New Skillshare Class on Creating Fictional Characters

My newest Skillshare class, Making A Hero: Protagonist Development for Film & Fiction, launched today! In it, I share the questions and prompts that were pivotal for my own writing process.

Class Description:

What is it that draws us into a story? It’s not that we haven’t seen a boy-meets-girl before, or watched a movie about a heist. There’s nothing new under the sun. What makes us care is not that there is an explosion, but that a character we love is caught in the blast.

Stories are not about happenings; they’re about the people who experience what happened. Though many stories can be categorized as being either plot-driven or character driven, the best of them balance both. To figure out what your story is about, you need to also figure out whom it’s about; because your protagonist and plot are irrevocably intertwined. They are the two sides of the same coin, each mutually defining the other.

In this class, we’ll explore the two sides of that coin. I’ll be walking you through a series of questions to help you generate ideas and solidify who your main character is in relation to your plot.

Class Project:

Your class project will be to create a protagonist. Upload a description of your hero and answers to the character questions presented in the course, along with anything else that helps you solidify who your character is. Whether or not you use him or her in your story is up to you.

Running Time: 27 Minutes

Learning Level: Beginner

“Rebecca Loomis is an excellent instructor of fiction writing. Her class on story structure and this one on character development have helped me tremendously, although I am not a total novice. Very well done. Thank you, Rebecca.”

—Judy

Other Classes

“Really complete, with perfectly good examples, and in full detail. Thank you so much, helped me a lot!”

–Vitoria

“Great intro class for beginners! Leaving with a great tool box for taking better photos.”

—Zofia