If there’s one secret to crafting dynamic characters who readers will remember it’s this: Connection.

The job of a fiction writer is not just to create interesting, compelling, and unique characters, but to weave those characters into the prose in a way that engages readers and connects them to the story.

Because you can have the most interesting, compelling, unique characters in the world but if you can’t effectively reveal those characters to your readers in a way that inspires them to keep reading, what’s the point?

Welcome to Writing Mastery: Crafting Dynamic Characters.

In this course, taught by character guru, literary agent and freelance editor, Mary Kole, you’ll learn how to not only create fully fleshed-out, dynamic characters, but also how to reveal them–and all of their wonderful nuances–in a way that grabs the reader’s attention, inspires their imagination, and captures their heart.

Mary Kole has been working with writers as a publishing assistant, literary agent, editor and writing teacher for more than a decade. She’s helped thousands of authors take flat, underdeveloped characters and turn them into dynamic ones that leap off the page.

In this course, Mary teaches her “secret sauce” for character success, centering around the concept of Interiority (the character’s inner life). Mary will break down, step by step the process of building and nurturing that invaluable reader/character relationship and provide you with 7 vital tools for weaving characters into your prose in an engaging way. Additionally, she’ll break down the Four Foundations of a Dynamic Character and walk you through the process of brainstorming and developing your own.

And throughout the course, she’ll give you tons of examples, actionable tips, and exercises to help you apply what you’ve learned and put your new skills to work.

By the end of this course, you’ll have:

• A solid understanding of why readers fall in love with characters and what makes for an interactive reading experience (an essential component of any successful story)
• 7 tools for effectively revealing characters to your readers in a way that engages them and makes them an active part of your story
• A firm grasp of the 4 foundations that make up a dynamic character
• At least one fully fleshed-out character that you can use to elevate a current work in progress or start a new story

Plus, along the way, in order to help solidify the skills taught in this course, instructors Jessica Brody and Mary Kole will take on each of the exercises in the course and share their results in fun, critique-group style “Instructor Jam” sessions. Seeing how professional writers approach the exercises will provide even more insight and context into how dynamic characters are crafted and revealed on the page.

This Course Includes:

• Tons of fun, inspiring writing prompts designed to break you out of old patterns, get you thinking about character in a new way, and help you apply all the skills taught in the course
• Examples from popular works of fiction to provide context and enhance your understanding of the material
• Tips and advice from a true publishing-industry insider on how to make fresh choices, brainstorm with confidence, and elevate your fiction writing and character development skills

Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, whether you have an idea for a story, are revising an existing project, or just looking for inspiration, this course is sure to take your character development skills to the next level.

"This course was a wonderful tool to help me understand character and character development! It's such an in-depth and comprehensive course, especially when combined with all the wonderful exercises and instructor jams. I'm excited to apply these techniques and practices while revising my recently completed first draft!"
- Anita P.

"Now I understand that character is really the foundation of a good story, and the majority of the plot and theme almost naturally flows out of knowing and understanding my own characters. It helped me recognize why some scenes in my story flowed effortlessly and felt right while other scenes felt wrong."
- Cathy M.

"It absolutely does help author to understand INNER & OUTER Motivation. The wound creates the need. The need is followed by the want and objective - I really, really get it now. It's all so good. " 
- Charles S.

"You and Mary are a magical team. The two of you are making my 75-year-old brain giggle. Now, I'm so excited to bring my characters to life. You've made me happy and excited to continue on with the course and my writing."
- Robin R.

"This course was really helpful in explaining character development. I was able to flesh out and add more layers to the main characters in my WIP."
- Claude C.

"There's a lot of useful information here, and it's presented very well, with examples and exercises for each part."
- Christian G.

"This was the best course on character I've ever taken. It really is a deep dive into how to create the right character for your story, as well as how to show them on the page."
- Meg F.

"This is a fantastic class that offers something for folks who have been writing a long time, as I have, and for beginners. Lots of good tips and insights to make characters more interesting, complex and nuanced."
- Kellye C.

"So in depth, so broken down into easily digestible, yummy little tid-bits of crafty goodness. I love it!"
- Kat L.

"Thank you Mary for creating such an AWESOME learning experience!!! You've inspired me and given me the tools that I soooo needed to build my confidence, to write, and create an amazing novel."
- Kellie S.