More Canadian authors you haven’t met (yet)

It’s almost Canada Day. What better time to discover the amazing writers across the country?

This is part two of our visit with Canadian authors. You can read part one here.

They have very little in common. However, they are all Canadian. They are all accomplished writers. And they all are generous to other Canadian writers on Twitter. But Canadian writers come in all sorts of styles and genres, and that is true with these three writers. [Read more…]

Some Canadian writers you haven’t met (yet) for Happy Canada Day 2021

Everybody loves a good book. It’s almost Canada Day, and could there be a better time to discover new Canadian writers?

These writers have very little in common. They are all Canadian. They are all accomplished writers. And they all are generous to other Canadian writers on Twitter. But that’s where the similarities end.

Some people hear the word “writer” and think about novelists. Others think about journalists. But Canadian writers come in all sorts of styles and genres. [Read more…]

A plain language guide from Alberta to make Canadian writing more readable

Canadians need to write clearer, so that readers understand what they write. This guide from the Alberta government’s education ministry can help.

Canadians speak in plain language. But they often write in…well…convoluted, difficult to read language. This is not unique to Canada, by the way.

The Canada.ca content style guide can help. It gives a lot of great advice on how to write clearer, easier-to-read text.

Like the Canada.ca guide, the Guidelines for Writers and Editors (Digital Design and Resource Authorization Branch) is a digital style guide. That means it is written to respond to how people read on the Internet. [Read more…]

Interview with Canadian screenwriter Mark Parks

Ottawa-based screenwriter and director Mark Parks talks with THGM about writing, critics and film making.

Lauralee, my younger daughter, made her screen debut last month at Ottawa’s venerable Mayfair Theatre in Dead Air, a horror short that was part of the annual Monster Pool anthology. Running 4:40, Dead Air is one of seven invited films, joined by another 12 at the “community screening”.

The director and screenwriter was Mark Parks, who had previously helped produce feature films Biff Wellington and The Stars Look Tired. He also co-produced a Bell Fibe TV1 series called The Underdog. Mark sat down to chat with us about Dead Air and the path that lead him to create it. [Read more…]

What do you think Canadian bloggers write?

It’s one of the most popular memes out there: what people think writers really do. Let’s give it a Canadian spin.

You’ve seen the meme many times. It revolves around a profession, and it shows:

  • What my friends think I do.
  • What my husband/wife thinks I do.
  • What society thinks I do.
  • What somebody else thinks I do.
  • What I think I do.
  • What I really do.

They almost always travel in packs of six. Often, there’s an editor in there, because this meme is often about writers. [Read more…]