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Character Development In Depth

with Wendy Kendall

Genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, The Writing Life, Memoir, Young Adult/Children's Lit, Novel, Short Story

In Person

Open to all levels

8 Sessions

Start Date: July 15, 2026
End Date: September 2, 2026
Day of Week: Wednesday
Time: 7:10pm - 9:10pm PT
Capacity: 15 seats
Member Price: $441.00
General Price: $490.00

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This class meets IN PERSON at Hugo House in Capitol Hill.

Write, play, experiment, and discover who your characters really are!

This immersive 8-week writing class is designed for writers of any genre who want their characters to come alive on the page. 

Each week, we’ll explore a new dimension of character writing—desire, wound, voice, body language, relationships, backstory, conflict, and transformation—gaining a stronger sense of how these key elements propel your character through their actions, reactions, and responses.

We’ll also do light scene acting work to discover embodied insights you can’t get from thinking alone, helping you tap into how it feels for your character to navigate the world and people around them. Acting can be intimidating for a lot of people so we’ll be doing these exercises together in a supportive cohort designed to encourage experimentation, creativity, and the joy of discovery and risk-taking.

And we’ll practice translating what we’ve learned about our characters to the page, writing with an eye to details that carry subtext, sensory description, behavioral cues, and more to give your characters presence and personality beyond the literal. 

You’ll learn how to:

  • craft emotionally resonant characters with clear desires and wounds
  • use gesture, posture, and physicality to reveal inner life
  • write dialogue with rhythm, subtext, and tension
  • build dynamic relationships and power shifts
  • reveal backstory through behavior—not exposition
  • push characters to their breaking points
  • map and strengthen character arcs

You’ll leave with fresh drafts, clearer character arcs, and practical tools for understanding your characters more deeply and communicating who they are to your reader. This class is especially suited to anyone writing character-driven work.

This class focuses on: 

  • Creative Play & Exploration: Focuses on playful, experimental writing activities designed to break creative blocks and spark ideas. 
  • Craft & Technique: Focuses on improving writing skills, exploring elements like plot, character, or dialogue. 
  • Writing Life & Process: Focuses on developing writing habits, overcoming procrastination, or sustaining creative momentum. 

What to expect: 

  • Goal-Setting & Accountability: Includes tools or practices to help students stay motivated. 
  • Lecture: Instructor-led teaching 
  • Class Discussion: Facilitated class conversation 
  • Prompts & Exercises: Class features guided writing activities. 
  • In-Class Writing Time: Class will include dedicated time to write. 
  • In-Class Sharing: Students are invited to share their writing aloud or in small groups during class. 
  • Instructor Feedback: Students receive direct feedback from the instructor. 
  • Peer Feedback: Students share and critique each other’s work. 
  • Optional reading and/or writing outside of class. 

Students say… 

“Wendy is superb! Her edits were great!” 

“I enjoy the specificity of the craft suggestions for each part of the mystery writing process.” 

“I loved discussing ideas and sharing the writing I've been able to do. The organization/charting tips have been very helpful!” 

“It was really fun learning the mechanics of how these books are written. Also trouble shooting my book with others has been helpful!” 

Registration Dates: 

  • May 19: Member registration opens at 10:30 am PT   
  • May 26: General registration opens at 10:30 am PT  
  • May 31: Last day of Early Bird discount
  • June 2: Last day of Early Bird discount 
Wendy Kendall

Wendy Kendall

she/her

The result of Wendy Kendall's passion for purses, mystery and romance is an intriguing In Purse-Suit mysteries series. Kat Out of the Bag introduces Katherine Watson purse designer/sleuth, investigating murder as she moves from designer bags to body bags. The prequel, Purse-Stachio Makes A Splash delves into a chilling cold case. The romantic suspense, Snow Kiss Cookies To Die For creates an intriguing tangle of mystery and love. Her 2022 release, Cherry Shakes In The Park blends danger, divas, and frothy summer delights. Wendy enjoys the Pacific Northwest life and time with her two adult sons. She's a blogger, YouTube podcaster, speaker, project manager, and syndicated columnist. Just wait until you see what Katherine Watson and her friends in Bayside face next in the series.

Website – WendyWritesBooks.com

Facebook – WendyKendallMysteries

Twitter – @wendywrites1

Instagram – wendyekendall

Describe your teaching style.

Interactive [with] in class sharing and time to experiment in writing, plotting, and other creations. I also share my prepared materials for the content.

Each class description includes a breakdown of what you can expect in terms of in-class activity, feedback, and homework (if any). 

