Starting something from scratch takes guts, faith and a healthy dose of stubborn optimism. Some would argue that deciding to undertake a freelance writing practice requires a touch of masochism, too. But let’s look at this rationally. First, you aren’t starting from scratch; you’re starting with talent, knowledge, skill, connections, and, probably, the moral support of a good number of people. Second, starting a writing business is no more or less difficult than starting any other type of business. Third, you’re peddling a valuable product. Now let’s talk about how to make the most of it.

In a society obsessed with cell phones, the internet, movies, television, social networking, and video games, how do you get teens to sit down and pick up a book? And once they've picked it up, how can you keep them turning the pages? Join award winning YA author (Swim the Fly, Beat the Band, Call the Shots) and professional screenwriter (Hounded, Employee of the Month) Don Calame as he discusses his writing process, how he got his very first book published (hint: it involved the Surrey International Writers Conference), and his methods for grabbing a reader's attention and holding it all the way until the very last page.

Struggling to get words on paper? Need some new insight? Getting bogged down in minutiae and getting away from the basics of writing?  Robert Wiersema will lead you through 11 basic rules for writers to re-connect, when they need to get back to fundamentals

Robert McCammon invites you to explore the idea of coming up with character, town and place names that have significance and resonance in your work.  

Join our panel of social media experts for an inside look at how social media is working today for our panelists, our conference, and other writers. This session goes beyond how-to and right into what's out there, happening, right now.

This workshop will focus on catching and holding the reader's attention in the first three pages while avoiding common mistakes - the seven deadly sins that can get a manuscript rejected in the first 50 pages.

Think you never have time to write? Think again. Campbell award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal wrote her Hugo-nominated short story "Evil Robot Monkey" in ninety minutes. If you have ninety minutes, you can have a story -- all it takes is understanding how to make every word work double-time. In this workshop, learn the same techniques she uses to create new fiction. Through exercises focusing on viewpoint, dialogue, and plot, you'll learn how to let nothing go to waste.

Join poet, writer, and teacher Terence Young for a look at five or six specific exercises for generating poetry, some with an idea to form and others with models as their basis.

For writers, every life experience is fodder for fiction. Dan Kalla has parlayed his experience as an ER doc at a busy downtown hospital into international success with his medical thrillers and historical novels. Join him for a discussion about turning your own area of expertise into fiction in any genre.

Back story, done badly, stops a story in its tracks. Ever wondered if there IS a good way to do back story? Join Hallie Ephron for the answers. She discusses what back story is and how and when to use it for best effect.

Publishing is changing fast. How do you keep up? Find out what's going on in the world of e-books, how traditional publishing companies are keeping up, and what else is new in the digital world of books and publishing.

Stories are conflict, without enough tension the story falls flat.   By turning conflict resolution techniques upside down, writers will discover new ways to increase both external and internal conflict.  Participants will leave with a leave with a list of conflict increasing techniques and practical examples they can use in their own work.

Join hugely successful Vancouver blogger Rebecca Bollwitt (Miss 604) to learn how to write for a blog audience (including tool tips) & promote your work online.

By popular request, we're offering a bigger room for our most popular session this year. Hand in your first two pages if you dare, or just listen and learn. Our reader, the inimitable Jack Whyte, will pull submissions at random to read aloud to our panel of agents until they'd stop reading if it was a submission in their office. Find out what works, what doesn't, and what opening-page mistakes you might be making. Get some insight into how agents deal with their submissions, and be there for the excitement if we're very lucky and someone gets their opening exactly right.

The media landscape is shifting rapidly, which is ultimately a good thing for writers and creators. We'll take a look at how the traditional distribution structure in music crumbled and how similar problems are affecting film, television, and books and what the near future holds for each industry.  More importantly, we'll take a look at the new opportunities that are being generated in digital media that offer you a greater platform to express yourself creatively and to market your work directly to audiences that might have been out of reach in the past.

Scenes are the basic building blocks of fiction. In this workshop, Susan Juby will go over the key
elements of writing scenes that keep people reading.

Workshop participants put their works-in-progress under the microscope, giving them an element-by-element check-up to highlight both strengths and weaknesses. The goal? To ensure your book or story has all the essential components for a vibrant, healthy and satisfying narrative--an attention-grabbing opening, compelling characters, strong emotions and a plot that keeps readers turning pages right to its showstopping end. Please bring samples of your work in progress.

Writers are beset by tools -- word processing software, books, conferences, critique sessions -- but according to author Ken Scholes, these are really only helpful if your best tool is already in play -- your own self awareness.  Join Ken for a workshop that explores the value of "knowing thyself" as a writer and how that self-knowledge can help you with the craft and business of writing professionally.

Show, don't tell. Explore the cadence of the language. Create images in the readers’ minds. These are concepts that many authors grapple with, regardless of genre. In this workshop, award-winning picture book author Kari-Lynn Winters will demonstrate some of the tools you can use to make your children’s writing leap, sing, and dance off the page.

Social Media is no fad. It is a real global opportunity to drive awareness of you and your work to the biggest possible audience. It also allows you to engage directly with other writers, editor, publishers and your core readers and communities. This talk will discuss strategies for writers who have signed up for all the social media channels - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc... - but are left wondering, "What now?" You'll walk away from this interactive session with a better understanding of how writers can use these channels to network, get their work and their name in the right circles, and engage current audiences with finding new readers. 

Dialogue isn't just about recording conversations. Learn ways to make sure your characters' voices not only sound genuine, but serve your story.

Editor Valerie Gray takes you inside Harlequin, Canada's largest publishing house, discussing what publishing houses are and what they do there generally with specific examples from Harlequin.

Donald Maass leads the discussion of the ins and outs of being - and remaining - a bestselling author. How does it feel when you first hit The List? Is there a downside? Bring your questions and come prepared to have a good time.

This goes beyond just first person, third person and omniscient voices.  The point of view you write in is your voice as a writer and often the issue lies deeper than simply a mechanical device.  For example, voice dictates what you can say about your characters and what you can’t.  It also sets you apart from others and makes you distinct.  The most critical component of a novel is character.  How do you go from flat two-dimensional characters to vibrant three-dimensional ones?

Whatever kind of writer you are - journalist, memoir writer, novelist, biographer or any other - chances are your research will include leaving your lair to talk to other humans. What skills do you need as an interviewer to get the most out of the time people are willing to spend talking to you? Bruce Dowbiggin shares the tools to make your interviews worthwhile for interviewer and interviewee alike.

Even experienced writers can find themselves bedevilled by the challenge of structuring a story – which is ironic, since this is the stuff (unlike, say, lyrical brilliance, or an instinctive understanding of the fathomless depths of the human heart) that can be learned.  Different forms and genres present different issues, but the basic elements of story structure are universal.  We’ll look at some of these essential touchstones, and strategies for applying them to fiction.

When a fictional character is 'based on' a real person, how much liberty can you take?  How do you tackle the formidable task of converting a real person who lived and breathed into a character who lives and breathes but in the different medium of the printed page?  What are the no-nos?  And are the rules different for historical characters (and therefore public figures) than they are for your neighbor's ex-husband?" Explore these questions with renowned historical author Margaret George, who faces them with in every book she writes.