There are few things more essential to a successful novel than your clear understanding of your main character's desire. What do they want? Will they get it by novel's end? And if they do, will they be happy about it?

With the answers to these questions, you can develop a compelling narrative arc and sustain tension and drama through the entire course of your novel.

In this three-hour course, we'll discuss short readings that shed light on this important narrative element, and we'll do exercises to help you articulate what it is that your protagonist wants. You'll leave the class with a better sense of what's driving your character and what's setting—and keeping—your story in motion.

Tuition: $100. Sign-up deadline: August 25