Imagine a Story Conference 2013
PRESENTATIONS
GROUP A (9:15-10:30)
1 Writing with Gusto: Finding and Keeping Your Muse
with Anita Daher
Story-hatching is the easy bit, but how to lasso the bigness of an idea, and contain and sustain that energy all the way through to the end? Author and editor Anita Daher will share hints on maintaining and accelerating motivation—for you, and your characters.
2 How to Read a Picture
with Marie-Louise Gay
The author-illustrator will give you insight into the secrets, the details, the medium and the understanding of the author’s intent in her picture-book art . She will explore the different ways that the art enriches the story and empowers the reader.
3 Getting Grants from the Canada Council for the Arts
with Mona Kiame
Find out how to apply to the Grants for Professional Writers: Creative Writing Program. Learn how to submit a compelling funding application, what to submit as relevant support material, what to do when you are a successful candidate, what to do when you don’t get a grant, and more!
4 The Play’s the Thing: Creating Theatre for Young Audiences
with Amanda Kellock
This session looks at the basics of writing plays for young audiences, including: understanding the current theatre landscape and TYA companies, balancing responsibility and creativity, and creating a theatrical world with intelligence, honesty and imagination.
GROUP B (1:45-3:00)
5 Creating Illustrated Books that Appeal to All Ages
with Suana Verelst
The artist will share how she broke into the children’s book world and what it took to get there and will show some of her sketchbooks, covers, children’s book illustrations as well as some of her puppets. She will also talk about her approach – how she creates an illustrated story and discuss the steps she took to market and get her work published.
6 From Seed to Fruition: How Do You Take a Dream and Make it a Reality?
with Jennifer Gasoi
Jennifer Gasoi had a seed of an idea and turned it into an 18-song Juno nominated album. Through personal stories, musical performance and interactive discussion, Jennifer will offer tools on how you too can realize your dreams.
7 Writing Picture Book Stories – The Weird and the Wonder-filled
with Rachna Gilmore
The best picture book stories delight both children and adults – they are deceptively simple but nuanced, and multi-faceted like crystals. The award-winning author shares her experiences on how to shape picture book stories, find the right voice and emotional tone, and how to use delicious words that beg to be read aloud.
8 Doodling is Not Procrastinating…Unless It Is with Alan Silberberg
Some writers work from detailed outlines – some leap without a net. Join Alan as he presents his own writer’s journey complete with insights into his writing/cartooning process and how his doodling helps him come up with plot and story ideas. How do his cartoons add to the story? Just watch!
GROUP C (3:15-4:30)
9 Getting an Illustration Rep: How it Works
with Anna Goodson
In this presentation you will get the basics about what an illustration representative has to offer and when you need one. From her experience representing illustrators from around the world, Ms Goodson will also discuss helpful tips about preparing your portfolio and what it takes to get noticed by art directors and other art buyers.
10 Tricks You, Too, Can Use When You Write Y.A. Lit
with Monique Polak
Monique Polak explains how her experiences in the classroom and as a reporter feed her fiction. Learn how you, too, can use interactions with real-life teenagers to develop fictional characters. Monique will also share reporting strategies to help you “find” stories and do the background research that may be necessary for your fiction.
11 How Does a Two-headed Beast with Four Hands Create Stories and Illustrations?
with Belle Brute
Find out how Marianne Chevalier and Vincent Gagnon join forces to create the poetic and humorous universe of BelleBrute. Vincent will present the various steps of creating an illustration and engage in an open conversation about the creative process.
12 Creators, Publishers and Copyright
with Mireille Goulet
This interactive talk will discuss the protection of your copyright as author, illustrator or creator in your dealings with publishers, including secrets to good negotiations, advances and royalties. Following the talk, participants will have the opportunity to ask Ms. Goulet questions about the material covered in her presentation.
PLENARY SESSION (10:45-12:15)
The Publishing Path: From Story Idea to Supporting Material
with Christie Harkin and Patricia Ocampo
We will look at best practices for coming up with story ideas that focus on the art of story regardless of genre. We will discuss how to pay some attention to trends (knowing they are cyclical and that some trends are evergreen), but also how to use trends for inspiration and not as a formula. Then we will touch on the idea of exploring and creating extension for your work: how to use the story to make connections for readers beyond the book itself. The agent’s perspective will focus on the beginning of the publishing process, and the publisher’s will focus on making a story reach its full potential and making writers think beyond just writing.