Character Development Level 1 (Self-Paced) (Live Online)

Character is an Intensive, meaning it happens in a short time span (1 day in NYC, or 2 days on Zoom, or 3 weeks Online). The course includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s open to writers of any level. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.Characters are the beating heart of every story—fiction, nonfiction, any kind of scripted show. In fact, it’s their actions, dialogue, habits, quirks, appearance, gestures, hopes, dreams, fears, triumphs, failures, and flaws that make a story what it is. We follow people like Sherlock, Hamlet, Katniss, Batman, Lolita, and ________ (fill in your great character here) not because they’re nice folks, but because they fascinate us.It’s almost magical, bringing people to life through words. Here you’ll learn techniques for creating and revealing characters that seem as vividly dimensional as your wife or boss or next-door neighbor. Whether you’re working with imaginary or real people, we’ll show you how to write characters that your readers or audience won’t soon forget.NotesThis is a cross-genre course, applicable to any kind of writing that contains characters, including nonfiction.This course gives an overview of how to realize great characters, in any genre. Course components:LecturesWriting exercisesThe syllabus varies from teacher to teacher, term to term. All of Humanity: The role of character. Admirable traits and flaws. Round and flat characters. Origins of characters.Getting to Know Them: Background. Physicality. Personality. Magic keys. Contrasts and consistency.The Character Thickens: Voice—speech, narration. Desire. Change. Names.Note: Content may vary among individual classes. Important:Schedule posted is the Start and End date of the class. You may access the class at any time, day or night, within the schedule provided. Please see Online Class Delivery for more details.Registrants will receive email instructions and information on how to access the online classroom.