How to create multi-layered characters on a heroine’s (or hero’s) Journey

Presenter Information

Dorothea Bonneau

Location

Benerd School of Education, Room 117

Start Date

17-5-2019 3:00 PM

End Date

17-5-2019 4:15 PM

Description

The first part of the workshop will participants will be introduced to characters alive in collec-tive memory. Think Odysseus, Antigone, Oedipus, Cyrano, Juliet, Atticus Finch, Ebenezer Scrooge. Add your own favorites. What do these characters have in common? They are complex, multi-layered, imperfect. We see ourselves mirrored in their aspira-tions, their successes, and their failures. And they all embarked on journeys that challenged their assumptions about themselves and others. The second part of the workshop will be dedicated to craft. We will investigate how to create relatable characters whose stories compel the reader to find out what happens next. Interactive worksheets for creating backstory and personality profiles will be provided, along with a template that describes the plot points of the hero’s journey that has guided storytellers for thousands of years.

Comments

Dorothea (Dottie) Hubble Bonneau is a published novelist, produced playwright and optioned screenwriter. Her plays have been produced throughout the United States and in Canada. Dorothea is a member of Women in Film, Squaw Valley Community of Writers Alumni, Aspen Summer Words Alumni and Historical Writers of America. Her novel, The Heiress of Heaven, won the 2018 Jameson prize for best unpublished novel. Her most recent story, “Monsieur,” will appear in the upcoming publication of Blue Moon Art and Literary Magazine.

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May 17th, 3:00 PM May 17th, 4:15 PM

How to create multi-layered characters on a heroine’s (or hero’s) Journey

Benerd School of Education, Room 117

The first part of the workshop will participants will be introduced to characters alive in collec-tive memory. Think Odysseus, Antigone, Oedipus, Cyrano, Juliet, Atticus Finch, Ebenezer Scrooge. Add your own favorites. What do these characters have in common? They are complex, multi-layered, imperfect. We see ourselves mirrored in their aspira-tions, their successes, and their failures. And they all embarked on journeys that challenged their assumptions about themselves and others. The second part of the workshop will be dedicated to craft. We will investigate how to create relatable characters whose stories compel the reader to find out what happens next. Interactive worksheets for creating backstory and personality profiles will be provided, along with a template that describes the plot points of the hero’s journey that has guided storytellers for thousands of years.