When a reader starts a story, what are they looking for exactly? What is keeping them hooked and turning pages?

Hint: It’s not the plot, or the worldbuilding.

It’s your main character.

And what is the number one thing readers look for in your character - the thing that’s going to determine whether they keep reading or put the story down?

Connection.

Readers want to feel connected to your character.

But how exactly do you create that connection?

In this course, taught by character guru, literary agent and freelance editor, Mary Kole, you’ll learn not only how to craft fully fleshed out, dynamic characters but also how to write those characters and reveal them on the page in a way that grabs the reader’s attention, connects with them, and captures their heart.

Over the past 10+ years, Mary has helped thousands of authors take flat, underdeveloped characters and turn them into dynamic ones that leap off the page. And in this course, she gives away her “secret sauce” for character success, including the 4 foundations of a dynamic character and the 7 vital tools for weaving characters into your prose.

This Course Includes:

• Tons of fun, inspiring writing prompts designed to break you out of old patterns, get you thinking about character in a new way, and help you apply all the skills taught in the course
• Lots of examples from popular works of fiction to provide context and enhance your understanding of the material
• Tips and advice from a true publishing-industry insider on how to make fresh choices, brainstorm with confidence, and elevate your fiction writing and character development skills
• Plenty of exercises to help you apply what you’ve learned and put your new skills into practice

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, whether you have an idea for a story, are revising an existing project, or just looking for inspiration, this course is sure to take your character development skills to the next level.

A solid understanding of why readers fall in love with characters and what makes for an interactive reading experience (an essential component of any successful story)

The knowledge and skills to build and nurture the essential "reader/character" connection

7 tools for effectively revealing characters to your readers in a way that engages them and makes them an active part of your story

A firm grasp of the 4 foundations that make up a dynamic character

The ability to successfully navigate the gray area between Showing and Telling in your writing

Tools and methods for accessing a character's "interiority" and how you can use it to elevate your fiction writing

At least one fully fleshed-out character that you can use to elevate a current work in progress or start a new story

Former literary agent Mary Kole provides consulting and developmental editing services to writers of all categories and genres, working on children’s book projects from picture book to young adult, and all kinds of trade market literature, including fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and memoir.

She holds an MFA in Creative Writing and has worked at Chronicle Books, the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and Movable Type Management. She has been blogging at Kidlit.com since 2009. Her book, Writing Irresistible Kidlit, a writing reference guide for writers of middle grade and young adult fiction, is available from Writer’s Digest Books.

Jessica Brody is the author of more than 20 novels as well as the #1 bestselling plotting guide, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. Her books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and several have been optioned for film and television.

She’s also repeatedly hired by Disney Press to develop and write novels based on popular Disney properties like the Lego Disney Princess and the Disney Descendants franchises.

After creating several popular courses for writers, she’s excited to team up with character guru Mary Kole for this course on crafting dynamic characters!