David Albertyn was born in Durban, South Africa, and grew up in Toronto, Canada. He studied at Queen’s University and the Humber School for Writers. He has written articles for the tennis industry and has coached at clubs across the Greater Toronto Area. His first novel, Undercard (2019), was a finalist for the Forest of Reading Evergreen Award. It also made 49th Shelf’s Top Fiction List of 2019, The Globe and Mail’s “Six Thrillers to Start Your Spring,” and CrimeReads’ list of “8 Debut Novels You Should Read This June.” Among many sports, he primarily competed in track and field growing up, then in tennis as an adult.
I can present on a variety of subjects pertaining to writing, and I can cater my presentation to the desired audience. I am happy to discuss: my writing journey and the lessons I've learned on the road to publication, which could be of benefit to aspiring writers; what it's like being a published author and how it differs, or meets, preconceived notions of the author experience; technical and stylistic ideas and analysis, very useful for anyone interested in writing; in particular, writing action scenes and achieving fast pacing (things my writing has been commended on); writing habits and how they can be developed and maintained; dealing with substantive issues in one's writing, and how to achieve that without sacrificing plot, character, or entertainment value; promoting one's work, touching upon the countless variations that entails; and editing one's own work, as well as working with editors, and how one can greatly improve their work through a rigorous editorial process. If there is anything else that an audience is interested in that I am capable of speaking on, I would be pleased to prepare for such topics as well.
Please see the description of my presentation options. I can offer the same subjects in a workshop setting. As for my teaching background, I have been a tennis coach my whole adult life, and I was a math tutor before that. In recent years I have mentored a few emerging writers. I am very used to being in a teaching/coaching setting, and have coached people of all ages. Facilitating the learning of a group is something I very much enjoy, and to do it in relation to writing, something I'm so passionate about, is a task that I welcome and will bring a lot of energy to. My writing journey has been a circuitous and arduous one, and I have learned so many vital lessons along the way, which I wish I had known starting out, that I would love to share those lessons with any who are interested.
Please see the descriptions of my public presentation and workshop options. To elaborate on what is mentioned in the workshop description, as it pertains to schools: I have worked extensively in teaching tennis to children and developing their athletic abilities. I have run tennis day camps over multiple seasons, overseeing the instruction of over a hundred children at times. I would greatly enjoy combining my experience in teaching a complex skill to children with my hard-won discoveries in effective writing. Helping children foster their love of reading and writing, and aiding in the development of their writing skills, would be something that I would put great effort into.
