Click on the video above to hear about Brian’s experience with Writer’s Relief!

Meet our featured client, Brian Howlett! As chief creative officer of an ad agency, Brian’s commercial films have won many international awards, including the Cannes Advertising Festival and United Nations Department of Public Information. He’s had three of his first short story efforts published in Limestone Magazine, Crack the Spine, and an upcoming issue of Queen’s Quarterly. Watch Brian’s video and read on to learn more about how working with Writer’s Relief gave him a much-needed boost.

In Brian Howlett’s Own Words

Hopefully every writer has a healthy belief in his or her own abilities, or they would never summon the nerve to put pen to paper. But receiving outside reinforcement is a powerful stimulant. When Writer’s Relief signed me up as a client, it was a first sign that my writing had potential. Then, when I received my first acceptance, I thought, “Okay, I can do this.”

But above all else, getting serious about writing means sticking to the grind. That’s why Writer’s Relief is so valuable; their team keeps you honest with the recurring deadlines. It forces you to sit down and get at it, which, after all, is the only way to discover where the story needs to go.

More About Brian Howlett

Brian only recently started getting more serious about writing short stories. His story “Playing Baseball in Trees” has been published in Limestone, and “Jackson Baugh from Wye County” appeared in Crack the Spine. His work will also appear in an upcoming issue of Queen’s Quarterly. Brian was also named a finalist in the Writers’ Union of Canada 2015 Short Prose competition. Brian received his BA in English from McMaster University, where he was recipient of the Humanities Medal and served as managing editor of the university newspaper.

You can follow Brian on Twitter @bdhow, where he comments on writing, advertising, craft beer, and other odds and ends.