Characters are the heart of fiction. We remember and feel passionate about novels because of the characters. But one problem for writers who write character driven fiction is that they often don't really understand how to find a plot for those characters to struggle through. So they have interesting characters but a dull or static plot.
This short course will explore some ideas about character development but mainly focus on strategies for developing plots that will not only help bring the story to life but also help deepen character. I'll have a few exercises to practice concepts and strategies. Please bring something to write with and on.
Brian Yansky writes both Young Adult and adult fiction. He is the author of five YA novels. My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World
was the winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Best YA Novel. His most recent novel, Utopia, Iowa
, was published in February, 2015. His stories have appeared in Literal Latte, The Crescent Review, and other magazines. He has and MFA in Writing from Vermont College and is an associate professor at Austin Community College where he teaches writing.
