Writing the Villain Online Class
Registration is open for my fall online class, “Writing the Villain and Other Unsavory Characters” with the Loft Literary Center. The class runs for six weeks from September 25 to November 6. Students work at their own pace in an online forum and receive personalized feedback from the instructor on assignments.
Villains. The characters we love to hate. How do we create these dangerous and unlikable characters? How far can we push before bad is too bad? We will begin by identifying types of villains and choose one type for our story. Next, we’ll look at how backstory drives character motive through a series of questions designed to dig into the psychology of our character and how this might inform our plot as well as create sympathy for our character. We’ll continue our journey into the dark by drafting a short character story in any genre, including picture book, through the point of view of the villain.
Students will share their work and offer feedback focusing on our
villain character. Readings for the class will include selections from a
young adult short story collection: Because You Love to Hate Me: 13
Tales of Villainy edited by Ameriie, The True Story of the Three Little
Pigs by Jonathan Scieszka and Bullies, Bastards and Bitches: How to
Write the Bad Guys of Fiction by Jessica Page Morrell.
