Canajan, eh?

Canuck reporting in from the Kitchener-Waterloo area! Anyone here from Quebec? Just moved away a month ago, missing my crazy french friends

Though it sounds like I moved just in time from all the strike details I'm getting on Facebook.

I'll be the noob and ask: What's SiWC?

SiWC = Surrey International Writers Conference.
http://www.siwc.ca/

It's a place for authors to get together, learn more about the trade through seminars, get a chance to mingle with other authors, agents and editors, they have a trade show where you can sell your books...
Apprently, I've never been, but it's a boat load of fun!

Yep...we have that in Ontario too. (-:

The Ontario Writers' Conference is getting bigger and better every year. It's held in Ajax, Ontario...usually the first weekend in May. This year's was May 5th. I'm a founding member and on the board of directors...and I look after registration for the conference. This year, we had 6 agents! We're at:

www.thewritersconference.com

I thought about going to SIWC last year, but couldn't see that the benefits outweighed the cost. For the time and money spent I'd rather take a summer writing class again.

Cute baby, Drachen.

Hello my fellow Canadians. Well, technically the US still owns me so I'm not officially Canadian but I live here.

Are there any AW writing groups that meet in the GTA?

Graphite said:

Hello my fellow Canadians. Well, technically the US still owns me so I'm not officially Canadian but I live here.

Are there any AW writing groups that meet in the GTA?

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Not that I know of. But there's a growing number of AWs attending the Ontario Writers' Conference. AND you should really check out:

www.wcdr.org - Writers' Community of Durham Region
www.wcyr.org - Writers' Community of York Region
www.wcsc.org - Writers' Community of Simcoe County

I've been a member of WCDR for 10 years. They changed not only my writing life, but my life. An excellent organization. They have monthly breakfast meetings in Ajax, just off the 401 at the Ajax Convention Centre. SO WORTH JOINING THIS GROUP! And worth the drive from T.O.

kawartha lakes and county of simcoe paramedic here...someone from among us needs to bevome an agent....

OK gang, sorry for the delay.

My wonderful spouse felt bad for my latest rejection on a full (that had sounded really encouraging...), that he let me go ahead and register for Surrey! It's not really in our budget, but he's awesome.

So if anyone else is coming, let me know. I'll be getting in at 7-ish on Wednesday so I can go to the newbie master class on Thursday in the morning.

How have I only come across this thread NOW? I'm a Canadian girl, born and raised in Toronto, though when I was 13 I moved to Mississauga and then Muskoka for a bit. Now I'm back in T.O and loving it

Carrie Ann Maxwell said:

Anyone else find themselves playing "Spot the Canuck" in shows and movies?

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My god I do this all the time xD And it's sort of bad how excited about it I get. You should have seen me when I first started watching Rookie Blue and realized it was set in Canada. I was so happy that my family looked at me as if I grew a second head , haha.

I also do the 'eh' thing, but I also say 'oi' a lot and I'm not sure where that one comes from.

CJ Knightrey said:

How have I only come across this thread NOW?

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I gotta say, I'm embarrassed to admit the same. I was a base-brat, now a CF officer living in Fredericton, NB; I don't imagine there are too many Maritimers lurking here-abouts.

Hip-Hop-a-potamus said:

So if anyone else is coming, let me know. I'll be getting in at 7-ish on Wednesday so I can go to the newbie master class on Thursday in the morning.

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I'll be there! Also attending the morning master class Im a newbie here but decided to take the plunge and invest a little in learning how to counter the rejection.

Sunlight T

sunlight said:

I'll be there! Also attending the morning master class Im a newbie here but decided to take the plunge and invest a little in learning how to counter the rejection.

Sunlight T

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Great. Now post some more so we get to know ya before October.

fdesrochers said:

I gotta say, I'm embarrassed to admit the same. I was a base-brat, now a CF officer living in Fredericton, NB; I don't imagine there are too many Maritimers lurking here-abouts.

