Child's Play: How To Write Characters Under 18

Class Description

Do you have a tendency to write predictable or overly-infantile child characters? Do you struggle with creating believable and age-appropriate motives for your young protagonists? Do your own written recollections of your youth fall flat? Or, have you ever wanted to write a story from the perspective of a kid? Join this generative workshop to expand your knowledge of children and apply it to your writing.

To ground our child characters and their perspectives, we’ll look at a few popular theories of child development. We will also analyze a few examples of child characters/perspectives in literature, including Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, bell hooks's All About Love, and short stories from contemporary literary magazines. Whether you’re crafting a 10-year-old character, writing from the perspective of a toddler, or trying to tell a story from your own teenage years, come and conjure your inner child!

Class Format

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Scholarship Information

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.