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October 19, 2016On Writing, with Deni Ellis Béchard
Deni Ellis Béchard is a Commonwealth Writers' Prize-winning fiction writer and an acclaimed journalist whose work has taken him around the world. His newest book is the novel Into the Sun (House of ...
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April 06, 2017Guest Column - So I Opened a Bookstore
So I opened a bookstore.Yes, yes, I know – “in this day and age?” “Bookstores are going under!” “What about digital books?” “No one reads paper books anymore!”But I had been reading ...
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September 21, 2018A draft
For years my partner and I lived in a condo, one of the four sides of which was flanked by windows, only one. The world was out there and we were in here, boxed, safe, separate, tucked away in the proscenium. ...
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October 04, 2023Tips for Writing in a Hybrid Genre
Hybrid genres are on the rise, but many writers feel unsure about how to manage expectations of the different genres while writing, and how to market their finished product. As a reader and a writer, ...
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January 31, 2014
On Writing, with Dane Swan
By Open Book and Dane SwanDane Swan is Open Book's February 2014 Writer in Residence. In his On Writing interview, he tells us about his latest book, Bending the Continuum, his next project and his ideal ...
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October 08, 2020I cannot not write
“If you wait for inspiration to write you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter.” — Dan PoynterI have this morning routine that involves the perfect cup of coffee, the right music, and showing up ...
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March 09, 2021
A love letter (to books)
The first quote-unquote serious novel I read was One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn. My eighth grade teacher set down a box at the front of the classroom and, in a seemingly ...
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September 16, 2021Helen Walsh, Author of Film Festival-Set Mystery Pull Focus, Shares Essential Writing & Publishing Tips & Advice
With TIFF (the Toronto International Film Festival) just having started up for last week, it seems like perfect timing for Helen Walsh's Pull Focus (ECW Press), a brainy and dark mystery novel set against ...
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February 05, 2019Who I Think About When I Write … It’s Probably You: A List of Questions to Ask Yourself About Audience as You Write
I find it really challenging to write a picture book without imagining its audience. In whose hands will the finished book end up? What will make them pick it up? Will they find my story satisfying? To ...
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May 22, 2022
The Reasons I Write
I can think of many reasons why I should not write. The pay is terrible. The hours, though flexible, are insufferably long (i.e., even when I stop doing writing, I am thinking about writing). It can be ...
