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Character Development Advice: 5 Tips for Creating Characters that Breathe and Move and Can’t Stop Talking

February 19, 2020 by Gloria Kempton 1 Comment

Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles (first here) on the fundamentals of character development written for Writers.com by our instructor Gloria Kempton, in support of a full character development course she’s developing. In this article, Gloria answers a number of commonsense questions about character development. 1. What makes a character relatable? Vulnerability. […]

10 Character Development Questions to Ask Your Characters

November 26, 2019 by Meghan Christie 1 Comment

Good characters have depth, experience growth, have flaws—they’re real people. Asking yourself a defined set of character development questions is one way to develop these kinds of characters, who jump off the page with realistic and compelling personalities. In this article, we’ve rounded up many helpful character development exercises into a list of ten questions […]

October

Anatomy of a Premise Line: Story and Premise Development for Writing Success
With

Jeff Lyons

October 28, 2020

$250 | 5 Weeks

The premise line is the only reliable tool that can tell you, BEFORE you start writing, whether or not your story will “work.” In this class participants will learn how to master the process of premise line development—the essential first step in any book or screenplay’s development process.

Tales From The Memory Palace: 6 to 250 Word Memoirs
With

Giulietta Nardone

October 28, 2020

$175 | 4 Weeks

If you want to be an in demand storyteller in the digital age, you need to get in, get out and get going. In this “short” four-week memoir writing adventure, you’ll learn to scope out, swoop down and snatch up important memories from your life then speed write them into miniature masterpieces.

November

The Craft of Poetry
With

Jonathan J.G. McClure

November 4, 2020

$315 | 8 Weeks

Poetry is alive and well. Contemporary poets can be touching, terrifying, and laugh-out-loud funny. Join us for an exploration of writing and reading poems.

The Wandering Heart: Tales of Connection
With

Giulietta Nardone

November 4, 2020

$175 | 4 Weeks

Wander through the rooms of your own life to discover stories of deep connection, reconnection or loss of connection and fashion your findings into stories suitable for blog posts, essays, short memoirs, short plays, scenes in screenplays, or chapters of novels.

The Thinking Mind: Writing Flash Fiction
With

Barbara Henning

November 4, 2020

$285 | 5 Weeks

Write tiny fictions while experimenting with 1st person point of view and analyzing how that point of view affects the craft of fiction writing.

Embodied Writing: Improve Your Writing with Full-Body Creativity
With

Tantra Bensko

November 11, 2020

$260 | 6 Weeks NEW!

Have a grand time with specific physical exercises that honor your health, generate imaginative ideas, explore deeply and make your creative writing entertaining.

In Your Own Words: Transforming Life Into Memoir and Fiction
With

Margo Perin

November 11, 2020

$350 | 8 Weeks

Learn how to draw inspiration and material from your life experiences or those of people you know, or want to know, to craft compelling, publishable memoirs, personal essays, autobiographical novels and short stories, and/or narrative poetry.

Poetic Prose: The Prose Poem
With

Barbara Henning

November 11, 2020

$360 | 10 Weeks

Explore the border between prose poetry and flash fiction. For writers of fiction, poetry, essay and memoir.

Accessing Your Writer’s Voice
With

Gloria Kempton

November 18, 2020

$155 | 3 Weeks

Voice: What is it and how do you find yours? Instructor Gloria Kempton offers feedback on assignments in this 3-week online class.

The Micro-obstacles/Flow Technique
With

Tantra Bensko

November 18, 2020

$155 | 3 Weeks

Create new work with fresh language, universal themes, sustained mystery and memorable characters. Stimulate your imagination.

Writing Mindfulness: Sensual World/Poetry Mind
With

Marc Olmsted

November 18, 2020

$250 | 4 Weeks

A four week class, melding the language mind with the sensual: How to turn detailed observation into a poem. With Marc Olmsted.

Introduction to Writing Genre Fiction
With

Tantra Bensko

November 25, 2020

$415 | 10 Weeks NEW!

Take the whirlwind tour! Learn the conventions of eight major fiction genres, try them out, and figure out your niche.

December

Architecture of the Creative Heart: Writing Formal Poetry
With

David Mills

December 2, 2020

$260 | 6 Weeks NEW!

Learn how diving into form—the coherent relationship of all of a poem’s parts—can enhance your creativity and freedom as a poet.

Simple Winter Sanity-Saving Writing Circles
With

Susan Vespoli

December 2, 2020

$175 | 4 Weeks

Write your way to the finish line of 2020: let go of and say goodbye to a momentous year, honor the changes in yourself and the world, and set your intentions for a new chapter.

January

Flash Fiction: Writing the Short-Short Story
With

Barbara Henning

January 6, 2021

$360 | 10 Weeks

Write 1–3-page flash fiction in this online course with Barbara Henning, drawing on classic, poetic & experimental elements. Read the form’s masters.

Starting to Write
With

Gloria Kempton

January 6, 2021

$315 | 8 Weeks

For those who want to kick start their writing into high gear.

The First Fifty Pages of the Novel
With

Sandra Novack

January 6, 2021

$415 | 10 Weeks

The first 50 pages sets up plot, characters, and voice. Fail here and the reader is gone. Receive feedback on your book’s start from novelist Sandra Novack.

Writing Circle Workshop: Writing for Happiness, Healing, and Health
With

Susan Vespoli

January 6, 2021

$315 | 8 Weeks

Expressive writing can be a powerful elixir for what ails you. Learn and practice tools for writing expressively, including two virtual writing circles each week, turn raw writing into poetry or prose, and come away with a better understanding of how writing can lead toward wellness.

Write Your Novel! The Workshop With Jack
With

Jack Smith

January 13, 2021

$360 | 10 Weeks

Get a good start on a novel in just ten weeks, or revise a novel you’ve already written. Free your imagination, move steadily ahead and count the pages!

Writing with Tarot
With

Sandra Novack

January 13, 2021

$315 | 8 Weeks

Jump-start your creative juices, and explore a world of divination, symbolism, and imagery right at your fingertips: learn short story and novel writing through Tarot.

February

The Next Fifty Pages of the Novel
With

Sandra Novack

February 3, 2021

$415 | 10 Weeks

So now that you have your opening novel pages, what next? Get detailed, constructive feedback on your work-in-progress, wherever you’re at in writing it.

Essentials of Character Development: How to Create Characters that Move and Breathe and Can't Stop Talking
With

Gloria Kempton

February 10, 2021

$315 | 8 Weeks

Bring your characters to life in this in-depth character development class with Gloria Kempton.

Plan On It: Essential Novel Planning Workshop
With

Dennis Foley

February 24, 2021

$260 | 6 Weeks NEW!

Set your novel up for success! In this six-week workshop, instructor Dennis Foley will help you craft a plan to handle the essential demands and choices you’ll face as you write your novel.

View full course schedule »