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CLARITY. CREATIVITY. CARING.
Want your words to work?
If you have any or all of the following needs:
- to find an AUTHOR or CREATIVE WRITER for your idea
- to learn from an experienced WRITING INSTRUCTOR and COACH
- to reach an audience with a clear BUSINESS MESSAGE
- to seek the eyes and skills of a TALENTED EDITOR for your web, print or screen content (See Editing for more details)
. . . then I can help you.
As an AUTHOR and AWARD-WINNING WRITER, I have published in 50+ magazines and newspapers and have an MFA in creative nonfiction writing. From media/web articles to promotional copy and personal narratives, I efficiently research and create stories with an engaging, professional style. I’ve twice won a Southam Lighthouse Award for writing clarity. Let my skills help you inform, inspire or entertain others.
As a WRITING COACH and long-time INSTRUCTOR, I can help you create a polished piece with flair and vision if you’re stuck on a PERSONAL WRITING PROJECT: book, story, screenplay, etc.
My EDITING EXPERTISE has revived countless manuscripts, stories, scripts, film treatments, and business materials.
As a COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT, I can transform any documents, web words or newsletters into compelling, clear messages that will resonate with your audience.
AWARD-WINNING WORDS
I love to help writers shape their words and find inspiration to share their stories. Here’s some of the communication work that I have done:
IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING (see Writing for more details):
- FREELANCE WRITING: Features and news for web and print media across North America
- PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS & AD COPY: Press releases, brochures, speeches, articles, annual reports (writing, editing, proofreading, concept to delivery)
- BOOK MANUSCRIPTS: non-fiction; historical; travel; memoir (research, writing, editing, photography)
- BOOK REVIEWS: non-fiction in the arts, history, self-help, alternative health
- FILM/TV: writing for drama/documentary short films, teleplays; proposals; concepts; story editing
IN EDUCATION AND MENTORING (see Teaching for more details):
- COACHING WRITERS: hands-on help with book manuscripts and other projects; tailor-made assistance and one-on-one exercises
- WORKSHOPS: hosting and delivery of sessions on a variety of writing topics
- ORAL HISTORY: interviews for public interpretive & education programs, book research, government reports, media articles
- CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT: original content researched and created from children’s environmental education to memoir writing, creative nonfiction, writing for self-discovery and more
IN COMMUNICATION CONSULTING:
- COMMUNICATION PLANS: content analysis and recommendations (web and print); brainstorming
- COMPANY STORIES: finding and creating compelling stories from individuals and groups that convey an organization’s vision, spirit, workplace culture, and values
Read some of my published work
SOUL AND SKILL: How I contribute
When working with clients, I thrive on creative collaboration. I love to
- INSPIRE others with personal or media stories that reveal my passion for many topics (see my favorites below);
- EDUCATE audiences by writing about a community or global issue and teaching a variety of writing genres and techniques;
- ADVOCATE in print on behalf of causes or organizations whose values and goals I, and you, admire and support;
- EMPOWER clients by bringing my written voice to their visions and ideas;
- NURTURE others to begin and hone their own work in print or on the web; and
- CREATE CONNECTIONS with people who strive, through inner work and community action, to transform attitudes and actions for the social and environmental benefit of all.
I never stop learning and love to share what I know. Overall, I seek a sustainable future, honoring the earth while engaging others through my words. I’ve written about bald eagles in Brackendale, British Columbia for Sierra magazine; profiled successful B.C. authors and artists for The Georgia Straight; expanded socio-cultural history in my book Vancouver’s Glory Years and in The Greater Vancouver Book; and documented my world travels, from an exorcism temple visit in India to a west-coast road trip with a female trucker.
SPIRITED SERVICE: What I offer
Since tapping out tales on my mother’s typewriter at age seven, I’ve wanted to share my words and ideas with an audience. I love the magic and power of stories well told. I love to help others hone their words and share their creative visions with others.
After journalism training, many years working in media, publishing, and education, and decades of diary writing (started while an angst-filled teenager), I have found my perfect niche: creative nonfiction writing or literary journalism. This is like relishing the sizzle and the steak — even though I don’t eat meat except fish and seafood.
