Have you ever wanted to create a character totally different from your own experience but got cold feet? Possibly because you’ve heard or read the adage that writers should “write what you know.” Toni Morrison, however, famously instructed her students to “write something you don’t know. And don’t be scared, ever.” Myriad writers across the ages have challenged themselves to write about characters quite unlike themselves with regard to race, gender, age, ethnicity, etc.—some more successfully than others.   

We all possess the right to write about whomever we please. But we must write the truth about these folks despite not having “walked in their shoes.” So, how do we avoid creating characters who are inauthentic—or worse, stereotypes? Author Dani Shapiro says that as writers “we need to know what makes a character unique, nuanced, indelible.”   

In this brief course we will examine works from writers who have successfully created authentic characters with whom they have little in common. We will explore what type of research is required for this undertaking. We will also look at unsuccessful and inauthentic attempts, deciphering where the writers went wrong.   

Participants will generate work both in class and out via writing prompts and mini-assignments and will receive workshop-style feedback with instructions on giving feedback with compassion. They will leave the class with clear strategies for developing realistic characters who are markedly different from themselves.   

New as well as established writers may enroll in this class. They may bring work they want to improve but may also create new work. Everyone will leave bursting with ideas about story and characterization, including a music playlist for one main character. 

In this workshop, we will generate new writing through guided exercises and prompts; offer feedback/first impressions on writing you produce in our weekend; workshop writing you bring from home.