Tag: Canadian writer

Interviews

Interview with Marianne K. Miller

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from author Marianne K. Miller. She tells us about the process of writing her first novel, offers advice for new writers, and hints at a new work in progress! Check out her author bio:

Marianne K. Miller is a graduate of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Toronto. As an independent scholar and member of The Hemingway Society, she presented a paper, Hemingway in Toronto, at the 18th International Hemingway Conference in Paris, France. Her debut novel We Were the Bullfighters is published by Dundurn Press and was just nominated for the Best First Crime Novel Award given by the Crime Writers of Canada. She lives in Toronto.

Marianne, what drove your decision to study creative writing? And has getting published changed how you view your own writing?

I always enjoyed writing. As a lawyer, I wrote letters and pleadings, discovery reports. As an adjudicator and mediator, I wrote orders for a tribunal. Many people ask why are so many lawyers writers? I think that is because lawyers are, at heart, story tellers whether it is on paper or in a court room, their goal is to set out a credible story for the position they are putting forth.  But the idea of not having facts and law to rely on when I was writing kind of frightened me and so that’s why I signed up for a creative writing course. It was a challenge. I was used to a very precise way of writing and I had to loosen up.

How did you first learn about The Hemingway Society? What attracted you to become a member?

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Candid Talks, Writing

What’s Your Writing Process?

Pauline Shen

This question popped up on a writer’s forum and the concern was that smaller pieces such as short stories and micro fiction seem to pose much more difficulty for a writer due to their condensed nature. As a writer, what is your process for micro fiction? Do you keep an eye on the word count while drafting, or do you plod ahead with an idea and cut back later? When you’re trimming the piece, how do you know what to chop and what to retain? Isn’t it a struggle to make those decisions?

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Interviews

Interview with Laura Frost

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from author and writing contest judge Laura Frost. Check out her author bio:

Photo credit: S.L. @2beinthemoment

Laura Frost is an award-winning author of novels and short stories, and her debut novel, Seeking Sasha, will hit bookshelves this fall. Laura has been published in numerous journals and collections, and she is a returning judge for an international short story competition. An amateur baker and former wildlife biologist from northern Canada, Laura explores the world with her family, seeking out adventure to both calm and stir her writing muse. 

Laura, you’ve been practicing creative writing since childhood but only recently began submitting work for publication consideration. What drove your decision to begin sending manuscripts out? Has getting published changed how you view your own writing?

Although I’ve dabbled in writing my whole life, completing my first novel was the turning point in my writing journey. I hadn’t written my novel with the intent to publish, but both my cousin and my husband read my draft and enjoyed it so much, they begged me to get it published so they could share it with others.

As I quickly learned, getting a book published is no easy feat. Because the publishing industry is so competitive, I decided to write short stories and submit them to literary magazines as a way to build my author portfolio and grow my audience, and I continued to write novels as I worked through the process of submissions. I have now been published in ten different magazines and collections, an accomplishment which has been an important part of my journey towards finding a publisher for my debut novel. 

Having numerous short stories published has allowed me to trust in myself more as a writer, and to not get as discouraged when rejections land in my inbox. I have learned just how subjective the publishing industry is. If one of my stories doesn’t work for a particular publisher, it doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just not the right fit for them. Rejections and acceptances have helped me hone my skills as a writer, and they have helped build confidence in myself while also keeping me grounded.

Tell us how your book idea for Seeking Sasha came about. Did you have doubts while working on the draft? Laura, what helped propel you forward to finish the manuscript?

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Candid Talks, Writing

Should You Pay Submission Fees?

Pauline Shen

If you agree to pay a fee for your work to be considered for publication, how much is too much? Is a couple bucks okay? What about if that “couple bucks” is listed in a foreign currency and so is actually more like five dollars? What if there are added feedback charges, or if the journal presents you with a tip jar option? Does the prospect of paying submission fees motivate you to produce higher quality work? Or do you submit the same work that you’d send a place that doesn’t charge?

So many questions! In this article, I’ll talk about areas where a writer may be asked to fork out cash just for work to be taken into consideration. I’ll also include some tips to help you navigate the submission process without having to pay fees and while being alert for signs of potential scams.

Literary Journals

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Interviews

Interview with Roz Nay

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’ll be hearing from author Roz Nay. I hope you are as thrilled as I am about this interview! (See what I did there?) Check out her author bio:

Photo Credit: Lisa Seyfried Photography

ROZ NAY’s debut novel, Our Little Secret, was a national bestseller, won the Douglas Kennedy Prize for best foreign thriller in France, and was nominated for the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Mystery and the Arthur Ellis Best First Novel Award. Her second bestselling novel, Hurry Home, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers of Canada Best Crime Novel award and The Hunted, her third, was nominated for Best Crime Novel in 2022. The Offing is her fourth novel. Roz has lived and worked in Africa, Australia, the US, and the UK. She now lives in British Columbia, Canada, with her husband and two children.

More details about Roz and The Offing can be found here.

Roz, your first novel, Our Little Secret, began as a creative writing assignment and grew into a full-length manuscript. Tell us about that process. At what point did you decide to pursue novel writing and what did you learn at those early stages of your writing-for-publication journey?

I only kept going with my first-ever manuscript because I missed writing class, and needed to hang onto some part of it. I just patchworked together a narrative around a voice I’d created in class, and wrote it over a year while my two little toddlers napped. I didn’t really have a clue what I was doing, other than that I’d built a world I was enjoying writing. When I look back now, that time was fairly chaotic but what I learned most was that, when you have a story you want to tell, one way or another you get it done.

