Creating Characters

For me, every story is born out of character. No novel will capture me unless I feel invested in the characters. We want to create characters who are interesting and charming. We want our characters to be surprising and flawed. We want them to jump off the page, to feel real to the reader.

I’ve learned over the years that getting to know your characters is a process and it doesn’t happen all at once. My characters come to me piece by piece not fully formed. Getting to know your characters is like getting to know anyone else that you meet—it takes time and energy.

In this workshop, we’ll discuss how to use description, sensory details, dialogue, action, and interiority to create characters that feel real. We’ll do some close reading of novel and story excerpts to study how writers create memorable characters. We’ll discuss characters that have stayed with you from books and stories that you’ve read.

We’ll do two different writing exercises—a character interview and a voice exploration—to help to create and deepen your character, to explore their internal worlds and their external presence. By the end of your workshop, you should feel like you have a better understanding of an existing character or have exciting ideas for a new character.

Jennifer Close is the best-selling author of Girls in White Dresses, The Smart One, the Hopefuls, and Marrying the Ketchups. Born and raised on the North Shore of Chicago, she is a graduate of Boston College and received her MFA in Fiction Writing from the New School. She now lives in Washington, DC and teaches creative writing at George Washington University and Catapult.

Limit: 20