Creative Writing: Crafting Complex Characters (Quickly) for Short Fiction

Course Overview

(Please note the following content is from the official provider.)

Novelists often refer to "
character bibles
" when discussing the writing process. These "bibles" are intensive explorations of major characters—establishing traits, beliefs, and histories—designed to allow a novelist to understand not only who the characters are in his/her/their plot, but who they were before the novel, as well.

In this class,
we'll take this concept of character bibles and apply it to the art of short fiction
, providing your protagonist with virtues and flaws, as well as investigating how thoughts and opinions change with age.

Whether you're writing a 400 or 4000-word short story, you need to know your protagonist's tics, joys, and sorrows in order to create a believable connection with an audience. As such, the goal of this class is to provide writers of all skill levels with a
quick and easy multi-part project
designed to
build a credible character in under an hour.
By the end of this class, you will have not only a mini character bible, but will have also "spoken" with your character, which will assist you in choosing the right point-of-view for your story. 

The skills in this class can be applied to all manner of fiction writing beyond short stories, from
comic books
to
screenplays
, as well as to elements of
creative nonfiction
. They also provide the author with a useful exercise to keep in a writer's toolbox.

To take this class, one must only have access to a word processing program, a piece of paper or two, and a vivid imagination.

(Please note that we obtained the following content based on information that users may want to know, such as skills, applicable scenarios, future development, etc., combined with AI tools, and have been manually reviewed)
This course provides a quick and easy multi-part project to help writers of all skill levels build a credible character in under an hour. It covers topics such as character bibles, traits, beliefs, and histories, as well as thoughts and opinions that change with age. It also provides guidance on how to choose the right point-of-view for a story.

Possible Development Paths: Taking this course can help writers develop their skills in crafting complex characters for short fiction, comic books, screenplays, and creative nonfiction. It can also provide a useful exercise to keep in a writer's toolbox.

Learning Suggestions: Learners can benefit from taking related courses such as Creative Writing: Crafting a Plot, Creative Writing: Crafting Dialogue, and Creative Writing: Crafting a Setting. They can also read books on creative writing and practice writing exercises to further develop their skills.

[Applications]
Students who have taken this course can apply the skills they have learned to all manner of fiction writing, from comic books to screenplays, as well as to elements of creative nonfiction. The course provides a useful exercise to keep in a writer's toolbox, allowing them to quickly and easily build a credible character in under an hour. To apply the skills, all that is needed is access to a word processing program, a piece of paper or two, and a vivid imagination.

[Career Paths]
1. Creative Writing Teacher: Creative Writing Teachers are responsible for teaching students the fundamentals of creative writing, such as character development, plot structure, and grammar. They also help students develop their own writing styles and techniques. This job is becoming increasingly popular as more people are looking to pursue a career in creative writing. The demand for creative writing teachers is expected to grow in the coming years as more people are looking to pursue a career in this field.

2. Comic Book Writer: Comic Book Writers are responsible for creating stories and characters for comic books. They must be able to create compelling stories and characters that will engage readers. This job is becoming increasingly popular as more people are looking to pursue a career in comic book writing.

3. Screenwriter: Screenwriters are responsible for writing scripts for movies and television shows. They must be able to create compelling stories and characters that will engage viewers. This job is becoming increasingly popular as more people are looking to pursue a career in screenwriting.

4. Creative Nonfiction Writer: Creative Nonfiction Writers are responsible for writing stories and articles that are based on real-life events and experiences. They must be able to create compelling stories and characters that will engage readers. This job is becoming increasingly popular as more people are looking to pursue a career in creative nonfiction writing.