If you’re ready to break out and do something extraordinary with your writing, or if you just want to start already, check out Flying Books School of Reading & Writing.

The brainchild of Flying Books founder Martha Sharpe, the school invites accomplished writers (like Carl Wilson, Desmond Cole, Lynn Crosbie and Russell Smith) to guide workshops on criticism, journalism, fiction, memoir, writing for the Internet, and more. The next one is coming up May 9-June 13 at the Gladstone (1214 Queen St. W) and is all about how to write a novel (without getting lost in the process).

In this course, acclaimed novelist Russell Smith will help you break the longer form down into manageable steps. This practical approach focuses on structure rather than on the rhythm of your writing, on product rather than process. You will move from refining your initial idea to writing an outline to dramatizing scenes. Discuss the nature of story, the necessary features of plot and the alchemy of a satisfying ending. You’ll learn what publishers look for in books and how to sell your ideas.

Register here.