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Join Nina for a FREE Writing Webinar

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Nina the writing coach

Are you looking to get published? What’s stopping you?

Join me for a FREE Webinar through Writer’s Digest University on how to improve your writing and succeed in getting published. 

I join journalist and editor Vernon Oikle on “Toolkit Talks“, a conversation in which we share great tips on how to get published. We answer some commonly asked questions provided by Writer’s Digest Magazine editors; questions faced by writers getting started as well as those finding their career stagnating. Learn some of the secrets writers use to jumpstart and keep their career in upward motion. Get the answers you need to get published.

What’s the difference between a writer who publishes and one who isn’t publishing? It’s often not talent or storytelling ability; it’s more often attitude, organization and drive. For instance, do you suffer from any of the following?

  • You have cool ides but have trouble getting started
  • You’ve been writing forever but can’t finish
  • Time & schedules are getting in the way
  • You’re lost in a sea of plot & characters
  • You’re scared of getting rejected & being ridiculed
  • You’re scared of living a dream

Join my free webinar where I answer frequently asked questions that came straight from Writer’s Digest! Questions that will help you get published:

  • What resources and tools do you recommend for writers?
  • Which do you think aren’t worth the time?
  • How do I make sure I maintain the right level of objectivity when I’m writing about things I’m passionate about?
  • How do you balance plot and characters in your story?
  • What are the elements of a strong hero? What are the elements of a strong villain?
  • How do I know if my story moves too slowly or too quickly? How do I fix it?
  • How do you weave in theme within a story?
  • How do you choose the right point of view for your story?
  • Should I outline before I begin writing a story?
  • Where should I begin when I’m revising?
  • How do you promote your work?
  • How do you know when your story is ready to submit?
  • How do you know which markets are best for your work?

Register for my free webinar to view this on-demand webinar and you may have access to additional materials and be eligible for additional perks.

Hope to see you there!

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Nina with a workshop student

The Writer’s Toolkit” DVDs Coming Soon!

For those of you waiting to purchase my DVD set of “The Writer’s Toolkit“, a 3-set DVD collection based on “The Writers Toolkit” workshops, your wait is soon over! These three  major workshops cover ”How to Get Started and Finish”, “Craft of Writing” and “Marketing” your writing. The DVDs will be available shortly for purchase on the Passionate Writer. Here’s what students of “The Writer’s Toolkit” said:

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… I was able to use specifics that were discussed to immediately improve my writing.”—Susie Buck

 “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

Guests of Nina’s Writer’s Digest Webinar may be eligible for a special price

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Canadians Can Nominate for Literacy

FictionWriterCoverWeb 190x300 Canadians Can Nominate for LiteracyYou have until February 15th to nominate Nina’s writing guide “The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!” for the 2009 Aurora Award, the Canadian Science Fiction/Fantasy annual award in the “Publications in English: Other Works” Category.

Here’s Nina’s story: 

“When I began to vitamin b12 for dogs
teach college and university biology courses (some years ago…) I was struck by a major observation: many of my students were borderline literate. Many couldn’t spell (I’m one to talk. But even I could see the glaring errors). Many used poor grammar, fragmented and scattered language, and ineffective construction. They didn’t know what a paragraph was. Others couldn’t string a sentence together or make convincing arguments, let alone provide clarity of thought. Their ability to communicate in the written form was downright appalling. Convinced that their knowledge of science was severely compromised by their inability to communicate it, I dedicated myself to include literacy in the science courses I taught. As my students applied themselves to relevant tasks using my feedback, their writing skills eventually improved."  

Simply put, literacy is the ability to read and write (in all its facets) and essentially comes down to the ability to effectively communicate. Here are some startling facts:

Four out of 10 adult Canadians, age 16 to 65 - representing 9 million Canadians - struggle with low literacy (Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) Survey, Statistics Canada and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2005). They fall below level 3 on the prose literacy scale (of 1 to 5), which is equivalent to high school completion, and the desired threshold for coping with the rapidly changing skill demands of a knowledge-based economy and society (International Survey of Reading Skills (ISRS), 2005).

