Imagine spending a week with some of Canada’s top mystery writing minds: picking their brains, learning their techniques, and getting the how to’s of writing a successful mystery novel.
In this inaugural residential workshop, some of Canada’s best mystery experts will guide you through the crafting of writing crime fiction. You will work on your own manuscript in progress in one-on-one sessions with faculty advisers and attend group presentations by faculty and guest speakers.
You will be paired with a
faculty adviser, who will have seen a sample chapter and outline of your
manuscript. The adviser will act as your editor and guide, providing you with
daily feedback and work assignments.
Each morning you will
listen to presentations on writing skills, mystery specific strategies, and the
basic rules for writing in this genre. You will work on your own in the
afternoon, with twice-daily feedback from your adviser, to apply what you have
learned to your manuscript. In the late afternoon, we will have informal chats
on topics reflecting your particular interests.
In addition, the faculty
will discuss the different subgenres within the category of mystery, the role
of the editor and agent in the publishing process, self-publishing, and the
steps to getting published.
At the end of the week,
four selected participants will be asked to read from their manuscript at an
open mike session to which the public is invited. Moderated by well-known
mystery author William Deverell, this event will also feature readings from other faculty and
guests.
This workshop is designed
for writers who have completed or nearly completed a manuscript within the
mystery genre. You will be required to submit a sample chapter and an outline
with your application.
The retreat is located at
the Cedar Beach Resort (http://www.saltspring-accommodations.com). All lectures and group work will take place at the resort,
although there will be several off-site events. Evening meals, as well as
morning coffee and muffins, will be provided. Participants will be expected to
make their own arrangements for other meals.
The resort has laundry
facilities, a swimming pool, a hot tub, and other amenities. Each cabin
contains a kitchen, and some have additional features. SFU has reserved a block
of cabins at the resort. Accommodations are based on single, double, triple,
and quadruple occupancy. If you know one or more people interested in attending
the retreat and would like to be in the same cabin, please make your
reservation as soon as possible. The accommodations
cancellation date is May 1, 2010.
Please contact Suzanne Norman at
778-782-5241 or pubworks@sfu.ca for additional
information.
Gail Bowen is widely known for her
mystery series featuring Joanne Kilbourn, a university professor, sometime
political columnist, and wife, mother, and grandmother. The first six books in
the Kilbourn series have appeared as made-for-television movies with worldwide
distribution. The Nesting Dolls, the 12th book in the series, is being
published by McClelland & Stewart in August. In June 2008, Reader’s Digest
named Bowen Canada’s Best Mystery Novelist. Bowen has had plays produced at
Regina’s Globe Theatre, the Manitoba Theatre for Young People, and The Grand
Theatre in London, Ontario.
Margaret Cannon has been the crime fiction columnist for the Globe and Mail for
over 20 years. She replaced the late (and great) Derrick Murdoch, whose
encyclopedic knowledge of mysteries was unsurpassed. Cannon, the daughter and
granddaughter of mystery fans, read her first mystery novel, The Secret Garden
by Frances Hodgson Burnett, at the age of seven. She has never looked back. She
taught courses in crime fiction and popular culture at York University for 19
years and began her writing career in 1979 at Maclean’s magazine. She often
speaks to groups on various aspects of crime writing and loves to advance the
cause of Canadian crime writers. In 2003, she was awarded the Derrick Murdoch Award
by the Crime Writers of Canada.
Dinah Forbes was born and educated in England. She has been an editor at
McClelland & Stewart for many years and is currently executive editor in
part responsible for McClelland & Stewart’s crime fiction program.
Linda L. Richards is the founding editor of January Magazine, one of the most respected voices for books on the web. She is also the author of five novels, including Death Was in the Picture, published by St. Martin’s Minotaur. Richards was born in Vancouver and lives on the Gulf Islands. She loves talking about books and authors and enjoys working with writers to help them reach their goals.
Guest
Speakers
Carolyn Swayze is one of Canada’s top literary agents, representing fiction
and non-fiction. She established her agency in 1994, when W. P. Kinsella
persuaded her to leave her law practice and sign him as her first client. Her
background included a previous life as a freelance writer, (humour, business,
and literary fiction), a novelist (a genre mystery published in 1977 in the US
and a literary novel, publication of which was aborted when the Canadian
publisher declared bankruptcy in 1984), and a rather scholarly biography,
published in 1987.
Michael Slade, in real life, is a criminal lawyer. He has acted for both the defence and the prosecution in more than 100 murder cases. He argued the last death penalty case in the Supreme Court of Canada. From Headhunter (1984) to Red Snow (2010), Slade is the author of 14 bestselling mystery thrillers. Visit the Morgue at his website: www.specialx.net.
Moderator
William Deverell won the $50,000 Seal Award for his first novel, Needles, which drew on his experiences as a lawyer. He has published 14 further novels and one non-fiction book, and has won the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime writing in North America and two Arthur Ellis Awards for best crime novel. He wrote the screenplay Shellgame for CBC TV drama; created its series Street Legal, which has run in more than 80 countries; and wrote the screenplay for a feature film based on his novel Mindfield. His 2008 novel, Kill All the Judges, was a finalist for the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. His latest novel, a political romp, is Snow Job. Please visit his website at www.deverell.com.