Class

Elevate Your Supporting Characters

Supporting characters are often relegated to the background, populating the story solely to shore up the main character. But your supporting characters have their own lives to live. They can be vibrant and interesting, compelling and surprising. They can have their own character arc. Complex supporting characters can offer new insights into the protagonist and create a richer storyline.

In this generative and fun class, we will review the different types of supporting characters, as well as common character types. We’ll read published works that use these techniques successfully, including Emily Henry, Celeste Ng, Leesa Cross-Smith, David Yoon, and Tayari Jones, and then put those techniques into practice with short, guided prompts.

By the end of class, you'll:

- Identify different types of supporting characters
- Understand the techniques used to create surprising and convincing supporting characters.
- Learn how to create an arc for supporting characters that doesn’t overshadow the protagonist.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.