Welcome to EditFest! Our goals for this event are to help writers make progress on self-editing their work, learn about working with professional editors, and meet editors in a "Speed Dating"-type activity. (We are planning additional events just like this one in other cities around BC for 2025.) The event features: A writing/editing space with snacks, coffee, and tea for the full two days. A printer on hand for black and white printing if you need or want to work on paper (by optional donation). A seat in our common writing and editing space; coffee, tea, and snacks; a sounding board session; three workshops/presentations; and one live editing session (activity descriptions below). Blue pencil sessions can be added at the time of registration or at the event, if space permits. We will join our friends from the SFU Writers Studio at the Red Truck Beer Company a few blocks away on the evening of Saturday, December 7 for an unstructured evening gathering to make new friends and talk writing. Parking, drinks, and food at the Red Truck Beer Company are not included. Full Schedule and Workshop Descriptions: Saturday 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM An Editor's Tips for Self-Editing Spoiler Alert: Don't trust your spelling and grammar checkers. In this session, we'll go over some tips and tricks writers can use to get their manuscript in the best possible shape. Saturday 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM Editors: What Do They Do? In this session, learn about the editorial process and the different levels of editing a manuscript might go through. We'll also touch on the different roles played by folks with "editor" in their title in traditional publishing, indie publishing, and magazine publishing. Sunday 10:30 AM What to Expect When You're Expecting (to Hire an Editor) In this session, we'll discuss not only the kinds of questions a writer should ask their potential editor, but also the questions an editor might ask of their potential clients. You've worked on that baby for ages; you want to be sure you're passing it into hands you trust. Sunday: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM Live Editing Session In this session, we'll work from one attendee’s sample (submitted on Saturday) to highlight opportunities to strengthen one's writing. Tara and the team from Editors BC will offer helpful suggestions of line-by-line edits on our projector. You won't want to miss this event. The chosen submission will be selected based on the best opportunities for education, not the quality of work. Please don't make assumptions that the piece is viewed as "good” or "bad." Instead, see it as a great opportunity to highlight the kinds of changes that make a piece shine. Activity Descriptions The Sounding Board Book a short session to talk to an editor about an issue with your writing. Maybe you're struggling with character motivation or direction. Maybe you need a bit of outside perspective. Maybe you just need to talk out loud until clarity starts to set in. It's like therapy. But for your storytelling. Speed Dating for Writers and Editors Not every writer and editor are the right fit for each other. In these lighthearted speed dating sessions, writers and editors get the chance to meet, greet, and evaluate whether they might click--professionally. Blue Pencils (1000 words) $45 add-on In these appointments, an editor looks over a few pages of your work, offering suggestions and corrections where appropriate. Typically, blue pencils are most helpful for line and copy editing, where context for the entire work is less necessary.
Our goals for this event are to help writers make progress on self-editing their work, learn about working with professional editors, and meet editors in a "Speed Dating"-type activity. (We are planning additional events just like this one in other cities around BC for 2025.)
A writing/editing space with snacks, coffee, and tea for the full two days. A printer on hand for black and white printing if you need or want to work on paper (by optional donation). A seat in our common writing and editing space; coffee, tea, and snacks; a sounding board session; three workshops/presentations; and one live editing session (activity descriptions below). Blue pencil sessions can be added at the time of registration or at the event, if space permits. We will join our friends from the SFU Writers Studio at the Red Truck Beer Company a few blocks away on the evening of Saturday, December 7 for an unstructured evening gathering to make new friends and talk writing. Parking, drinks, and food at the Red Truck Beer Company are not included.
