Remembering that each character is at the center of his/her own story, this class will dive into the power and potential of minor characters and their influence on plot. Students will examine how an understanding of the conflicting desires, fates, and vulnerabilities of secondary characters can ratchet up and refine the overall story tension, whether for the novel, the memoir, or short fiction.

TAKE THIS CLASS IF

• You want strategies for expanding the world and cast of your novel.
• You’re worried that your novel doesn’t have enough material to reach its ending.
• Some of your characters feel flat and less well developed.