• January 17, 18 & 19, 2025
• Co-hosts: Comox Valley Writers Society & North Island College
• Sponsor: Comox Valley Record
• Location: North Island College – Comox Valley campus

Map of North Island College Comox Valley campus (click to enlarge)

The Comox Valley Writers Society avows not to publish, share, or sell any
personal information collected from members and non-members.

2025 NIWC Program

(Note: All workshops are free to NIC and SD#71 students. This does not include those attending Elder College courses and workshops.)

Friday night – January 17, 2025            Stan Hagen Theatre in K’ómoux Hall

• 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. (No registration required.)
• Welcome from CV Writers Society President & North Island College Liaison
• Keynote speaker: Ian Ferguson – How to be a Humour Being
  Laughter may not actually be the best medicine (that would be penicillin) but humour is one of the best ways to communicate, entertain, and effect (or affect) change. With the current cultural polarization (exacerbated by the echo chambers of “anti-social media”) it is more important than ever. Seriously. Ian Ferguson will address the importance of humour in bridging gaps and bringing people together. He’ll also tell some funny stories and unrelated anecdotes, as he’s in his anecdotage.

Free and open to the public. No registration required.

Workshop timetable:

Saturday – January 18, 2025          NIC Comox Valley campus     Tyee Hall

8:30 – 8:55: Late registration (in-person)
9:00 – 12:00: Morning workshop sessions (1st segment of 5-hour workshops)
9:00 – 12:00: Morning workshop session (3-hour workshop)

12:00 – 1:00: Lunch break – brown bag, restaurants in area
12:10 – 12:50: Lunch presentation (Bring a brown bag lunch recommended)

1:00 – 3:00: Afternoon workshop sessions (2nd segment of 5-hour workshops)
1:00 – 4:00: Afternoon workshop session (3-hour workshop)

New Event – 2025 Youth Fiction Contest

3:30 – 6:30 pm: Open to writers age 15 – 24

Five-hour workshops:

• 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  (1-hour lunchbreak from 12 – 1 p.m.)
  • Ian Ferguson – Whodunits and Punchlines: What Goes into a Comedic Mystery
  • Larry Bambrick – So, You Want to Write a Movie?

(Scroll down to read workshop descriptions)

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Three-hour workshops:

• 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.                                           
  • Cornelia Hoogland – Travel Guide to the Heart Through the Prose Poem

• 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.                                             
  • Robert Hilles – The Art of Writing a Short Story

(Scroll down to read workshop descriptions)

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Brown bag lunch talk:

• 12:10 – 12:50 p.m.                                                    
  • Kim Letson – Lunch on the Road with a Travel Writer

(Scroll down to read lunch session description)

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2025 Youth Fiction Contest:           NIC Comox Valley Campus          Tyee Hall

• 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Open to writers age 15 – 24
  

(Scroll down to read contest guidelines)

Workshop Timetable:

Sunday – January 19, 2025             NIC Comox Valley campus          Tyee Hall

8:30 – 8:55: Late registration (in-person)
9:00 – 12:00: Morning workshop session (1st segment of 5-hour workshop)
9:00 – 12:00: Morning workshop session (3-hour workshop)

12:00 – 1:00: Lunch break – brown bag, restaurants in area
12:10 – 12:50: Lunch presentation (Bring a brown bag lunch recommended)

1:00 – 3:00: Afternoon workshop session (2nd segment of 5-hour workshop)
1:00 – 4:00: Afternoon workshop session (3-hour workshop)

Five-hour workshop:

•  9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (1-hour lunch break from 12 – 1 p.m.)
  • Judy LeBlanc – From Whose Voice & From What Distance: POV – Narrative Story

(Scroll down to read workshop description)

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 Three-hour workshops:

•  9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Jo-Anne (JP) McLean – Writing Deeper Dialogue
     
• 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  • Joy Gugeler – Get a (Shelf) Life: Bespoke Marketing Strategies to Get You Booked & Them Hooked 

(Scroll down to read workshop descriptions)

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Brown bag lunch talk:

•  12:10 – 12:50 p.m.
  • Diana Kolpak – Electric Elocution: Breathe Life into your Readings

(Scroll down to read lunch session description)

Saturday workshop descriptions:

Whodunits and Punchlines: What Goes into a Comedic Mystery:
Presenter: Ian Ferguson                                                    9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
                                                                                       TYEE HALL     Room 205

Description: This 5-hour workshop will deal with importance of outlining, why you need to write backwards when structuring plot, and how to use humour to create characters and increase readability when creating mysteries.  Participants are encouraged to bring a writing implement of some kind (pen, pencil, crayon) as well as something to write upon (notebook, loose-leaf paper, random piece of cardboard retrieved from recycling) and will be participating in exercises during the workshop. In addition to learning a bit, participants will also laugh a lot.

