brenda Chin, former alumnus of Barrie North Collegiate, is offering a
series of 10 practical workshops based on celebrated screenwriter Blake
Snyder’s book, SAVE THE CAT.

An award-winning editor, Brenda has worked in the romance industry for more
than 25 years. Through her many years with Harlequin, she had the
opportunity to work with some of the best writers in the business, often
buying their first book.

This workshop is useful for writers working on fiction novels of any genre,
exploring the importance of story structure and character development.
Brenda provides insightful, encouraging critiques with grace and humour.

We extend an invitation to join her Tuesday nights from Sept 29 to Dec 8
between 7pm and 8pm at the new Innisfil Public Library at 967 Innisfil
Beach Road. The cost is $50 for attendance for all ten sessions. Please
register by calling the library at 705 431 7410. (The fee is to be given in
cash to Brenda Chin directly.)

Evie Klein Whittingham, President
Barrie Writer’s Club


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Toronto International Book Fair Nov. 13 – 16, 2014

From the Prez:

Dear BWC:
The Toronto International Book Fair is running Thursday November 13 To Sunday, November 16, 2014 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Cost is incredibly reasonable at $15 for all 3 days with an amazing lineup of authors. Workshops run around $45.
Too many authors to list but they include: Kelly Armstrong, Margaret Atwood, Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpey Kid),  Dave Pilkey (Captain Underpants), Andrew Pyper, Anne Rice and Peter Robinson.
You can order tickets on line.
I will bring the 4 page program with me tonight but check out the excellent website http://www.torontobookfair.ca.
Evie
Visit the Book Fair website for more info and view the attached schedule below to see the events.


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L3 Writers’ Conference 2014

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To all members and guests,

Barrie North Collegiate is hosting the 7th Annual L3 Writers’ Conference at their school Thursday May 1, 2014 at 7pm. Tickets are only available for purchase at the door. The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for students.

Authors will bring books for purchase and signing.

Workshops are available for high school students during the day.
From the L3 Writers’ website:

Barrie North Collegiate’s iDeology program & the 7th Annual  “L3: Writers’ Conference” once again welcomes some of Canada’s finest authors, poets, novelists, journalists and activists to Barrie.

By day, L3 is Ontario’s largest high school literary event.

By night, L3 is Barrie’s largest authors’ celebration. L3 has put Barrie on the ‘literary festival map!’

L3 2014 promises to be another exciting and meaningful celebration of Canadian writers, journalists and activists.

ROBERT J. SAWYER                                ERIC WALTERS

MARINA NEMAT                                       PRISCILA UPPAL

RH JAMES BARTLEMAN                                    TOM EARLE

GORD “Trixterboy” BRUYERE               DALE PATTERSON

PENGUIN BOOKS CANADA                   CHRISTINE MISCIONE

For more information, please visit l3writers.ca.


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Writing and Coding/Programming Workshops!

Workshops - Adobe

Writing from Within with Donna Morrissey

A CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP with international award winning author, Donna Morrissey.
Donna Morrissey is the author of five best-selling novels – Kit’s Law, Downhill Chance, Sylvanus Now, What They Wanted, and The Deception Of Livvy Higgs, as well as a screenplay, Clothesline Patch, which won a Gemini Award.

For more information about Donna, visit www.donnamorrissey.com

Focus of Workshop:
Writing From Within Your Character

  • Showing vs Telling
  • Effective Telling
  • Showing emotion through character, narrative, dialogue and associative thinking.
  • Research: Balancing telling and showing research, which parts, how much research to present without overwhelming story or turning it into a history lesson.
  • Writing with Tension.

This workshop is designed for: beginning writers, those wishing to enrich their writing skills, those wanting inspiration/motivation, or to simply explore right-brain thinking.

Date:  Thursday, Oct. 3rd
Time:  10:00 – 4:00
Cost:  $85.00

Location:  Down by the Bay, 117 Mississauga E  Orillia, ON L3V 1V6
(705) 329-0943

Down by the Bay Meeting Room is right beside and owned by Brewery Bay Food Company.
Bring:  Pen, paper – and smiles for teacher!

*After the workshop Donna will be at Manticore Books for book signing*

Arrive a few minutes early to order lunch, which will be served during the break.

Ladies Learning to Code

Want to understand how programming and coding can help you?  Want to learn how to program and code yourself?

Ever thought that you’d like to understand how to code your own website, blog or even webstore where you can publish and sell your own books?

