Upcoming Workshops

Upcoming Workshops

by | Jun 26, 2026 | Mentoring, On Writing, Presentation News

WorkPlay Story Writing Workshop

Calling writers aged 9 to 12 in Richmond Hill, Ontario! I’ll be hosting a WorkPlay Story Writing Workshop weekly from July 22 to August 12, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., at the Richvale Branch of the Richmond Hill Public Library, and I would love to see you there.

Spark your imagination in this hands-on workshop. You’ll write your own mystery story, create fantastical worlds and the characters who live in them, and develop stories about real people—including you! With fresh and inspiring story-starters, you’ll have fun with words and develop your creative writing skills.

I can’t wait!

Feeling It: Creating Emotional Depth in Your Novel

I’m happy to announce my next workshop with Whale Rock Workshops. I’ll be co-teaching Feeling It: Creating Emotional Depth in Your Novel with author and poet Laura Shovan for the second time.

“I just didn’t connect with the character.”
“The character didn’t resonate with me.”

How many times do writers hear these phrases when submitting to editors and agents? These dreaded, vague responses can often leave writers scratching their heads. Was it the writing? The plotting? How can they write stories that readers can’t resist?

Emotionally deep stories grab readers’ attention and encourage them to care about the characters and their world. It’s one way to improve your writing and craft stories that readers (and agents and editors) connect to. Join us for a deep-dive into getting your characters’ emotions on the page.

Participants are expected to bring a chapter from a novel at any stage of development. Each session will tackle different ways to achieve emotional depth, whether you are connecting emotionally to your writer self, your characters, or your story ideas. Sessions will include exercises and side-writing assignments and will explore drafting and revising to achieve emotional depth. Participants will have homework to complete between sessions.

Each participant will walk away with a chapter of greater emotional depth as well as the tools needed to tackle all their manuscripts.

Participants will submit ten, double-spaced pages and receive feedback from one of the instructors.

This workshop is for you if:

  • You are writing a middle grade or young adult novel.
  • You are writing a memoir.
  • You love plot and/or dialogue, but struggle with getting to your character’s heart.
  • You’ve received the dreaded “I just didn’t connect…” feedback on your manuscript.
  • You would like to explore new ways of emotional connection in your writing practice.
  • You are gearing up for submission and want to be sure your book hits the emotional highs and lows.
  • You are a novelist looking to enhance your skills.

You will complete this workshop with:

  • A deeper understanding of the importance of getting emotions onto the page.
  • Practical tools and techniques to help you infuse your work with emotional resonance.
  • New ideas and inspiration for how to take your project and writing to deeper places.

Upcoming Workshop: Feeling It

by | Dec 1, 2023 | Mentoring, On Writing, Presentation News

I’m happy to announce my next workshop with Whale Rock Literary Workshops. I’ll be co-teaching Feeling It: Creating Emotional Depth in Your Novel with US author and poet Laura Shovan.

Feeling It: Creating Emotional Depth in Your Novel

Dates/Times: Thursday, Feb 15, 22, 29 and March 7 at 7:00 to 8:30 pm ET (four sessions)
Cost: $499 US
Delivery: Online with sessions recorded for later viewing

“I just didn’t connect with the character.” “The character didn’t resonate with me.”

How many times do writers hear these phrases when submitting to editors and agents? These dreaded, vague responses can often leave writers scratching their heads. Was it the writing? The plotting? How can they write stories that readers can’t resist?

Emotionally deep stories grab readers’ attention and encourage them to care about the characters and their world. It’s one way to improve your writing and craft stories that readers (and agents and editors) connect to. Join Whale Rock faculty Laura Shovan and Karen Krossing for a deep-dive into getting your characters’ emotions on the page.

Participants are expected to bring a chapter from a novel at any stage of development. Each session will tackle different ways to achieve emotional depth, whether you are connecting emotionally to your writer self, your characters, or your story ideas. Sessions will include exercises and side-writing assignments and will explore drafting and revising to achieve emotional depth. Participants will have homework to complete between sessions.

Each participant will walk away with a chapter of greater emotional depth as well as the tools needed to tackle all their manuscripts. Participants will submit ten, double-spaced pages and receive feedback from one of the instructors.

This Workshop Is For You If

  • You are writing a middle grade or young adult novel.
  • You love plot and/or dialogue, but struggle with getting to your character’s heart.
  • You’ve received the dreaded “I just didn’t connect…” feedback on your manuscript.
  • You would like to explore new ways of emotional connection in your writing practice.
  • You are gearing up for submission and want to be sure your book hits the emotional highs and lows.
  • You are a novelist looking to enhance your skills.

To register, go to the Whale Rock website. While you’re there, please also check out their many wonderful offerings for new, emerging, and established writers for children and youth. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Whale Rock newsletter!

Chat with Crystal Kite Award Winners

Chat with Crystal Kite Award Winners

by | Jul 9, 2023 | On Writing, Presentation News

I participated in a picture-book chat with illustrator Dawn Lo about One Tiny Bubble, which won the 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Canada. NYC indie bookstore Books of Wonder hosted us along with other talented picture-book creators who had won the Crystal Kite Award in their regions. This award is peer-selected, voted on by members of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, so it feels like a special honour.

You can watch our Chat with Crystal Kite Award Winners. Plus, there’s a link to buy signed copies of the books!

Upcoming Workshop: Social-Emotional Writing in Fantastic Literature

by | Jun 24, 2023 | Mentoring, On Writing

I’m happy to announce my next workshop with Whale Rock Literary Workshops. I’ll be co-teaching a workshop on social-emotional writing in fantastic literature with US author and poet Laura Shovan. Please check out her latest book – a children’s poetry collection called Welcome to Monsterville. My books with monstrous characters and social-emotional themes include my picture book Sour Cakes and my novels Monster vs. Boy and Bog.

Addressing the Monster in the Room: Social-Emotional Writing in Fantastic Literature

Dates/Times: Sept. 21 and 28 at 7:30 to 9:00 pm ET (two sessions)
Cost: $60 US
Delivery: Online with sessions recorded for later viewing

Ursula Le Guin writes in Cheek by Jowl, “What fantasy often does that the realistic novel generally cannot do is include the nonhuman as essential.”

Monsters of all sorts live in our dreams, embodying our deepest emotions. They are guides to our truth and, as such, they play a huge role in social-emotional development. While realistic fiction centers the intricacies of humans, fantastic fiction is the imagination on fire, exploring shadow versions of our world and breathing life into our inner monsters. Stories about monsters – whether they appear in a game of Dungeons and Dragons, in a poem, or in a work of fiction are essential, especially in our post-pandemic times. They help readers and listeners better understand how to manage emotions, develop healthy identities, feel empathy, and show support for others.

This two-session workshop will ask four key craft questions to help you incorporate the monstrous into your writing. What is your protagonist’s relationship to the monstrous? What are your monster’s physical, emotional, and/or magical character traits? What metaphors or image systems define your monster and why? Does your monster live alongside our real world or has the protagonist crossed into the monster’s world? Our goal is to deepen your work’s social-emotional themes, offering you and your reader an opportunity to better understand the heart, mind, and spirit.

This Workshop Is For You If

  • You are drafting or revising a picture book or novel with a monstrous theme and/or character.
  • You are seeking to deepen your monstrous character(s) (widely defined as invented creatures of any kind).
  • You’d like to explore how monsters in fiction support social-emotional learning and themes.

To register, go to the Whale Rock website. While you’re there, please also check out their many wonderful offerings for new, emerging, and established writers for children and youth. And don’t forget to subscribe to the Whale Rock newsletter!