Workshop: Writing Character-Driven Stories with Alix Ohlin

The Word On The Streetchampions reading and writing in Canada primarily through a free festival celebrating storytelling, ideas, and imagination.

The Word On The Street

Celebrate the stories that connect us at The Word On The Street Toronto’s 2021 virtual festival of storytelling, ideas and imagination.

The Word On The Street presents Workshop: Writing Character-Driven Stories with Alix OhlinGreat characters aren’t perfect; sometimes they aren’t even nice. What they are is unique and human—indelibly so. A strong character is a vehicle through which a writer makes a story matter to a reader. In this participatory workshop, we will explore some techniques story writers use to craft distinct and charismatic characters. We’ll begin by looking at a few examples and asking, “How did the writer bring this character to life? What tools are being used? What can we borrow for our own work?” Then you will be asked to do some writing of your own. No previous writing experience is required.This workshop will be held in a Zoom meeting room Saturday, September 25 at 1pm ET. <a href="https://toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca/event-directory/festival-week-schedule/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Visit our website to see the full programming schedule! </a>

<h3>Panelists</h3>Alix Ohlin is the author of five books, including the novels Inside and Dual Citizens, which were both finalists for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Tin House, Best American Short Stories, and many other publications. Born and raised in Montreal, she lives in Vancouver, where she chairs the creative writing program at the University of British Columbia.Shop local! Purchase books by WOTS2021 featured authors through local independent bookstores on our <a href="https://toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca/official-booksellers/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">official bookseller page</a>.

<h3>About the Festival </h3>For 32 years, The Word On The Street has been a gathering place for authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all ages to celebrate the stories that connect us.We’re staying virtual for WOTS2021, so you can tune in from wherever you are to enjoy incredible programming with 100+ authors presented over 10 days from September 16th to 26th, featuring bestselling Canadian and Indigenous authors like Eden Robinson, Andre Alexis, Zoe Whittall, and Richard Van Camp.Get insight into the year’s top issues through a literary lens, with readings and panels on topics like climate change, decolonization, and how we care for one another. Poetry, memoir, mystery &amp; more, WOTS2021 has the books you’ve been looking for.<a href="https://toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Visit the 2021 Festival Homepage!</a>You can also <a href="https://youtube.com/c/TheWordOnTheStreetToronto" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">subscribe to our YouTube channel </a>for a preview of what to expect during the WOTS2021 festival, and watch (or re-watch) our year-round City Imagines and Book Talk series.

<h3>Become a Patron of The Word On The Street</h3>We are very grateful to our vibrant and generous community for your continued support throughout this challenging period for live events. If you’d like to contribute financially, you can add a donation to your registration or <a href="https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/celebrate-stories-ideas-and-imagination-with-the-w/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">visit our CanadaHelps fundraising page</a> to learn more about how you can help to sustain Toronto’s favourite book festival. We also appreciate your support in the form of kind messages for our small-but-mighty team and helping us spread the word on social media!<h3>On COVID-19 &amp; In-Person Events</h3>For the second time ever, WOTS2021 will be held virtually with programming hosted on our website and streamed live on YouTube. But that’s not all! We’re also collaborating with local authors and bookstore partners to offer a limited number of socially-distanced book signings. Check out the <a href="https://toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca/event-directory/festival-week-schedule/author-signings/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Bookstore Signing Schedule</a> for more details on who might be coming to your neighbourhood.If you’re most familiar with our offline offerings: Hi! We miss you, and hope you are well!Our team is doing the best we can to ensure the health and safety of our community, especially for vulnerable and younger readers who don’t yet have access to a vaccine. Staying virtual has given our team the opportunity to re-think how we can best honour our mandate as champions of literacy, and we can’t wait to share our exciting news about the future of WOTS with you this September!

The Word On The Street is an annual celebration of storytelling, ideas and imagination, hosting Canada's largest FREE book and magazine festival annually since 1990 and promoting great books by Canadian and Indigenous authors year-round.

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Workshop: Writing Character-Driven Stories with Alix Ohlin

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