Image courtesy of Penguin Random House; Cover design: Emma Dolan

Beginning writers are often told, “write what you know.” For your thriller Hurry Home, the inspiration stemmed from your career in child services. Your newest book, The Offing, draws on your experiences while traveling in Australia. Roz, what does your writing process look like? How much preliminary research is required and at what point do you forge ahead with writing a draft?

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Interviews

Interview with E.J. Nash

Pauline Shen

In today’s post, E.J. Nash tells us how she fits her writing into a packed schedule, gives advice to new writers on creating an internet presence, and talks about… Hawaiian pizza! (Hint: it’s writing-related) Check out her author bio:

Photographer Trina Koster

E.J. Nash holds a bachelor’s degree from The University of Western Ontario in Creative Writing and English Language & Literature, and a master’s degree in Information Studies from McGill University. Her work has been published by CBC, The Globe and Mail, Nature, Woman’s World, and in various literary magazines. She is an American-Canadian writer & librarian currently located in Ottawa.

E.J., you write a variety of fiction, non-fiction, and performance pieces. How do you arrange time for writing?

I like to get up early and write as much as I can before work, and I’ll write on my lunch break if the planets align. In the evening my brain has turned into a potato, so that’s when I crash in bed.

Downloading Google Docs on my phone has been a game changer. Most of my writing is done on my phone, and I edit on my computer. Writing on my phone gives me the flexibility to write anywhere! Plus, I’m not scared about losing my documents since they’re all hosted in the cloud.

Do you prefer to read books in e-book or physical book format? What are you reading these days? Which contemporary authors do you recommend checking out?

I read both print books and eBooks. Most of my day is spent in front of a screen, and I can feel my retinas crying for mercy, so it’s nice to look at a print book. On the other hand, some of the books I read are only available as eBooks, so I’m happy to scroll to my heart’s content.

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Candid Talks, Writing

What’s the point …of Submitting to Literary Journals?

Pauline Shen

I saw this question on a discussion forum some time ago, and thought it was a good one. The person who posed it was just starting out as a writer and unsure about navigating all the different publication outlets. Should a writer invest time and resources in short stories and micro fiction for the purpose of submitting to journals? Is this a wise choice for a writer whose ultimate goal is to finish a novel? Can you make a living from submitting smaller works of fiction? What, really, is the point of having your work appear in those little journals anyways? Why not just go for the full manuscript from the beginning and skip all the rest?

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Interviews

Interview with Cadence Mandybura

Pauline Shen

In today’s post we’re hearing from Cadence Mandybura, writer and editor located in Victoria, British Columbia. Cadence tells us about her free write practice, describes the writing-for-publication process from her early writing days, and recommends resources for new writers.

Cadence, in addition to being a published writer, you are a contract fiction editor. What drew you to become a professional editor? What insights have you gained from the editor’s seat that emerging Canadian writers should know about publishing?

I’ve loved editing since high school, when I was recruited to help with the school newspaper and started taking the craft of writing seriously. As someone who’s always been drawn to writing, I loved learning how to take a good piece of writing and make it even stronger.

My advice for writers is to understand what type of editing is appropriate for their project and writing stage. For example, a developmental edit will focus on structure and story arc (useful for earlier drafts), whereas copy editing offers granular, sentence-level adjustments (best when the manuscript is almost final). Editors Canada has a good list of terms here. Starting with a critique or manuscript evaluation can help you assess if an editor is a good fit for your work.

Publishers vary in how much editing support they can offer their authors, and most will expect manuscripts to be polished before submission. For book-length projects, it’s often worth it to have your work professionally edited before you start submitting. Grants can help if cost is a barrier.

When you’re editing your own work, don’t try to fix everything in one go. Writing is complicated! Do several passes through your manuscript so you can focus on one element at a time. For example, you could do one pass looking for adjectives you could cut, another pass reading dialogue out loud, another pass reviewing scene transitions, etc.

Finally, be patient with yourself as you move through successive drafts. You’re making progress with every iteration!

Your fictional stories span multiple genres—speculative, science fiction, and fantasy. You also manage to add a dash of humour in places where we’d least expect. What inspires your stories and how do you stay upbeat while working through a writing project?

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Interviews

Interview with T.L. Tomljanovic

Pauline Shen

In this post, we’re hearing from T.L. Tomljanovic, freelance writer and communications specialist located in British Columbia, and member of the Federation of BC Writers. We’ll hear about T.L. Tomljanovic’s writing journey, recent publications, and some advice for new writers on ways to branch out and become part of the larger writing community.

You have a background as a freelance communications consultant, and then you got into writing fiction more recently. How long have you been writing overall and what made you decide to explore fiction?

I’ve been writing professionally for about 20 years. My first paid gig was for a Calgary publisher where I worked as a photo researcher. Outside my usual nine to five, I researched and wrote children’s non-fiction books to spec meaning I had a very clear set of guidelines—word count, reading level, chapter headings, etc. I always wanted to write fiction—I was and still am a voracious reader—but my fear of failure paralyzed. It took the bigger fear of the pandemic lockdown in 2020 to spur me into action. I wrote a story about a goat hunter and Carousel Magazine published it.

Your fictional stories span multiple genres—literary, science fiction, horror, and so on. What inspires your stories and what are your go-to strategies to ensure that you can approach your work-in-progress with enthusiasm?

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