WORKSHOPS!
WORLD BUILDING 101
As every fiction writer knows, creating a cohesive world
for your characters to inhabit is not only important, but
mandatory. Denise leads students through the creation of a
science fiction or fantasy world. She gives them the
general rules to build the foundation and then, Denise lets
the students add elements to the basic building blocks
until they have developed a fascinating world. The students
get the opportunity to write a scene from this world and by
the end of the workshop, participants have enough
background to apply what they learned to a novel or short
story.
CREATING CHARACTERS THROUGH DENISE VITOLA'S EULOGY
DESIGN
Denise found that new fiction writers have trouble creating
believable characters. They usually produce lifeless,
colorless people. Denise discovered the reason for this is
because most writers will make boring character history
lists and try to mold them into an interesting person. The
writer loses interest immediately. So, she came up with a
development method using her Eulogy Design. This method
takes the writer to the character's funeral! Denise shows
the student how to liven up the character synopsis with a
unique voice that will motivate writers to create
compelling and fascinating characters.
CREATING CHARACTERS USING THE TAROT CARDS
The tarot cards have been around for centuries. The Major
Arcana in the decks are based on universal archetypes and
minor arcana support these archetypes with emotion. Denise
shows participants how to read the card's symbols and
combine the Major and Minor Arcana to imbue a character
with life. Students will then get the opportunity to write
several character synopses using this method. Each student
should have a personal tarot deck but it's not required.
