Creative Writing: Character

Module 5: Character

Design compelling characters who drive your story forward and connect with your readers

At the heart of every great story is a great character — someone who changes, struggles, grows, or fails. In this transformative session, Iain McKinnon will guide you through the process of creating characters that don’t just populate your pages, but move your story forward and resonate deeply with your readers.

Character is about more than quirks and backstory — it’s about change. Using a mix of literary theory and practical exercises, this session focuses on the internal arc that gives stories emotional depth and narrative power.

One of the most powerful tools you’ll explore is Dan Harmon’s Story Circle (also known as the Story Embryo) — a deceptively simple, yet incredibly effective model used by screenwriters and novelists alike. Harmon’s system strips storytelling down to its psychological core: a character who wants something, enters unfamiliar territory, is tested, and is changed by the journey. It’s intuitive, repeatable, and brilliant — and once you see how it works, you’ll never write the same way again.

In this workshop, you'll:

• Understand the stages of Dan Harmon’s Story Circle and how they relate to your character’s journey
• Discover how internal flaws, desires, and needs shape your plot and theme
• Use “Mirror Moments,” Wants vs Needs, and Flaws vs Virtues to build character arcs that matter
• Craft a Character Dossier to bring your protagonist and supporting characters to life
• Learn how characters and stakes intertwine to raise tension and deepen emotional investment

“All tales are, at some level, a journey into the woods to retrieve the missing part of us.” — John Yorke

All templates, character worksheets, and story circle diagrams are available at www.iain-mckinnon.com for continued work after the session.

If you've ever struggled to make your characters feel real, or wondered how to make their journey compelling from beginning to end — this is the workshop that will change the way you write.

Module 1: Introduction to Creative Writing, Rules & PURPOSE
Module 2: Metrics, Motivation & Productivity
Module 3: What is a Novel & Genre
Module 4: Plot
Module 5: Character
Module 6: Theme
Module 7: Word Choice
Module 8: Writing Scenes – SORCA
Module 9: Dialogue
Module 10: World Building
Module 11: Language Building
Module 12: Narrative Positioning & Description over Exposition
Module 13: Concept Mapping
Module 14: Constraint and Creativity
Module 15: Defamiliarization & NLP
Module 16: Suspense, Tension, Hooks & Cliffhangers & LOCK
Module 17: Editing
Module 18: Drafting your Novel with ChatGPT
Module 19: From Hook to Inbox: Blurbs, Synopses & Query Letters for Novelists
Module 20: Author Function – Social Media Guide

http://www.iain-mckinnon.co.uk/creative-writing-course.html

Secure your spot today and let's embark on this transformative writing course together!