What makes a character like Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen or Walter White so memorable? “Their predicament may be foreign to us and we may not approve of all their choices," says instructor Kate Montgomery, “but we connect with them on a visceral level. They make us care. If our best stories have just one thing in common, it’s a protagonist that stays in our thoughts long after the book has closed or the screen has gone dark.”
In this lively interactive class, you’ll learn:
- How to craft an authentic, emotionally engaging protagonist
- How to make your supporting characters original and multi-dimensional
- How to use conflicting motives to drive a more dynamic story
- Why you should give your antagonist redeeming qualities
- How to keep all your character relationships fresh and unpredictable
- How to use character relationships as your story engine
This two-week class is fast-paced and fun; it’s a mix of brief lectures followed by individual and team writing exercises where you get to apply the skills you’re learning right away. There’s no need to take notes, as the class includes materials you can keep to reference later.
About The Writing Salon's Online Zoom Classes
You will be able to participate in live class meetings via Zoom videoconference. To attend classes, you'll need a phone, tablet or computer and access to the internet. You can participate in the class from wherever you'd like, whether on your living room couch or in your office. Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about Zoom and your remote class. If you have any questions about remote learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.
- Live Zoom Meeting: Wednesday, January 15, 2:00pm-4:30pm
- Live Zoom Meeting: Wednesday, January 22, 2:00pm-4:30pm
Kate Montgomery was not only warm and inviting, she was 100% prepared, providing stacks of carefully considered handouts while also maintaining a flexibility to follow the rhythm of our group. Her knowledge in the field was undeniable and her enthusiasm for discussing and dissecting students' ideas was balanced by honest notes and critiques. I hope to be signing up for another class of hers soon.
Now, this may sound like a cliche, but Kate inspired me to make time in my life for what I really want to do: write stories. And that’s hard, I’m a cynical Eastern European, hard to impress and convince. But now I’m going to spend a couple of hours each week to write something down, and if she’ll invite me I’ll go to all her events and workshops, pitch my story ideas, and do my best to create amazing work. She is incredibly charismatic, and it feels great to be around her. But the whole inspiration part is what makes her a standout teacher.