If structure is a vehicle and plot is the road ahead, our characters belong in the driver's seat, but where does the writer fit in? In this course, I will offer control of the wheel from the writer's seat when dealing with wounded characters. We will define and discuss character roles such as protagonist, antagonist, and catalyst to determine how these roles function within narrative structure. Together, we will unwind the psychology of our characters to understand emotional wounding, how feelings and fears work in relationship to central conflict, and how these states affect characters' decisions. Attendees will leave the workshop knowing their characters more intimately through an understanding of the roles they play with a firmer grasp on how our characters drive plot and build the scaffolding of structure. In this, writers will deepen bonds with their most mysterious characters by better understanding the psychology that motivates them.

Emily Jon Tobias is an American author and poet with her debut story collection, MONARCH, forthcoming by Black Lawrence Press in May, 2024. She is an award-winning writer whose work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, along with other honorable mentions, and has been featured in various literary journals and magazines. Midwestern-raised, she now lives and writes on the coast of Southern California where she is at work on her debut novel and other projects. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from Pacific University Oregon.