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.
This is a cross-genre course, applicable to any kind of writing that contains characters, including nonfiction.
Intensives are fun, fast crash courses.
Two-day Zoom Intensive
Two three-hour sessions on separate days.
Zoom info, tuition: $165
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
The Zoom Intensives are taught via the Zoom videoconference platform.
Character Intensive topics include: building characters, desire, contrast, showing vs. telling, evolution.
Course components: lectures, writing exercises
Intensives are open for writers of any level. Students must be 18 years or older.
Students may reschedule a Zoom Intensive one time.
One-day Intensive
Seven hours in one day (with lunch break).
NYC Tuition: $165
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
One-on-One tuition: $300 Request consultation
The NYC One-day Intensives are taught in-person.
Character Intensive topics include: building characters, desire, contrast, showing vs. telling, evolution.
Course components: lectures, writing exercises
Intensives are open for writers of any level. Students must be 18 years or older.
Students may reschedule a One-day Intensive one time.
3-week Intensive
Three sessions (each lasting a week) on three consecutive weeks.
Online Tuition: $165
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
One-on-One tuition: $550 Request consultation
This course explores techniques for creating and revealing dimensional characters, for any type of writing. Course components:
Character is open to writers of any level. Students must be 18 years or older.
