Screenwriting workshop

Screenwriting Seminar, June 15: A dynamic, one-day seminar that gives you the tools to start writing your own screenplay. No experience necessary. Topics include characters and characterization, narrative structure, visualization, story boarding, dialogue, script formatting, and more. Taught by university instructor and freelance writer Elizabeth Johnston.

• Early bird fee: $100.
• Deadline for early registration is May 16.
• Location:  Guy Metro.

Contact info@elizabeth-johnston.com or screenwriting.eventzilla.net.

Social media roundtable

The McGill Writing Centre is holding a roundtable discussion on social media on May 23. PWAC Quebec member Nancy A. Locke will be participating with other experts in the area of social media.

More information can be found at The McGill Writing Centre’s  website.

Grammar Fundamentals

EAC-QAC seminar: Grammar Fundamentals

We are closing out our 2012-2013 season with a great seminar led by none other than Frances Peck.

Where & When

• Date: Friday, May 24, 2013
• Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
• Location: McGill University Faculty Club, 2340 McTavish, Montreal, Room: Old McGill, 3rd Floor

Cost

Early bird (On or before May 10):              

• $ 80 for EAC student members
• $ 150 for EAC members
• $ 180 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 210 for non-members

After May 10

• $ 90 for EAC student members
• $ 180 for members
• $ 210 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 240 for non-members

Register now to secure your spot!

Frances Peck, an editor and writer, has been working with words for over 20 years. She teaches editing at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College, and gives workshops for EAC and other groups of editors, writers, and translators across Canada. She prepared the Canadian edition of The St. Martin’s Workbook, a grammar exercise book; co-authored the popular HyperGrammar website; wrote Peck’s English Pointers, an e-book available through the Language Portal of Canada; and writes a regular column for the journal Language Update. Frances lives in Vancouver and is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates.

If you can’t make it on May 24, consider attending the ATAMESL language symposium (http://www.atamesl.org/congres2013.html), which features a one-day “Journée de formation” on May 25 and where EAC member Frances Peck will be presenting a half-day workshop on Sentences with Style. The full-day rate is $275 (for EAC members) + taxes and includes two workshops, two meals, coffee breaks and a networking cocktail.

The symposium, sponsored in part by EAC-QAC, is being held at the Campus de l’Université de Sherbrooke in Longueuil (direct connection with Longueuil metro station).

Misadventures in Cross-Cultural Communication

This came into our email box, and I thought it was worthwhile passing on. A decade ago, I worked at the same company as Mike, and he’s bound to have several good stories to tell.

Misadventures in Cross-Cultural Communication with Mike Finner

Language differences are not the only barrier to communication and understanding. Culture, customs, and even body language can block effective communication just as easily.

Join us on Tuesday April 30 as Mike Finner tells us tales from far-flung places where misunderstandings and miscommunications occur, plus a lot about the use of English around the globe, a little geography, and a little war history.

Mike will discuss:

• What are you trying to say, and how loud are you trying to say it?
• Is your language universal?
• Maybe some things don’t translate…
• What non-verbal cues are you using?

Who is Mike Finner?
 Mike is a technical writer, a 26-year veteran of the Canadian Forces, and a former military observer for the United Nations Mission in Sudan. He’s self-employed, with almost 20 years of experience in technical communications.

When and Where

Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Time: 6:30 pm
Location: McKibbin’s Irish Pub, 1426 Bishop St.
Google Maps: http://goo.gl/maps/7eDSi

For more pub information, go to http://www.mckibbinsirishpub.com

Please RSVP to rsvp@arscommunica.org as the pub will need to know how many are attending. Maximum 25 seats.

Everyone is welcome to this free event. The only cost to you is what you order for your own food and beverages.

Empty Bowls: Lunch for a good cause

One of our members asked us to pass this along.

Empty Bowls is a local fundraising initiative to combat local hunger. Over $100 000 has been raised since the first event in 2001.

Everything for the event is donated and 100% of the proceeds are shared to alleviate hunger in Montreal. The beneficiaries of the event are:

• NDG Food Depot
• Dorshei Emet Hanukkah Food Basket Fund
• Santropol Roulant
• Multi Caf
• St. Michael’s Mission

Please consult the flyer for dates and times (today and tomorrow!)

Great grammar with the EAC

EAC-QAC Seminar: Grammar Fundamentals

REGISTER NOW!

Take this quick quiz:

1. List and define the eight parts of speech.
2. Explain the difference between a phrase and a clause.
3. What’s a subject complement? An object complement? An appositive?
4. Provide an example of an absolute phrase, a gerund phrase, a participial phrase. Which one always functions as an adjective? Which one is falling out of use?
5. Explain the difference between a restrictive and a non-restrictive clause.

At sea? Then this seminar is for you. Whether your aim is to plug educational holes, to better apply the rules of grammar, or to impress your clients and colleagues, this seminar will cover all the grammatical terms and structures you need to know. Bring your pencils and prepare to parse!

Date: Friday, May 24, 2013

Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Location:

• McGill University Faculty Club
• 2340 McTavish, Montreal
• Room: Old McGill, 3rd Floor

Cost:

• Early bird (On or before May 10):              
• $ 80 for EAC student members
• $ 150 for EAC members
• $ 180 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 210 for non-members

After May 10

• $ 90 for EAC student members
• $ 180 for members
• $ 210 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 240 for non-members

Frances Peck, an editor and writer, has been working with words for over 20 years. She teaches editing at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College, and gives workshops for EAC and other groups of editors, writers, and translators across Canada. She prepared the Canadian edition of The St. Martin’s Workbook, a grammar exercise book; co-authored the popular HyperGrammar website; wrote Peck’s English Pointers, an e-book available through the Language Portal of Canada; and writes a regular column for the journal Language Update. Frances lives in Vancouver and is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates.

