Finding the Unique in Characters:
Building 3-D Personalities
Do your readers actually feel the warmth of your grandmother’s hugs? Or your Uncle Ron’s anger when you spilled his coffee? How will you handle your cousin’s fury, his resentment, every time he shoves the stump of his leg into its prosthesis?
Your story is about people, their complexities and their concerns, individuals whose relationships are the narrative. Both conflict and calm occur in every relationship, but the balance changes. A relationship may make a 180 degree turn in a moment, or it may forever remain boringly platonic.
The task of building multi-dimensional characters is critical – but tricky.
This one day writing workshop in Edmonton, Alberta focuses on the development of character-building skills. Instructor-provided prompts will be used as practice guides. Using selected passages from published works, we analyze and discuss techniques: the use of voice, dialogue, movement, the individual attributes which create or define characters that intrigue.
