Navigating Emotional Corridors

Class Description

Your character’s personal journey is front and center in every great story -- showing how she deals with disappointment or pain. Your audience wants to get inside your character’s feelings, not just see how she’s managing the plot. Even if you primarily view your character through one kind of lens: shambling hero, lovesick ingénue, duplicitous coward, nerdy bank robber, type-A executive, there are many sides to your character. As your character meets with various setbacks, never stop her from going down alternate life paths, from making decisions she wouldn’t normally be predisposed to. These detours can shed light on her hidden potential, secret skills, and darker side. Do you really know how she’d behave, what she’d be thinking and feeling at the beginning, middle, and end of each scene…?

Knowing your character inside and out will give your writing an authenticity that draws people in. It’ll allow you to tailor plot points to her emotional and spiritual progress. At the end of the day, your narrative POV (which includes your character’s POV), as you navigate the various emotional corridors she’ll encounter, is a key way to make your mark as a storyteller.

In this class, you will learn how to deepen your character’s arc, ensuring you have meaningful conflict stemming from diverse POVs. You’ll really get into your character’s head, and consider theoretical scenarios for your characters. We’ll discuss complex character examples by Phoebe Waller Bridge, Gillian Flynn, Michaela Coel. We’ll go through writing exercises from Dating Your Character: A Sexy Guide to Screenwriting for Film and TV to explore different sides to your character and how your own POV can bleed into your understanding of your character. We’ll listen to volunteers read their work and we’ll respond with feedback attuned to both the character’s overall marketability and how the true essence of the character can be expanded if these exercises are fully embraced.

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.