When Words Collide panel

It’s a great writers’ convention Now in it’s 11th year, When Words Collide is a festival for readers, writers, artists and publishers of commercial and literary fiction, and it starts tomorrow, August 12, through Sunday August 14. Even better, the organizers have wisely chosen to hold the convention online again this year. Why am I telling you about WWC 2022? I’m pleased to be one of four panelists this year who are discussing Baking, Brewing…

Writers’ Craft 12: Agent, publisher or indie?

How to bring your work to market In the past 20 years the reasonable choices available to a writer have expanded considerably, and the delicacy around some of those choices has diminished. Was a time if you wished to publish your work, you were left with some very stark avenues. You could choose to publish through an established publishing house, and used to be you didn’t require an agent to be read by any of…

Writers’ Craft 10: Revision

So, you’ve written a thing You’ve just keyed in the final word, placed punctuation, and the sense of accomplishment that settles over you is profound. You’re done. Or are you? At this point it’s all too easy to think there isn’t another thing that needs doing to that piece of writing. You’ve been careful throughout, not only with the mechanics of good writing — punctuation, spelling, grammar — but with plot, literary devices, character development,…

Writers’ Craft 9: Research

A good writer is an informed writer I remember interviewing biographer and historian Marian Fowler for The Canadian Author and Bookman, back when the Canadian Authors Association published that wonderful writers’ periodical. She was particular about her research, always digging for accuracy and primary sources, and because of that her work rang with truth, a fact which sometimes garnered her a bit of trouble as was evidenced when she wrote her history on Blenheim. Seems…

Joe Mahoney and Saturday Night Scribes

Joe Mahoney, author of the forthcoming novel, A Time and a Place, recently interviewed the members of his writers’ group (which includes Tanah Haney), the Saturday Night Scribes, about why they meet, the creative process, and the benefits of feedback. Joe and crew graciously agreed to allow Five Rivers to share that video.