Steven James here. As a working novelist over the last decade I’ve heard over and over from editors and agents that the characters that aspiring writers have created don’t ring true, aren’t engaging, or just aren’t interesting enough for them to want to spend time with.
So how do you create intriguing characters in your novel or screenplay—characters that will become so real to your readers or viewers that they almost seem to leap off the page or the screen and seem life-like?
Developing multi-dimensional characters is a process, and it’s one that all writers can learn and apply.
It’s one you can master.
Writers will often talk about “fleshing out” a character, but it isn’t flesh that readers need to see, it’s what lies down closer to the bone.
Too many stories are littered with lifeless character corpses, with heroes who don’t inspire us, with villains who don’t unsettle us.
Here’s one of the secrets that great writers know: audiences will stick with an intriguing character longer than they’ll stick with a likable one.
Readers don’t want to read about nice characters doing nice things. They want to read about conflicted characters doing difficult things. Film audiences want the same—characters that leap off the screen as if they have a life of their own.
But how do we pull that off?
The secrets are out there.
And you can learn them for yourself.
The need for improving writing in this area is so great that I decided to partner with two of the country’s premier instructors in the area of characterization and offer a one-time conference that addresses these issues.
David Corbett’s groundbreaking book THE ART OF CHARACTER is reshaping how authors and screenwriters think about the characters in their work.
Susan Man Warren’s courses and novel therapy programs have helped dozens of authors tell better stories—many signing with agents and getting their stories published.
Both David and Susan are successful novelists in their own right and teach at events nationwide.
As far as my background, I have a Master’s Degree in Storytelling, have written sixteen novels as well as two award-winning books on the craft of writing, STORY TRUMPS STRUCTURE and TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR NOVEL. I’ll be your host and also one of the instructors.
At this select two-day event you’ll learn and be inspired from eight in-depth sessions:
- #1 The Fundamental Courtship: Creating Characters that Readers and Audiences Will Want to Spend Time With
- #2 Backstory is Behavior: Revealing Your Character’s Past in the Present
- #3 Passion, Pursuit, and Privacy: Tapping into Your Character’s Inner Desires, Secrets, and Conflicts to Explore Motivation
- #4 Attitude and Dimensionality: Adding Depth and Complexity to Your Character
- #5 The Morality of Decision: Exploring How Choices Reveal Character
- #6 Dialogue and Drama: Delving into Your Character’s Relationships
- #7 Transformations and Epiphanies: Following Your Character’s Arc
- #8 Heroes and Villains: Bringing Out the Best and the Worst in Characters
If you’re a screenwriter or novelist, don’t miss this one-time event. Registration is limited, so sign up today.
For more details, and to register, click to www.characterconference.com
