FICT 114 W — Plotting for Pantsers: Character as Story Engine
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Thomas McNeely
Date(s): Jan 20—Mar 10
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Wednesdays
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Tuition: $860
Refund Deadline: Jan 22
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 18
Status: Registration opens Nov 30, 8:30 am (PT)
Quarter: Winter
Day: Wednesdays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 5:30—6:30 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 20—Mar 10
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $860
Refund Deadline: Jan 22
Instructor(s): Thomas McNeely
Grade Restriction: NGR only; no credit/letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 18
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Registration opens Nov 30, 8:30 am (PT)
Plot is the engine of story—and one of the hardest skills for writers to master. Popular outlining systems like Save the Cat! can feel too rigid and prescriptive for writers who consider themselves “pantsers," those who write by the seat of their pants, discovering the story as they go. This course offers an intuitive way to build plot from the inside out, starting with character. The most compelling plots arise from a character’s contradictions, desires, and emotional logic. Through weekly lessons and exercises, you’ll create vivid characters who drive tension and keep readers turning pages. We’ll explore how to introduce characters with specificity, subvert stereotypes, plant narrative questions that sustain curiosity, and structure backstory for emotional impact. This course benefits writers of short or long fiction as well as narrative nonfiction, and supports both drafting and revision. You’ll leave with a deeper understanding of how character fuels plot.