Marking 20 years
of bold journalism,
reader supported.
Tyee News
Media

Learn to Write and Pitch Your Tales with Zsuzsi Gartner

Acclaimed author shares strategies for spinning yarn into gold in Saturday's Tyee Master Class. Register now!

Tyee Staff 14 Sep 2015TheTyee.ca

image atom
Giller-nominated author Zsuzsi Gartner teaches a Tyee Master Class in fiction writing this Saturday.

What is the best way to hone your story as a writer? "Ask yourself, if you were at a dinner party with a group of strangers; or at a bar, slightly drunk, in a foreign city, how would you begin to tell the person beside you the story to get their attention?" advises acclaimed author and editor Zsuzsi Gartner.

Of course, taking the leap from spinning a great yarn for a group of friends to actually putting the words to a page and getting a short story published contains a few more steps, and a whole lot of hard work.

Gartner, author of the Giller-nominated Better Living through Plastic Explosives, will be leading a Tyee Master Class on Sept. 19 where participants will learn the skills necessary to craft their stories through hands-on writing exercises. Beyond that, Gartner will also have advice for Master Class participants on how to get their stories out in the world and published.

And she has a lot of advice to share. In addition to being an acclaimed author, Gartner was the editor of the award-winning Darwin's Bastards: Astounding Tales from Tomorrow, taught master's of fine arts students for eight years at the University of British Columbia, and is the founder and director of Writers Adventure Camp at The Point in Whistler, B.C.

In a day-long session in downtown Vancouver, Gartner will go through the vital mechanics of the story, and strategies to pitch work to publications. Register now.

We asked Zsuzsi about the challenges and opportunities in writing fiction, and what to expect in her master class this Saturday.

The Tyee: What is the biggest barrier that writers usually face in getting their short fiction (or short stories) initially published?

Zsuzsi Gartner: Lack of persistence. Anyone who can string five words together in coherent order and has a sense of narrative can eventually get a short story published somewhere if they send it out often enough -- there are so many publications, both print and online these days. The bigger question is: Do you want to write great, memorable and distinct stories or competently reinvent the wheel?

Do you have a favourite moment or experience from any past workshops you've taught?

There have been so many, so no one particular moment. But I do love it when the light bulb visibly goes on for someone -- you can see it on his or her face -- and they say: You can do THAT? Or, as one student recently said, "I didn't know POV from an SUV until I took your course!" Finding out just how very many techniques are available to write your stories in different ways is like the bandits' cave opening for Ali Baba and revealing its treasures.

How did you get started? What was your first published piece and who published it?

My first published short story came out back in the paleolithic period (a.k.a the 20th century) in The New Quarterly, a literary magazine published in Waterloo, Ont. It was called "Listening to Mr. Bojangles Tap-Dancing on the Radio" (I've never lost my fondness for long titles) and was a mash-up of fiction and memoir written in non-linear fragments and inspired by a Susan Sontag story called "Project for a Trip to China." To this day, I'm a big fan of modelling fiction on stories that peel off the top of your scalp to learn how to do things and what's possible.

Don't miss this great opportunity to learn how to take your story from an idea to a published piece.

For information about Taking the Fictional Leap, the one-day Tyee Master Class that Zsuzsi Gartner will be teaching on Sept. 19, go here.  [Tyee]

Read more: Media

  • Share:

Facts matter. Get The Tyee's in-depth journalism delivered to your inbox for free

Tyee Commenting Guidelines

Comments that violate guidelines risk being deleted, and violations may result in a temporary or permanent user ban. Maintain the spirit of good conversation to stay in the discussion.
*Please note The Tyee is not a forum for spreading misinformation about COVID-19, denying its existence or minimizing its risk to public health.

Do:

  • Be thoughtful about how your words may affect the communities you are addressing. Language matters
  • Challenge arguments, not commenters
  • Flag trolls and guideline violations
  • Treat all with respect and curiosity, learn from differences of opinion
  • Verify facts, debunk rumours, point out logical fallacies
  • Add context and background
  • Note typos and reporting blind spots
  • Stay on topic

Do not:

  • Use sexist, classist, racist, homophobic or transphobic language
  • Ridicule, misgender, bully, threaten, name call, troll or wish harm on others
  • Personally attack authors or contributors
  • Spread misinformation or perpetuate conspiracies
  • Libel, defame or publish falsehoods
  • Attempt to guess other commenters’ real-life identities
  • Post links without providing context

LATEST STORIES

The Barometer

Do You Think Naheed Nenshi Will Win the Alberta NDP Leadership Race?

Take this week's poll