Saturday 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM An Editor's Tips for Self-Editing Spoiler Alert: Don't trust your spelling and grammar checkers. In this session, we'll go over some tips and tricks writers can use to get their manuscript in the best possible shape. Saturday 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM Editors: What Do They Do? In this session, learn about the editorial process and the different levels of editing a manuscript might go through. We'll also touch on the different roles played by folks with "editor" in their title in traditional publishing, indie publishing, and magazine publishing. Sunday 10:30 AM What to Expect When You're Expecting (to Hire an Editor) In this session, we'll discuss not only the kinds of questions a writer should ask their potential editor, but also the questions an editor might ask of their potential clients. You've worked on that baby for ages; you want to be sure you're passing it into hands you trust. Sunday: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM Live Editing Session In this session, we'll work from one attendee’s sample (submitted on Saturday) to highlight opportunities to strengthen one's writing. Tara and the team from Editors BC will offer helpful suggestions of line-by-line edits on our projector. You won't want to miss this event. The chosen submission will be selected based on the best opportunities for education, not the quality of work. Please don't make assumptions that the piece is viewed as "good” or "bad." Instead, see it as a great opportunity to highlight the kinds of changes that make a piece shine.
Saturday 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
An Editor's Tips for Self-Editing
Spoiler Alert: Don't trust your spelling and grammar checkers. In this session, we'll go over some tips and tricks writers can use to get their manuscript in the best possible shape.
Saturday 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Editors: What Do They Do?
In this session, learn about the editorial process and the different levels of editing a manuscript might go through. We'll also touch on the different roles played by folks with "editor" in their title in traditional publishing, indie publishing, and magazine publishing.
Sunday 10:30 AM
What to Expect When You're Expecting (to Hire an Editor)
In this session, we'll discuss not only the kinds of questions a writer should ask their potential editor, but also the questions an editor might ask of their potential clients. You've worked on that baby for ages; you want to be sure you're passing it into hands you trust.
Sunday: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Live Editing Session
In this session, we'll work from one attendee’s sample (submitted on Saturday) to highlight opportunities to strengthen one's writing. Tara and the team from Editors BC will offer helpful suggestions of line-by-line edits on our projector. You won't want to miss this event. The chosen submission will be selected based on the best opportunities for education, not the quality of work. Please don't make assumptions that the piece is viewed as "good” or "bad." Instead, see it as a great opportunity to highlight the kinds of changes that make a piece shine.
Activity Descriptions
The Sounding Board Book a short session to talk to an editor about an issue with your writing. Maybe you're struggling with character motivation or direction. Maybe you need a bit of outside perspective. Maybe you just need to talk out loud until clarity starts to set in. It's like therapy. But for your storytelling. Speed Dating for Writers and Editors Not every writer and editor are the right fit for each other. In these lighthearted speed dating sessions, writers and editors get the chance to meet, greet, and evaluate whether they might click--professionally. Blue Pencils (1000 words) $45 add-on In these appointments, an editor looks over a few pages of your work, offering suggestions and corrections where appropriate. Typically, blue pencils are most helpful for line and copy editing, where context for the entire work is less necessary.
The Sounding Board
Book a short session to talk to an editor about an issue with your writing. Maybe you're struggling with character motivation or direction. Maybe you need a bit of outside perspective. Maybe you just need to talk out loud until clarity starts to set in. It's like therapy. But for your storytelling.
Speed Dating for Writers and Editors
Not every writer and editor are the right fit for each other. In these lighthearted speed dating sessions, writers and editors get the chance to meet, greet, and evaluate whether they might click--professionally.
Blue Pencils (1000 words) $45 add-on
In these appointments, an editor looks over a few pages of your work, offering suggestions and corrections where appropriate. Typically, blue pencils are most helpful for line and copy editing, where context for the entire work is less necessary.
Want to spend two days with other writers? Join us (and our participants taking part in Edit Fest) for some writing comradery! Coffee, tea, snacks, and writing prompts are provided with your registration. The space has a gorgeous view of False Creek and will be open for you to work on any project you wish. Our goal is to keep the room relatively quiet during the day, but Edit Fest workshops are happening and the beginning and end of the days, so there may be some distraction in that period.
Want to spend two days with other writers? Join us (and our participants taking part in Edit Fest) for some writing comradery! Coffee, tea, snacks, and writing prompts are provided with your registration.
The space has a gorgeous view of False Creek and will be open for you to work on any project you wish. Our goal is to keep the room relatively quiet during the day, but Edit Fest workshops are happening and the beginning and end of the days, so there may be some distraction in that period.
Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, December 10th from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.
Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for December's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic for one of our 2025 Writers Socials. See you soon!
Discussion Groups:
Editing and revision
All about poetry
Memoir/CNF writers connect
Connecting writers with chronic illnesses
Young adult and middle grade fiction
BIPOC writers connect
General writing discussion
Digital Doors Open at 6:55 pm, Event Starts at 7:00 PM Pacific
Ignite the Write Holiday Spark! Celebrate the Season with the Federation of BC Writers As we launch into the festive season, let’s come together to celebrate community, creativity, and the magic of storytelling! The Federation of BC Writers invites you to Ignite the Write Holiday Spark — a three-part online event filled with inspiration, fun, and festive cheer. Whether you’re looking to get in the holiday writing spirit, connect with fellow writers, or just enjoy a night of literary entertainment, we’ve got something special in store.
Ignite the Write Holiday Spark!
Celebrate the Season with the Federation of BC Writers
As we launch into the festive season, let’s come together to celebrate community, creativity, and the magic of storytelling! The Federation of BC Writers invites you to Ignite the Write Holiday Spark — a three-part online event filled with inspiration, fun, and festive cheer. Whether you’re looking to get in the holiday writing spirit, connect with fellow writers, or just enjoy a night of literary entertainment, we’ve got something special in store.
Event Details:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm: A Holiday Story webinar with Claire Mulligan Join award-winning writer Claire Mulligan as she presents a holiday-themed writing webinar. Whether you're crafting your own holiday stories or looking to deepen your understanding of seasonal storytelling, Claire's insights and prompts will spark your creativity. 7:00 pm: The UnGala – A Holiday Celebration Like No Other Dress up, dress down, or just come as you are for the UnGala! This informal yet festive event will kick off with a holiday-themed writing icebreaker to get your creative juices flowing. We’ll announce the winner of the 50/50 draw. You’ll have a last chance to bid on incredible prizes in our online silent auction (launching December 3) and then you can relax and enjoy holiday-themed readings by members of our literary community.
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm: A Holiday Story webinar with Claire Mulligan
Join award-winning writer Claire Mulligan as she presents a holiday-themed writing webinar. Whether you're crafting your own holiday stories or looking to deepen your understanding of seasonal storytelling, Claire's insights and prompts will spark your creativity.
7:00 pm: The UnGala – A Holiday Celebration Like No Other
Dress up, dress down, or just come as you are for the UnGala! This informal yet festive event will kick off with a holiday-themed writing icebreaker to get your creative juices flowing. We’ll announce the winner of the 50/50 draw. You’ll have a last chance to bid on incredible prizes in our online silent auction (launching December 3) and then you can relax and enjoy holiday-themed readings by members of our literary community.
50/50 TICKET LINK
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13 10:00am: Writing Sprints with Bryan Mortensen, FBCW Executive Director Kickstart your holiday writing goals with Bryan as he leads a series of energizing writing sprints. Whether you’re working on holiday stories, essays, or just need a burst of motivation to finish that draft, these quick, high-energy writing sessions will help you set the pace for a successful creative season.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13
10:00am: Writing Sprints with Bryan Mortensen, FBCW Executive Director
Kickstart your holiday writing goals with Bryan as he leads a series of energizing writing sprints. Whether you’re working on holiday stories, essays, or just need a burst of motivation to finish that draft, these quick, high-energy writing sessions will help you set the pace for a successful creative season.
When you register, by donation, for Ignite the Write Holiday Spark, you’ll get access to the literary trifecta:
As we draw near to the end of the year. Please consider a gift to the Federation of BC Writers to ensure that we can continue to deliver programming that meets your needs and helps your writing soar. All donations of $50 and over will receive a tax receipt. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow writers, fuel your imagination, and have a little fun before the holidays! Can't make it, but still want to make a difference?
