Events & Workshops

Some stories make us laugh. Some make us cry. The best ones do both. We remember books and characters because they made us feel something.
 

The key to a rich novel is interiority. Readers have to connect with your characters and their feelings. Whether you're writing a deep love story or a dystopian hellscape, the reader should connect emotionally with your characters. That means exploring their fears, joys, and regrets, and the ways in which characters react to the events of the plot. Touching on inner narrative, direct thoughts, and emotional arcs, we’ll uncover how to build emotional depth without melodrama and how to leave readers feeling something real.

Important registration notes:

Members pay less for workshops! Are you trying to register and you’re being charged the full workshop fee when you’re a current SWG member? To access the reduced member rate for this workshop, please make sure you are logged into this website with your member profile to access the member rate for the session. (The member login link is on the top right of this page (computer) or at the top centre (mobile/tablet).)

If this workshop is sold out, please email programs@skwriter.com to be placed on the waitlist.

Please note that all times listed are Saskatchewan time. Find your time zone here: https://dateful.com/time-zone-converter

This event will not be livestreamed or recorded.

Accessibility Measures in this workshop

• Live auto-captions through Zoom
• Presenter self-description
• Limited Zoom technical support provided by SWG staff to assist participants while they’re in the Zoom meeting.

To help you prepare, here are the expectations for participants in this workshop:

• Camera is optional but greatly appreciated.
• Participant discussion is not required but is appreciated.
• Participants are not expected to share writing created during the workshop with the group, but it is appreciated.
• Participants can engage as much or as little as they’d like.

Workshop registration refund policy:

Please be certain you will be able to attend before you register. Registered participants must promptly email the SWG staff person responsible for the event (Yolanda Hansen, Program Director, programs@skwriter.com) to cancel their registration. Otherwise, no refunds will be issued.

• A full refund is available if you cancel your registration one week prior to the start of the workshop (by 11:59 p.m. on Thurs, Feb 5, 2026)
• A 50% refund is available if you cancel your registration less than one week and more than 48 hours before the workshop. (For cancellations between Feb 6 to 9 at 11:59 p.m. SK time)
• There is no refund for registrations cancelled within 48 hours of the workshop orfor  no-shows. (Beginning at 12:00 a.m. on Feb 10)
• If you would like to donate your registration fee to the SWG’s accessibility fund so others can attend events like this in the future, please let us know in your email.

Workshop Facilitator

Dr. Finnian Burnett is a writer whose work explores the intersections of the human body, mental health, and gender identity. They are a recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts grant and a finalist in the 2023 CBC nonfiction prize. Finnian’s work appears in Blank Spaces Magazine, Geist, Pulp Literature, CBC Books, and more. Their two novellas-in-flash, The Clothes Make the Man and The Price of Cookies, are available through Ad Hoc Fiction and Off Topic Publishing. Finnian lives in British Columbia and enjoys walking, Star Trek, and cat memes. Finnian is represented by Stacey Kondla of The Rights Factory. 

Funding provided by:

In proud partnership with: