GOOD TO BE BAD
How to use self-deprecating humour, character flaw, and outsized personas to energize character voicing in nonfiction and personal narrative
With JJ Lee

In the journey to create nonfiction work, there is a tendency to play it safe or protect the reputation of the writer. The motivation is fear-based. And it can be self-sabotaging and perhaps limit the potential audience for a nonfiction work. In this workshop, attendees will identify their fears, explore the parts of their personality they hide from their readers, and learn how to evaluate if they should share those parts of themselves and how to do so. The goal is to enliven narration, find voicing, and give space and credence to writers' true selves in the work rather than performing normative "literary" writing. Being "bad" can invigorate a project and make the manuscript a must-read. Raw, funny, heartbreaking, honest -- is the where this workshop strives to lead writers ... to be sensibly fearless.
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JJ Lee is the author of The Measure Of A Man: The Story of a Father, a Son, and a Suit. It was a finalist for the Governor General, Writers' Trust, and Charles Taylor prizes for nonfiction. He edits a worst-Christmas memories anthology series which includes Better Next Year and the upcoming Upon A Midnight Clear. A former CBC broadcaster, JJ is the current mentor of nonfiction at The Writer's Studio at SFU. His writing has appeared in Canadian Architect, Maclean's, Canadian Art, Border Crossings, ELLE, ELLE Man, Montecristo, and Nuvo magazines. His Bekker horror short story series comes out in a collection in 2025.  https://jj-lee.com
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JJ Lee is facilitating the workshop, Good to be Bad on Sunday, September 15, at 10 am.

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