Craft, goals, confessions, and adventures in getting words down.
- Writing a Novel in 30 Days: My Novel November Diaries
July 4, 2026
Can you write a novel in 30 days? Diaries from Novel November (formerly NaNoWriMo): the theory, the word-count panic, and the experiment that became Feeding Frenzy.
- Chester Brown's Favorite Book & More from World on the Street
February 12, 2023
Showing our Love for Books at Word on the Street. AI Art by Maaja Wentz using Midjourney. Word on the Street is a Favorite Tradition At Word on the Street…
- 2 Easy Courses on Writing For Children Helped Me Publish
February 12, 2023
It's a great to start a new writing for children course in the fall. Learning to Write for Children This pic gives a late summer view from University…
- I Failed at my 2022 Goals but Won the Creative Writing Game Anyway
January 3, 2023
The Gal Who Has it All, by Maaja Wentz using MidJourney 4 (I failed at my 2022 goals but she didn't) In January 2022, I set myself three clear writing…
- The Steak Trick: Top 5 Tips to add Sizzle to your Writing
December 17, 2022
Dean Wesley Smith’s steak trick for accountability Writing is Creative Magic. Image by Maaja Wentz using Midjourney. On Medium , I haven’t set specific…
- How To Avoid the Worst Indie Book Cover Mistakes
October 20, 2022
Should you make your own book cover in 2022? My earliest indie short stories came out before I learned how to make a proper book cover. Since then, I've…
- 10 Reasons to Write Wattpad Serial Fiction
December 18, 2016
Why Should you Write Serial Fiction on Wattpad? Have you thought about writing serial fiction on Wattpad? I have used Wattpad to conquer writer's block…
- 10 Reasons Writers Benefit From Conventions
April 24, 2016
10 Reasons Speculative Fiction Writers Benefit From Conventions Do you read or write speculative fiction such as fantasy, horror, science fiction, magic…
- 1, 2, 4, 6: A System for Writing Success
February 13, 2016
Writers: Experiment with 1, 2, 4, 6, and Increase Productivity This article is inspired by Scott Meyer’s blog post about writing success for…
- Author Bio and Bloor West Writers
May 24, 2015
Accepted as a judge for the Mash Stories Competition, plus an introduction to Bloor West Writers, the Toronto critique group that meets weekly.
- Dragon Dictation: for Creative Writing
April 3, 2015
Should you use Dragon Dictation for your Creative Writing? Many people say that the main benefit of Dragon Dictation for creative writing is speed. While…
- Linda Poitevin Interview
December 15, 2014
Interview with traditionally published author Linda Poitevin on how Wattpad helped her sell her romance novel, and what serial platforms offer writers.
- An Evening with Guy Gavriel Kay
October 12, 2014
Guy Gavriel Kay is known for his fantasy novels, starting with the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, set at my alma mater, University of Toronto. He has written…
- Ideamancy – Ideas for Back-To-School Magic
September 6, 2014
Ideamancy: back-to-school magic for creative teachers and writers. The first week of school is over and routines are starting, so here are ideas for a running start to Fall.
- Easily Engage More Students with Web and Video Language Immersion
August 1, 2014
Students are bombarded with media and spend too many hours in front of computer and TV screens . Does this mean we shouldn't show videos in class? Of…
- Creative Teaching & Writing
July 19, 2014
Teaching is the subject of a lifetime and I have been reading, planning and obsessing about it since my first Montessori school job in 1995. When a…
- Drama, Poetry, Short Stories
October 20, 2012
When the leaves change colours, I feel like going for walks to hear the crunch underfoot and wind up being inspired by all that natural beauty. Fall is…
- Wayson Choy at WCDR
December 11, 2011
I took away some great tidbits from Wayson Choy's talk at the WCDR breakfast this morning. It was the first time I have attended one of their monthly…
- Reading, Writing & Critiquing
April 3, 2010
I've stopped writing for Digital Journal. It wasn't just that I was getting paid less than a cent per click. It wasn't just that the stories which got the…
- About SF free workshop at World Con in Montreal
July 23, 2009
Anticipation is the name of World Con this year. It is being held in Montreal and I am very excited to be going. I am not a regular convention attendee…
- Ontario Writers Conference May 2 - 3
March 25, 2008
I will be attending the Writers Circle of Durham Region Ontario Writers Conference May 2 - 3. Order of Canada recipient Wayson Choy is the honorary…
- Humber Writers' Circle
November 18, 2007
I haven't done any editing this weekend. I've been too busy with my son's hockey team photo, my report cards, catching up on my marking and a bang-up…
- Crazy Canucks love their writers
October 7, 2007
I just discovered the Canadian Book Challenge . It looks like fun and best of all, the prizes include Kraft dinner or a hockey puck! I like the idea of…
- Happy Thanksgiving, IFA & Richard Scrimger
October 6, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving! Monday is Thanksgiving (in Canada) and I will be spending it with family at my parent's cottage in the Kawarthas. I do have a pile of…
- Plagiarization Generation?
August 25, 2007
Never mind what I'm reading. It's unimportant, beside the point, really! If I want to fritter spare moments reading Absolutely Amazing Five-Minute…
- Survey, Carbon Dioxide and a Street Writer
November 15, 2006
I was delighted when, in reference to my previous post about flash fiction, anocturne said: "i have seen this in circulation on the blogworld - a bunch of…
- Packaging Your Imagination II
November 6, 2006
Bought at Packaging Your Imagination The Alchemist’s Portrait by Simon Rose The Mysterious Mummer by L.M. Falcone Good Times Travel Agency: Adventures in…
- Screenwriting, Opera, Kegger & Contest
October 23, 2006
As part of the ImagineNative festival , on Saturday I went to an excellent screenwriting seminar given by Elke Town of Storyworks, sponsored by the Harold…
- Favorite Writing Books – For Screen
September 22, 2006
Telling It by Anne Frank (ed.) Alternative Scriptwriting: Writing Beyond the Rules by Ken Dancyger & Jeff Rush Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices by…
- TIFF -- Why I love French Films
September 16, 2006
Despite director Benoit Jacquot’s experience, I was afraid to expect much from L’intouchable. The premise is that an actress runs off to India with only a…