No matter what genre you work in, character is essential to strong fiction. Your characters draw your readers in and make your stories unique. This session will discuss the process of character development, what makes our "people" stand out, and how we as writers can get to know them, while also leaving room for them to evolve on the page and surprise us. In-session prompts and creative exercises will help you explore your ideas and will give you jumping-off points for your projects.
     Whether you're building new characters from scratch or getting to know the players in a current project, this session will help you create vivid, real, and unforgettable characters.
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KRIS FAATZ (rhymes with skates) is a Baltimore-area writer, teacher, and musician. Her short fiction has appeared or is forthcoming in journals including Atticus Review and Rappahannock Review, and most recently received recognition in competitions run by Driftwood Press and Black Fox Magazine. Her second novel, Fourteen Stones, was first published in New Zealand in 2022, with an American edition released by Highlander Press (Baltimore) in June 2024. Her third novel, Line Magic, was shortlisted for the Santa Fe Writers Project’s 2023 Literary Awards. Kris teaches creative writing and is a performing pianist. Visit her online here.