This series of three classes focuses on many chapters in Nancy Kress' book Dynamic Characters. Each chapter is summarized in the class lessons and are followed by class assignments which are posted on the class message board.

I interspersed some of my own character development tools and exercises to help the people in the class learn more about their characters and to weave the plot and story into a more powerful combination.

WARNING - Most of the exercises in this class require you to dig deeper into your story, your characters and the background of your characters. This is not a class that will only scratch the surface about the details that make up your characters. We will dig into what the past you created for your character. We will evaluate the place where they came from and how that affected your character. If you do not want to dig deep and work on free thinking exercises, this is NOT the class for you. Most of the lessons will not be segments that you have already written for the book.

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters

Average Time Commitment per Week: 2-3 hours

Time to Complete Course: 4 Weeks

Course Description: How can you ensure your reader will care about your characters? Are your characters three dimensional or are they flat and lifeless? Will your main character be the next Huck Finn or Sherlock Holmes, or will they be easily forgotten and discarded? Do you want your main characters to be memorable?

This course will show you step by step how to create memorable characters which will captivate your reader. They will be memorable because they are so great…or so bad.

Riveting main characters need to be multi-faceted. They need a history, a present, a future and the depth you expect in your family and friends. Your initial understanding of the characters will change and grow. This will happen as your characters grow and develop through the exercises.

Come along as our characters become more real to ourselves and our readers. Make your character someone an editor will want to get to know and to share with others.

This is the first in a series of courses to help each of us develop more dynamic characters. Take one or take all three, the choice is yours.

Suggested Resource: Dynamic Characters by Nancy Kress

	Lesson 1: Choosing Names for Your Characters
	Lesson 2: Use Setting to Develop Characters - Know Where they Come From
	Lesson 3: Showing Your Characters With Natural and Believable
	Lesson 4: Choosing Details and Make Your Details Manageable

Complex and Believable Characters

Average Time Commitment per Week: 3-4 hours

Time to Complete Course: 4 Weeks

Course Description: How can you ensure your reader will care about your characters? Are your characters three dimensional or are they flat and lifeless? Will your main character be the next Huck Finn or Sherlock Holmes, or will they be easily forgotten and discarded? Do you want your main characters to be memorable?

To be a riveting main character, they need to be multi-faceted. You want to get into the thoughts of your characters and share those thoughts with the reader in an organized way.

We will fully investigate your characters and find out more about them. What do they look like? What have they done with their life? How do they think and feel? Get into your character and see how they tick.

Do you make assumptions about how your characters are perceived? How can you help alleviate this problem and make sure each reader sees them the same? The bad guy or the villain, how do you make them believable and/or sympathetic. Learn how to have the desired impact with your villains.

Come along as we make our characters more real to ourselves and our readers. Make your character someone an editor will want to get to know and would like to share with others.

This is the second in a series of courses to help each of us develop more dynamic characters. Take one or take all three, the choice is yours.

Suggested Resource: Dynamic Characters by Nancy Kress

	Lesson 1: Thoughts in Characterization
	Lesson 2: Build Your Character's Dossier
	Lesson 3: Make Correct Character Assumptions
	Lesson 4: Creating Useful Bad Guys and Villains

Intertwining Plot and Character

Average Time Commitment per Week: 3-4 hours

Time to Complete Course: 4 Weeks

Course Description: How can you ensure your reader will care about your characters? Are your characters three dimensional or are they flat and lifeless? Will your main character be the next Huck Finn or Sherlock Holmes, or will they be easily forgotten and discarded? Do you want your main characters to be memorable?

How can you develop and reveal your character to the reader and further the plot? What ways can your character show more of themselves and change the direction of the plot? Are you properly developing and using your secondary characters? There are some very ingenious ways to use secondary characters to solve plot problems.

Each writer has to choose which point of view to use. What difference will the point of view make to the story? And, how do we incorporate the plot, the character and the writer for the most effective outcome?

This is the third in a series of courses to help each of us develop more dynamic characters. Take one or take all three, the choice is yours.

Suggested Resource: Dynamic Characters by Nancy Kress

Lesson 1: Intertwining Character and Plot

Lesson 2: Secondary Characters Provide Depth

Lesson 3: Point of View Can Further Plot

Lesson 4: Connecting Character and Plot

(Click here for testimonials for character classes.)

Postal Address - P O Box 711, Fishersville, VA 22939
Nikki's Email Address - nikki_leigh22939@yahoo.com

These classes offered through Writer's Village.

Basics to Create Dynamic Characters

Complex and Believable Characters

Intertwining Plot and Character

Last modified: 07/21/08