What Happened in March?

I said a final farewell to the Professional Writing Program at Algonquin, I picked crochet up again, played a game of scrabble that used all the letters (I did let a spelling mistake slide, but that’s fine…) and most importantly: I wasn’t sick anymore! (February really messed me up.)

I did a little Instagram post about this already, but I wanted to speak a little more on it. Many of you know my college program was cancelled while I was in my last semester. Anyone that had started the program would be able to finish it but no new students from then on out. Those students are now in their last semester of the program. Appropriately, we held a final farewell celebration of the program where students gathered to commiserate, network, and be encouraged to keep fighting and writing.

I am not the best at keeping up with people, so it was great to see some familiar faces from a year earlier. Catching up with everyone inspired me to keep going; so many people are living out their writing, and other, dreams! The shared feeling of pride in themselves and in each other was palpable. Some have started careers in writing, some are working “regular day jobs” but are prioritizing their personal projects on the side, and some are following not only their writing passions in their day job but other creative passions on the side! (I’m really looking forward to a dance event coming up, but I need to reach out for the details…)

Another truly inspiring aspect of this event was the speeches. Two things stood out to me most. One, that it’s always possible for this amazing program to be brought back to the school (script writing was apparently cancelled at one time and brought back before being cancelled again alongside our program). And two, that while the landscape is changing, us writers and storytellers are not obsolete. We just have to grow with the times and remember the importance of human touch and connection, that storytelling is fundamental to us thriving (if not simply surviving).

This event was bittersweet. I don’t want to be saying goodbye to this program. As a graduate, sure, I’m happy to have graduated, but this program gave me so much, and I hate that it isn’t there to provide those same things for others. Professional Writing was a truly unique program and that’s why many of us chose it. For those that haven’t heard me gush about the program before here’s the quick version:

Professional Writing offered so much more than writing and even within writing the skills learned were broad. We didn’t just learn creative writing or journalism, we learned web writing, white papers, scripts, advertising copy, creative non-fiction like memoir and review, persuasive and expository essays, social media copy, heck, we learned about writing good emails! And beyond writing we learned graphic design programs and concepts including web design, photo editing and branding creation, web and social media analytics, marketing concepts like audience personas and brand stories, plus whatever we chose as our electives, but that’s besides the case. Plus, we learned how to edit for ourselves and for others, how the editing process works, the levels of editing, the ethics of editing, and how different types of publishing work. Professional Writers are expected to do so much more than write, especially in today’s climate and this program was setting us up for success.

Okay, it wasn’t super quick, but you get the idea!

On a broader note about programs being cancelled at Algonquin… I would understand removing redundant programs. Maybe ones that are better suited at university or can be amalgamated into single programs at the college. But why are we removing those unique ones that aren’t offered elsewhere? And why are we removing ones that will truly help improve our future? (I’m looking at you horticulture and sustainable architectural design) And why are pathways (particularly health-based ones) on the chopping block? Students with poor grades in high school (which, let’s be honest, is rarely about aptitude) lose their chance to build their way to a career in health services? Don’t we need more doctors and nurses? I don’t know about you but it took me two years to find a family doctor (and it wasn’t the province’s list that got it for me…).

To end this section on a more hopeful note: I don’t see writers backing down. I see them continuing to do what they’ve always done and fight for truth and art.

It turns out I had a lot to say about quarter one’s reading and writing so that’s coming up in another post! Will link it when it’s available!

But a quick summary of the month: mind blowing read of Perfection and a good month of writing partially because of my cafe writing session. I keep saying I should write out of the house more often, and I prove it to myself every time that I do.

Non-words related but still creative! I have again picked up crocheting. I’ve got two projects on the go at the moment, one for myself and one at the request of a friend.

For me, I am making a pair of shorts from a skein of yarn I picked up back in the summer when I thought I was going to be creating so many things. I had since decided against that particular project and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, eventually settling on this pair of shorts. Simple and fun. I keep going back and forth on how I feel about the way the variegated yarn is turning out in a long line project like this, but I do still love the colour scheme. It will be fun to try pairing a bunch of different coloured (probably solid coloured) shirts with them.

The other project is a bit more whimsical: a fish bread bag. That is a bread bag shaped like a fish, so it looks like the fish spits out the bread. I don’t want to speak too much on this project as I’m keeping some of the design choices a secret, but I’m fully self drafting (from a place of only kind of knowing what I’m doing) and learned a new stitch in the process (this is part of the secret). I’m very excited to see how it turns out, and I hope it will be a hit at all of my friend’s dinner parties.

(or rather, the things I’m like to promote)

The second in the Story Structure Explained series tackles Freytag’s Pyramid which, as it turns out, not everyone gets right! I wish I had access to the original (translated) source because it seems there has been a bit of confusion mostly due to the idea of the modern climax versus where Freytag placed his climax. So come along with me on this journey as we decode the tragic arc that is Freytag’s Pyramid.

We’re back with some easily searched for words and phrases that should, more often than not, be struck from your manuscript. This group is focused on ones that come off as vague, weak, or simply add nothing to your prose. We look at some examples and possible fixes in order to help you make informed decisions about loving or leaving these words.

Spring Prompts (Blog Post) - Spring prompts divided by audience age focused on growth and other springtime vibes.

February Reading Recap (Video) - My thoughts on my first romantasy read (A Court of Thorns and Roses) and a few other books read through February.

Jerrica Black is an editor, writer, and content creator with a variety of passions including but not limited to literature, cooking, crafting, hiking, and gaming. She graduated in May 2025 from Professional Writing at Algonquin, is the author of “Flames to Remember” in Shattered Reflections and creates educational and conversational blog posts and videos about reading, writing, and editing while encouraging (and editing for) aspiring writers and assisting small businesses with copy & content.