Do your characters feel flat and lifeless?
Do you struggle to get inside your character's heads?
Do you want to write realistic characters readers will care about?
Imagine if in just a few quick lessons you could create compelling characters that your readers will love (or love to hate).
Developing fully realized characters that live and breathe on the page and inside readers' hearts and minds is a critical element in writing a story that resonates and lingers long after a reader closes the book.
In Keys to Creating Compelling Characters, you will learn the basic components of how to write realistic characters that engage readers and keep them reading.
This course offers five in-depth, yet easy-to-complete, lessons on creating compelling characters, including video lessons, and time-tested worksheets that I have developed and use in my book coaching business to support my clients. Plus, a sixth Bonus Lesson to help you ensure the best character arc for your story!
Are you ready to learn how to make readers fall in love with your characters?
Learn how to develop characters that will hook readers and keep them captivated.
Learn at your own pace. You get lifetime access to all the course materials!
This course is entirely self-paced, so you can review the materials and exercises on your schedule. This gives you the freedom to take your time with each lesson, ensuring you fully grasp the concepts before moving forward. Plus, you can use the worksheets as many times as you want, creating all the additional complex characters you need.
This self-paced course is for:
- Writers who want to learn how to create characters readers will fall in love with.
- Writers with a great idea for a story need help developing characters that will keep readers engaged and along for the ride.
- Writers who have built extensive worlds but are having trouble filling them with realistic characters.
- Writers who have developed great plots but struggle to create believable and compelling characters.
- Writers who struggle with getting inside their characters' hearts and heads.
What's Inside
Keys to Creating Compelling Characters
Keys to Creating Captivating Characters is an online course that contains five lessons designed to help you develop characters readers will love (or love to hate).
With engaging lessons, practical writing exercises, solid examples, and fillable worksheets this course provides everything you need to create believable, complex characters.
This self-paced course ensures you have the knowledge and tools needed to successfully people your fictional world with fully realized characters. Each lesson provides the knowledge and tools you need to turn flat, cardboard cut-outs into complex, compelling characters.
Character Misbeliefs
Readers read to make sense of the world and see/experience how characters learn, grow, and overcome the challenges thrown at them. Learn how to create believable characters with deep-seated issues and misbeliefs.
Character Goals
Knowing what your character wants allows us to root for (or against) them. Your character’s goals—their needs and desires—need to be established early in a story to engage the reader and make them care about what will happen next.
Character Strengths & Weaknesses
A flawed character is much more interesting than a bland one. No one is perfect. Make your characters believable and accessible by making them multifaceted.
Character Perspective
We behave in the world—acting and reacting—based on a variety of things such as our personality traits, needs, desires, and misbeliefs. But complex characters also have complex beliefs, especially about big issues.
Conflict Reveals Character
We are generally on our best behavior as we navigate our days. However, when conflict strikes and we are forced to deal with it, our true natures are revealed.
Character Arc
BONUS LESSON!
Motivation is the glue that forces the character to stick to their goals to the bitter end.
FAQ
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What do I get in the course?
The course includes video/audio lectures, fillable worksheets, writing exercises, and examples to illuminate the concepts.
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How long will I have access to the course?
Enrollment in the course provides you with lifetime access to the course materials. You can revisit the lessons and materials anytime you like.
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I’m new to writing. Is this course suitable for beginners?
You bet! This course is designed for both new and experienced writers. The lessons and worksheets are great tools for anyone struggling to create complex, compelling characters.
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How much time will I need to dedicate to the course each week?
While the course is self-paced, I recommend setting aside about an hour per lesson to go through the material and complete the exercises. Giving your subconscious the space to do some of the work can help! Your time may vary depending on your individual pace and available time.
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Can I apply these techniques to any genre?Yes! The lessons contained in this course are applicable to all fiction genres.
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What if I find that the course isn't right for me?Due to the digital nature of this product, there will be no refunds after purchase.
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Will I get to work directly with you?
This is a self-paced course, so you will work through the material on your own. However, if you'd like to work directly with me, you may be interested in my one-on-one book coaching offerings. To learn more about my Book Coaching packages, click here.
About Sharon Skinner
Sharon Skinner holds a GPC, a BA in English, an MA in Creative Writing and is a Certified Book Coach and freelance editor, whose goal is to help writers weave their words into stories that shine. She writes fantasy, science fiction and paranormal for audiences of all ages. Skinner is an active member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and serves as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI AZ.
She served as an Arizona State Library Writer in Residence for Scottsdale Library (2017), Mesa Library (2018), Tempe Library (2019), and Chandler Library (2023).
Her Young Adult and Middle-Grade novels tend to explore complex relationships, particularly those between women, and especially mothers and daughters.
A proud Navy veteran, she served aboard the USS Jason, the first US Navy vessel to take women to sea (WestPac cruise). But that’s another story.
A voracious and eclectic reader, Skinner also loves drawing, arts and crafts, sewing, and costume-making (especially steampunk). Her guiltiest pleasure is online gaming, and her biggest weakness is home-made, double-dark chocolate fudge. She lives in Arizona with her husband and an annoying but lovable cat.
More information can be found at bookcoachingbysharon.com or sharonskinner.com
Join Sharon's mailing list and get access to quarterly AMAs (Ask Me Anything events) starting January 2025.