As we draw near to the end of the year. Please consider a gift to the Federation of BC Writers to ensure that we can continue to deliver programming that meets your needs and helps your writing soar. All donations of $50 and over will receive a tax receipt.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow writers, fuel your imagination, and have a little fun before the holidays!
Can't make it, but still want to make a difference?
Member Price: Free (with donation options)
Non-Member Price: $10
**Digital doors open at 6:55 pm; event starts at 7:00 pm
**Portions of this event will be recorded and made available to registrants to view for 30 days. Breakout room discussions will not be recorded.
The Federation of BC Writers invites you to participate in our newest programming initiative: Book Club for Writers! This online book club for writers offers an opportunity to read and discuss books related to the craft of writing.Book Club events are 75 minutes long and feature a combination of small group discussion using breakout rooms, large group discussion in the main room, as well as an opportunity to hear the author’s insights and ask questions.
Our January 2025 pick is Build Better Characters: The Psychology of Backstory & How to Use It In Your Writing to Hook Readers by Eileen Cook. We are thrilled that Eileen will be there to share her insights. Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) to receive the event link, discussion questions, and reminders. Purchase the book, review the discussion questions, and when it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!
BOOK BLURB:
Compelling characters are what keeps readers turning pages and buying books — from fantasies to mysteries to the great literary novel. But how to do you create characters that feel three dimensional and real on the page? Counsellor and author Eileen Cook shares common psychological techniques to help you build your characters and take your story to the next level.
PRESENTER BIO:
Eileen Cook is a multi-published, award winning author in both non-fiction and fiction. She's a popular speaker/instructor at conferences, with Simon Fraser University's The Writer's Studio, and with The Creative Academy for Writers. Her most recent non-fiction guide is Build Better Settings.
STEPS:
1. Register here to receive the discussion questions and event link
2. Purchase your print or electronic version of the book
3. Read the book and consider the discussion questions (emailed two weeks before meeting)
4. Join the Book Club meeting using the Zoom link to discuss your responses and hear from the authors!
Please email Meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you have any questions, or would like to suggest a book.
Join us for our first Writers' Social of the new year on Tuesday, January 14th from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.
Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for January's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!
2025 writing goals
Agents and publishers
Join us Tuesday, January 21 at 7:00 pm Pacific for a Regional Spotlight featuring the Westbank Writers with host Meaghan Hackinen and readers Geneva Ensign, Jeanne Manning, and others. Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a link will be sent to you. When it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Digital Doors Open at 6:55 pm!
*This event will be recorded.
Geneva Ensign has lived much of her adult life in Alberta, and further north, after moving to Canada in 1965 with her family from the United States. Her professional career involved working in northern Canadian communities for over forty years as an individual and group psychotherapist, mainly with Indigenous communities.
Retired, she is now a full-time author living in West Kelowna, British Columbia. Her first book, Community Healing: A Transcultural Model, was published by Hancock House in 2018. Her latest book, Whittlings: The Human Conditioned as Experienced by F. Robert Langin, was published just this fall and is co-authored with Laurie Finer, daughter of Robert Langin. In between her first and last book, Geneva published two books of poetry, a book of legends from Manus Island, PNG, and a book about her brother’s adventures in Alaska. All are available on Amazon.ca.
For decades, Jeane Manning has been interviewing physicists, inventors and engineers involved in non-conventional energy breakthroughs. She is internationally known for her books about truly clean alternatives and what Nikola Tesla’s followers are learning about working in harmony with Nature’s ways.
