Notes from behind the books, the writing life, and the occasional poem. Cozy paranormal mysteries and quirky speculative fiction.https://www.maajawentz.com/en-cahttps://www.maajawentz.com/real-peru-behind-feeding-frenzy/https://www.maajawentz.com/real-peru-behind-feeding-frenzy/The real-world Peru behind Feeding Frenzy: Spanish studies, the 2007 earthquake, and travels to visit family and friends, gathered from the blog archives.Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/write-a-novel-in-30-days/https://www.maajawentz.com/write-a-novel-in-30-days/Can you write a novel in 30 days? Diaries from Novel November (formerly NaNoWriMo): the theory, the word-count panic, and the experiment that became Feeding Frenzy.Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-launched-at-bakka-phoenix/https://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-launched-at-bakka-phoenix/Feeding Frenzy: Curse of the Necromancer On March 10, 2018, Feeding Frenzy launched at my favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy book store. Bakka is one of…Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/watty-award-winner/https://www.maajawentz.com/watty-award-winner/Feeding Frenzy : Curse of the Necromancer Wins a Watty Award Have you ever read a story on Wattpad and wondered if you could win a Watty Award? This post…Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/word-on-the-street-interview-clips/https://www.maajawentz.com/word-on-the-street-interview-clips/Showing our Love for Books at Word on the Street. AI Art by Maaja Wentz using Midjourney. Word on the Street is a Favorite Tradition At Word on the Street…Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/writing-for-children/https://www.maajawentz.com/writing-for-children/It's a great to start a new writing for children course in the fall. Learning to Write for Children This pic gives a late summer view from University…Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/i-failed-at-my-2022-goals-but-won-the-creative-writing-game-anyway/https://www.maajawentz.com/i-failed-at-my-2022-goals-but-won-the-creative-writing-game-anyway/The Gal Who Has it All, by Maaja Wentz using MidJourney 4 (I failed at my 2022 goals but she didn't) In January 2022, I set myself three clear writing…Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/the-steak-trick-for-accountability/https://www.maajawentz.com/the-steak-trick-for-accountability/Dean Wesley Smith’s steak trick for accountability Writing is Creative Magic. Image by Maaja Wentz using Midjourney. On Medium , I haven’t set specific…Sat, 17 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/click-horror-book-cover/https://www.maajawentz.com/click-horror-book-cover/Should you make your own book cover in 2022? My earliest indie short stories came out before I learned how to make a proper book cover. Since then, I've…Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/night-before-pitch-night-christmas-spoof-for-writers/https://www.maajawentz.com/night-before-pitch-night-christmas-spoof-for-writers/  The Night Before Pitch Night... A Christmas Spoof for Writers By Maaja Wentz (after Clement C. Moore)   'Twas the night before pitch night,…Sun, 24 Dec 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/coming-second-after-w-b-yeats/https://www.maajawentz.com/coming-second-after-w-b-yeats/Turning and turning in a plastic gyre The Garbage Patch grows silently. Things fall apart, degrading into plastic pills and Floating Barbie heads are…Sat, 28 Oct 2017 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/write-wattpad-serial-fiction/https://www.maajawentz.com/write-wattpad-serial-fiction/Why Should you Write Serial Fiction on Wattpad? Have you thought about writing serial fiction on Wattpad? I have used Wattpad to conquer writer's block…Sun, 18 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/10-reasons-writers-need-conventions/https://www.maajawentz.com/10-reasons-writers-need-conventions/10 Reasons Speculative Fiction Writers Benefit From Conventions Do you read or write speculative fiction such as fantasy, horror, science fiction, magic…Sun, 24 Apr 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/writing-success/https://www.maajawentz.com/writing-success/Writers: Experiment with 1, 2, 4, 6, and Increase Productivity This article is inspired by Scott Meyer’s blog post about writing success for…Sat, 13 Feb 2016 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/top-5-favorite-halloween-costumes/https://www.maajawentz.com/top-5-favorite-halloween-costumes/Do you love costumes? I love Halloween parties and dressing in creative costumes when I go to school (as a teacher-librarian). Here are five of my…Sat, 31 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-featured-on-wattpad/https://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-featured-on-wattpad/Feeding Frenzy named a 'featured story,' on Wattpad.   #11 in Mystery/Thriller Sept. 7, 2015 with 25 000 reads on Wattpad Feeding Frenzy is a…Tue, 11 Aug 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/author-bio-maaja-wentz/https://www.maajawentz.com/author-bio-maaja-wentz/Accepted as a judge for the Mash Stories Competition, plus an introduction to Bloor West Writers, the Toronto critique group that meets weekly.Sun, 24 May 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/dragon-dictation-creative-writing/https://www.maajawentz.com/dragon-dictation-creative-writing/Should you use Dragon Dictation for your Creative Writing? Many people say that the main benefit of Dragon Dictation for creative writing is speed. While…Fri, 03 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/loon-lake-books-logo/https://www.maajawentz.com/loon-lake-books-logo/Here is the new Loon Lake Books logo, in colour. Thanks to everyone who gave me input on FaceBook, and elsewhere. It's probably a good idea to have a…Sun, 01 Feb 2015 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/shared-writing/https://www.maajawentz.com/shared-writing/The popularity of fantasy adventure novels hasn't dwindled since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone . Teachers capitalizing on this popularity can…Mon, 29 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/linda-poitevin-interview/https://www.maajawentz.com/linda-poitevin-interview/Interview with traditionally published author Linda Poitevin on how Wattpad helped her sell her romance novel, and what serial platforms offer writers.Mon, 15 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-best-blurb/https://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-best-blurb/Feeding Frenzy hits #53 in Mytery/ Thriller and Update: #69 in Paranormal rankings on Wattpad: Update:   I recently won a fan-run Best Blurb Award on…Sun, 16 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/sfcontario-wattpad-serial-novel/https://www.maajawentz.com/sfcontario-wattpad-serial-novel/SFContario is a convention which offers over 50 panelists, covering science fiction, fantasy, science, costuming, art, writing, genre television, and…Thu, 30 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-serial/https://www.maajawentz.com/feeding-frenzy-serial/Read it on Wattpad. Feeding Frenzy debut: Oct 31, 2014 Starting October 31, I will be combining my love of experiment with Wattpad and NaNoWrimo to do…Sat, 25 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/with-guy-gavriel-kay/https://www.maajawentz.com/with-guy-gavriel-kay/Guy Gavriel Kay is known for his fantasy novels, starting with the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy, set at my alma mater, University of Toronto. He has written…Sun, 12 Oct 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/ideamancy-ideas-september-back-school-magic/https://www.maajawentz.com/ideamancy-ideas-september-back-school-magic/Ideamancy: back-to-school magic for creative teachers and writers. The first week of school is over and routines are starting, so here are ideas for a running start to Fall.Sat, 06 Sep 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/creative-teaching-newsletter/https://www.maajawentz.com/creative-teaching-newsletter/The very first Creative Teacher Librarian newsletter has been sent. Subscribers will receive a mini unit introducing spoken word or 'slam' poetry. Tips,…Fri, 22 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/cursed-dishes-by-jennifer-lott/https://www.maajawentz.com/cursed-dishes-by-jennifer-lott/I recently enjoyed interviewing Jennifer Lott about her first chapter book. As an early childhood educator, she had insights into writing for children and…Wed, 20 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/web-and-video-language-immersion/https://www.maajawentz.com/web-and-video-language-immersion/Students are bombarded with media and spend too many hours in front of computer and TV screens . Does this mean we shouldn't show videos in class? Of…Fri, 01 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/creative-teaching-book/https://www.maajawentz.com/creative-teaching-book/Teaching is the subject of a lifetime and I have been reading, planning and obsessing about it since my first Montessori school job in 1995. When a…Sat, 19 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/my-first-slam-poetry-as-experience-art-delivered-as-performance-art/https://www.maajawentz.com/my-first-slam-poetry-as-experience-art-delivered-as-performance-art/Over morning coffee recently, I started thinking about the Beat Poets and cut-up poetry and choose-your-own-adventure books and hyperlinked fiction. There…Mon, 14 Jul 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/skiing-le-massif-de-charlevoix/https://www.maajawentz.com/skiing-le-massif-de-charlevoix/Following my adventures in Peru, I spent a week in Quebec with a four French tourists. My friend, the parent of my high school exchange partner, is a…Sat, 12 Apr 2014 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/semi-finalist-in-sf-poetry-contest-short-lists/https://www.maajawentz.com/semi-finalist-in-sf-poetry-contest-short-lists/I