If you’re pausing over this description, you likely have a drive to write. You may long to write stories rooted in your own life, or your ancestors’, perhaps fiction, perhaps memoir. Or, you may have such stories already well underway. Maybe you’re seeking help finding your story’s shape, its structure. Could be you struggle to build and sustain a satisfying and productive writing practice. Perhaps you long for a community of like-minded writers, and you crave constructive feedback on your writing.

If any of this sounds like you, please come along for Maggie's course, Want to Write? Elements of Craft and Structure. Each three-hour class will include a lesson on an element of craft or structure (such as—but not limited to—point of view, voice, dialogue, scene building and sequencing, use of conflict and tension, and figurative writing); writing exercises; time to work on your own project; and time for sharing.

To facilitate participation and feedback, class size is limited. In the second half of the course, those who wish will have the opportunity to workshop a section of their writing or an outline of their project. The course will be supplemented by an optional weekly hour over Zoom.

Please Bring the Following:

• Favourite pens and a notebook.
• A laptop, not required but recommended.

About Your Instructor:

Maggie de Vries is the author of Missing Sarah: A Memoir of Loss, teen novels Rabbit Ears and Hunger Journeys, two juvenile novels and six picture books. Several of these books have been awarded BC Book Prizes, and two have been nominated for the Governor General’s Literary Award. Maggie was Orca Book Publisher’s children’s book editor for seven years, and the inaugural writer in residence for the Vancouver Public Library (2005) and the University of Northern British Columbia (2012). She recently retired from teaching at UBC’s School of Creative Writing after many years there, and has now transitioned into a private practice as a writing coach and mentor. Maggie teaches classes locally and online, leads writing retreats and workshops, and works one-on-one with writers in developing their craft and finding their way forward with their projects.

In addition to reading, writing, watching the birds in the backyard and hanging out with her cats (indoors), Maggie enjoys learning the ins and outs of gardening, exploring the local waterways with her husband in their old boat, and hiking the local trails. She also makes a point of dancing for at least a few minutes almost every single day.