Teresa Petrie photo
East End Writers' Group 10th Anniversary October 2010 roaring success
We read; we ate; we reconnected, and met some new people. But most of all we had fun,especially the eight of us who walked or drove to a nearby pub for more food, drinks and lots of stimulating conversation. Thanks to the 35 to 40 people who came out to our anniversary celebration at S. Walter Stewart Public Library branch in Toronto on October 27, 2010. And a special thanks to our 11 readers who shared their creative writing including novel and novella excerpts, short stories, opinion pieces, personal essays, memoir, and even an interview with a novelist's main character.
Our readers:
John Jansen in De Wal
Yvonne Blackwood
Gail Murray
Tom Taylor
Lai Ping Lee (Apple)
Steve Porter
Mehdi Rizv
John Lyon
Fran Lambert
Shane Joseph
Sharon Crawford
Maybe we'll do it again in five, instead of waiting for 10.
The East End Writers’ Group has met monthly in the east end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada since September 2000. The Group presents critique meetings, guest speakers, workshops, e-mail critiques and hard-copy critiques.
Writing Critique Evenings
Meets 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. usually the last Wednesday of the month from September to November and January to June, for constructive criticism of short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, poetry, personal essays, articles, etc. You get up to 10 minutes to read, but you can also just listen and give constructive criticism of others’ writing. Bring copies of your story so everyone can have a copy and bring pen and paper to take notes. We also discuss markets and writing techniques, and do “show and sell” for members who have recently published books. Break midway to snack and network. New members welcome. Free. Just bring a wheat-free snack.
Critique Gatherings Schedule for 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 Guest speaker Andrew Borkowski, author of Copernicus Avenue, a collection of short stories published by
Cormorant Books in 2011.
Andrew will read from Copernicus Avenue and talk about short story writing and promoting his book. He will also have copies to sell. After the networking/snack break, we will do our usual reading and critiquing of our
members’ writing in progress.
.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 Guest speaker garden writer Steven Biggs who co-authored the book No Guff Vegetable Gardenintg with Donna Balzer. Steven will do a presentation on the ins and outs of co-authoring a book and will have copies of his book available for purchase. After the networking/snack break, we will do our usual reading and critiquing of our members’ writing in progress.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Break for summer.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012 (Please note we are meeting a week earlier because of Halloween falling on our regular gathering date.)
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Break for Christmas
We meet in the O'Connor Dr. and St. Clair Ave. E. area of Toronto. For location, e-mail samcraw@interlog.com
Guest Speakers General Information
Some Wednesday evening meetings feature guest speakers before the break. Recent guest speakers include: Michael Carroll, Publisher with Dundurn Press; Nate Hendley, non-fiction articles and book author (Motivation for Non-Fiction Writers); Paul Sanderson, poet and photographer; Tina Tsallas, literary agent; Rosemary Aubert, mystery novelist and workshop instructor; Cynthia Gould, performance poet; Shane Joseph, novelist and short story author (Fringe Dwellers), and Stacey May Fowles from Descant Magazine.
One-day Saturday Workshops
Held in the spring and early fall. Workshops run between 9.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. We've had workshops on Writing Novels, Fictional Character Development, Interviewing Techniques, Finding Story Ideas and Querying Publication Editors, Creativity, Marketing, How to Get Published, Crafting the Short Story, Memoir Writing, and How to be Your Own Editor and Create a Better Story. Fee depends on instructor's fee.
The East End Writers’ Group presents...
Crafting the Short Story - a six-session course with writer and editor Sharon Crawford featuring lectures, discussions, writing exercises, handouts, and a looksee at published stories.
Session 1 (Saturday, May 5, 2012 - 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. Registration: 9.30 a.m.)
Getting Started – What a short story is and isn’t. Character driven or plot driven. Mainstream and literary short stories. Finding and tapping into story ideas. Choosing a story idea to develop into a short story during each session. Definition of good short story ingredients – the lead, plot, characters, point of view, setting, voice, style and mechanics (boring grammar, spelling, punctuation). Writing a lead that grabs the reader. Lead checklist.
Session 2 (Saturday, May 5, 2012 - 1.30 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
Nailing Down the Plot and Meeting Your Characters – Critique of leads written in the morning session. Characteristics of a good plot – what it is and what it does in a short story, parts of a plot, plot pitfalls. Plot checklist. From your lead – developing a plot; choosing characters.
Session 3 (Wednesday, May 9, 2012 - 7 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.)
Characters – the Heart of the Short Story –- Major and minor characters. Developing your characters. Physical traits, emotional baggage, etc. Literary characters vs mainstream fiction characters. Combining characters with plot. What makes characters memorable including checking out published stories. Presenting your characters –show not tell, dialogue, action, character thoughts, indirect description. Getting a start on dialogue. Character checklist
Session 4 (Wednesday, May 16, 2012 - 7 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.)
Characters and Point of View – Let Them Speak – Developing your characters’ dialogue, dialogue do’s and don’ts. Dialogue checklist. Point of View – what it is and what works best in short fiction. Whose point of view for your story? Avoiding “jumping heads” with POV. A look at some good and bad POV setups in stories. POV checklist.
Session 5 (Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.)
Setting the Setting, Finding Your Style, Finding Your Voice, and the boring Mechanics – setting purpose and content; definitions of style and voice and their differences with a look at published stories, common spelling, punctuation and grammar pitfalls. Checklists.
Session 6 (Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 1.30 p.m. to 4 p.m.)
Wrapping and Writing it Up - Quick review including Q &A, the Nitty-gritty - time to write more of your short story, critique, and a quick look at possible markets.
Location: Toronto (St. Clair Ave. E. and O'Connor Drive area).
Cost: $150.; $125. for pre-registration and payment up to May 3, 2012. Cut off for registration is 12 noon, May 3, 2012. Limited space so register early.
For more information, payment details and location email words@samcraw.com
The East End Writers’ Group presents…
"How to Make Yourself Write"
~ A creativity workout ~
Saturday, July 14, 2012
10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
World’s Biggest Bookstore, 20 Edward St, Toronto
(A block north of Dundas, just west off Yonge St.
Let's get motivated! This workshop is designed to help you find the time and the inspiration to write. No more staring at a blank screen. Come to this workshop and give yourself a kick-start, and then learn how to keep going. This creativity workout will get your words flowing and help you make the breakthrough into the next level of writing.
Workshop leader Brian Henry has been a book editor and creative writing teacher for more than 25 years. He teaches creative writing at Ryerson University and has led workshops everywhere from Boston to Buffalo and from Sarnia to Charlottetown. But his proudest boast is that he has helped many of his students get their first book published.
Fee for members of the East End Writers’ Group:
$35.40 + 13% hst = $40 paid in advance
or $42.48 + 13% hst = $48 if you wait to pay at the door
Fee for the general public: $38.94 + 13% hst = $44 paid in advance
or $42.48 + 13% hst = $48 if you wait to pay at the door
To reserve a spot now, email brianhenry@sympatico.ca
For more information on the East End Writers' Group contact:
Sharon Crawford
Writer/Editor/Instructor
1-416-750-0860