Making the Everyday Magical / Making the Magical Everyday (Yarmouth) with Julian Mortimer Smith

This workshop lies at the intersection of speculative fiction and realist fiction. Julian Mortimer Smith applies techniques from fantasy and sci-fi to realist narrative—and vice-versa. The goal is to “cross-pollinate,” offering useful techniques to writers working in any fiction genre.

The first workshop session will focus on bringing a sense of the fantastic to realistic fiction and creative nonfiction. Julian’s favourite writing imbues everyday events with a sense of magic. The right metaphor or turn of phrase can make even the most realistic prose seem magical or otherworldly. We’ll analyze some of those moments and examine what makes them special. Then we’ll try to create some of those moments ourselves using literary techniques that force readers to see everyday events in new ways.

The second workshop session will focus on bringing the everyday into speculative writing. The small details of domestic life may seem boring compared to dragons and spaceships, but they are often essential to making an imagined world feel real. By focusing on the texture of everyday life, fantasy and sci-fi writers can deepen immersion and make the speculative elements of a story seem more believable. We’ll explore how to integrate these details into a story without bogging down a plot with dull exposition.