Manuscript Consultation

Specializing in short fiction, award-winning author Katie Bickell appreciates the artist’s dedication to brevity while pursuing character and plot development, and offers substantive and stylistic manuscript edits to reflect these values. Substantive editing involves editing the structure/architecture of the work (macro issues of organization, including chapters, parts, openings, closings, transitions, etc.) as well as a stylistic edit (micro issues at a sentence level, looking at clarity, flow, and language).

Whether submitting a single short story or a collection, the author will receive a marked-up document from Katie to use while they perform revisions. Katie and the author will also meet either in-person or over Zoom to discuss the work and brainstorm solutions following the service, going through the edits page by page. Best of all – there’s no cap on time for this. A story takes however long it takes.

Please contact Katie to receive a quote on your project. References from former manuscript consultation projects available.

Creative Writing

Packing a Punch: Big Stories in Small Spaces

Learn how to craft powerful narratives in as few words as possible from an award-winning short story writer. Working from a collective prompt, students will workshop a piece of flash fiction into a succinct-but-rich tale using a variety of tools. This course has been successfully featured in numerous libraries and for such groups as Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society, The Writer’s Guild of Alberta, and Pandemic University.

The details:

• Zoom-based workshop
• The workshop can be tailored to fit 1-3 hour time slots
• Students should expect to leave the course with a polished piece of flash fiction, as well as a list of flash fiction markets open to submissions
• Student participation and story sharing required (not applicable for 1-hour workshop length)

Creative Writing

When You Just Don’t Wanna: Tips for the Lazy Writer

Some call it writer’s block, others call it a lack of motivation. Either way, every writer sometimes struggles to get their butt in the seat. This lighthearted course will cover several ways to trick your brain and seduce the muse, even when tapping keys feels like pulling teeth. This course has been successfully featured in the past through Alexandra Writer’s Cantre Society.

Motivational Tips Include:

• The 50/10 Method
• Dressing the Part
• Timer Tracking
• Scenery Switching
• Silencing Software
• Writing Blind
• Dictation
• Shouting it Out

The Details:

• Zoom-based class presented with a live slideshow
• The class can be tailored to fit 1-2 hour time slots
• Students can expect to receive a Lazy Writer’s Tip Sheet and to share a few laughs

Career Workshops

The High School Resume

A professional resume writer for almost ten years, Katie Bickell helps students craft a work winning document from start to finish by teaching foundational information and tips & tricks, as well as providing advice as to what to put on the cover letter, and how to prepare for the interview. This course has been a hit in high school CALM classes!

The Details:

• Zoom-based class presented with a live slideshow
• Class can be tailored to fit time slot of 30 – 75 minutes with time for student questions

Career Workshop

The Job Seeker’s Guide to Success

A professional resume-writer for almost ten years, Katie Bickell helps students craft a work-winning document from start to finish by teaching foundational information and tips & tricks. Also included: the difference between a resume and CV, formats needed for uploading documents to online job banks using automatic tracking systems, what to put on the cover letter, and how to prepare for the interview.

The Details:

• Zoom based class presented with a live slideshow
• The interactive class can be tailored to fit 1 hour – 1.5 hour time slot with student questions
• Students can expect to receive a comprehensive checklist to map their job search journey as easy as possible.

Career Workshop

The Artist’s CV

Often immersed in a culture outside of the traditional workforce, many artists don’t think about their resumes until either grant season or until the perfect position becomes available. At that point, they often come to Always Brave Creative for a professional resume.

An author herself, ABC Founder Katie Bickell has written CVs for writers, filmmakers, editors, publishing agents, and visual artists, and has witnessed firsthand the self-doubt that can occur as these professionals try to sum the wealth of their skill, experience, and credentials into only a couple pages – and often at high stake in a highly competitive environment. This class has been successfully featured in the past through Alexandra Writer’s Centre Society.

In this workshop, I break down The Artist’s CV section by section (including overall graphic design), answering the most common questions I receive regarding this topic:

• What is the difference between a resume & a CV, and which one do I need?
• Are gaps in work history okay?
• How do I narrow down my publication list?
• Should I include my employment outside of the arts sector?
• How should I explain upcoming gigs or obligations?
• Can I still list the experience if it wasn’t paid?

The Details:

• Zoom based class presented with a live slideshow
• The interactive class can be tailored to fit 1 hour – 1.5 hour time slot with student questions
• All students will receive a handy tip sheet to reference as they create their own artistic CVs.

Book a Workshop or Speaking Event

Please use the form below to connect with author Katie Bickell.

Form not working? email katie (at) alwaysbravecreative (dot) ca.