Don’t Sit Down in the Middle of the Woods

By Bruce Cinnamon Don’t sit down in the middle of the woods. If you’re lost in the plot or blocked, retrace your steps to where you went wrong. Then take the other road. If I’m reading an article called “Top Ten Writing Tips” or “Margaret Atwood’s Advice for Writers,” it usually means that I sat […]

A Survival Guide for the Young Emerging Writer

By Cindy Pereira 1. Immerse yourself in the style or genre that you want to write in. Find inspiration in some of your classic go-to authors, or poke around at your local library or bookseller and discover some new favorites. If something stands out to you in your readings, take a mental note, step back […]

Ask an Expert Spotlight: Nick Thran, Charlotte Cranston, and Colin Matty

Just a night’s sleep away from our Ask an Expert event! Tune in tomorrow, 12-4 pm. It’s all online, making it easier to interact with our panel of experienced writers. And here’s the last of our experts’ bios! Without further ado, Nick Thran, Charlotte Cranston, and Colin Matty: Nick Thran’s most recent collection of poems […]

Writing to Understand Yourself

By Stuart Gardner Writing for me has always been a somewhat selfish venture. Basically, as soon as I was introduced to creative writing I saw its potential as a therapeutic outlet for all kinds of emotion. Writing became my way of working through difficult situations. For whatever reason, it’s much easier to understand things happening […]

Ask an Expert Spotlight: Wayne Arthurson, Marty Chan, and Maureen Ulrich

We’re closing in on tomorrow’s 12-4 pm Ask an Expert event. It’s all online, making it easier to interact with our panel of experienced writers. And we’ll be profiling said writers all week! Without further ado, here’s a bit about Wayne Arthurson, Marty Chan, and Maureen Ulrich: Wayne Arthurson is a First Nations writer, the […]

Critiques: Not Law, Just Opinions

By Kirsten Lowe I have been writing weekly book reviews for the Red Deer Advocate for over a year now, and it is still an amazing yet challenging job. As long as it’s a new release, I have free range and can pick whatever book I wish to review. But I always have to remember […]

Write Your Own Way

By Kala Godin My name is Kala Godin. I write because I have stories to tell. I can think up fantastical realms or creepy creatures and I want to share these with people. I also write a ton of poetry. People tell me that it “makes them think,” and that’s exactly what I want to […]

Ask an Expert Spotlight: Lee Kvern and Kimmy Beach

As you probably know, we’re hosting an Ask an Expert event on March 19, 12-4 pm. It’s all online, making it easier to interact with our panel of experienced writers. And we’ll be profiling said writers all week! Without further ado, here’s a bit about Lee Kvern and Kimmy Beach: Lee Kvern is the award-winning […]

A Heart to Heart: Get Writing, Young Writer

Hey, you, young writer—over here. I gotta tell you something! Here it is: Start now. Start what? Start writing. Seriously. Full of ideas and inspired by a solemn, misty day? Seize that moment and write. Why am I telling you this? Let’s break barriers. I’m a twenty-something. I’m in that category of folk who are […]

Young Writers’ Week and the People Who Made It Happen

Young writer: You’re probably here because you want to know more about the craft from a local perspective, from your fellow young Alberta writers. We’re happy to say you’re in the right place, and eager to introduce you to Young Writers’ Week! An initiative of The WGA’s Youth committee, this week runs from March 16-20, […]