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All genres have traps, inherent weaknesses that writers can fall prey to if we aren’t careful. Maybe your literary fiction has beautifully dimensional characters, but not a lot going on. Or maybe your thriller has a high-octane plot, but the characters seem too archetypal or forgettable.

These might seem like opposite problems, but the solution is the same: It’s time to stop thinking of plot and character as separate elements and start powering up your protagonist’s motivations to fuel the engine of your story, driving the action and enhancing the theme.

In this 90-minute workshop, you’ll learn how to leverage your characters’ goals and desires from Page 1 to get readers to quickly invest in their journeys, eager to come along for the ride. With plenty of examples from bestsellers across genres, you’ll see how focusing on character motivations as a guiding principle can not only bring your story’s central players to life, but add propulsion to your plot, raise and complicate the stakes, and deepen the meaning of your story.

You’ll learn:

• How your characters’ motivations compel readers to care about them
• How to minimize backstory to just the right details to maximize impact
• How your characters’ strengths and flaws should relate to their goals
• How to juggle multiple points of view, each with their own driving motivations
• How to use shortcuts to access the very heart of a character
• Why the most relatable characters want specific things that still feel universal
• How to build tension through characters’ conflicting desires
• How character motivations might look different with unreliable narrators
• How to leverage your primary and secondary characters’ relationships for enhanced authenticity, complexity, and staying power.

Who should take this class

• Fiction writers whose work-in-progress takes too long to gain momentum
• Fiction writers working on an outline or story plan that feels disjointed or incomplete
• Fiction writers who feel their characters are generally stronger than their plots, or vice versa
• Fiction writers who are struggling with pacing and can’t identify why
• Fiction writers who feel stuck in the “muddle in the middle” of their story
• Fiction writers in the drafting stages of their novel, looking for direction
• Fiction writers in the revision stages who need clarity on what isn’t working
• Fiction writers who’ve been told the ending of their story isn’t satisfying the reader

This class is NOT for:

• Memoir or any type of nonfiction writer, unless you’re comfortable adapting narrative storytelling strategies to your memoir on your own. All examples used in the workshop will be fiction.
• Children’s writers
• Poets

How do I attend the live class?

This class uses Zoom webinar technology. You will join through your Internet-connected computer or mobile device. When you register, you will receive information via email on how to join the class. If you don’t receive it within 1 hour of registering, please contact us.

• When: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026
• Time: 1:00–2:30 p.m. Eastern Time / 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Pacific Time
• Fee: $25 through Feb. 8, 2026 / $35 if you register after Feb. 8, 2026

The webinar is broadcasted via the internet with live audio delivered through your computer or mobile device speakers. The visual presentation is displayed directly from the presenter’s computer to your computer screen. The Q&A is managed through a chat-style submission system with questions read and answered by the presenter for the entire class to hear.

Closed captions are provided during the live class. We use Zoom’s automated closed caption service (powered by Otter), which is about 80%+ accurate.

Refund policy

If you attend the live class and/or watch the recording, and it does not meet your expectations, contact us for a full refund, no questions asked.

All students receive the following

• Access to the live class (90 minutes). The instructor will take questions during class using in-class chat/text. The class will end after roughly 90 minutes.
• A recording of the class—audio and video. This is especially helpful if you have a conflict with the class time or something comes up and you can’t make the session. Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials for 30 days. You do not have to attend the live event to access the recordings.
• Presentation slides. All participants receive a copy of the slide presentations in PDF form.
• Rough transcript. We offer a lightly edited transcript of each webinar, which we’ll share with you in addition to the audio and video recording.

Event Attendance & Anti-Harassment Policy

We strive to provide an environment where all present—whether attendee or presenter—can feel supported. In order to ensure a welcoming event, here is what we expect from all who participate.

• That the presenter and the presenter’s work be treated with respect by attendees and that all attendees treat each other with respect and a generosity of spirit.
• That attendees will refrain from harassment of any sort including (but not limited to) comments or questions of a racist, homophobic, sexist/sexual, or threatening nature. This includes actions that disrupt or interfere with anyone’s ability to participate. Offenders will be asked to leave the live event and will not be refunded.