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Anne Lazurko is an award-winning author, a no-awards farmer, and sometime poet. Her novel, What is Written on the Tongue (ECW Press, 2022) was shortlisted for the $20,000 Glengarry Book Award and work on the book received the Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts Literary Award. Dollybird (Coteau), received the 2014 WILLA award for historical fiction and was shortlisted for the Saskatchewan Fiction Award. Anne's short ficiton and poetry have appeared in literary magazines and anthologies. She has a Political Science degree, is a graduate of the Humber Creative Writing Program, and is active is an active mentor, teacher and editor in the prairie writing community. She writes from her farm near Weyburn, SK.
Perfecting the Pitch:
How do you condense the depth of characters, excitement of plot and the beautiful prose of your 300-page masterpiece into a one- or two-page synopsis? And that damn query letter…what grabs their attention and how do you write it! And how much is too much when the agent or publisher asks for a ‘sample’? And what the hell is an Artist Statement anyway?
Using tools gained over many submissions to agents, publishers and granting agencies, I will will lead participants through the maze of the perfect pitch. Many of my pitches have been successful. Some not. But I’ve learned new tricks with each and been told by publishers, agents and grant coordinators, big and small, that in the case of my pitch, it’s good, it works.
I’ll share some insight with emerging writers to take some of the mystery and fear out of the process of the sometimes-baffling world of publishing.
The Story of Creations:
Discover where story ideas come from, how characters are developed, how setting creates an atmoshpere for those characters and how plot and structure tie the whole thing together. This workshop can be held over one day or in 2 sessions, and delivered either in person or online. Contact me for details.
Writing Characters into History:
Whether fiction or memoir, creative non-fiction or essay, characters and their motivations are what drive a story forward. In this interactive workshop, learn how to craft compelling characters that bring historical time and place to life. We'll delve into the choices a writer makes about any given history, how the setting affects character and vice-versa, and the necessary research to bring the whole thing together. Offered either in-person or online. Full day or two sessions. Contact me for details.