After receiving my master’s degree in this exciting genre, I am writing a memoir while continuing to write professionally, teach and consult. This education has helped me bring greater depth and resources to my students and clients and their writing and editorial projects.
Here are some of the subjects that ignite my spirit and creativity:
- Arts and culture
- Environmental conservation and sustainability
- History and herstory
- Holistic health and lifestyles
- Human consciousness & quantum thought
- Human rights
- Humanitarian aid and voluntourism
- Peace and respectful communication
- Restorative and social justice issues
- Spirituality and soulfulness
- Trauma and recovery
- Travel and eco-tourism
As a writer based on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast (in Roberts Creek) and in Vancouver, B.C. on Canada’s west coast, I can work online and by phone with clients anywhere. For people locally, I provide PERSONAL CONSULTATIONS as a writer, editor, writing instructor, writing coach, and communications consultant.
My writing career started early . . .
PUBLISHING: My precocious start
My foray into publishing began in grade seven, when I won a cartoon contest in The Toronto Telegram. I drew a tortoise with a crash helmet that dared a hare with the words: “Wanna drag?”About three years later, I wrote a letter to MAD magazine artist Mort Drucker, accusing him of plagiarizing a Ronald Searle character from a 1950s Holiday magazine article. In response, Drucker sent me a hand-written letter, saying that his cartoon was a stylized compliment to an artist he admired.
At age sixteen, a letter to the editor I wrote to a Toronto daily resulted in the resignation of a boss I had for a summer job. I learned then the power of the press. Today, I can harness that impact of the printed word to your advantage.
Crossing the threshold: a vital step in the archetypal journey of life and storytelling
Here are some of the organizations I have had as clients or employers:
MEDIA/COMMUNICATIONS/PUBLISHING
Alive Magazine
Canada Wide Media Ltd. (BC Business)
Century Communications Group
Edmonton Journal
Formac Publishing, Halifax, NS
The Local, Sechelt, BC
MW Books Publishing
Opus Productions Inc., Vancouver, BC
Pacific Press (Vancouver Sun)
Sierra Club, San Francisco (Sierra Magazine)
Source Media Group, Calgary, AB (Western Canadian Resorts)
Southam Communications
Whitecap Books
ARTS & CULTURE
Corporate Arts Inc.
Demeter Music Inc. (Scottsdale, AZ)
Design Dimension Inc.
Powell River Digital Film School, BC
Pull Focus Film School, Vancouver
Steve Rosenberg, Film Director, Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Arts and Cultures Forum
ENVIRONMENT
Atlantic Center for the Environment (Ipswich, Mass.)
EcoPlan International Inc.
Ministry of Natural Resources (Ontario)
Pacific Wild
Quebec-Labrador Foundation
Sierra Magazine, Sierra Club, San Francisco, CA
Sunshine Coast Regional District (Sustainability Plan)
Sustainability Television, Vancouver, BC
EDUCATION
Capilano University (Sechelt, BC)
Coast Arts Building School & Centre Society (Gibsons, BC)
Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia
Kootenay School of Writing (Vancouver)
Powell River Digital Film School
Pull Focus Film School, Vancouver, BC
Selkirk College, Castlegar, BC
Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre, Continuing Education,
Vancouver, BC
Surrey School District, International Education, Surrey, BC
UBC Law Alumni Magazine
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (Sechelt, BC)
Vancouver School Board
OTHER BUSINESSES
Armstrong Consulting Group, Surrey, BC
BC Human Resources Management Association
BC Transit
Business Plans Canada, Gibsons, BC
Canadian Council of Human Resources Associations (CCHRA)
Coast Mountain Bus Company
G. F. Strong Centre
Kermode Trading, Terrace, BC
Seaview Villa Estates
A copy of my Publication List of published writing in books and media across North America is available upon request. It’s too long and cumbersome to post online.
If you need a WRITER, EDITOR or WRITING INSTRUCTOR/COACH in Vancouver or on BC’s Sunshine Coast, give me a call. To find out more about me, check out my blog at www.heatherconnblogs.com. I also offer fun workshops of self-discovery using a process called SoulCollage (examples of my SoulCollage cards appear on this web page). Learn more from my website www.sunshinecoastsoulcollage.ca.
Words that flow make your work glow