This workshop is taking place on 20th and 21st June 2020, within our stunning Glass House and garden. Tickets are €49.99 when bought on the door.

The characters we create can and will evolve into real people if we allow them to speak in their own voice without interference. But how do our characters turn into dynamic beings? How do they find their own truths? Through a series of writing exercises and discussions, we will create the profile of our protagonist and then allow him or her to answer challenging questions in their unique first person voice, designed to reveal hidden truths. Each prompt is chosen specifically for each character; no two writers will receive the same questions. As the workshop progresses, the characters will open up about that which haunts and thrills them. They will explore their personal histories, their unhealed wounds, their longings, disappointments, and uncertainties. They will speak freely about past and present relationships, and they will tell us what used to be important to them but no longer is.

By the end of the workshop, the protagonist that each writer has created will begin to emerge with an authentic voice and a distinct identity. Each writer will establish an intimacy with their protagonist and artfully shape their journey. The method used is particularly effective for those wishing to begin or are in the midst of writing a novel, memoir, short story, screenplay, teleplay, or stage play, where a richly drawn protagonist takes center-stage.

Examples of prompts:

1. When have you accepted only crumbs of love?

2. What wounds have you kept hidden, and what wounds have not yet healed?

3. When has fear of pain and loss stopped you from moving forward?

4. Who is behind the mask?

5. What qualities of your mother do you also possess?

6. What makes you angry?

7. What ordinary miracles do you neglect to notice?

8. What do you see when you look into your partner's eyes?

9. When did guilt creep into your bones and refuse to leave?

10. How do you sabotage relationships?

11. When have you felt betrayed?

12. How much is enough?

13. How did your family divide into teams, and whose side were you on?

14. What is important to you now that once wasn't?

15. What is no longer important to you that once was?

16. What does contentment look like?

17. Is it more difficult to give or to receive love?

18. As you age, are your grand purposes and lofty goals fading?

For more information about Lisa Doctor, visit her website here: http://lisadoctor.com/about/

More information about this specific workshop can be found here: https://www.sparkwomen.eu/calendar/character-development-writing-workshop-with-visiting-instructor-lisa-doctor