Gay romance fiction

Character Dynamics

craft workshops for genre authors

  • Subtopics: (Character workshops can focus on...)
    • Big Bad: building memorable villains
    • Power Couples: matches & catches that make relationships pop
    • Dynamic Duo: perfecting protagonist/antagonist combos
    • Moving Characters: casting and drafting to amp emotional impact
    • Dark Heart: backstory, depth, and motivation without info dumps
    • Star Turns: building unforgettable leads to drive your story
    • Happier Endings: unique character goals to boost conflict and stakes
    • Verbal Impact: characterization that attracts fans and plots itself
    • Character Lab: hands-on exercises to improve your cast at any stage
  • Format: all sessions available in lengths from one to six hours.
  • Technical requirements: projector/screen.

 

General Class Blurb:

CHARACTER BUILDING with Damon Suede

Bestsellers start with fascinating people. In this session we’ll take your fictional folks to the next level with a simple, powerful technique that will strengthen your plots, your hooks, and your voice. Go beyond looks, persona, and boilerplate traits so you can build the perfect cast to dazzle your readers.

Compelling characters boost your writing process and anchor your career at any stage. Whether you like to wing it or bring it, you’ll leave this workshop with a new set of practical, hands-on tools to populate your pages and lay the foundations of unforgettable fiction.

Class Description:

Character Building is a practical workshop which takes characterization beyond boilerplate traits and faux interviews to get at what makes folks unforgettable on the page. During this session we’ll explore:

  • a characterization strategy that simplifies plotting, pitching, and revision…as well as preventing duds and derailments.

  • the secrets of compelling protagonists and unforgettable character arcs

  • the power of casting when developing story, hook, structure, and emotional impact.

  • character theories, familiar and freaky, that present fresh tools and inspiring options for working writers.

Each attendee — from raw newbies to perennial bestsellers, plotters and pantsers — will leave with a fresh approach to characterization, a fresh toolkit and exercises, and further resources to deepen and expand the craft of dreaming up characters.

Takeaways:

  • a new, intuitive characterization technique that simplifies plotting, drafting, revision, pitches, and marketing.

  • a protagonist toolkit to amplify engagement and increase narrative tension.

  • methods that deepen emotional impact and reader engagement.

  • a unique character-based approach to project planning that prevents duds and derailments at any stage of the creative process.

Presentations:

