Writing LifeTag

The Benefits of Being an Imposter

Like most writers, I’ve had a lot of rent jobs. When I was lucky, I worked in my chosen fields of editing and education. When I wasn’t so lucky, I worked in an institutional kitchen, as an ad mail ...

In Praise of the Sensitivity Reader

Have considered working with a sensitivity reader? If you’re on the fence—or if you have no idea what a sensitivity reader is—read on! What is a sensitivity reader? A sensitivity reader is a professional ...

Affirmations for Writers

Pursuing a career as a writer can be hard on your self-esteem. It requires incredible stamina, faith, and unbelievable amounts of patience. Here are some things I like to remind myself of when the urge ...

Feed Your Brain, Read Widely

Writers are often advised to read within their genre to better understand it. And when it comes to readers, it can be tempting to stick to their favourite genre too⎯it’s a favourite for a reason!I'm ...

I Just Got Published - So, Why Don't I Feel Great?

When I was 18, I resolved to be a published writer one day. It was something I’d dreamed of even before then. As a younger teenager I wrote simple books inspired in varying degrees by The Outsiders. ...

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 ...

On Orpheus & Eurydice, or the Inevitability of Timing

I’ve become superstitious about my novel. I believe that if I look back at the previous pages, I will not be able to write – not even one word to move it forward. After I finish writing for the day, ...

Remembering Steven Heighton and the Vancouver 125 Poetry Conference

One of the jokes I have with myself is that my first exposure to the public world of poetry was so traumatizing that I had no choice but to accommodate what I saw, however subconsciously. Ten years ago, ...

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 ...

Making the Leap: Why Writing Programs Matter Right Now

I’ve been on campus exactly once since March 2020, during the height of one of the province’s lockdowns, to pack up my old office at Humber College’s Lakeshore Campus. I was leaving my post as the ...