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So, You Want to Write a Movie                                         9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Presenter: Larry Bambrick                                       TYEE HALL     Room 204

Description: This interactive lecture will take a look at the core concepts of screenwriting. From how screenplays look (and why) to how they work (and why). Using examples from popular movies, we’ll discuss dialogue, character and the fabled three-act structure. We’ll even do a little writing along the way. If you have an idea for a movie — or are just curious about how they’re written — come join us!

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Travel Guide to the Heart Through the Prose Poem     9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Presenter: Cornelia Hoogland                                   TYEE HALL     Room 202

Description: In the 3-hour workshop we will begin with studying one or two prose poems, noting such things as the writer’s chosen topic or theme, their formal and linguistic choices, and their empathetic narrator. Our guided reading of each poem will reveal to us elements of form and structure we’ll use to create a template. Applying this template to our own subjects can offer us one way to approach, and write, our own experiences. Experience is various and includes our insights, delights, preferences and struggles, as well as our tried-and-true (or beginning) ways of exploring our topics through prose poetry. The template can help avoid the formal or linguistic habits we writers fall into, and offer alternatives, thereby refreshing our writing practice and surprising us. There will be time to model this approach through 1) studying the instructor-chosen prose poem as a template, 2) writing a prose poem from that template, 3) sharing our drafts (voluntarily) and 4) summarizing what we have learned about writing prose poems this way, for our future use. Bring your notebook or device, a sense of adventure, and two published prose poems that you enjoy.

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The Art of Writing a Short Story                                                1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Presenter: Robert Hilles                                            TYEE HALL     Room 203

Description: In this three-hour workshop Robert Hilles will cover all aspects of writing short stories (from beginning to end) including how they are different from other works of fiction. He will also discuss what short stories require to make them successful, great, or even masterful. He will then discuss one or two successful short stories and include a list of recommended short story authors to seek out. There will also be time for participants to share from their own short stories and receive critiques on that from other participants and Robert Hilles. Robert Hilles will answer questions participants may have related to writing short stories. Lastly, he will discuss the current market for short stories and how and where to submit them.

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Lunch on the Road with a Travel Writer                               12:10 – 12:50 p.m.
Presenter: Kim Letson                                       TYEE HALL   Student Lounge

Description: Bring your brown bag lunch and join Kim for a lively discussion about distilling your travel adventures into engaging stories with universal themes.

Lunch Talk: Bring a brown bag lunch recommended. Free event. No registration necessary.

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2025 Youth Fiction Contest                                                      3:30 – 6:30 p.m.
                                                                                    TYEE HALL     Room 114

Guidelines:
 1. Open to writers 15 to 24 years of age.

 2. Participants will have three hours to write a story based on prompts given at the             beginning of the event.

 3. Stories will be judged on originality and quality of writing. Winners will be                         announced in February 2025.

4. Free but registration required. (Registration will open Dec. 1)

First prize:
• $200 cash
• the opportunity to work with an editor at CV Collective Magazine toward publication of either this story or one of your choosing
• $25 gift certificate to the NIC bookstore

Second Prize:
• $100 cash
• $25 gift certificate to the NIC bookstore
• $25 gift certificate to Laughing Oyster Book Shop

Third prize:
• $50 gift certificate to the NIC bookstore
• $25 gift certificate to Laughing Oyster Book Shop

Sunday workshop descriptions:

From Whose Voice & From What Distance: POV – Narrative Story
Presenter: Judy LeBlanc                                                   9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
                                                                                     TYEE HALL     Room 202

Description: Writers generally put little or no thought into point of view choices and their management. Writing intuitively may be necessary in early drafts, but in the end a grasp of this fundamental narrative technique, complex as it is, enables the writer to use it to its greatest advantage.

The phrase point of view in its common usage implies a person with an opinion which suggests a static state. Choosing a point of view to tell a story involves deciding on grammatical person within a similarly static hierarchy: first, second, or third (I, you, she/he). The common writerly advice is to stick with this throughout the narrative. But point of view isn’t only a pronoun any more than a person is only a pronoun. Point of view is voice propelled by its own life experience expressed through diction and syntax, and it is perspective, a concept in writing that is as shifting and elusive as it is in life. Point of view is more about degrees of distance between narrator and character than it is a choice of pronoun, and it is the quality of movement within this variance that lends nuance and momentum to prose. So challenging and, at the same time, so full of possibility!