Send any questions to seminar coordinator Namita Kumar

REGISTER NOW! for Grammar Fundamentals

EAC-QAC Seminar: Social Media 101

Social media workshop offered by EAC

Social Media 101 with Christine LeBlanc

Social media is more than what all the cool kids are doing these days. It can – and should – be an important part of your networking and marketing efforts to further your career. It can also help develop your skills as an editor. Learn the fundamentals of social media and how to make it work for you, especially LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Explore why and when you should use each channel. If you have one, bring your laptop or tablet to set up or improve your accounts on the spot.

Christine LeBlanc is a communications consultant who started her business, Dossier Communications, in 2005 after a decade in publishing. She specializes in writing, editing, integrated marketing strategies and event planning. Christine is the past chair of EAC’s National Capital Region branch and was the co-chair of the 2012 National Conference, which broke attendance records. She is also a member of the International Association of Business Communicators. She started using social media to deal with the isolation of working from home and now runs a national health care organization’s social media.

Date: Saturday, April 6, 2013

Time: 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Location:
Hôtel de l’Institut, Room: Léonard-Gagnon
3535, rue Saint-Denis, Montréal

Cost: Early bird (until March 30):               

• $ 40 for EAC student members
• $ 60 for EAC members
• $ 80 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 100 for non-members

After March 30

• $ 50 for EAC student members
• $ 75 for members
• $ 95 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 115for non-members

Register with EAC

 

EAC workshop: Make fair estimates and make money

The Editors Association of Canada is hosting this upcoming workshop.

Estimating: The Key to Making Money

This three-hour workshop for in-house and freelance editors focuses on costing a job, developing a realistic workplan, and preparing fair and accurate estimates. This workshop will help in-house and freelance editors learn the standard practices, tips, and strategies for breaking down a job according to task, costing out each task, tracking your estimating accuracy and including terms and conditions in your contract to avoid “getting burned” by unexpected costs. Bring your calculator and be prepared to do some number crunching.

The Where & When:

• Saturday, February 16, 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm
• Hôtel de l’Institut, 3535, rue Saint-Denis, Montreal (Léonard-Gagnon Room)

Cost:

• $ 50 for EAC student members
• $ 75 for members
• $ 95 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 115 for non-members

Instructor: Jennifer Latham

Jennifer Latham is the past president of the Editors’ Association of Canada. She worked for many years as a full-time freelance editor offering editing, writing, and project management services to government and private sector clients. Jennifer is currently the Director of Editorial Services with the Office of the Auditor General of Canada.

As a specialist in substantive editing, Jennifer has developed a process for approaching substantive jobs, and has learned all the tips, tricks, and pitfalls for this type of editing. As for estimating, the bane of every editor’s existence, she almost enjoys writing the estimate more than doing the job. She is happy to report that she has never lost her shirt on an estimate and equally happy to share her tried and true practices for preparing accurate estimates.

Click here to register now! 

Lecture and book signing at Stewart Hall

This dropped in our mailboxes and thought it would be worthwhile sharing on PWAC Quebec.

If you still have one of those “Je me souviens les fusions forcées” bumper stickers on your car (apologies for any grammatical errors, I’m working from memory), this event might be for you.

Westmount Mayor Peter Trent’s book, The Merger Delusion, was recently published by McGill Queen’s University Press, and has been enjoying modest success. Mayor Trent will be discussing his book on Thursday, November 29, 2012, at 7 p.m., at Stewart Hall in Pointe-Claire.

Usage Woes and Myths – Editing Workshop

Here is the latest offering from the EAC.

Usage Woes and Myths – Montreal

You’ve sorted out imply and infer. You know it’s not all right to use alright. But what about more troublesome usage points, like the difference between may and might? Or such frequently misused expressions as centre around and beg the question? Is it true that you should always change though to although, till to until, like to such as?

For anyone intent on preventing (not avoiding) word errors and avoiding (not preventing) usage myths, this seminar will help. Through discussion and examples, the session provides an up-to-date look at some of the most misunderstood and contentious points of English usage, and suggests helpful guides and other resources. Bring your most perplexing usage questions to share with the group. Instructor: Frances Peck.

Where & When:

• Date: Tuesday, October 30, 2012
• Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
• Place: Concordia University – Hall Building
• Address: 1455 de Maisonneuve W, H3G 1M8
• Room H-763 (7th floor)

Cost: Early registration (on or before October 9):

• $ 80 for student members
• $ 170 for members
• $ 190 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 240 for non-members

Cost: After October 9:

• $ 110 for student members
• $ 200 for members
• $ 220 for related organizations and non-member students
• $ 270 for non-members

Registration closes: October 23, 2012
Lunch and coffee breaks included.

Frances Peck, an editor and writer, has been working with words for over 20 years. She teaches editing at Simon Fraser University and Douglas College, and gives workshops for EAC and other groups of editors, writers, and translators across Canada. She prepared the Canadian edition of The St. Martin’s Workbook, a grammar exercise book; co-authored the popular HyperGrammar website; wrote Peck’s English Pointers, an e-book available through the Language Portal of Canada; and writes a regular column for the journal Language Update. Frances lives in Vancouver and is a partner with West Coast Editorial Associates.

Click here to register online. For more information, visit editors.ca or send a message to event coordinator Namita Kumar.