Category: Move Your Writing Forward

Anne Simpson’s first collection of poetry was awarded the Gerald Lampert Award and the Atlantic Poetry Prize, in 2001. Her book of poetry, Loop was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award in 2003 and a Griffin Prize in 2004. Anne has lived in Nova Scotia for almost 20 years and was the 2002-03 writer…

Resolution to a case of copy jitters Recently, I found myself asking NYC blogger Maud Newton about the way she might approach writing an article profiling several writers.  I was suffering a bad case of anxiety over the piece and as I explained to Maud, the results of workshopping the article with my online writing…

Creative writing is as much about process as it is about character, plot, and dialogue. Yes, you need a solid grasp of grammar and mechanics, a workable love of language, and a sense that you are free to make a mess of things, but it’s your writing process that will carry you through to The…

I have written articles about the benefits of working with writers in residences at local and regional universities and public libraries. Overall, I’ve found these experiences, as well as the results they yielded, invaluable to my work. A recent session with Queen’s University writer in residence Diane Schoemperlen produced a surprising outcome: a reminder that my…

Professional writers of all stripes juggle multiple due dates, but you can tackle this problem by working backwards from your deadlines. Are you struggling to complete a writing assignment? A novel? Tired of bouncing between personal writing projects, without crossing the finish line? A few years ago, as a due date for an article closed…

After 18 months of working on the script, Ruba Nada filmed “Coldwater” in Toronto.  Last week, I received an email message from the director announcing the launch of her updated Web site. I was pleased to be included in her distribution list because she provides me with creative inspiration, despite the fact I am not familiar with her award-winning…

Write what you know. This is the advice you get. From editors and writers, in classrooms and email dispatches, in magazine articles, and on websites.  You say what you really know is lost love and regret, but this is not all you know. You know the restlessness of young adulthood, complacency of job and workplace,…

“Success is shy — it won’t come out while you’re watching,” said Tennessee Williams. When faced with challenges in and with our work, we writers rely on the wisdom of famous writers, but Williams’ bit of information comes as bad news for me. For years I’ve been expecting my personal writing projects to magically sprout…

It has been more than twenty years since I published a guide for novice actors looking for legitimate talent agency representation, but the lessons I learned as an author and publisher have stayed with me. Although this article refers to a book, I continue to apply these lessons to other passion projects and to my…