In this workshop, we’ll simplify the concept of point of view through discussion and by looking at its definitions, as well as examples from literature. You’ll do writing exercises in which you experiment with various points of view. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding and some thoughts and examples of how you’ll work with it in your own writing.

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Writing Deeper Dialogue                                                  9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Presenter: Jo-Anne (JP) McLean                              TYEE HALL     Room 204

Description: It seems authors either love writing dialogue or hate it. But regardless, it’s something we have to master if we want to write engaging stories.
Dialogue is a heavy lifter in our writers’ toolbox. When done well, it can:
1. Reveal character
2. Heighten emotion
3. Define subtext
4. Advance the plot
Join JP McLean to talk about how to write deeper dialogue that conveys much more than words.

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Get a (Shelf) Life: Bespoke Marketing Strategies to Get You Booked & Them Hooked                                                                                     1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Presenter: Joy Gugeler                                          TYEE HALL     Room 205

Description: Do you fear you aren’t doing enough to market your book, or aren’t sure where to start? Do you resent time away from writing and the need to be promoting on and offline all the time? Not sure what your publisher expects of you, or if you have the skills to sell your book as a self-publisher? Join us for an overview of options for traditional and guerrilla marketing that will help you customize your pitch to media, festivals and reading series, booksellers, readers, and reviewers to get the word out. Design a bespoke campaign for front and backlist titles across platforms that reflects your voice, subject, genre, audience, and time constraints and put the life back into shelf life.

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Electric Elocution: Breathe Life into your Readings         12:10 – 12:50 p.m.
Presenter: Diana Kolpak                                 TYEE HALL   Student Lounge

Description: Readings are a great way to get your writing into the world…but only if you are able to read effectively. Author and theatre practitioner Diana Kolpak will share tips and simple techniques to improve your presentation skills, engage your audience, quell your nerves, and become better at reading your work aloud.

Lunch Talk: Bring a brown bag lunch recommended. Free event. No registration necessary.

Blue Pencil Café
Editor: Dave Flawse

Zoom or in-person session. Dates & times to be arranged after registering.
Description: For emerging writers and pros: unlock the full potential of your fiction or nonfiction in a 30-minute in-person session with detailed notes on technical elements (plot, structure, character, dialogue, setting, point of view, voice, tone, and tense). Dave Flawse will offer suggestions for improvement and outline the piece’s strengths—because what’s working is just as important as what isn’t. Join a session and make your story shine!

Submission guidelines: 

• For book-length work: Submit your first chapter (up to 2500 words) of fiction or nonfiction/memoir. Include a one-paragraph synopsis, a one-sentence elevator pitch, and up to three questions you might have about your work.

• For short stories or nonfiction articles: Submit up to 2500 words. Include up to three questions you might have about your work.

Submissions must be received no later than January 12, 2025. Please submit your work to [email protected]

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Accolades:
1. “The feedback from Dave’s Blue Pencil Café gave me the clarity I needed to revise my story and make it a stronger piece. It was a valuable experience and I encourage others to use this service.” ~ Joline M.

2. “After reviewing my short story, Dave Flawse thoughtfully pushed me to go deeper with my work, from an entirely different angle I hadn’t considered. His background and experience opened my tunnel vision to consider ways of reaching a more diverse readership. A valuable experience!” ~ Catherine C.

3. “Dave not only took the time to thoroughly review my draft but also provided a paper copy of his observations, questions, and suggestions which I have returned to several times. He is personable but not afraid to ask probing questions. Dave helped me clarify my intentions for the story and improve the quality of my writing. I left the session feeling confident and inspired with many fresh ideas buzzing around in my head!” ~ Marion W.

Saturday workshop presenters:

Ian Ferguson won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour for Village of the Small Houses and is the co-author, with his brother, Will, of How to Be a Canadian, which was shortlisted for the Leacock Medal and won the CBA Libris Award for non-fiction. He is the co-author, with Will Ferguson, of the bestselling Miranda Abbott Mysteries (I Only Read Murder, Mystery in the Title, and the upcoming Killer on the First Page) and has written several humour books, most notably The Survival Guide to British Columbia. He has also written & directed for the theatre, radio, and film & television.

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Larry Bambrick has worked in the television industry for more than 30 years. His career includes writing and producing news and documentaries for the CBC, National Geographic, and the Discovery Channel. He was also a screenwriter on shows including Flashpoint, Arctic Air, Bitten, Carter, When Hope Calls and Hudson and Rex. Recently, he finished his first movie, and is trying to get it made.

