Many of Jon Tattrie’s nine published books involve history and bring him to the familiar challenge of making the past burst off the page and enter the reader’s present. From the Halifax Explosion to Peace by Chocolate, Jon will share his best methods for giving readers such a vivid encounter with the past that they’ll swear they lived through it.
- Letters and documents
How do you find historical documents or contemporary letters, and how do you turn those dusty pages into lively prose? We’ll look at some case studies from Jon’s own files and get to work. - Photos and film
A picture is worth 1,000 words, and you can usually get 1,200 from a video. They contain a wealth of information you can spend to put your reader in your protagonists’s shoes. We’ll learn how. - Social and other media
Newspapers and social media can give you access to how people felt as things unfolded, uninfluenced by how things ended. We’ll learn how to do that so it doesn’t feel like doomscrolling. Or joyscrolling. - Interviews and road trips
If it’s the living past, you can interview the people involved directly. Ask them what happened. Ask them how they felt and what they were thinking. Ask them what they wore and what they ate. And then, ask them to take a road trip with you (real or virtual) that will give you the raw materials to turn into a gripping account.
About the instructor: Jon Tattrie operates Write Now! with Jon Tattrie, a book-birthing business in Nova Scotia. He is the author of nine books, ranging from the founding of Halifax in the 1750s (Cornwallis: The Violent Birth of Halifax) to the founding of Peace By Chocolate in the 2010s (Peace by Chocolate). His other books include The Hermit of Africville and Redemption Songs. His next book is the forthcoming biography I Leave A Warrior Behind: The Life and Stories of Charles R. Saunders. He has interviewed thousands of people in his 20-year journalism career. He holds a Master’s of Fine Arts from the University of King’s College. He has taught writing for decades, including at Dalhousie University and the University of King’s College.

Recommended experience level: New, emerging, and early-career nonfiction writers (About recommended experience levels)
Participant cap: 12
Location: Zoom
Dates of 4-week workshop: Tuesdays, Feb 4 + Feb 11 + Feb 18 + Feb 25, 2025 (7:00pm to 9:00pm Atlantic)
Registration for 2025 General Members: $169
Registration for non-members: $234 (includes 2025 General Membership in WFNS)
Registration for this workshop is closed.