Class Description
Speculative fiction writers (sci-fi, fantasy, and related subgenres) face a balancing act when it comes to characterization. On one hand, we inherit the scale of myth, the fantastical archetypes that capture our imagination, the epic heroes and villains. These characters are memorable because extremes exist in our sociopolitical realities and speculative fiction provides a space to explore them. And yet, we hunger too for the achingly human character, the kind that endure in literary fiction. The concept of the heroic flaw dates back to Aristotle: a hero has a weakness, often rooted in strength. Contemporary characterization also examines people in their complexity and recognizes how our good traits are often the same traits that get us into trouble. This one-day class will focus on exercises that explore the heroic and human levels of characterization. We’ll read, discuss, play with thesauruses, map out scenes, and do some in-class writing to identify the strengths and flaws that can help create compelling, consistent characters. Writers will be expected to have a character in mind that they want to work with and will leave class with new ideas for that character's journey. Writers discussed may include: Ursula K. LeGuin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Thomas A. Shippey, Junot Díaz, and Octavia E. Butler.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. After registering, a yellow Resources tab will appear in this section containing a link to join class. Please note that you will need to be logged into view the Resources tab.
Zoom Participation:
In our experience, the intimate nature of a writing workshop benefits from on-camera participation. Students are of course welcome to turn their camera off whenever they need to, but it is a community norm for cameras to be on most of the time. You can learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
You can enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting by clicking the CC button at the bottom of the screen. If you'd like to access the transcript after class, please make sure to let your instructor ahead of time that you'd like a copy.