Now, some twenty years later, Nina has written a guide to writing that is not only fun and entertaining but enjoyed by youth and adult alike. It celebrates effective writing (in all its forms) and the power of literacy.

Students, young and old enjoy The Fiction Writer:

We use this book weekly in my Writer's Workshop class, and it gives us all the right tips to write like a professional author. It is written with a direct, clear style that enhances our understanding and helps us to truly grasp the concepts presented. The chapters are brief and concise, and really help us write both fiction and nonfiction. We have learned how to properly use dialogue, create characters, and find our "muse." I would highly recommend this book for anyone hoping to enhance their writing.”—Mark J. Bujold, high school English student

I have six book shelves at home (and about as many at work) devoted to books on writing and the teaching of writing covering all the writing genres. Before Nina's book, I was getting rather bored with them.” D. Merchant, English Instructor

If you’re a Canadian, you have the chance to “vote for literacy”. Nominate “The Fiction Writer” for an Aurora. The Aurora is a prestigious award and provides good exposure for works recognized. If you think that the world can benefit from this entertaining and easy to use (and youth-friendly) literary aid, nominate The Fiction Writer using the online form below. You have up to February 15th to submit your nominations for the Aurora online:
http://www.prixaurorawards.ca/English/AwardProcess/nominationForm.php

ANY CANADIAN or permanent resident of Canada can nominate a work for the Aurora Awards. You don’t have to be part of some organization or pay any fee; you just have to be a Canadian. The top five works in each category with the most nominations will be short listed on the final ballot.

There is no fee to nominate and selections are given equal weight. A full list of all eligible works for the Aurora can be found here: http://canadiansf.com/node/42

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Darwin’s Paradox Favorited by “Optimist”

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Signing at Chapters

 

Nina’s SF ecological thriller Darwin’s Paradox was selected by Edgar Dunning of the Delta Optimist for a dog nutrition supplements
good Christmas read: "If you haven't selected the books you want as gifts for friends or yourself, here are some suggestions you might find suitable...Darwin's Paradox by Nina Munteanu, published by Dragon Moon Press of Calgary, is an engaging read that makes the reader think. When a virus and an intelligent machine conspire to seize North America's largest city, then threaten to spread world chaos, the only person who can save humanity is the woman who started it all. The author created an inventive future and an indomitable hero. It's an interesting read."

Merry Christmas! And happy reading!

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The Fiction Writer on Amazon.com!

FictionWriterCoverWeb 190x300 The Fiction Writer on Amazon.com!The Fiction Writer is at the top of the required reading list for my students. With its engagingly direct, conversational style and easily accessible format, it is a veritable cornucopia of hands-on help for aspiring writers of any age…the quintessential book for the soon-to-be published.”—Susan H. McLemore, Director of Glynn Academy Language Arts Department

Nina’s fiction writing guide, “The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now!” is currently on Amazon.com, Amazon.ca (in Canada) and Amazon.uk (in England). Go see it there and give it a review and/or tick off tags to help others find this very useful writing guide.

Nina drew from her many years experience in writing and publishing and includes personal examples of queries and synopses that worked, actual rejection letters and hilarious but educational stories about her publishing misadventures.

Nina borrowed from the wisdom of many experts in writing and publishing, notably Robert J. Sawyer, Elizabeth Lyon, Jack Bickham, Sol Stein, Janet Fitch, Tobias Bucknell, Ansen Dibell, Margot Finke, Marg Gilks, Crawford Killian, Ralph Keyes, Victor Frankl, among others. She mixes their erudite advice with her own educational experiences to produce a guidebook that fills a rare niche: a guidebook that seriously educates but is entertaining and fun to read.

We are delighted to report that The Fiction Writer and natural cat supplements
its associated course materials have been adopted by schools, colleges and universities throughout North America. Here’s what writing instructors, published authors and writing students had to say about The Fiction Writer so far:

 “I’m very impressed…Nina shares the hard-won knowledge she’s accumulated…I’m thoroughly enjoying the book!”—Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of Wake.

