CHARACTER ARCS

We talk a lot about the ‘journey’ our protagonist undertakes. But what does this actually mean, and why does it matter for the work as a whole? Why do our main characters make the choices they do? What is the role of ‘change’ in their past and in their present lives?

Come along to think about, and experiment with, the reasons our characters do what they do. Understanding the impact of their strengths and limitations makes for more satisfying storytelling and more compelling reading.

INCITING INCIDENTS

Working out how, where and why our story really begins is key to its success. What kicks off the action? What provokes our main characters out of their status quo? What will test them as individuals beyond all else?

A powerful, relevant inciting incident echoes through a work and gives the reader a cohesive experience. This session will help you identify the inciting incident in your narrative and think about how it can be most fully realised.

POINT OF VIEW

Think of your favourite book. Whose eyes are you looking through as you experience the story? What would change if the story had been told by their grandmother, or their headmaster, or their dog?

Point of view is one of the most challenging areas to get just right. Consistency matters; but it’s more than that. Making decisions about who your reader is listening to, when, and how, has a transformative effect on the reader’s relationship to the story itself. Join this session and ensure you’re making the right choices for your work in progress.

DIALOGUE

Does anyone ever really say what’s on their mind? And what actually happens if they do? What’s the relationship between thinking, feeling and speaking? What is really being conveyed, and what is being withheld?

The words that spill from our character’s mouths or squeeze between their tight lips speak volumes - often about what they have elected not to verbalise, or indeed what they never expected to reveal. Come along and focus for an hour on what your dialogue is actually saying.

RECOGNITION AND REVERSAL

What does your character come to know and understand about themselves? And to what degree are these things actually ‘true’?

A character who is too self-aware leaves the reader with nothing to hypothesise about; one who learns nothing about their own behaviour inhabits a fairly static narrative. For your work to have the dynamism that keeps readers reading, you’ll want to ensure there are moments of recognition that initiate change. Join this session for help identifying those moments - whether the change required ultimately proves possible or not…

CHOICE AND CHANGE

What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done? The most difficult choice you’ve had to make? These moments are tough because of what’s at stake. And the height of those stakes depends on what matters to you most.

The same applies to our characters. And the harder the choice - the heavier the pressure - the more dramatic and involving the reading experience becomes. As Kurt Vonnegut put it: No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

This session will help you do just that.