character

Forget making your characters 'sympathetic.' Make them remarkable. How many times have we heard the advice: "Make your character 'sympathetic.'" Or scarier yet, 'relatable.' But maybe that’s not what you need... When you start focusing on making your heroes and heroines sympathetic...

Are your characters feeling flat or too superficial? Are readers having a hard time connecting? In Catching the Feels, we'll dive deep into character creation and how to find the spark of your characters from the beginning. We'll also go through different approaches and techniques to achieve...

Have you been trying to use the Hero’s Journey for your story structure? Is your story not fitting into that pattern? You're probably not telling that mythic. And that's okay. There are dozens of other powerful Mythic Themes: The Wakeup Call, Fatal Attraction, Search for the Promised Land...

Have you crafted the perfect hero but now worry about his counterpart, the villain? Do you want to know what the difference is between the words evil and villain? Are you hoping to create the next Joker or original Dracula? Are you curious as to the numerous types of villains and their...

Writing a book is a hard work, but writing a page-turner is even harder. Steve will teach the secrets that authors who write thrillers use to grab the reader from the opening sentence until the end. This workshop will show you, How to grab your reader from the opening paragraph The three...

From Simon Legree to Hannibal Lector, stand-out villains have captured the imaginations of readers and made stories memorable. The best bad guys won’t hesitate to push against and use the greatest weaknesses or failures of character that a protagonist has. They escalate action, causing harsh...

Sex scenes can make or break a romance, regardless of heat level. Unfortunately, they can fall victim to lazy descriptions, cliché, overreliance on mechanics, and a lack of characterization. This class is designed to teach authors of all skill levels and experience how to avoid these and other...

Ever thought of writing books for teens? Young Adult (YA) fiction is a hot market, and many authors alternate their novel writing work for adults with YA. As vibrant as the teen book market is, there are some skills you’ll need to pick up to be a successful YA fiction writer. This two-week...

Are men and women really that much different? Have you ever wondered what the other gender really thinks? Author Chris Cox has had real life experience as a woman and now as a man since he transitioned in the last few years. Being transgender and being an author, Chris has special insight into...

Many aspiring novelists know deep inside that they have a great story to tell, but it can be hard to transfer that feeling into meaningful scenes and chapters. In this intensive, writers will use an approach to writing that begins with developing a deep understanding of a character and then...