WFNS logo ltrmark sticky 100px
WFNS logo ltrmark sticky 100px

Fiction Essentials (Truro) with Sharon English

This introductory workshop will take participants through the essential elements of fictional storytelling, from process to craft. Writers of all fiction genres are welcome. Short assigned readings, exercises, and (ungraded) assignments will allow participants to receive feedback on their writing in a supportive, affirming environment.

About the instructor: Sharon English is the author of the novel Night in the World and the story collections Uncomfortably Numb and Zero Gravity. A long-time writing teacher, mentor, and editor, Sharon has taught writers both new and experienced across writing genres. She teaches courses on fiction and creative nonfiction at the University of Toronto, where she is Assistant Professor, Writing and Rhetoric program, and at other institutions. Originally from London, Ontario, Sharon now resides most of the year in East Hants county, Nova Scotia.

Recommended experience level: New and emerging fiction writers, including those more experienced in other forms (About recommended experience levels)

Participant cap: 12

Location: Ina M. Patterson Study at Truro Library (754 Prince St, Truro, NS), which is a wheelchair-accessible venue

Dates of 4-week workshop: Saturdays, Mar 28 + Apr 11 + Apr 18 + Apr 25, 2026 (2:00pm to 4:00pm Atlantic)
     [Please note: there is no workshop session on Apr 4.]

Registration for 2026 General Members: $189

Registration for non-members: $254 (includes 2026 General Membership in WFNS)

Add to Cart
Scroll to Top
WFNS logo ltrmark sticky 100px

Experience Levels

The Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS) uses the following terms to describe writers’ experience levels:

  • New writers: those with less than two years’ creative writing experience and/or no short-form publications (e.g., short stories, personal essays, or poems in literary magazines, journals, anthologies, or chapbooks).
  • Emerging writers: those with more than two years’ creative writing experience and/or numerous short-form publications.
  • Early-career authors: those with 1 or 2 book-length publications or the equivalent in book-length and short-form publications.
  • Established authors: those with 3 or 4 book-length publications.
  • Professional authors: those with 5 or more book-length publications.

Please keep in mind that each form of creative writing (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults, and others) provides you with a unique set of experiences and skills, so you might consider yourself an ‘established author’ in one form but a ‘new writer’ in another.

Occasionally, WFNS uses the phrase “emerging and established writers/authors” to mean ‘writers and authors of all experience levels.’

The “Recommended experience level” section of each workshop description refers to the above definitions. A workshop’s participants should usually have similar levels of creative writing and / or publication experience. This ensures that each participant gets value from the workshop⁠ and is presented with info, strategies, and skills that suit their experience. 

For “intensive” and “masterclass” workshops, which provide more opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback, the recommended experience level should be followed closely.

For all other workshops, the recommended experience level is just that—a recommendation—and we encourage potential participants to follow their own judgment when registering.

If uncertain about your experience level with respect to any particular workshop, please feel free to contact us at communications@writers.ns.ca