Writing Character-Driven Fiction

While plot may be the engine of prose, character is its beating heart.

Long after we’ve forgotten the details of a story, we remember Olive Kitteridge’s severity, Arthur Less’s shyness, or the keenly observant protagonists of Katie Kitamura.

In this writing-intensive, generative course, we will develop vivid, memorable characters and build stories around them, approaching the study of character through observation exercises, research-based prompts, and close reading of the work of writers such as Evan S.

Connell, Elizabeth McCracken, and Charles D’Ambrosio.

In the first half of the course, students will create a portfolio of characters to serve as a springboard for future fiction; in the second half, they will develop one of these into a short story or novel chapter (up to 3,000 words) for instructor and small-group feedback.

Open to short story writers and novelists of all levels, the course is designed to deepen and enliven your fiction through more dynamic and layered characterization.