Look no further! Ladies Learning to Code is specifically geared towards women and girls wanting to do just that.  With reasonably priced workshops, for even the most technophobic women, you will always feel encouraged, enriched and safe in an atmosphere engineered for only us girls! 😉

Events list can be found by clicking here.

Toronto    
Introduction to Drupal

This workshop is being led by the amazing Erin Marchak and Sebastian Lesch from myplanetdigital.com!
September 7, 2013.
CSI Annex
10 am to 5 pm
Purchase Ticket

Toronto 
Introduction to JavaScript

This workshop is being led by the amazing Brenna O’Brien
September 14, 2013.
DMZ
10 am to 5 pm
Purchase Ticket

Toronto 
National “Learn to Code” Day: Intro to HTML & CSS

Join us for our first annual National “Learn to Code” Day!

Please note that this workshop is designed for adults.  See below for two National “Learn to Code” Day workshops for youth!
September 21, 2013.
The Centre for Social Innovation
10 am to 5 pm
Purchase Ticket

Drupal logo

Drupal logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles:

Go forth and write then code on!

~Sara


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Muskoka Writers Retreat

writers-retreat-logoNorthWords Muskoka Literary Festival is launching a new writers retreat. Here’s some of the info:

The NorthWords Muskoka Literary Festival is pleased to announce a partnership with the University Of Toronto School Of Continuing Studies to present a five day intensive writing workshop in Muskoka.

This unique and transformational five day workshop will be held from June 24 to June 28, 2013 at the Trillium Resort and Spa in Port Sydney, Ontario.   Focussing on the opening pages of your novel, memoir, or creative non-fiction, award winning writers Priscila Uppal and David Layton will cover all aspects of prose writing, including plot, character development and style.

Fifteen pages of prose, submitted by June 15, will be subjected to intensive work-shopping and professional editing.

To support your creative endeavour, the highly acclaimed Ranjini George Philip will start each day with meditation sessions designed to focus your writing skills.  Through meditation practices, you will learn to create new pathways in your consciousness, unblock creativity, and free yourself from limiting habits that can negatively impact both your personal and writing life.

This course will combine a relaxing natural setting with an intense workshop experience and promises to be a one of a kind event, suitable for both beginners and advanced writers.  By combining mediation, a relaxed natural setting, and superb creative writing instruction, writers at all levels will come away with new perspective on their novel and increased creativity.

From more information check out the website: http://www.muskokawritersretreat.com/


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Canadian Author’s Association Presents Elizabeth Ruth

Writers Helping Writers

Writers Helping Writers

On May 30 at 5:30 pm CAA Leacock Simcoe presents writing teacher, editor and award winning author, Elizabeth Ruth, talking about self-promotion and the novel writing process as well as the publication of her latest book, Matadora.  As usual, this will be at Down by the Bay in downtown Orillia and doors will be open at 5 pm to facilitate dinner ordering and prep.  See you there!  for more info about CAA Leacock Simcoe pls email caaleacocksimcoe@gmail.com

Elizabeth Ruth is a writer, editor, creative writing instructor and mother living in Toronto, Canada. Her first novel, Ten Good Seconds of Silence was a finalist for the Writers’ Trust of Canada Fiction Prize, the Amazon.ca Best First Novel Award and the City of Toronto Book Award. Her critically acclaimed second novel, Smoke, was chosen for the 2007 One Book One Community program. Elizabeth Ruth’s third novel – Matadora, about a female bullfighter in 1930’s Spain – was published in Canada in spring 2013 by Cormorant Books. 

Elizabeth is well known for her mentorship of aspiring writers. She teaches at the University of Toronto, and through the Humber School for Writers. In 2011 Elizabeth held the position of Writer-In-Residence at the Toronto Public Library. Elizabeth has also held the position of Writer-In-Residence at the Oshawa and Kitchener Public Libraries. In recent years, Elizabeth has mentored middle and high school English students through WIER, Writers in Electronic Residence. In 2011 she delivered workshops and offered manuscript evaluations to writers across northern Ontario. In 2012, together with Ann Douglas, Elizabeth Ruth was hired by The Writer’s Union of Canada (TWUC) to deliver professional development workshops to writers across the country. She is a long-standing member of TWUC and the current chair of the author’s advisory committee of the Writers’ Trust of Canada. 

Elizabeth Ruth has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Counselling Psychology, both from the University of Toronto. She is also a graduate of the Humber School of Writers.

Elizabeth Ruth poster