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I spent my first 20 summers in Miramichi---between Newcastle, South Nelson and Douglastown. I go back when I can now. Love NB!

Hey guys,

Mississauga resident here. Glad to see there are a few others!

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

PeterD said:

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

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Hi Everyone! Another Canuck girl here. PeterD, in response to your question, I set my stories in Canada because that's what I know best. Most of my stories are set in my hometown of Montreal, but a few of my newer ones are set where I live now, in Alberta. Good question, I'm interested to hear other responses.

TheSteph

PeterD said:

Hey guys,

Mississauga resident here. Glad to see there are a few others!

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

Click to expand...

Only because I'm originally American, and know the lay of the land and the flora and fauna and speech patterns better, I set my stuff in America. So far, that's been the Finger Lakes, NY; Illinois; Texas; and California.

Maybe someday I'll feel accomplished enough to set something up here.

PeterD said:

Hey guys,

Mississauga resident here. Glad to see there are a few others!

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

Click to expand...

Interesting question! My current novel is set in London, with English characters --it was just the right fit for the story, and I have lived in the UK and spent lots of time in London. The one I'm going to work on next is also set in England, but the MC is Canadian-- it's 1918-19 and he is/was a WWI pilot, so part of it has to be there. Part of it was going to be in Canada but the plot shifted and that doesn't work anymore. Most of the short stories I've written have been set in Canada though-- it's my default if I don't have other reasons to set it elsewhere.

PeterD said:

Hey guys,

Mississauga resident here. Glad to see there are a few others!

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

Click to expand...

So far I haven't mentioned where my stories take place, but all my works that aren't high fantasy are set in Canada.

PeterD said:

Hey guys,

Mississauga resident here. Glad to see there are a few others!

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

Click to expand...

My novels are only set in places I have actually been. My brain only works that way. I've written a few based in Canada. My first published, Summer on Fire, takes place in a fictional town just outside Toronto. My second, Sebastian's Poet, takes place in the Beaches.

Thankfully, I have been lucky enough to see quite a few places...so I've started setting my work in places like Africa, the Netherlands, South America, etc. I can't write about a place I have never stepped foot in. Just not for me. (-:

PeterD said:

Hey guys,

Mississauga resident here. Glad to see there are a few others!

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

Click to expand...

Woot. I grew up in Mississauga (Erin Mills) before moving to Brampton.

For my settings, I go with the any town sort of setting. My next story will have a name, and will be a city, but it will likely be a city I design.

Thanks guys.

I am not a Canuck native so in the same boat as some of you - seen a few different towns over the years and in terms of personal experience have a few options to draw from.

It just seems a bit funny though, growing up and reading King and Koontz etc. I got a little used to these stories taking place in these little US towns, but it made it seem somehow more natural. The stories were not real and to my first hand experience the towns were not real (although they often are) and now when my own stories run through my mind I imagine that small American town.

I had given thought to making these Canadian towns but as strange as it sounds I had to think about it for a while. It was not totally natural.

Perhaps I am just strange.

Canada Day

Happy Canada Day

Hope the BBQ's are hot and sun is shining. Have a brew or two. (or beverage of choice)


Canadian National Canthem

Happy Canada Sailor and everyone else on this forum. Hope you enjoy the fireworks tonight!

@YeonAh - I lived in St. Sauveur for 3 years and miss my friends there too. We used to go to Morin Heights to watch the Canada Day fireworks at the local ski resort. Great fun. Miss it.

PeterD said:

Hey guys,

Mississauga resident here. Glad to see there are a few others!

For those writing in the "real world" do you guys write "Canadian fiction" or do you base your stories in other areas? US? UK?

Click to expand...

90% of my stuff is based in Canada. quan ao thoi trang dep ao chip do so sinh loai khac cho be thoi trang cong so nu thoi trang cong so nu trang phuc cuoi