Columnists

I got a grant…now what?

It’s grant notification season which can mean one of two things: You didn’t get it (which, to be honest, is the norm!) or…you did!If you didn’t receive funding, be sure to come back tomorrow for ...

Writing Goals for 2023

I love the clean slate of a new year—the new, unsullied notebooks, the expanse of the year stretching out full of potential, and how everything feels possible. As I was thinking about what I wanted ...

The year’s writing wins

I love a good December retrospective. I love looking back on the year and creating a highlight reel—favourite books, best swims, most listened to songs, best cake I made, best TV show I watched...But, ...

How to tame your nerves at a live/online reading

The other week, I stood on the edge of a stage down at Harbourfront, waiting for my cue. I wasn’t nervous about reading. After a year of online events, I was excited to read to a live audience, but ...

Grant Writing: Part 2

It’s grant writing season! There are a slew of deadlines coming up and though the process can feel daunting, there is money out there to support writing and we should all be applying!As a professional ...

Writing with kids: Impossible or sometimes maybe possible?

Summer is nigh, which means picnics and sunlight until 10 p.m. and swimming pools and watermelon. And it also means my kids are going to be around a lot more, and finding windows to write is going to ...

How to Start a Writers’ Group

I spent years working on a novel about a lifeguard who was terrified of drowning. Years, of sitting in the same corner of the same coffee shop bashing out draft after unreadable draft. And the only feedback ...

The challenges (and joys) of receiving feedback

I am not proud of it, but my initial response to feedback on my writing is an instant NOPE. No way! ABSOLUTELY NOT. “What if you switched the point of view to third person?”NOPE. No way! ABSOLUTELY ...

Making a skating rink, and other tricks for stepping away from a work-in-progress

On a particularly cold Friday morning, I piled my kids in a car with snow pants and skates and a pile of books and we headed to a cottage rental. We all were desperate for a change of scenery, and I was ...

A Writer’s Guide to Reading in 2022

I read a lot of books in 2021. More than I ever have, except for maybe the summers when I was eight and would clear out the chapter book section at Humber Bay library. I have always been an escapist, ...