Recently, an editor wrote to compliment my work, calling it a 'compelling story' and 'vividly drawn.' Another editor wrote to say that she read 'with delight' my essay about Paul Quarrington, A Canadian in Paris. It is thrilling to receive such endorsement from professionals in the field, and even more exciting when they want to publish your words, as in the case of the Montreal International Poetry Competition, from which I won a Longlist prize for my poem, "Lucas".
As writers with a world of story inside us, we want to be heard, we want readers to tell us they were moved. And in that endeavour, we strive for excellence in our style, structure, character and all the nuances of craft that are needed to tell a compelling story.
We are fortunate as writers to have a wide choice of workshops, conferences and events to assist us in this quest. Upcoming for me are: the Pat Schneider Writing Retreat, the WCDR breakfast with speaker Dave Bedini (writer, musician and friend of Paul Quarrington), the Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Program (CCWWP) conference, Words of the Season, the Durham Theatre Festival, and the Historical Novel Society conference in London, England.
A busy and challenging schedule, but one I look forward to with relish. In addition, the Coffee, Tea and Words literacy event, the Ontario Writers Conference, Spring Thaw writing retreat with Writescape, plus several other events and workshops are coming up. Next fall, WCDR has Knopf Canada Random House editor Craig Pyette conducting sessions, and Words on the Street is scheduled for September. Also planned by WCDR: a grant writing workshop, the business of publishing, and more agent/editor meetings!
In addition, I was honoured to be a judge for the Len Cullen Writing Scholarships run by WCDR. It was a joy reading the submisions of dozens of writers, outlining their writing goals and providing a sample of their work. We were pleased to be able to award several thousand dollars in writing scholarships to aspiring and accomplished writers, so that they can pursue the advancement of their craft. It is clear from the list above that they are spoiled for choice! Every one of those writers and each one of those events will match skills and talents within the writing community and develop craft in writing. I look forward to the stories they create!
For information on WCDR breakfasts, events and workshops, and the Len Cullen Scholarships click here. and go the workshop page and events calendar.
