"Write from the heart. Trust that one word will lead to another. Don't worry about the end product, the outcome, just tell your story. We need to build our stories the way we might swim. We learn to swim 25 metres, then 50 and with practice and discipline, we can swim 1,000 metres or more. With every tap of the key, more story will be built. Trust yourself, tell your truth, then your readers will believe in your story."

Maggie Jansen has loved books all her life, taught ESL, worked in book shops, libraries, wrote press releases — but lacked the courage to write. In 2006, she got sober, and with the support of family, friends and teachers found the courage to write her memoir, which is still in progress. Her story The Stepsister made the longlist for the 2018 CBC Nonfiction Prize.

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