Since the Weekend Writing Prompts series has been such a hit, we're going to do our best to post one every other week, opposite our usual blog posts! This week's theme: Fairytales. These classic stories have been rewritten, spun, and magic-pumpkin'd into many iterations. Some fairytales are disturbing. Some explore good vs. evil. Others are … Continue reading Weekend Writing Prompts: FAIRYTALES

The first draft of a novel or prose is arguably the most challenging phase of creation for novel writers. Trying to get all the ideas down in a way that’s presentable and sounds impressive is challenging, and the temptation to edit is strong every time you open the document. Here are some strategies that may … Continue reading How to Conquer the First Draft

This week's writing prompts are cyberpunk themed! Cyberpunk typically deals with themes and social issues such as rampant capitalism, artificial intelligence, body modification and gene selection, and the commodification and oppression of people. Also, neon and cool cars! Here are a few prompts! Poetry: Cybernetic body implants replace organic body parts to make them perform … Continue reading Weekend Writing Prompts: CYBERPUNK

Since we aren't hosting workshops for a few weeks, here are some writing prompts for you to do at your own pace! Comment with your completed work (only if you'd like) and we might just feature it! This week's theme is outer space because Earth kinda sucks right now ❤ Poetry: You're in a space … Continue reading Weekend Writing Prompts: SPACE

Sitting down to write is one of those things that are planned with great intention but can be difficult to execute, especially when you’ve had a busy day and your mind is full of to-dos and can’t-forgets. Here are some ways that you can clear your mind, set yourself up for a solid writing stint, … Continue reading Writing Rituals: How to Create a Physical and Mental Space that Promotes Writing

If you are involved in the #yeg literary scene, you've likely heard Jason's name. He is the driving force behind some of the coolest and most creative writing projects Edmonton has seen: 40 Below, an anthology featuring works about winter in Edmonton; #yegwords coffee sleeves, coffee sleeves featuring flash fiction from Edmonton writers; and most … Continue reading An Interview with Jason Lee Norman

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and is a nonprofit organization that leads an annual event where writers commit to writing 50,000 words in November.  On the NaNoWriMo website, writers can track their progress and connect with other writers. These features are available once you create a free account. As exciting as this prospect … Continue reading Get-Writing Challenges: NaNoWriMo and More

It's spooky month, and you know what that means: thrillers, horrors, and all things designed to creep you out! For this month's guest post, Alexander Shay gives us his top five Halloween reads. 1. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga I Hunt Killers is a trilogy following the son of the world's most notorious serial … Continue reading Halloween Book List

The 23rd of October saw The Bolo Tie Collective's first Poetry Workshop of the semester. It turned out to be a lot of fun. There was an extremely high participation factor that brought some pretty amazing results. As it was the first workshop we had no poems put forward to workshop so we wrote one. … Continue reading Poetry Workshop Results