October has been gorgeous here in Ontario. As I write this I’m in Mulmur where the leaves on trees outside my window are crimson red, auburn orange and saffron yellow. When the sky is bright blue and the sun is out, it’s simply awesome.
As I reflect today on my book travels over the past few months, I’m amazed how many people are unaware of the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. Truth is, a few years back, I only had an inkling that it existed and hadn’t yet scrolled through it’s website and felt like a kid in a candy shop. So for this issue, I’d like to highlight the program I’m taking, and maybe entice some of you to press the link below and explore all the offerings.
The Creative Writing Program
Back in the fall of 2021, I was introduced to this program by Donna Tranquada, a published short story author and known to many for her time as a host on CBC Radio. She had taken the Creative Writing Certificate program, and after reading my first book, The Girlfriend Book, she recommended I enroll. The certificate involves a commitment to complete 7 courses over 5 years. Currently I’m working through my Screenwriting elective, which is course #6, and I can truly say it’s been a most rewarding experience. Thank you, Donna!
The Creative Writing Program has 93 courses listed under headings such as: Creative Non-Fiction, Poetry, Songwriting, Playwriting, Short Story, Novel, Screenwriting, Writing for Children, Writing in Spanish and Micro-Budget Film Making. You don’t have to sign up for the certificate program. Instead you can scroll through the courses, find something of interest, and enroll in any course. Courses are 20 hours in length and are offered online or in person at the St. George Campus. When I began, I took my first three courses over Zoom. Which worked well for 2021 and 2022, when COVID was ebbing in and out of our lives. My last three courses have been in person. Two of them were on Tuesday nights over an 8 week period, and one of them was a one week day program in the summer.
Each of the courses I took brought new learning and exposure to a group of fellow writers.
Creative Writing: Introduction – this was my first course and I was fortunate to land in Patricia Westerhof’s class for two reasons. First, Patricia is a highly organized educator and at the time was in the process of editing her book The Canadian Guide to Creative Writing & Publishing. Our class benefited by her vast experience and well thought through advice. Her book, now published, has been a huge success. The second reason I was fortunate to be in that class, was because I met Mary Pascuzzi. She was a fellow student and we became writing partners over the following year. I read her short stories and she read my growing chapters of The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace. One day she showed up for our Zoom and suggested I submit my draft to a new publisher she’d found. A year later I had a signed publishing deal with RE:BOOKS. I’m forever grateful for her optimism and encouragement. Thank you Mary!
Attending writing classes, I quickly learned there was so much I didn’t know about writing. While I was a voracious reader, my math and commerce background had not brought me in touch with basic writing terms. Protagonist, POV (point of view), the 3 Act Structure, and the Hero’s journey were mentioned in class. Everyone (except me) would nod their head, indicating they understood. I blinked, grinned and listened intently to figure out what they were talking about. In time, I realized you can write without knowing these labels, but it’s helpful to understand them if you want to dig deeper into improving your storytelling.
So what did the writing program teach me?
Each course brought new learning. The following are a collection of some of them. Cliches – avoid them. Once they were a novel way to express something. Best to rewrite them with fresh language. Come up with new metaphors. Adverbs – careful. Is there a better way to arrange the sentence? Show don’t tell – Instead of saying a character was sad, describe the character’s face and posture. Expressing feelings – dig deep. Dialogue – it’s not how we really speak. Written dialogue is tighter and more compelling than in real life. Find better words – during editing, review your vocabulary and find more precise words. Avoid the passive tense (where something is being done to the subject of the sentence). Use an active verb, where the subject is doing something. Be ready to “Kill your darlings” – this phrase from Stephen King eludes to the editing process, when sometimes you have to let go of sentences or chapters you love, so the overall story wins.
Visit the U of T site for the link to the University of Toronto’s Creative Writing Program. However it will also allow you to click through all of the university’s Continuing Studies courses. And there are hundreds! Art & History, Music, Philosophy & Law, Health & Social Services, Information Technology, Environment etc. Do have a look!
Word on the Street
I enjoyed popping in at the RE:BOOKS tent during this festival at Queens Park. I caught up with Chloe Robinson (pictured here) and met fellow RE:BOOK authors and curious readers. It was a thrill when someone peering over all the books, would pick up mine & ask to buy it. Then Chloe would pipe up, “the author’s right here,” which led to a lively conversation.
BOOK CLUB
Lovely to return to Sue MacDonald’s Book Club. I remember everyone’s enthusiasm for The Girlfriend Book back in January 2022, and I enjoyed answering questions about The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace and sharing the Prologue & Chapter 1 of book #3. Thanks for all your questions and support over the years!
ELIZABETH BECKER
This was an exciting social media moment! I reviewed You Don’t Belong Here on an Instagram reel and the author reached out to thank me & then re-post it. She was the Washington Post correspondent in Cambodia as the Khmer Rouge seized power, & wrote this book about three outstanding women journalists working in Vietnam. I now have her other book on my reading pile – When the War was over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution
LESLEY CREWE
Curiosity House Books hosted a Beer & Books night at the Creemore Brewery. I’m a fan of The Spoon Stealer, one of her earlier books, and was amazed by her writing process. She works around the clock for 2 to 3 months to write and complete a book. I think I’ll stick to my pattern of writing in blocks and being a part of other activities, but I can imagine her method keeps her intimately tied to all her characters.
BOOK CLUB
Thank you to Sue Howieson and your Book Club, “Merely in Disguise”, for an evening discussing writing, publishing & The Acquisition of Elizabeth Grace. Sharing details of the U of T writing course with you and then learning it had encouraged Jan’s husband to look into it, was the impetus for my feature article above.
SCREENWRITING COURSE
I’m half way through my U of T course and loving it. Dan Sacco, my instructor, is masterful at teaching the art of story telling. Perhaps it’s because writing scripts has a strict succinctness, and somehow this carries over into all components. We had a fascinating discussion around building characters, using the diagram to the left.
Beyond Writing, what I do…
For the past decade I’ve been involved in helping to raise awareness and funding for research. After all, we’ve all benefited from past research. New research is our way to pay it forward. As Co-Chair for Angel’s Den, a medical research competition, I and a dedicated team at St. Michael’s Hospital are seeking to help fund our doctors & scientists so they can move great ideas into life saving action.
Are you in a Book Club?
I’m open to attend in person or by Zoom, depending on dates and location. Thanks to all who have booked me for the fall and winter. I’m looking forward to meeting you! I can be reached at gwen@gwenkharvey.com.
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