Join moderator Jeffery McGraw as he formulates the secrets that authors Susan Wiggs, Carol Mason and Eileen Cook, agent Valerie Gray and editor Faith Black each bring to Romance writing.

Join moderator Anthony Dalton as he explores the wide world of non-fiction writing options with journalists Jacqueline Banaszynski and Kirk LaPointe, and editor/agent Stan Wakefield.

Fantasy master Terry Brooks shares his secrets to creating a universe in a workshop aimed at discussion of technique with both beginning and advanced writers. Bring your questions and a page or two of your story for an in depth look at plotting, character development, use of voice, setting scene, choosing point of view, pacing, writer's block and more. The key to getting your questions answered is to come prepared to present some during the course of this session.

Is your blog under the weather? Suffering the blahs? Bring your questions and problems to the Blog Doctor, social media expert Darren Barefoot. He’ll help you cure an ailing blog and bring your posts back to maximum health.

There's structure, then there's everything else. Writer Jeff Arch will share as many tools and techniques as time will allow. Be sure to ask about the Mick Jagger School of Screenwriting, and the Jackie Chan School of Screenwriting, just to name two, in case Jeff forgets.

Witness Michael Slade and Robert Dugoni — both former lawyers and New York Times bestsellers — as they discuss how their legal experiences inform their writing.

Acclaimed author and illustrator Kathryn Shoemaker discusses the form of the picture book. Learn how the words and pictures work together to create a whole.

Author Richelle Mead discusses the genres of Urban Fantasy and paranormal romance – the similarities, differences and overlaps, the trends in publishing and how to do your research.

First time at the conference? Come to this special SHORT session with author and conference coordinator kc dyer and find out how to make the best use of your time at SiWC 2009. Acronyms, slang, jargon – get your explanations here! All puzzles solved or your money refunded.

Join social media provocateurs Monique Trottier and Darren Barefoot as they lead an exciting panel discussion on the changes that social media is bringing – and forcing upon – traditional publishing models. Panelists include blogger Lorraine Murphy, broadcaster Sean Cranbury, associate editor Susan Safyan, author Leanne Prain and journalist Kirk LaPointe.

Thriller, women’s fiction, western, detective, mystery. A look at the market for genre fiction, and some do’s and don’ts for getting your work noticed. With editor Kristin Sevick, auhor Bob Mayer, agents Meredith Kaffel, Donald Maass, and moderated by agent Verna Dreisbach.

Author and editor Lois Peterson moderates this panel of award winning children’s writers, including Richard Scrimger and Meg Tilly.

Best-selling author Robert Dugoni shows you how to employ time-tested techniques of best-selling authors to improve your novel writing. This workshop will focus on catching and holding the reader's attention in the first three pages while avoiding common mistakes, taking ordinary characters and making them memorable, and learning how to create and sustain tension, the keys to keeping readers turning the page. The class will include a handout and is designed for both beginning writers and writers who have already completed a manuscript and are looking for techniques to make it better.

Hallie Ephron shares her epiphanies along the way to producing seven mystery/suspense novels – the mistakes, the trade-offs, the gotchas, and the expectations of the genre’s readers.

This workshop is designed to help new screenwriters get started on the right foot. This course will take the writer from the “What if moment?” through the necessary steps every good screenwriter takes on the way to getting ready to write a screenplay. Subjects covered will include: Difference between a screenplay, a stage play, and the novel; How to develop three dimensional characters; how to develop a story outline and how to write a treatment from that story outline. Once armed with these necessary tools, workshop attendees will be ready to turn their story into a screenplay. [Beginner Stream]

Award-winning poets and authors Bernice Lever and Gary Geddes team up to address the power of the poetic form, its status in Canada, and the 'ins and outs' of getting your own work published. They will cut a wide swath through this broad topic, examining long verse form, creativity, voice, style, tone and the choices poets make. A not-to-be-missed poetry event!

Learn techniques used by the ancient Greeks and modern Hollywood producers to create exciting stories. Take your hero or heroine on an adventure. The map is already there, developed by the work of Joseph Campbell. In this workshop with author and SiWC founder Ed Griffin, you will learn the theory, and then apply it to your story.

Join best selling author Diana Gabaldon for a discussion on how to do research and how not to dump it all over your story.

Many novels repeat the same sort of mistakes in the first 50 pages. Join editor Lisa Rector-Maass to find out what is working in your manuscript, and how to do more of it before you write the next draft.

A detailed look ahead at the market for writing for children and teens. With agent Meredith Kaffel, editors Annette Pollert and Abby Ranger, and moderated by editor Crystal Stranaghan.

Author Susan Wiggs for a light hearted look at the realities of the writing life.

"Anybody can write funny. On the other hand, anybody can be a stripper, too — but unless you’ve got the equipment and the motivation, you probably shouldn’t try to do either for a living." — Sol Saks

Author Eileen Cook shares the ingredients of comedy as well as the deadly sins that can kill off the humour in your manuscript.

A look at the essential elements of the short story: plot, structure, character, dialogue, and what you can and can't achieve with that length. Lots of helpful hints and rules of thumb with acclaimed author Annabel Lyon.

Women’ fiction author Carol Mason drops a few hints on how to be fresh and original in the most competitive market of commercial women’s fiction. Though some writers resist the label, women’s commercial fiction is a huge piece of the market — think Marian Keyes, Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green — but it’s also probably the hardest to break into. Learn the secrets here!

Join intrepid writer and explorer Anthony Dalton, author of several books and hundreds of magazine articles as he discusses adventure writing with camera and pen.

Just books, you say? Author, editor and former library staffer Lois Peterson offers practical strategies for using the more obvious and lesser-known resources and services of the Surrey Public Library — and any library — for research, marketing, and promotion.