About this course: At the center of a good story are the characters in it. In this course aspiring writers will discover how to build and bring to life complex, vivid and unforgettable characters. We will study the choices a writer makes to bring all characters to life on the page, and we will perform written exercises in order to develop a variety of writing and pre-writing techniques, in order to create a variety of characters. We will learn how to use our own life experiences, and the people we know (and how not to!). We will develop inner (thoughts and feelings) and outer (appearance, habits, behavior) lives for our characters and see how that can lead us to richer and more interesting stories. We will breathe life into our characters and let them surprise us.

Created by: Wesleyan University

Taught by: Amy Bloom, Distinguished University Writer in Residence and Director of the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing

Basic Info	Course 2 of 5 in the Creative Writing Specialization
Commitment	4 weeks of study, 2-4 hours/week
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.5 stars Average User Rating 4.5See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Discovering Characters from Your Life and Elsewhere

What happens in the writer's mind before any words are written on the paper? Characters then reveal themselves through conflict and drama. Without conflict there is no purpose to the story. We then discuss desire. Human beings want things, even when we don't really know what it is we wish for. Finally, we conclude the module like Michelangelo, chipping away everything that is not the masterpiece statue of David. Learn to find what is germane to the story you are telling by looking closely at the character.

5 videos, 2 readings

Video: The Conflict Within (Shop Talk with Brando Skyhorse)
Video: Desire and Goals
Video: Hearing, Selecting, and Seeing
읽기 자료: A Note on Assignments
Video: Feedback Expectations for the Specialization
읽기 자료: Promo Codes

Graded: Creating a Character from an Idea

WEEK 2

Creating Characters on the Page

Here, we delve deeper into the characters. What is their physical description, and how can we describe them through action? How do they speak? What makes me want to read about them? When your characters need help or understanding, or even rescuing, this draws the reader in, far more than likability. Finally, we discuss how the plot reveals the inner life of characters through what they do as well as say.

4 videos

Video: Voice
Video: Making Them Matter to the Reader (with Visiting Writer Dani Shapiro)
Video: The Story Reveals Who We Are (Shop Talk with Salvatore Scibona)

Graded: Observation and Implication

WEEK 3

Dialogue and Monologue

How do we lead a reader to a world that feels real? Narrators have an attitude, towards subjects and audience, about the world and its events. We discuss in this module considerations involved in planning for these realities, including the differences between first and third person and the construction of dialogue with verisimilitude - the feel of real life - while stripping away the tedium. We ask what idiosyncrasies your characters possess and how to control them to advance the narrative.

4 videos

Video: Picking Your Point of View (Shop Talk with Amity Gaige)
Video: Conversation's Greatest Hits
Video: Idiosyncrasies

Graded: Location, Location, Location

WEEK 4

Set Your Characters Free.. and Give Them Somewhere to Go

In this module, we reflect on how our readers learn about our characters - and how we as writers do, as well. We ask questions about who is telling the story, why, and with what goal. We conclude the course with a conversation about the narrator and, distinctly, the narrative, to see how they shape the reader's perception of character and story.

4 videos

Video: The Relationship Between the Character and the Wide World (with Visiting Writer Valerie Martin)
Video: Voice of Narrator
Video: Voice of Narrative

Graded: Point of View

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How It Works

수업 활동

각 강좌는 대화형 교과서 형식으로 이루어지며, 사전 녹화된 비디오, 테스트, 프로젝트를 포함합니다.

동료로부터의 도움

수천 명의 다른 동료 학습자와 함께 논의하고, 강좌 자료에 대하여 토론하고, 개념 습득을 위해 서로 도움을 받으십시오.

수료증

귀하의 성과를 공식적으로 인정받아 친구, 동료, 회사에 성과를 공유해 보세요.

Creators

Wesleyan University

At Wesleyan, distinguished scholar-teachers work closely with students, taking advantage of fluidity among disciplines to explore the world with a variety of tools. The university seeks to build a diverse, energetic community of students, faculty, and staff who think critically and creatively and who value independence of mind and generosity of spirit.

Pricing

	Purchase Course
Access to course materials	Available
Access to graded materials	Available
Receive a final grade	Available
Earn a shareable Course Certificate	Available

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.5 out of 5 of 801 ratings

Learned a lot! Love Amy Bloom's teaching.

"The Craft of Character" is a basic building block to understanding character narration.

I didn't love the videos in this course very much – they just weren't very helpful. They had some interesting thoughts, but for the most part they felt repetitive and for someone who hasn't written much creative writing.

However, I really liked the assignments and peer editing. This course challenged me to create characters I wouldn't have otherwise, and made me think more about how the heart of a story is really in the character's hands. I got a lot more out of challenging myself with the assignments and getting surprising feedback than watching the videos.

Liked the course. Assignments were not very clear to me.

Creative Writing: The Craft of Character

Creative Writing: The Craft of Character