Literature is filled with flawed, morally dubious, and even reprehensible main characters, but what does it take to write and imagine these characters as complex, multifaceted, and even problematically sympathetic human beings? And when was the last time you found yourself invested in a character with a worldview completely antithetical to your own?
In this course, we’ll examine some classic examples of characters we can’t resist relating to, even when they’re being categorically horrible people—and the wonderful moral tension this can generate. Then we’ll explore techniques for imagining our way into the perceptions of characters completely unlike ourselves, each with their own developed motivations, moral compass, and rational self-interest. And ultimately, we’re not going to save the world in an afternoon, but if any of these exercises lead to a little more understanding or compassion for those we just can’t wrap our heads around in our daily lives…well, that’s a bonus.
No research or advance prep needed, and we’ll build in optional writing exercises with time for sharing. Suitable for writers of all experience levels.
Dave Essinger’s new post-apocalyptic novel This World and the Next blurs boundaries between wild conspiracy theories, dystopian fiction, and current events. His first book, Running Out, was released in 2017. He has an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, is General Editor of the AWP Intro Journals Project, and teaches genre-friendly creative writing and edits the literary magazine Slippery Elm at the University of Findlay, in Ohio. See more at https://dave-essinger.com/.
Dave is new to The Porch. Welcome!
