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Jennifer Lokash

The Department of English and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences are delighted to announce the appointment of Sharon Bala as ������Ƶ University’s Writer in Residence for 2020-2021.

Sharon’s Residency will begin with an in-depth State of the Arts interview hosted by Lisa Moore. Her interview will be posted here and on the HSS website at /hss/sota/ . Sharon will also be offering four online workshops to the writing community here in Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond. Registration for all workshops will open on Monday, February 1, and registration links will be available here on our website on that date. These workshops are FREE and OPEN to anyone interested!

CHARACTER WORKSHOP (2 hours) 7-9 pm Thursday February 11th In the domain of fiction, character is king. Long after we’ve forgotten plot twists, the particulars of setting, and even the narrative style, of our favourite books, it is the characters we remember. In this workshop we will investigate the difference between what Forster called flat and rounded characters, talk about arcs and epiphanies, and learn how to create imaginary humans who feel true enough to be real.

STORY DISSECTION (2 hours) 7-9 pm Thursday, February 25th This workshop is like a biology lab. Together, we will dissect an audio story, first by listening, then by slicing it down the centre, and taking it apart piece by piece, searching for the structure that underpins the narrative. We will discuss the Aristotelian arc, the three-act structure, the three types of stakes, foreshadowing, framing, and turning points.

MASTERING DIALOGUE (2 hours) 7-9 pm Thursday, March 11th This workshop will explore dialogue in its three forms - summary, indirect, and direct - by reading and discussing examples of each. We will see how dialogue can multi-task, be used not just to convey speech but also advance plot, reveal character, add atmosphere, and enhance setting. We’ll also explore the philosophy of quotation marks, consider body language, action, and subtext, concluding with a tip sheet.

THE ART OF REVISION (2 hours) 7-9 pm Thursday, April 8th This workshop is ideal for writers who already have a novel or short story drafted and are struggling to self-edit. But having a completed draft is not a requirement. All are welcome. We will consider the best method for tackling a revision, discuss the process of writing, and explore some common issues that crop up in early drafts, including: beginnings, endings, characters, pace, conflict, flashbacks, action vs. interiority, and every writer’s favourite cliche: show don’t tell. Finally, participants will be given a baker’s dozen of practical advice.

Sharon Bala’s bestselling debut novel, The Boat People, won the 2020 Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, was short listed for several awards, and is in translation in four languages. In 2017 Sharon won the Writers’ Trust/ McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize for her short story “Butter Tea at Starbucks” and had a second story on the long-list. Sharon is a member of The Port Authority, a St. John’s writing group. Visit her at  or connect with her by email at sharon.bala@mun.ca.