Class Description
What makes a character come alive on the page? What is a well-rounded character, and do all our characters need to be rounded? In this class, suitable for both new writers and those looking for a refresher, you’ll gain a firm grounding in the fundamentals of characterization, beginning with Aristotle’s dictum that character is action, and explore the many techniques of character presentation available to writers of fiction. We’ll do close readings of work by authors such as Elizabeth Strout, Zadie Smith, and Paul Harding, work on exercises designed to bring your characters to life, and share what you’ve written in class for quick, on-the-spot feedback. Come to class with a character (or characters) you’re struggling with, including draft pages to share and use for exercises.
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 detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.