If you test positive for Covid – Don’t come to class until you test negative. But let your teacher know and we’ll work to give you access to your missed classes via Zoom.
If you show Covid symptoms OR If you have been exposed to someone with Covid – Don’t come to class for at least 5 days after showing symptoms or exposure, and then take a test to confirm that you are negative. Let your teacher know and we’ll work to give you access to your missed classes via Zoom.
If you have any questions about this, you may call (212-974-8377) or email us ([email protected]).
Character 1: Creation
Character 1: Creation is an Intensive, meaning it happens in a short time span (1 day in NYC, or 2 days on Zoom, or 3 weeks Online). The course includes a mixture of lectures and exercises. It’s open to writers of any level. Farther down, you can view a syllabus for this course.
If you feel you’re solid with conceiving characters, you may go straight to Character 2. If you’re in doubt about this, start with Character 1; it will be valuable even if some of it is review.
Characters are the beating heart of every story. When we’re made to feel their presence, the entire story awakens, and we follow those folks wherever they go—likable or not, young or old, familiar or foreign.
Whether you’re working on fiction, nonfiction, or a script, we’ll show you how to breathe life into characters that we see and believe and care about.
Character 1 teaches how to conceive characters—where they come from, who they are inside and out, what their contradictions are, where their desire lies, and what makes them fascinating.
Character 2 teaches how to bring characters to palpable life on the page, making them real enough so we feel like we could live next door to them or bump into them on the street.
I learned several key techniques that have completely altered my approach to character development.
Jessica Groenendijk
biologist
Notes
This is a cross-genre course, applicable to any kind of storytelling, including nonfiction.
Upcoming Classes
NYC COVID Info
Price
Registration fee $25, paid once per term
3-Week
-
Online
Anytime, week-long sessions
Tuition: $175
-
One-on-One
Tuition:
Mini - $395, Private - $775
Available on Zoom
Syllabus
This course gives an overview of how to conceive great characters, in any genre. Course components:
Lectures
Writing exercises
New York City/Zoom classes
The syllabus varies from teacher to teacher, term to term. Many topics will be similar to those covered in the Online classes.
Online classes
Week 1
All of Humanity: The role of character. Likeable or not. Round and flat characters. Origins of characters.
Week 2
Getting to Know Them: Background. Physicality. Personality. Magic keys. Contrasts and consistency.
Week 3
The Character Thickens: Desire. Change. Names.
Note: Content may vary among individual classes.
Teachers
Tal McThenia
Tal McThenia is the co-author of the historical nonfiction book A Case for Solomon (Free Press/Simon & Schuster), based on a one-hour documentary for This American Life that he reported and wrote, called “The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar.” He has published nonfiction in Vanity Fair, Audubon Magazine, Departures, Bloomberg Businessweek, Atlas Obscura and Popula. He wrote the screenplay for the PBS film Shift and developed a television drama with FamilyStyle Films. He has written for Butterbean’s Café (Nickelodeon) and animated science mysteries for Mosa Mack Science. He authored the chapter on Scene in Gotham’s book Writing Movies (Bloomsbury USA). He holds a BA from Oberlin College.
Read moreTal McThenia
Tal McThenia
is the co-author of the historical nonfiction book A Case for Solomon (Free Press/Simon & Schuster), based on a one-hour documentary for This American Life that he reported and wrote, called “The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar.” He has published nonfiction in Vanity Fair, Audubon Magazine, Departures, Bloomberg Businessweek, Atlas Obscura and Popula. He wrote the screenplay for the PBS film Shift and developed a television drama with FamilyStyle Films. He has written for Butterbean’s Café (Nickelodeon) and animated science mysteries for Mosa Mack Science. He authored the chapter on Scene in Gotham’s book Writing Movies (Bloomsbury USA). He holds a BA from Oberlin College.
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