Bad Characters, Good Fiction

Decscription

Some of fiction’s most compelling characters are not particularly nice people. They lie, manipulate, betray, behave selfishly, make terrible choices – and yet we keep turning the page. In this 2.5-hour fiction workshop, we’ll explore what makes morally complicated and unlikeable characters work. How do you make a reader care about someone without making that character good? How can contradiction, selfishness, cruelty and self-justification give a character depth rather than simply make them unpleasant? And what happens when a writer makes the reader understand – or even sympathise with – behaviour they would normally condemn? Through short writing exercises, discussion and practical examples, we’ll experiment with techniques for creating characters who are flawed, contradictory and difficult to judge. We’ll look at character motivation, moral ambiguity, reader sympathy and complicity, and at the gap between how characters see themselves and how others see them. You’ll write throughout the evening, beginning with short exercises and building towards a longer piece in which you’ll put some of these ideas into practice. We’ll finish with an optional read-out, where participants can share a favourite line or short extract from something they’ve written during the workshop. Taught by the award-winning writer and experienced teacher, Colette Victor. You don’t need to arrive with a character or story already in mind, and no previous fiction-writing experience is required. Come prepared to create some badly behaved people.