Class Description
There’s often a problem with how female characters are represented in stories. As writers, an important question for us to consider is, how do we fix it? The answer isn’t just creating stronger female characters: they should also be as nuanced and complex as possible. In this class, we will analyze how popular heroines are depicted in novels, and explore films such as The Last Jedi, Rogue One, Wonder Woman, and Black Panther as a way to improve the female characters in our own work. We’ll discuss tropes to avoid in female representation and a few useful tests for feminist stories.
You will also have an opportunity to discuss the kinds of issues you have encountered in your writing and apply what you learn in class to your own female characters. You will leave the course with a template to develop more nuanced characters in the future, as well as writing prompts for stories with unique female characters at the center.
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. Please visit the Resources tab to access the video-conference link.
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!