Starts Wednesday, July 31st, 2024

The class will meet weekly via Zoom on Wednesdays from 7:00PM - 9:00PM EST

Taught by Robert Anthony Siegel, the author of a memoir, Criminals, and two novels, All Will Be Revealed and All the Money in the World. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian Magazine, The Paris Review, The Drift, The Oxford American, and Ploughshares, and has been anthologized in Best American Essays 2023, O. Henry Stories 2014, and Pushcart Prize XXXVI. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, a Mombukagakusho Fellow in Japan, a Writing Fellow at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and a Paul Engle Fellow at the Iowa Writers Workshop. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop.

How do fiction writers create characters that feel rounded, rich, layered, surprising, and real?

This weekly online class is designed to introduce you to four fabulous ways to create new characters. We begin by considering what character is and how it works, breaking the question into its components.

After that, we use a series of guided exercises to introduce you to four distinct ways to think about the beautiful, exciting, near-miraculous process of character creation. Along the way, you will generate four new characters of your own, ready for use in future stories.

In addition to class, I will meet with every student individually for a thirty-minute conference to talk about developing a story around one of your new characters.

Class Requirements:

This class is open to all levels of experience. No preparation is needed. Just come to class ready to write, explore, and share.

COURSE TAKEAWAYS: 

• Four brand new characters you can use in future stories.
• New techniques for keeping in touch with your creativity and generating fictional characters.

• Week One: What is character?
• Week Two: From theme to character
• Week Three: From place to character
• Week Four: From work to character
• Week Five: Character in reaction to character

TESTIMONIALS:

"This course exceeded my expectations. Robert "dripped" the craft-info to us, just enough to get to the next exercise. It never felt "information heavy" to me. He covered everything for me." -Robert B.

"The course was wonderful. The wealth of information and the opportunity to use the exercises to think through my novel was most valuable. What an excellent course all around: the structure, content, and atmosphere." -former student 

"I found Robert's provision of tools, and then the practical application in exercises most valuable.  Robert is one of the best that I have learned from. His tempo and pace throughout the class were great. He listens with a keen ear, and is very approachable and compassionate in his delivery. He also shared a lot of examples of novels for us to read and pick up on ways to deliver story." -Carol R.

"Robert was superb. He created an encouraging atmosphere, a clear step-by-step building of ideas, and helpful exercises. Highly recommend!" -former student

"This class exceeded my expectations. I found the didactic portions were extremely informative and so were the exercises very valuable." -Lisa M.

"Full of richly drawn characters and jolting plot twists—Glasser’s time behind bars is especially chilling—Siegel’s debut novel works both as a parable of how quickly the high and mighty can fall, and as gripping drama. 'Money' well spent." -NEW YORK POST on ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

"Early in this novel, there is a wonderful scene—rich with embarrassment—in which Louis Glasser, the altogether unlikely hero, helps his Harvard-educated son buy a new suit. The son’s fortunes founder, but that’s nothing compared to the perils that overwhelm his father—a lawyer who operates on the margins and becomes the target of a criminal investigation. Siegel’s … portraits (loving and otherwise) of the Glassers, New York prosecutors, and various lowlifes are right on the money." -THE NEW YORKER on ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

"...Well-turned and elegant...Gloriously complex..." -ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION on ALL WILL BE REVEALED

"...A richly detailed and seedily seductive narrative." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY on ALL WILL BE REVEALED

"Robert's unique skill as a teacher comes from his enthusiasm not only for talking, which is present in many talented professors, but for listening... He has a reputation for being the best kind of teacher: generous, knowledgeable, demanding, and always at the ready with excellent advice." -former student

"The level of discourse was challenging and interesting and I think part of the reason for that was the casual atmosphere of discussion, fostered by Robert. When people are allowed to speak in an open, non-threatening environment, wonderful things happen." -former student

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE:

• Instructor: Robert Anthony Siegel
• Starts Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 
• The class will meet weekly via Zoom on Wednesdays from 7:00PM - 9:00PM EST
• Tuition is $425.

Contact us HERE if you have any questions about this class.

Instructor Robert Anthony Siegel is the author of a memoir, Criminals (Counterpoint,) and two novels. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Smithsonian Magazine, The Paris Review, The Drift, The Oxford American, and Ploughshares, and has been anthologized in Best American Essays 2023, O. Henry Stories 2014, and Pushcart Prize XXXVI. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Taiwan, a Mombukagakusho Fellow in Japan, a Writing Fellow at FAWC in Provincetown, and a Paul Engle Fellow at the Iowa Writers Workshop. He holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop, and a BA from Harvard.