Margie Lawson

Killing
People and Other Writerly Pursuits

September 1-30; Fee: $60

Instructor: Sarah Hamer

Description

So you have a character you're just dying to kill.
Maybe he is a real villain and deserves to die. Or, instead, she is a sweet
child and everybody cries when she slips away in the middle of the night.
Regardless, there's a right place, time and reason to get rid of that character
and it HAS to move the story forward.

This is a writing Master Class, with the dual benefits
of digging deeply into the psychological reasons for killing a character, and
of building a believable story structure around a death.

What you’ll learn:

• Create a
  believable underlying reason for a character's death
• Create the
  perfect character to kill
• Determine which
  character needs to die and why

·
Find the perfect time to kill a character.
Even in non-fiction, timing is everything.

·
Create a believable way for a character to
die

·
How accurate does a death have to be?

·
How to create a believable reaction from
other characters and, ultimately, from the reader

·
How to make sure the death is a strong
part of the story structure

·
Determine if killing that character is the
"right thing" to do

Who should take this course:

• Writers who
  understand the basics of Point of View, dialogue, characterization, etc.
• Anyone who wants
  to write a compelling, believable story.
• Anyone ready to
  take their writing to the next level

Lesson Plan

Lesson One:

• Why does someone
  need to die?
• Which character
  will die and why?
• Archetypes and
  how their deaths affect other characters

Lesson Two:

• Dealing with
  structure
• Determining
  timing
• Creating emotional
  power

Lesson Three:

• Finding the
  perfect way to kill a character
• Making a death
  believable
• The importance
  of accuracy

Lesson Four:

·
Creating a timeline and grid to correctly place the death into
perspective

·
Pumping up the tension for characters and readers

Every lesson comes with reference material and homework
assignments.