Special Note:

Welcome To GrubStreet's New & Improved Website!—Wondering what's new? Having trouble logging in? Need to report a technical issue? Read important info about our brand new website.

Read More mdi-close
Skip to Content

Welcome!

If this is your first time on our new site, please !

Log-In

Forgot your password?

Don't have a Grub profile?

Enter your email and we'll send you directions on setting (or resetting) your password.

Submit

Wait, I remembered! Let me .

Enter your your details to create a new account. To finish activating your account, please check your email for an activation link before you log-in.

Create your account here. Later you can fill out your full profile.

Sign-Up

Nevermind. I just need to .

  • Seminar
  • Online: Zoom
  • Adult (18+)

I Know You So Well: Building Characters in Fiction and Nonfiction

No Longer Enrolling

  • $75.00 Non-Member
  • $65.00 Member

Class Description

We’ve all heard the chestnut that good writing is character driven, but what does that mean exactly? Full and complex characters create and push forward all the meaningful action in a story. If you want your readers to be thinking about your people (even if that person is you) long after they finish your novel, story, or memoir, you must develop characters that the reader can root for, that rise up off the page.

In this workshop we will take a deep dive into how to write full and compelling characters. We will look at protagonists, as well as at secondary characters and the important jobs they have in making a story come to life.


Through published examples and in-class writing exercises, we will explore contradictions, desires, physical details, habits, tics, and other ways to make our characters live and breathe.



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

Scholarships Format/Location

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. 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!

Zoom Participation:

Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.

Zoom Accessibility:

We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!