Workshops
Head’s up: I’m leading two workshops in January. Space is limited in both so get a jump on those resolutions and sign up fast.
STORY DISSECTION
The first workshop is IN PERSON. Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!! I’ve been cooking this session up since, I kid you not, 2019. I was talking to Memorial University about being their Writer-in-Residence for an upcoming semester and got this great idea for a small group session called Story Dissection. Here’s how it works: we close our eyes and listen to a story together. (Seriously, how nice does that sound? Don’t you want to return to story time on what will probably be a grey and freezing Saturday in January?) And then, we roll up our sleeves, get out the literary scalpels, and conduct a dissection. We’ll understand how has the author used all the tools of craft to build their story, to ensure sufficient tension and curiosity and interesting characters. Join this session you’ll leave having learned a thing (or six) about craft AND you’ll hone your dissection skills. I ran a virtual version of this workshop last year, when I was the writer-in-residence at Memorial. It went well but in person will be more interactive and fun. And if you were at that session in 2021, know that we’ll be dissecting a totally different story. This workshop is free and made possible by The Writers’ Alliance of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are lucky to have them. You must be a member (and in St. John’s on the 14th) to attend. Membership is free for writers who are Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Colour. If you write, you’re a writer so tell your imposter syndrome to take a running leap off Signal Hill and sign up already.
Saturday, January 14
2-5pm
The Lantern in St. John’s (35 Barnes Road)
Free! Space is limited and you must register here by January 4 to attend. Registration doesn’t guarantee admission. Selected participants will be contacted by January 9.
MASTERING DIALOGUE
The second workshop is virtual and focused on dialogue. This one’s for writers who are past the beginner stage (ie. Do you know the difference between direct, indirect, and summary dialogue? If so, giddy up). It’ll be focused on how to write dialogue that multi-tasks and how to write conversations that surprise, with a hat tip to that elusive unicorn: subtext. And we’ll get into the more esoteric too, like the philosophy of quotation marks.
Saturday, January 28
12:30 - 2pm NST
$17. Attendance is capped at 15 and already half-sold out. Sign up here. Vite, vite!
My dialogue workshop is part of The Winter Writing Weekend hosted by the Afterwords Literary Festival. There are other workshops, interviews, and panel discussions that weekend. Check the whole schedule out.
