Character

This course is all about how to develop great characters for a story. How to decide their personality, backstory, goals, and more. Crucially, it’s also about how to actually tie them to a plot and develop them over time.

Does this need an entire, separate course? Yes! Most writers agree that story actually starts with character. Your plot or setting might be amazing, but if the reader doesn’t care about the protagonist experiencing that, it’s all for nothing.

If you’re just starting out, though, first read my general course on Storytelling. It links to this more specific course whenever needed. (All elements—character, plot, setting, prose, etcetera—are tightly connected, which is why my Storytelling course teaches them that way: all at the same time. This course you’re reading now dives deeper into ideas related to character only.)

I am a professional author under my real name: Tiamo Pastoor. While that’s no proof of expertise, hopefully it convinces you to give my course a try! As always, I aim to be practical, fun and efficient when teaching.