Generative means you’ll be generating new writing, either in class or at home between classes.

Workshop means you’ll be sharing work to be read and critiqued by your instructor and classmates and that you will also be critiquing the work of your peers. 

Reading means you’ll be doing close reading of a work with an eye toward craft. 

Craft discussion means you’ll be looking at the tools writers use to do that thing they do so well and then trying it out yourself.

Class levels are designed for various stages of the writing journey. Simply self-select the level that sounds best for where you’re at. 

Introductory: This is your first creative writing workshop, first writing class since high school, or first foray into a new genre or form. You’re looking to try something new, kickstart your writing, and/or establish yourself in the fundamentals.

Intermediate: You have a strong understanding of writing fundamentals and are eager to deep dive into craft. You’re honing your writerly identity and voice through independent projects. In workshop, you look for constructive feedback and are ready to do writing and reading outside of class.

Advanced: You’ve written a significant body of work and have taken it through several stages of revision. You’re getting ready to publish or are in the early stage of publishing, and you’re interested in refining the skills that will take you to the next level in the literary industry.

All Levels: You are any of the above and are looking to play with new possibilities.

Zoom information for both classes and events are now available in your account.

  1. Login to your account.
  2. Go to “My Account.”
  3. Select either the “Classes” or “Events” tab.
  4. Click on your upcoming class or event to view the Zoom details.

You’ll also receive an email including Zoom information three days before the first day of class.

If you have any questions please contact us at welcome@hugohouse.org  

Write With Hugo House is our free monthly write-in program that takes place online via Zoom.  

We also have payment plans available for most of our classes. These payment plans are available to all students. Additionally, we offer partial scholarships (covering up to 40% of class tuition) for students who meet our income guidelines.  

Lastly, we announce flash sales, early bird periods, and special deals through our e-newsletter; sign up at the bottom of this page. 

 

Our payment plan policy: 

Payment plans are available for all classes and can be purchased through our website. To register for a payment plan, select “Pay in installments” on the class details page, select your preferred option, and proceed to add to cart usual. The following policy applies to all payment plans:

  • We charge a 5% nonrefundable administrative fee for all payment plans.
  • The administrative fee is calculated based on the general class price. Discounts through memberships, coupons, scholarships, gift cards, or other promotions do not affect the administrative fee.
  • Extended payment plans up to 8 monthly installments and 16 semi-monthly installments are available upon request.
  • We are unable to hold seats for prospective payment plan students. Students will be enrolled once their first installment has been paid.
  • If you need to cancel, Hugo House will issue refunds according to its cancellation and transfer policies. Your 5% nonrefundable admin fee will not be refunded.
  • If you withdraw from a class after it begins, you will not receive a refund and are still responsible for paying the full course tuition.

Asynchronous classes are perfect for students that need flexibility!

During an asynchronous class, instructors release new lessons once per week. Students then have one week to complete that lesson and any accompanying coursework. You’ll learn as much as you would in a traditional class but with the flexibility to work at the best times for your schedule!

While there are no live sessions, asynchronous classes are still a lively and rigorous experience. Async classes are not static lessons but an adaptable and energetic community space. Be ready to work in a collaborative environment, giving and receiving feedback on your writing, participating in discussions, and growing your writing practice in a way that works best for you.

Asynchronous classes take place through the website Wet Ink. Students receive an invitation to the class and to set up a Wet Ink account on the start date of the class. Each week of the class, a new lesson will be available through the Wet Ink portal. Classes close two weeks after the end date, and students receive an email containing their content from the class when it closes.

Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.

To request a refund for class credit, please note such in the message section of your refund request.

In general, we do not record classes. However, an exception can be made with instructor approval if a student has specific access needs.

We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.   

We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.

If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, you’ll receive a full refund.

You can apply for a scholarship by clicking the red “Request a Scholarship” text on class pages. The scholarship request text is located at the top of each class page, underneath the “add to cart” button.

Scholarship application dates can be found in our Academic Calendar. 

Due to the limited number of scholarships, please only request up to two scholarships for two different classes per quarter if you truly meet the financial need requirements.

Hugo House members get to register early for classes – a full week before they open to the general public!, receive a 10% discount on events and classes, and more. See the full list of membership benefits here!

Donations of all sizes allow us to provide access to quality writing classes, events, and experiences for all. Please consider making a donation to Hugo House today. 

If you’re interested in contributing your skills, Hugo House accepts volunteer applications for a variety of roles, including event support, administrative tasks, and more. Learn more on our Volunteer page. 

Finally, becoming a member is an excellent way to support Hugo House and our mission. 

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