Writing Novels for Children and Young Adults: Creating Character

(WSP 121)

As readers of literature for middle-grade children and young adults, we all have favorite heroes and villains, whether the drama between them unfolds in Narnia or on the dodgeball court. But what makes a hero heroic or a villain villainous? What details of dress, speech, and gesture let the reader know this is a person to trust or mistrust? And how does an adult reader’s perception of character differ from a child’s?

This two-day intensive workshop will combine close reading of children’s fiction with writing exercises geared toward creating and revealing characters to readers at a range of ages. Through discussion and brief critiques we will consider use of dialogue, landscape, historical setting, and foils, as well as ways to develop characters that don’t feel stuck or flat.

Molly Breen, Lecturer in Continuing Studies

Molly Breen has taught critical and creative writing at Yale University, where she received a BA and MA in English literature. She has also taught at several nonprofits in San Francisco, including the Mission Language and Vocational School and Walden House. She is author of the young adult novel, Darkwood.