Level: Beginning/Intermediate
Instructor: Melissa Payne
September 27 – November 8 (6 Fridays, NO CLASS October 18th)
9:30 – 11:30 am
$125 CAE member / $138 non-member
Minimum 5 / Maximum 12

How to deepen your story by developing characters from the inside out

Whether you are writing creative nonfiction, memoir, or fiction, the way you hook a reader is by building empathy for your characters. This character could be you, a fictional person, or a person you know in real life. No matter what type of story you’re tell, your story needs characters readers want to care about. But to hook your readers, you will need to know your characters from the inside out. This course will focus on creating multi-dimensional people that evoke emotion and empathy through enhanced descriptions, a deeper understanding of backstory, motivation and developing meaningful dialogue. Do we know our characters well enough to write rich, relatable and real people that pull at our heartstrings and move our stories forward? Together we will put our characters and sometimes ourselves to the test. This course is designed to meet writers where they are, whether it’s on page one or two-hundred and fifty-one and applies to any writer with a story to tell.

Melissa Payne is the bestselling author of five novels, including A Light in the Forest, The Night of Many Endings, and The Wild Road Home. After an early career raising money for nonprofit organizations, Melissa began dreaming about becoming a published author and wrote her first novel. Her stories feature small mountain towns with characters searching for redemption, love, and second chances. They have been three-time Colorado Book Award finalists and Colorado Authors League 2020 and 2023 winners for mainstream fiction. Melissa lives in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children, a friendly mutt, a very loud cat, and the occasional bear. For more information, visit www.melissapayneauthor.com or find her on Instagram @melissapayne_writes.