haven't blogged much lately but I do have some good news. One of my poems was shortlisted for the annual Science Fiction Poetry Association Contest. My…Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/drama-poetry-short-stories/https://www.maajawentz.com/drama-poetry-short-stories/When the leaves change colours, I feel like going for walks to hear the crunch underfoot and wind up being inspired by all that natural beauty. Fall is…Sat, 20 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/ark-of-the-convenient-i-dont-get-writers-block/https://www.maajawentz.com/ark-of-the-convenient-i-dont-get-writers-block/I never have writer's block in the pure sense. Ideas are easy to come by and if I sit down to write, I can always write story, character, scenario,…Fri, 03 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/wayson-choy-at-wcdr/https://www.maajawentz.com/wayson-choy-at-wcdr/I took away some great tidbits from Wayson Choy's talk at the WCDR breakfast this morning. It was the first time I have attended one of their monthly…Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/reading-writing-critiquing/https://www.maajawentz.com/reading-writing-critiquing/I've stopped writing for Digital Journal. It wasn't just that I was getting paid less than a cent per click. It wasn't just that the stories which got the…Sat, 03 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/about-sf-free-workshop-at-world-con-in-montreal/https://www.maajawentz.com/about-sf-free-workshop-at-world-con-in-montreal/Anticipation is the name of World Con this year. It is being held in Montreal and I am very excited to be going. I am not a regular convention attendee…Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/ontario-writers-conference-may-2-3/https://www.maajawentz.com/ontario-writers-conference-may-2-3/I will be attending the Writers Circle of Durham Region Ontario Writers Conference May 2 - 3. Order of Canada recipient Wayson Choy is the honorary…Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/humber-writers-circle/https://www.maajawentz.com/humber-writers-circle/I haven't done any editing this weekend. I've been too busy with my son's hockey team photo, my report cards, catching up on my marking and a bang-up…Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/crazy-canucks-love-their-writers/https://www.maajawentz.com/crazy-canucks-love-their-writers/I just discovered the Canadian Book Challenge . It looks like fun and best of all, the prizes include Kraft dinner or a hockey puck! I like the idea of…Sun, 07 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/happy-thanksgiving-ifa-richard-scrimger/https://www.maajawentz.com/happy-thanksgiving-ifa-richard-scrimger/Happy Thanksgiving! Monday is Thanksgiving (in Canada) and I will be spending it with family at my parent's cottage in the Kawarthas. I do have a pile of…Sat, 06 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/its-not-why-we-read-but/https://www.maajawentz.com/its-not-why-we-read-but/The results are in from Test the Nation and there's good news for bookworms. The highest scorers were those who read fiction and literature, followed…Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/plagiarization-generation/https://www.maajawentz.com/plagiarization-generation/Never mind what I'm reading. It's unimportant, beside the point, really! If I want to fritter spare moments reading Absolutely Amazing Five-Minute…Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/survey-carbon-dioxide-and-a-street-writer/https://www.maajawentz.com/survey-carbon-dioxide-and-a-street-writer/I was delighted when, in reference to my previous post about flash fiction, anocturne said: "i have seen this in circulation on the blogworld - a bunch of…Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/packaging-your-imagination-ii/https://www.maajawentz.com/packaging-your-imagination-ii/Bought at Packaging Your Imagination The Alchemist’s Portrait by Simon Rose The Mysterious Mummer by L.M. Falcone Good Times Travel Agency: Adventures in…Mon, 06 Nov 2006 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/screenwriting-opera-kegger-contest/https://www.maajawentz.com/screenwriting-opera-kegger-contest/As part of the ImagineNative festival , on Saturday I went to an excellent screenwriting seminar given by Elke Town of Storyworks, sponsored by the Harold…Mon, 23 Oct 2006 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/favorite-writing-books-for-screen/https://www.maajawentz.com/favorite-writing-books-for-screen/Telling It by Anne Frank (ed.) Alternative Scriptwriting: Writing Beyond the Rules by Ken Dancyger & Jeff Rush Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices by…Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.maajawentz.com/tiff-why-i-love-french-films/https://www.maajawentz.com/tiff-why-i-love-french-films/Despite director Benoit Jacquot’s experience, I was afraid to expect much from L’intouchable. The premise is that an actress runs off to India with only a…Sat, 16 Sep 2006 00:00:00 GMT