Writers' Union of Canada Workshop

Good morning one and all.

I am going to skip 'The Mechanics' today because I want to talk about my experience at the writers' workshop yesterday.

The Writers' Union of Canada is hosting workshops in most of the major Canadian cities over the next two weeks.

The workshop yesterday was one of the most valuable seminars I have ever been to (and also one of the most affordable). Two very well-established writers spoke, Genni Gunn and Wayne Grady, and the executive director of the union, Deborah Windsor, spoke as well.

The whole workshop was very well organized. It was never boring and the information being shared was current and valuable.

There were two things that made this workshop different in my mind: one writer was non-fiction-based and the other fiction-based and it was extremely inspiring because of the enthusiasm the speakers and executive director brought to the discussions.

I write fiction and poetry and I know more about those genres and the standard requirements for submitting work and so on. I really didn't know much about writing non-fiction novels, however, and realized from yesterday's discussion that I'd really like to send off some proposals.

We were all free to ask questions, the site was very comfortable and well-organized (and that really does make a difference) and at the end of the day we had a round of informal chat sessions with each presenter, which made the presenters seem very real and accessible. In other words, just like the rest of us!

That's important when you are a writer because writing is so solitary. It's easy to forget that other writers have gone through exactly what you have and made it.

That is why I love these kinds of venues, they inspire me so much!

I always get little gems of ideas from other writers, things I may not have thought of or tried or even knew existed. And being surrounded by other writers helps me feel connected to another whole.

As Deborah Windsor reminded us yesterday, we, as writers, are the substance behind the publishing industry and we should never forget that! Without us the newspapers, book and poetry publishers, literary journals, networks and film makers would be out of business.

I thank the Writers' Union of Canada for organizing such a great event.

I will see you all tomorrow. Enjoy your writing!