Nonfiction Character Development with Tyrese Coleman

Character is an area of nonfiction prose that may be the most unlike fiction, as nonfiction is greatly limited by the point of view of the writer themselves. The writer as a character and/or the individuals they write about have actual real-life feelings that shape and control the freedom the nonfiction writer has in using them as characters. Characters in most nonfiction play a much different role than they do in most fiction, functions as portraits and foils for the narrator, rather than forces of longing that create narrative tension to motivate plot. 

Bring your notebooks and something to write with. This is an interactive seminar! 

During our time, you will:

• Use fiction and speculative nonfiction techniques to experiment with developing different points of view for nonfiction prose. 
• Differentiate between the writer at their desk and the narrator in the prose. 

From these elements, you will begin to bring a human character to the page, dimensional, who not only reacts when acted upon but who also acts, has a unique voice, and can bring to life the context of the real world in only the way creative nonfiction can do. 

Meet the Presenter

Tyrese L. Coleman is a writer, wife, mother, and attorney. Her debut collection of stories and essays, How to Sit, was published by Mason Jar Press in 2018 and nominated for a 2019 PEN Open Book Award. Her essays and stories have appeared in several publications including Black Warrior Review, The Kenyon Review, Literary Hub, The Rumpus, Buzzfeed, Brain, and Child Magazine. She is an alumni of the Writing Prgram at Johns Hopkins University. Find her at tyresecoleman.com or on Twitter @tylachelleco.

Register for Multiple Events and SAVE!

Register for this event and our upcoming April seminar with Erin Donley and save on registration. Registration for one event: $27. Registration for both events: $37!

Upcoming Events:

• April 22, 11:00am-12:30pm (CST): Your Guide to Self-Publishing" with Erin Donley