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

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.