Live online workshop across two half-days to create exciting, varied characters that let your stories fly.

Creating characters who aren't us transforms our characterisation, our storytelling possibilities, and our experience of writing. But like fish not noticing water, our own traits are often a blind spot to us, holding our stories back.

In this workshop, you’ll explore 8 personality analyses (encompassing types, spectrums, and shifts) to heighten your awareness of your own traits and create characters unlike that. Across the workshop, you’ll also try out 7 different tools to develop those characters as people you respect and admire.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll have three new characters you admire, with strengths and foibles distinct from your own, and an ongoing toolbox for creating and developing fresh characters unlike you.

Read more about why having characters unlike you is so transformative.

When, where, and what

• Live workshop, with discussion, group work, and individual writing
• Online, open to bookings from anywhere in the world
• Maximum 16 students
• All levels welcome: all my courses and workshops cater for a range of experience, from beginners to published writers

Practical questions

What's an online workshop like? Very lively! It's held on Zoom, and packed with activities, games, discussion, and snippets of writing. For games and discussions, you're in small groups of 2–4. In the breaks and between the two days, I switch the groups around so you get a chance to work with and meet everyone.

Do I need to have a work in progress or existing characters? No: through the workshop, you'll create new characters. You'll also learn techniques and strategies to apply to any existing characters you have.

Do I have to share my writing? Absolutely not. In the round-off discussions, you have the chance to say how you found a particular exercise or to share what you wrote, and you can choose whichever option you're comfortable with.

Will there be a replay? No: this is a live workshop only.

Will we get notes? Yes: you'll get a booklet in the post, with everything we've covered in the workshop, and you'll also get a PDF copy of that by email immediately after the workshop.