He now lives in Comox, and is wondering when the right time is to get another dog.

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Cornelia Hoogland is 2023 winner of the Colleen Thibaudeau Outstanding Achievement in Poetry Award given by the League of Canadian Poets. She’s the author of a graphic novel and eight books of poetry and chapbooks, a number of which were on short lists for national awards. Her poetry and non-fiction were short listed for the CBC Literary Awards and won a National Magazine award. She’s been the writer-in-residence at artistic venues across Canada and was interviewed in the Huffington Post. A chapter of her forthcoming novel, Atmospheric River, was short listed in a provincial competition, she was awarded a residency at the Banff Centre Writers Studio to work with Caroline Adderson, and won a recent Access Copyright Grant toward its completion. www.corneliahoogland.com

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Robert Hilles won the Governor General’s Award for Poetry for Cantos from a Small Room. His first novel, Raising of Voices, won the George Bugnet Award for best novel and his second novel, A Gradual Ruin, was published by Doubleday Canada. His books have also been shortlisted for The Milton Acorn People’s Poetry Prize, The W.O. Mitchell/City of Calgary Prize, The Stephan Stephansson Award, and The Howard O’Hagan Award. He has published eighteen books of poetry, and two nonfiction books. His latest novel is Don’t Hang Your Soul on That and his latest poetry book is, From God’s Angle. In 2023 he published, The Pink Puppet, a book of flash fiction.

His webpage is: https://roberthilles.wordpress.com

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Kim Letson is the author of four creative non-fiction books. Her writing reflects the insights and humorous outlook  gained from a lifetime of travel. Penning her stories with a desire to entertain  readers, she invites them into moments of childhood discoveries through to current adventures of a senior still tramping around the world. Her favourite mode of travel is by foot and this provides plenty of opportunity for unexpected situations which become the fodder for her stories.
With a view to encouraging others to share their own adventures, Kim leads an Elder College writing workshop – Great Trip to Compelling Story.
Seeking a new writing challenge, she is currently dabbling in the genre of short story fiction. “I’ve been trying to keep my characters at home,” she says. “But they keep dashing off to far off places. So I best go with them to gain some understanding of where they are.”  https://www.kimletson.ca/

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Judy LeBlanc is a writer from Fanny Bay, BC. She is the founder of the Fat Oyster Reading Series and has taught creative writing at North Island College. Several of her stories and essays have been published in Canadian literary journals. The Promise of Water, a collection of short stories, published in 2017 was followed by a novel, The Broken Heart of Winter. Permission to Land, a memoir-in-essays was published in 2024. Of her novel, Bill Gaston writes, “With her eye for detail and ear for voice, in this most Canadian of sagas, Judy LeBlanc brings the present and the past vividly to life.”

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JP (Jo-Anne) McLean is a bestselling author of supernatural and paranormal fiction. She is an Eric Hoffer winner and was a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, the Chanticleer International Book Awards, and the Independent Author Network Awards. She is a B.R.A.G. medallion honoree and three-time Literary Titan award winner. Reviewers call her books addictive, smart, and fun. JP lives with her husband on Denman Island. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking dishes that look nothing like the recipe photos or arguing with weeds in the garden.

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Joy Gugeler has edited 100+ titles for ECW, Raincoast, and Beach Holme as an in-house or freelance editor for 30 years. She edits the Ralph Gustafson Distinguished Poets series and is the Publisher of Portal. Gugeler has been on the boards of ARC and Room, reviewed for national papers and CBC radio, and teaches publishing at TMU, SFU, and VIU. She operates Chameleon Consulting: Change Your Mind and was nominated for the Editors Canada Karen Virag Award.

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Diana Kolpak is a story-teller who uses photography, poetry, theatre and music as her media. Her published work includes the children’s book Starfall, the play Bedtime Stories, and poetry in several online magazines. www.dianakolpak.ca

1. Open to writers 15 to 24 years of age.
2. Participants will have three hours to write a story based on prompts given at the beginning of the event.
3. Stories will be judged on originality and quality of writing. Winners will be announced in February 2025.
4. Free but registration required. (Fill out form below.)

• $200 cash
• the opportunity to work with an editor at CV Collective Magazine toward publication of either this story or one of your choosing
• $25 gift certificate to the NIC bookstore

• $100 cash
• $25 gift certificate to the NIC bookstore
• $25 gift certificate to Laughing Oyster Book Shop

• $50 gift certificate to the NIC bookstore
• $25 gift certificate to Laughing Oyster Book Shop

REGISTRATION FORM