  • "Character Dynamics" workshop for Free Expressions in Tampa, FL (February 2024)
  • "Power Couples" for the King County Library in Bellevue, WA (February 2024)
  • "Reverberations" casting lab for the Crazy Scribes in Nashville, TN (February 2024)
  • "Dynamic Characters" class for Visual; Conference for game designers (January 2024)
  • "Verbal Impact" masterclass & "Character Lab" for PNWA in Issaquah, WA (November 2023)
  • "Dark Heart" for the Crazy Scribes in Nashville, TN (June 2023)
  • "Dark Heart" for PNWA in Seattle, WA (May 2023)
  • "Character Dynamics" for Inked Writers in New York, NY (April 2023)
  • "Character Dynamics" for the Crazy Scribes in Nashville, TN (February 2023)
  • "Big Bad" for the PNWA Conference in Seattle, WA (September 2022)
  • "Character Dynamics" for Stockholm Writers Festival in Stockholm, Sweden (May 2021)
  • "Dynamic Duo" masterclass for Writers for Diversity online (January 2021)
  • "Character Dynamics" workshop for Writers for Diversity online (November 2020)
  • "Dynamic Duo" at the PNWA Conference in Seattle, WA (September 2020)
  • "Happier Endings" at the Bristol Writing Workshop 2019 in Bristol, UK (November 2019)
  • "Power Couples" at the Ripped Bodice in Culver City, CA (October 2019)
  • "Characterization" masterclass for Indiana RWA in Indianapolis, IN (October 2019)
  • "Character Building" at the PNWA Conference in Seattle, WA (September 2019)
  • "Dark Heart" for Desert Rose RWA  in Phoenix, AZ (June 2019)
  • "Moving Characters" at Romance Writers of Calgary in Calgary, Canada (May 2019)
  • "Character Building" at Georgia RWA in Atlanta, GA (April 2019)
  • "Character Building" masterclass at DARA/NTRWA in Dallas, TX (April 2019)
  • "Moving Characters" workshop at the BLC Mini Boot Camp at Coastal Magic Convention in Daytona Beach, FL (March 2019)
  • "Character Building" for Philadelphia RWA in Philadelphia, PA (January 2019)
  • "Dark Heart" masterclass as a "Workshop in a Box" presented at 31+ RWA chapters all over North America (November 2018 through December 2019)
  • "Verbal Impact" masterclass for Emerald City Writers Conference and GSRWA in Bellevue, WA (October 2018)
  • "Dark Heart," "Verbal Impact," & "Character Lab" for the Sacramento RWA Retreat in Auburn, CA (October 2018)
  • "Moving Characters" & "Star Turns" at Novelists Inc Conference/NINC in St. Petersburg, FL (September 2018)
  • "Dark Heart" masterclass for the Dreamspinner Author Weekend in Orlando, FL (September 2018)
  • "Dark Heart" at Long Island RWA in South Huntingdon, NY (August 2018)
  • "Moving Characters" at Romance Writers of New Zealand conference in Auckland, NZ (August 2018)
  • "Power Couples" class for Hearts Through History Romance Writers in Denver, CO (July 2018)
  • "Happier Endings" at RWA 2018 Nationals in Denver, CO (July 2018)
  • "Moving Characters" for the Rhode Island Romance Writers Retreat in Providence, RI (June 2018)
  • "Verbal Impact" & "Character Lab" masterclass for NJRWA in Iselin, NJ (April 2018)
  • "Moving Characters" at the Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference in Iselin, NJ (March 2018)
  • "Moving Characters" masterclass for the WRWDC Retreat in Bethesda, MD (February 2018)
  • "Verbal Impact" masterclass at the Bristol Romance and Suspense Workshop 2017 in Bristol, UK (November 2017)
  • "Moving Characters" for Orange County RWA in Fullerton, CA (October 2017)
  • "Power Couples" at Northwest Houston RWA in Houston, TX (October 2017)
  • "Power Couples" masterclass for the Dreamspinner Author Weekend in Orlando, FL (September 2017)
  • "Character Building" at the Heart of Denver minicon in Denver, CO (September 2017)
  • "Moving Characters" at Long Island RWA in South Huntingdon, NY (September 2017)
  • "Star Turns" for YARWA in Orlando, FL (July 2017)
  • "Power Couples" at RWA 2017 Nationals in Orlando, FL (July 2017)
  • "Moving Characters" at Windy City RWA in Chicago, IL (June 2017)
  • "Character Building" at the NECRWA Conference in Burlington, MA (April 2017)
  • "Power Couples" at the Liberty States Fiction Writers Conference in Iselin, NJ (March 2017)
  • "Excavating Characters" with Kristan Higgins & Farrah Rochon at RWA 2016 Nationals in San Diego, CA (July 2016)
  • "Character Building" for RT Boot Camp (Each May, 2012-2018)

"No one deserves to be punished for loving with an open heart." (Hot Head - D. Suede)

Recommended reading:

CRAFT

PERSONALITY MODELS

LITERARY TRADITIONS

ESOTERIC MODELS

PERFORMANCE

"For an endless moment, Runt imagined the crooked corporation had folded and they’d been forgotten, laughing and living together under these perfect suns, waiting for wives that would never come, happily hunting fresh meat at the sharp edge of the galaxy." (Grown Men - D. Suede)

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"For an endless moment, Runt imagined the crooked corporation had folded and they’d been forgotten, laughing and living together under these perfect suns, waiting for wives that would never come, happily hunting fresh meat at the sharp edge of the galaxy." (Grown Men - D. Suede)

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If you'd like to book Damon to come present a workshop for your group or chapter, just give a holler.