Write at CPL: Character, Emotion, and Suspense

Join other aspiring authors this fall for Write at CPL, a series of workshops presented by our partners at Story Studio. This workshop will focus on Character, Emotion, and Suspense and is led by Anca L. Szilágyi. In this generative class, we'll play with a variety of tools, strategies, and interactive exercises to develop the interior lives of our characters. We’ll consider the emotional experience of a story, both in terms of characters’ emotional lives and the feelings we wish to evoke in readers. We’ll also consider how a range of emotions in the course of a story can develop suspense and momentum.The class will review showing, telling, and finding a balance between the two and draw inspiration from Rita Banerjee’s craft essay “Emotion and Suspense: The Essence of Rasa Theory” and Alexander Chee’s craft lecture “From First Draft to Plot.”Students can expect to work in small groups to practice showing, find emotional range, and sharpen description. In-class writing exercises will help students develop both works-in-progress and new material. Students will have the opportunity to share their writing for peer and instructor feedback.Anca L. Szilágyi is the author of the novels Daughters Of The Air, which Shelf Awareness called “a striking debut from a writer to watch” and Dreams Under Glass, which Buzzfeed Books called “a novel for our modern times.” Her writing appears in Newsweek, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Orion Magazine, among other publications. She is the recipient of awards from Lilith Magazine, Vermont Studio Center, Artist Trust, Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, 4Culture, Hugo House, the Jack Straw Cultural Center, and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Originally from Brooklyn, she has lived in Montreal, Seattle, and now Chicago. Find her at ancawrites.com. Due to limited space, registration is required. AccessibilityNeed sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event. Photo credit: c0fbf559, nappy.co