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February 22, 2017
Poetry vs Prose part 1 of 2
”Why does Dane use words like poetry and prose yet refuse concepts like genre?”I've been accused of citing quotes unnecessarily, so I'll merely remind my readers of a very Canadian statement, “The ...
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April 24, 2018FOLD Authors Kusow, Maynard & Robertson on Diversity in CanLit, Festival Life & Recommended Reads
The Festival of Literary Diversity (aka the FOLD) is nearly here! The fastest-growing literary festival in the country is back for a third year, running from May 3 to May 6, 2018 with an incredible line ...
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December 29, 2023When Life Influences Form
What’s the best form for your next writing project? Often, this is decided by the sort of thing you want to write. Your sprawling epic fantasy idea likely won’t work as a short story, for example. ...
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December 12, 2017Publishers and Awards
Though fall isn’t quite as busy a time for children’s literature awards as it is for the adult side of CanLit, the two most prominent prizes, the Governor General’s Literary Awards for text and ...
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March 21, 2018On writing politically, or how not to make your fiction sound like a lecture
When I started writing my most recent novel, The Conjoined, I began with the idea of subverting classic crime fiction, something that I thought would be a fun bookish game. What if I could write a literary ...
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May 16, 2016#WritingTips Mondays: Kurt Vonnegut on the Importance of Being Sadistic
Kurt Vonnegut was one of the best loved writers of the twentieth century, known for his wit and playfulness, as well as the strong socio-political undercurrent in much of his writing.Before his death ...
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April 17, 2019Creative Life
I was asked to give a keynote address at the launch of the student literary journal, Scarborough Fair at the University of Toronto Scarborough. The theme was “The Creative Life”. As their Writer in ...
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June 26, 2018
Mentors & Allies 4: Hazel Millar
I cannot tell you how many times I have emailed Hazel Millar at Book*hug. Whether it was a question about my contract, a reminder about an event, festival, or reading, or just me blathering on about something, ...
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June 19, 2019What Kdramas Taught Me About Storytelling
OK so first I feel like I should explain that literature and TV/film motivate me in different ways. I like to see it as craft vs. content. Books I love or respect teach me about word choice and pacing, ...
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August 25, 20176 Marketing Tips for Debut Authors
Publishers are great partners, but they don’t usually do the heavy lifting in terms of marketing—especially for debut authors. In a partnership both parties have to pull their weight, which requires ...
