The Writer’s Toolkit

Nina lectures in A Writer's Toolkit

Nina gives her popular workshop series The Writer’s Toolkit all over North America and based on her acclaimed writing guide, “The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!”. This set of three 2-hour workshops was sold out in January and February 2010 at the Southshore Regional Libraries in Nova Scotia and included:

The Writer’s Toolkit: Getting Started…and Finishing
The Writer’s Toolkit: The Art and Science of Craft
The Writer’s Toolkit: The Science and Magic of Marketing & Publishing

Workshop 1: Getting Started … and Finishing (January 23, 2010)

Are you thinking of writing that memoir or science fiction novel but don’t know how to start? Do you have lots of ideas but just don’t know how to create a story from them? Are you bogged down on a project you started five years ago? Do you wish you had the time to write but are too busy with the full demands of your daily life? Nina Munteanu—mother, consultant and internationally published author of award-nominated short stories, novels and essays—wrote most of her work while serving as a full-time scientist, teacher and mother. Nina shares the strategies and techniques she uses to write, finish and successfully publish. She provides ideas on how to mix and match your fluid career and keep artistic pursuits, creativity and your dreams always at the centre of what you’re doing. The workshop will review common misconceptions in the writing/publishing industry along with providing Nina’s humorous anecdotes of her many happy misadventures. Nina shares practical strategies to help you succeed that include timing & schedules, personal space, attitude, motivation & direction, writer’s block, inspiration, focus and goal-setting.

Workshop 2: The Art and Science of Craft (January 30, 2010)

Nina Munteanu (internationally published writer of short stories and novels) provides you with the basic essentials of compelling “storytelling”, the backbone of any good story. The workshop will go over several models, using example “storyboarding”, and examine the inter-relationship of plot and theme, setting and character in a book’s overall story arc, with a focus on one of the most well known models (Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and character archetypes). Nina explores the language of page-turning writing with examples on the use of the five senses, passive vs. active verbs (power verbs), use of dialogue, exposition, use of metaphor, simile, imagery and other techniques of writing that will transform your page into a compelling read. The workshop includes practical exercises and you are expected to participate in exercises and discussions. You also receive a comprehensive bibliography of references.

Workshop 3: The Science and Magic of Marketing (February 13, 2010)

This workshop focuses on a different but critically necessary creative process in an author’s writing-publishing career: revision, marketing and promotion. Every finished work must first pass through the scrutiny of revision and editing before it is ready to market. Nina Munteanu (internationally published writer of short stories and novels) provides you with the basic essentials of revision and editing, addressing the question of how much is enough and when to stop. She provides essential instruction on how to write successful cover letters, queries and synopses (all necessary for novelists wishing to publish), how to interpret and handle rejection letters and more. Nina also shares current markets for writing of all kinds from memoirs and non-fiction to short stories and novels (genre to literary fiction) and poetry.

Here is what the students had to say about Nina and The Writer’s Toolkit workshops:

“I felt inspired to look at my writing again…I found my ideas unlocked, problem areas exposed and strengths endorsed.”–Jane Morrell

“Nina was very relaxed, informal, very knowledgeable and interesting…She gave a lively presentation and gave lots of examples to relate to.”—Lauren Seaton

“Nina encouraged me to actually start my novel. She is very good, easy to understand.”—Patricia Slauenwhite

”Nina was engaging and inspiring in a low-key way, no hype, practical, good humour. This was a really pleasant and helpful experience. I was able to use specifics that were discussed to immediately improve my writing.”—Susie Buck

“Nina was very knowledgeable, relaxed, personable, and unpretentious.”

“I enjoyed it. I was intrigued. Nina put her heart into her workshop.”—Darlene Tong

“I found what I had been searching for a long time.”—Candice Croft

“What you’ve done for me, Nina, is you’ve just opened up a whole new world. You’ve shown me how to put soul into my books … You’ve transformed me from what I considered an oddball to somebody special and for that it’s worth a fortune.”–Hectorine Roy

You can book Nina for an online workshop or a workshop in your town at nina.sfgirl@gmail.com (include Nina, the writing coach in your message line). Refer to Nina’s coaching/workshop Rates page for her rates. Travel expenses are not included in rates and would need to be added in the cost.

Due to popular demand, the DVD set of Nina’s The Writer’s Toolkit Workshops will be available in early August, 2010. Details coming soon.