Evoke a vivid fictional world by looking beyond clichéd images for rich details. History, culture and migration, economics, mythology and religion are sources of world building depth. Come prepared to explore – and write!

Writing without a structured outline can not only jumpstart an anxious writer, but enhance creativity and story development. Learn the advantages and pitfalls of real-time plot and character development, discuss story arcs and framework, four things an author needs to begin writing any scene, and techniques to keep moving when feeling lost.

What makes a character live on in a reader’s mind after the book is closed?  Rich characters make a story take on a life of its own, and more and more readers are demanding believable, complex characters even in genre fiction. Learn techniques for inventing a person, ways to get into your characters’ heads and give them an inner life that motivates their actions. Reveal your characters to the reader with narrative, voice, and point-of-view, and at the same time learn to use the developing story to expand your own understanding of your characters.