 “Nina is…lively and knowledgeable…approachable, relevant and humorous.”—Pamela Richardson, Professor at University of British Columbia

 “Although aimed at the writing student, this is a handy book for the emerging or mature writer as well…a great resource to refresh one’s mind on every aspect of the writing process…I am keeping this book at my desk as I plunge into the writing of my next chapter.”—Shane Joseph, author of After the Flood

“Thanks, Nina! My songs, stories, and screenplays…can all benefit.”—Colin Wiebe, musician/writer

“We use this book weekly in my Writer's Workshop class, and it gives us all the right tips to write like a professional author. It is written with a direct, clear style that enhances our understanding and helps us to truly grasp the concepts presented. The chapters are brief and concise, and really help us write both fiction and nonfiction. We have learned how to properly use dialogue, create characters, and find our "muse." I would highly recommend this book for anyone hoping to enhance their writing.”—Mark J. Bujold, writing student

“Great writing lessons! They are practical and simple for any budding writer.”—Graham Seager, writer

“Nina Munteanu’s The Fiction Writer is the book I wish I had 15 years ago. Writers young and old can find ways to improve their work, with the book’s fun, easy to read format.”—Theresa Vinson, bookseller

“Nina Munteanu’s book, The Fiction Writer: Get Published, Write Now is a terrific resource in my professional library. I started reading it almost as soon as I got home after purchasing it. Nina shares tips and techniques from many great writers and I loved soaking all that up. I highly recommend it.”— Zoe M. Hicks, author of The Women’s Estate Planning Guide and Dream Catcher, the Power of Faith

The Fiction Writer improves with each read. it reminds me of those ‘For Dummies’ books, back when they first were great – except without the ‘you are a dummy’ humor, which I greatly appreciate”—David Merchant, Instructor at Louisiana Tech University

The Fiction Writer packs twenty-six chapters of relevant, well-researched and easy to read instruction that encompasses virtually all the topics one needs to get published: beginnings and endings; characterization; dialogue; exposition; setting; plot; scene; metaphor & language; grammar; voice and point of view; research; query letters; rejection letters; synopses and outlines; showing vs. telling; writer’s block; attitude, inspiration and passion in writing.

You can purchase The Fiction Writer at Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.uk, or at www.ThePassionateWriter.com.

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Nina & Toulouse Go to Montreal

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montreal at night

Several weeks ago, Toulouse and nupro dog vitamins
I got onto a jet plane and travelled to Montreal, Quebec (my old digs when I went to university). We went there to participate in the World Science Fiction Convention.

These guys put me in  a pile of cool panels on top of doing my regular readings and signings. I participated in science/ecology, writing and SF panels with rock stars like Tom Doherty, Julie Czerneda, and new faces like Bruce Rockwood, David B. Coe, Peter Cohen, John Kessel, Jason Tuell, Kristin Norwood, Bob Sojka, Mike Gallaher, Michael Sestak and many others.

The panels were lively, contentious in some cases, erudite and fun. But I measure the success of a con through its surprises as well as by how many old friends I visit with and new friends I make. This one was a resounding success because I met so many wonderful people and encountered many thrilling surprises.  The list is too long to give here but I'll include some unexpected highlights.

  • The rockin' Tor party (held at a penthouse suite in the Delta Hotel): where the bathroom had been converted into a wine and beer celar...
  • meeting L.E. Modesitt and his wife at the rockin' Tor Party
  • sharing an awesome world-building panel with Julie Czerneda
  • the rockin' Tor party (where rumor has it that the bathroom was raided by strange ladies intent on having a shower)
  • seeing Cory Doctorow in a tux (for the Hugo Awards)
  • the rockin' Tor party (where someone who shall remain nameless jumped on the bed and didn't spill a drop of his drink!)
  • being "abducted" by a group of Romanian writers who took me to an "Old Montreal" cafe to interrogate me using devious means like roasted wild duck and local cider (they were successful, btw)
  • the rockin' Tor party (well, I won't go there--you'll have to attend the next con to find out for yourself!) 

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