Building Characters from Real Life

Introductory/Intermediate. Characters are what sell a story and transform it into a living, breathing representation of human experience. In this generative class, we’ll discuss strategies for building nonfiction characters from the raw material of real life. We’ll practice representing ourselves and others as characters through scenes, telling details, and quotes, and we’ll discuss the techniques of masters like Susan Orlean, Isabel Wilkerson, Tracy Kidder, and Lane DeGregory. Students will draft a character-driven story and a pitch of a feature, profile, or essay.