She has bridged from the science to the public by authoring The Coming Energy Revolution (Avery Publishing Group of NY, 1996) and Energie (Omega Verlag, Germany, 2002) and co-authoring other books including indie-published Breakthrough Power (2011) and Hidden Energy (2019). Based in Kelowna, Jeane is currently working on a book for today’s unprecedented times. https://jeanemanning.com/
Meaghan Hackinen (FBCW host): is a bike-obsessed bookworm on a lifelong hunt for exceptional cycling routes, both on and off the pavement. Her cross-continental bike race memoir, Shifting Gears, was released by NeWest Press in 2023. This year, she is gearing up to compete in the Mountain Race Series, a trio of self-supported adventures that take place in the remote wilderness of Morocco, Greece, and Kyrgyzstan. Find her online: meaghanhackinen.com
We are excited to welcome back the talented voices of UBC Okanagan MFA Poets! Join us Tuesday, January 21 at 7:00 pm Pacific for a Regional Spotlight featuring UBCO MFA Poets with host Meaghan Hackinen and readers:
Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a link will be sent to you. When it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Meaghan Hackinen (FBCW host): is a bike-obsessed bookworm on a lifelong hunt for exceptional cycling routes, both on and off the pavement. Her cross-continental bike race memoir, Shifting Gears, was released by NeWest Press in 2023. Find her online: meaghanhackinen.com
Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, February 18 from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.
Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for February's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!
Self publishing
MFA and other writing programs: what's out there, and how do you know if this is the right option for you.
Short projects
Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, March 11 from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.
Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for March's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!
Marketing and finding audiences
Historical fiction
Our March 2025 pick is The Memoir Project: A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life by Marion Roach Smith. We are thrilled that award-winning writer and FBCW board member Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho will be joining us to share her insights and lead the conversation. Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) to receive the event link, discussion questions, and reminders. Purchase the book, review the discussion questions, and when it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!
The greatest story you could write is one you've experienced yourself. Knowing where to start is the hardest part, but it just got a little easier with this essential guidebook for anyone wanting to write a memoir.
With roots in Taiwan and Canada, Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho identifies as Generation 1.5, inhabiting the liminal spaces between cultures, languages, places, and identities. Her award-winning short stories and personal essays have appeared in anthologies and literary journals. She is at work on a memoir about growing up in a Taiwanese-Canadian “astronaut” family.
Join us for a Writers' Social on Tuesday, April 8 from 7:00 - 8:15 PM Pacific by registering here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) and a Zoom link for the event will be sent to you. When it’s time for the event you can click on the Zoom link to join the event.
Many of us strive for a connection with our fellow writers. This members-only monthly event is designed to bring us together for casual chats with breakout rooms. Join us to talk craft, career, and connection for about 75 minutes over Zoom. Meet new people and get the most out of being a part of a provincial organization! Below are the proposed discussion groups for April's meeting (subject to change). Please consider which discussion group you would like to join before you arrive, and email meaghan@bcwriters.ca if you would like to suggest a discussion topic. See you soon!
Self Publishing
Creating vibrant settings
The Federation of BC Writers invites you to participate in our newest programming initiative: Book Club for Writers! This online book club for writers offers an opportunity to read and discuss books related to the craft of writing. Book Club events are 75 minutes long and feature a combination of small group discussion using breakout rooms, large group discussion in the main room, as well as an opportunity to hear the author, contributor, editor, or special guest’s insights and ask questions.
Our March 2025 pick is Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass. We are thrilled that award-winning writer and FBCW Ambassador Frances Peck will join us to share her insights and lead the conversation. Register here (bcwriters.ca/events-for-writers) to receive the event link, discussion questions, and reminders. Purchase the book, review the discussion questions, and when it's time for the event, click on the link to join the live Zoom event. We look forward to seeing you there!
Maybe you're a first-time novelist looking for practical guidance. Maybe you've already been published, but your latest effort is stuck in mid-list limbo. Whatever the case may be, author and literary agent Donald Maass can show you how to take your prose to the next level and write a breakout novel - one that rises out of obscurity and hits the best-seller lists.
Frances Peck worked as an editor, ghostwriter, and instructor of editing and writing for three decades. Then she returned to her childhood preoccupation, creative writing. Her debut novel, The Broken Places, about a major earthquake rocking Vancouver, was a Globe and Mail best book of 2022 and a finalist for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. Her second novel, Uncontrolled Flight, about the death of a BC firefighting pilot, made 2023 book-of-the-year lists at 49th Shelf and Consumed by Ink. Frances grew up in Cape Breton, lived in Ottawa, and in 2005 moved to North Vancouver. She is at work on a new novel.
Email us at hello@bcwriters.ca
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