NaNo Prep 2022: Character Workshop

WtO Admin
NaNo prep Character Workshop

When: October 1st, 2022 | 9AM – 4PM Pacific
Where: Online via Zoom video conference
Price: $125
Scholarships Available

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo? Before you put words to page, get to know your main character/s better with this Preptober workshop. Join authors Piper J. Drake and Alethea Kontis for a day of writing exercises and feedback that will help you dig into your character’s background, giving you a solid foundation for their motivations and actions in the story you’re about to tell.

You’ll leave with a set of exercises that you can use over and over for any major character and at any time in the writing process.

This workshop is for all narrative writers at any skill level creating any type of characters (not just those whose identities are very different to your own!). It’s also open to people who are NOT doing National Novel Writing Month. Anyone looking to understand their characters better is welcome to attend.

The workshop will be from 9 AM – 4 PM Pacific (click here to convert to your time zone). See detailed schedule below.

Who Should Take This Workshop?

Writers of all genres — Literary, YA, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Children’s Books, Romance — and narrative mediums — Prose, Playwriting, Screenwriting, and Graphic Novels, from newbie to professional. You can join this workshop whether you’re participating in National Novel Writing Month or not.

Schedule

All times Pacific (click here to convert to your time zone).

Session 1: 9am – 10:15am
Session 2: 10:20am – 12pm
Food Break: 12pm – 1pm
Session 3: 1pm – 2:30pm
Session 4: 2:35pm – 4pm

The schedule is subject to minor changes.

Accessibility

Zoom meetings software is compatible with standard screen readers and has several other accessibility features that make it possible for writers who are Blind or vision impaired to participate in the webinar. 

Because we will use breakout rooms, closed captions (auto-generated by Rev.com) will be available, though only for students in one workshop group. If you need captions, you’ll have an opportunity to let us know before the workshop begins.

Technical Requirements

Zoom video conferencing works on computers, tablets, and most smartphones. We suggest you access the workshop via a computer for the best experience. Before enrolling, make sure your computer or mobile device is compatible with Zoom. To do that, load the app on your system and join this test meeting.

Webcams are not necessary, microphones are.

Full and Partial Scholarship Opportunities

A small number of scholarships are available. If you do not have the financial means to pay for all or part of the registration cost for the workshop, we encourage you to apply.  We have a broad definition of financial need that ranges from writers who do not have the money at all to writers who have the funds but can’t afford to use them for a writing class. We especially encourage writers who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to apply. Wherever you exist on the financial needs spectrum, don’t self reject! (Still not sure whether you should apply? Read this post.)

Additionally, in acknowledgment of the difficulty Palestinian writers may have in accessing resources and the obstacles their voices face in being heard, we have set aside scholarship spots specifically for writers of Palestinian heritage.

IMPORTANT: We set aside scholarship spots ahead of opening registration. Even if the workshop sells out before the deadline, scholarship spots are still reserved. If you plan to apply for a scholarship you do not need to register below.

If you can afford to pay for part but not all of the registration fee, please apply for a partial scholarship. Under this financial aid plan you can let us know the amount you can afford. If you cannot afford to pay at all, please apply for a full scholarship. 

To apply, please fill out this form. You’ll be asked to provide:

  • A brief (300 or fewer words) statement of financial need.
  • A brief (500 or fewer words) description of a work or works you hope the workshop will help you with.
  • If you customarily identify as POC, BIPOC, BAME, or Palestinian, you may indicate that if you wish.

Deadline: 11:59PM Pacific September 21, 2022. We will notify all applicants of their standing by September 24. If you have any questions, please use our contact form to ask!

Refund Policy

If you find that you need to drop the workshop, you may do so by requesting a refund via Eventbrite.

If you drop by September 26, you will receive a full refund minus a service fee.

If you drop on September 27 or after you will not have your registration fee refunded. However, you will get a copy of the exercises and a credit applied toward a future course.

Register Below

If you have a Gift Card, discount, or code to access tickets, please click the “Enter promo code” link in the Registration box below before you begin the process. If the box below gives you trouble, click here to register on our Eventbrite page.